DBSK and BoA are “Not Yet” ready for America; And Others…
So says Lee Soo Man and I completely agree.
But I think they could be sellable in America. Sooner or later Asian pop music is going to be filtering even more strongly into the states. I don’t think groups like SNSD would have much of a chance but solo singers like BoA can definitely do it. She is a good singer and she makes pop music, pop music is always and will forever be “in” music. (This does not include sickeningly sweet bubblegum pop, that is a conundrum I am still investigating).
Utada Hikaru tried to release an album in the United States but it only sold 30,000 copies. I really don’t think this has to do with the fact that Americans aren’t ready for Asian singers. I think the executives in charge think that Americans aren’t ready for Asian singers. Utada’s company didn’t promote her at all. So of course for American’s that have never heard of her, they wouldn’t buy an album that they haven’t heard of.
To be fair I think Americans get really confused when people don’t fit into preconceived notions about the music a race “should” make. Like when Fefe Dobson was singing rock music or when Justin Timberlake started doing Hip-Hop. People start freaking out and then when you throw Asians into the mix, unless they’re playing the cello or are the one Asian person in a hip-hop crew people don’t know what to think. That however is quickly changing. And I think if music execs would relax and let the talent do what they do, things will work out fine.
A mix of bad promotion and confused music execs could be Se7en’s downfall. He needs to stop promoting himself just to Asians and open up to the general American audience. His album preview party was in NYC was at Hiro Ballroom. And he was promoted almost exclusively by BaseNYC which is solely about Korean-American nightlife. Hopefully, he’ll start branching out and this isn’t the only thing he’ll be doing.
But back to Dong Bang Shin Ki, I think these guys are about 3 years away from being ready. They all need English fluency and it has to be better than Yoochun mistaking the word “rudolph” for “deer”. There singles are usually very American-friendly. I would exclude Hug and Beautiful You, though Beautiful You, because it’s so boring, may work out. To appeal to a younger demographic they pretty have to do the same things minus the homo-erotic behavior and wearing animal suits. People who do that in the states are either on Nick Jr. or Disney (in the morning when only toddlers watch it). Their personalities though are pretty much perfect for anywhere because they’re so personable and I think they’ll be able to be themselves a little bit more because of the general lack of psychofans in the states.
For all of these artists though, because they’re minorities and foreigners they’re going to have to work twice as hard to get half as far. Sad truth.
May 11, 2008 at 10:42 pm
Interesting. I’m excited about BoA’s debut!!! But… I am pissed about Utada’s lack of promotion by Island… they just royally killed the critic momentum that EXODUS had… just killed it…
Patrick
vinyabarion.wordpress.com (Who’s Afraid of Music?)
May 11, 2008 at 10:43 pm
Oh, I added you to my blogroll.
May 11, 2008 at 10:47 pm
Oh! Thanks a bunch!
May 11, 2008 at 11:33 pm
Interesting thoughts….an Asian boyband in the States? I don’t think I’ll ever see the day….
Anyhow, this may be just me but I think if someone truly wanted Asians to break open the American music market, he/she should first start with an Asian singer FROM the US. Doesn’t that make so much more sense? Then that would pave the way for singers from Asian countries to come over and do their thing.
May 12, 2008 at 2:47 am
To appeal to a younger demographic they pretty have to do the same things minus the homo-erotic behavior
I agree…but then, to me, that would take away some of their appeal since it’s kinda in their “nature” to be touchy feely towards each other.
May 12, 2008 at 3:39 am
Not the part that’s natural, I wouldn’t call that homoerotic. I mean the ships and the “fanservice” that I tend to not enjoy.
I’m just happy that they don’t make a habit of dressing in drag or kissing each other (See: Big Bang).
May 12, 2008 at 3:43 pm
Look at this gem over at the LJ comm in response to DBSK in America, put in a very nasty and racist way:
“Asians are tolerated but not popular, they rarely put themselves out there and mainly stick together, so unless they collectively open themselves more I dont think anyone will approch them and say “let me hear your music”.
Even though I am aware that there are many ignorant americans I think that Asians themselves are responsible for they way many people see them”
” omg yes poor asians are always the victims
I’ve yet to meet any non-asian person who had negative opinion about asians soley because they are asian.
what about Americans being discriminated in their own country? remember the case where a black person was kicked out of a asian store in AMERICA because apparently black people are too dirty. or the “japansese only” signs in japan. ever seen anything comparable in the US? No.
How many asians would DISOWN(!) their own kids for marrying a non asain?
Find me one non-asian person who values a pure boodline more than their childs happiness.
thats blantant inexcusable racism
there might be historical expainations for certain feeling but that does NOT make it ok”
People are such fucking idiots.
May 12, 2008 at 4:05 pm
Wow, I hate it when people learn a little bit and then use it to defend there ignorance. It so annoying because it is so clear that they do not at all understand what is going on in the world.
