[article] Knife Is Beautiful

[nmskalmn]

Read it: Knife Is Beautiful

Most of the article is about Shonen Knife, but they also discuss other Asian pop singers who tried to break into the US market.

Excerpt:

Some, like Hong Kong's CoCo Lee, have tried to reshape their image to fit the American pop mold. Others, like Japan's Utada Hikaru, have tried to carve out a niche in the market by sticking to the flavor of bubblegum they know best. Despite looks, talent, serious corporate backing and, in some cases, impeccably fluent English, all of them have been forced to retreat to their home market in frustration.

"Three decades have gone by since Pink Lady, and people still look at Asian pop music as foreign, as goofy, because it's such a tough stigma to break," says Bresler. "Will we see an Asian rock or pop performer break through to mainstream success within our lifetime? I think so. At least one. But not many more than one. And unfortunately, it will probably be some gimmicky pop group."

Naoko Yamano disagrees. "I don't know," she says. "Some major Japanese pop artists have tried to sell their records in America, and they have failed. I think the reason is that their music just imitates Western-style music. It lacks individuality. I think only really creative bands could have a chance to be popular in the U.S., and I don't know any such bands who've tried so far."

I really disagree with this comment: "It lacks individuality."