May 12, 2008 at 4:34 pm
I am not agreeing with you totally… this is just my opinion but I tried korean music and japanese music, I love Utada Hikaru, I’ve tried DBSK but they didn’t impress me. I think the thing is American are longing for something new. It doesn’t matter seeing Asian doing hip hop or such but the song is that they need something new attributed to it… per instance most of the DBSK songs i’ve listen to where like “this song is so familiar”… not only DBSK but i’ve also tried se7en but yet nothing impressed me. “The Shangai Restoration” are Asian to support because of the originality they brought to hip-hop. btw you should listen to him
May 12, 2008 at 4:35 pm
btw you shouldn’t throw everything to the race factor plz…
May 12, 2008 at 4:41 pm
My favorite line is this though,
“ever seen anything comparable in the US? No.”
UMMMMMMM somebody failed modern American history.
May 12, 2008 at 4:48 pm
@amy: hahahahaaa I kno. It’s kind of sad that they don’t know these things.
@nicedram12: I know what you mean. I think originality is key as well. I’m not trying to pretend it solely a racial thing, it just happens to be what I’m talking about in this particular post.
May 13, 2008 at 12:49 pm
Boa, maybe, TVXQ, efinitely not. Which totally suck because they’re amazing and I love them.
Right now the U.S. has zero interest in boy-bands and by the time the boy-band craze comes back they’ll be too old (not OLD, but too old to be called boy-band). It doesn’t matter how wonderfully they dance or how amazing they sound, they’re an Asian boy band and the U.S. has very little respect for either.
Hopefully this will change in the near future.
The only way I could ever see TVXQ making it in the U.S. is if they stopped dancing……but that would be so awful. I really want them to just stay together and perform in Asia and when they feel like the hectic schedules and grueling dance moves are too much they can become an acapella band (like The Gospellers). Is that too greedy of a wish? lol
November 24, 2008 at 1:45 pm
Does it really matter if DBSK makes it to the US?
They are already known by people of many other countries though they’ve only been producing in east asian countries. If they have to modify themselves to fit with the American Music Industry than I don’t want them to debut there because I like them as they are. BoA has changed so much to TRY to assimilate into the american industry and she I don’t like her that much now =( ~
Would you want someone to change just to be well known?
Of course they’re in the entertainment industry so it’s kind of their job to get people to like them but they’re also people and I like who they are right now.
November 24, 2008 at 1:48 pm
BoA has changed so much to TRY to assimilate into the american industry and I don’t like her that much now =( ~ ***
January 16, 2009 at 10:11 pm
I really hope that asain music gets big in the U.S. I love it especially K-Pop. Also I want DBSK to come here and even though your right about the homoeroticness and the animal suits thats what I love abot them lol. I would not want them to change which makes it hard because even though I want to hear them sing english songs and be able to go to their concerts without leaving the country I wouldn’t want them to suffer and people here in the states can be very nasty. Also I’m 21 so I hope there more people my age that would love them the way they are. But yea anyway if they have to cahnge who they are than it’s not worth it.
January 22, 2009 at 4:09 pm
I think DBSK was made for Asia, if I’m putting it right. They’re perfect over there and there are many people across the world as well, including myself, who admire them a lot.
But the thing people say about their chances in the US being slim are unfortunately true. In general, Asian people are not taken seriously here in the West. However. I believe strongly that if a black man could now be president of America, then nothing is impossible for the Asian community there. It’ll take lots of fighting for more rights and showing everybody else that Asians are a unique race (not to be grouped under “minorities” along with latinos and whoever else), and that they should be taken seriously.
What the black community has been able to do, the Asain community can definitely do. And who knows? In the next ten years we can have chart-topping Asian singers in America and even…an Asian president in America.
January 24, 2009 at 7:06 pm
I think the opposite . I have many musicians in my family and relatives who work in the biz. When it all comes down to it~it’s all about sound. Americans don’t like manufactuerd voices in the studio. DBSK doesn’t have that problem. They can really sing and their english singing has gotten better. If they have a hit song they’ll make it. Their problem will be their dancing. They sycronize well in a group, but have no individual moves to set them apart from one another. A good american choreagropher could fix that such as shane sparks among others. (Another reason they need a choreograper is so that they can do dance moves that don’t require them to lip synch to fast music. The american public is unforginving when it comes to that~Ashley simpson is a great example) AND if they loose the shirt and tie and come into their own sense of style the”ll be fine. You don’t buy music based on what someone looks like ~ you buy it because you like the way it sounds. Perfomance is in a category on it’s own.
Besides their was an asian star that broke barriers ..Her name was coco lee she is chinese and her songs were nominated for oscars a couple of times. Her english album is fantastic:”)
June 24, 2009 at 4:46 pm
I completly agree with your last paragraph. I am a fan of a German Band Called Tokio Hotel. Yes they promoted, but not enough, They could speak basic english, but not enough to get them by. They did get raging fans in America, but they left us to go make another album, and America forgot them because they didn’t leave a big enough impression on us. it’s a shame that if you make a mark here we forget you in two weeks if you dont do a lot to be in the media, and when you leave so does all of the hard work you put into making a mark. So if DBSK was to come here, they’d have to be willing to leave their fans at home for a while, a long while, and do a lot of tours and promotions almost 24/7.
I really think that they can do it. I’ve known about them for a couple of weeks but from what I learned of them I know that they’d have the commitment they’d need to make it in america.