Is there hope for Asians in the American music scene? (essay) by Bluebird
The problem with Asian/Asian-American music groups trying to make it in the American music scene right now Is that all they seem to go on is the mere superficial fact that they're Asian. They add nothing more to the music than slanty eyes (hope no-one takes offense to the remark@` since I'm Asian-American myself@` but it's true)@` and think that that's enough to make them different and noticed.
CoCo Lee's riding in on a huge wave of hype@` but I think she's dead on arrival. If she's lucky@` she'll get a couple of TV talk show appearances then fade away; her single premiered on the Top 40 station here in Los Angeles a month ago then vanished without a trace. My explanation? Her songs suck. I listened to her album some time ago with high hopes@` but all I got is a watered-down Jennifer Lopez on one track@` an ersatz Mariah Carey the next. And@` yes@` her English is very good@` but there is that aural quality about it that just screams "I don't know what I'm singing about." She lacks sincerity and substance. While I'm sad that this most recent attempt at an Asian crossover artist isn't working out@` part of me is glad it didn't.
And it's news isn't much better from this end of the pool@` where Asian-American acts are trying to be the first Asian-American act to make it big (we all know Jocelyn Enriquez doesn't count because in the world of club music@` the singers are interchangeable anyway). And while they may have an edge language-wise over nearly all acts that would be or could be imported from Asia@` they are woefully lacking in any originality. Your typical Asian-American musical "startup": three to five teenagers of the same gender@` dressed up like either hoodlums or skanks (depending on gender)@` churning out low-grade R&B with an abundance of rhymes like night/right@` life/wife@` and love/above/of. If the group is female@` then En Vogue's "Don't Let Go" and/or "Never Gonna Get It (My Love)" is invariably found in their live set. (Try these for examples: http://www.sx4.com and http://realemotions.tsx.org). If they're good@` they sound Black or Hispanic. If they're bad@` they sound like Asians trying to sound Black or Hispanic.
So is there any real hope for a substantial Asian/Asian-American invasion in music@` something along the lines of (though I'm sure not the same magnitude as) the current Latin craze? I believe there is@` it's just that it hasn't been done right yet@` and the answer is as close as this board or any of the other Asian-pop websites all over the net that are frequented by us Americans (of Asian descent and otherwise).
Why@` when American music is supposedly so sophisticated and technically superior@` do we listen to Asian pop music? It can't merely be just our collective lust for YSJ/Eugene/Kang Ta/Hyori@` can it? I think we all know that deep down@` there IS something--probably more than one thing--in Asian music that we can't find in Western/American music@` and it isn't just slanty eyes like our own. And I think it's important for A/A-Am artists to bring those things with them in order to establish a truly Asian presence in American music.
I. ACCENTUATE THE DIFFERENCES. Korean and Japanese pop have distinctive musical and lyrical styles and "pallettes" that set them apart from American pop.
LYRICAL STYLES: Good J-Pop has a way of combining ethereal@` romantic imagery with accessible references from real (as opposed to fantasized) life--SPEED's megahit "White Love" didn't just draw a romanticized analogy between snow and feelings of love@` but also made references to notebook-organizers and misting up a window with one's breath@` things that any teenager can identify with. Hikaru Utada's songs make references to e-mail@` voicemail@` colored contacts@` phone bills. This ability to make "real" references that the target audience (young people) can identify with@` rather than saying something obtuse (alternative music)@` trite (teen-pop)@` or in reference to an idealized@` glamorized lifestyle (most R&B and hip-hop)@` is something notoriously lacking in American music@` especially teen-oriented pop (I think it's this accessibly-referential ability that makes the groups Destiny's Child and TLC so successful). Lyrically@` Korean pop is a bit more straightforward and "American@`" but is distinctive nonetheless--there's a nice "storytelling" approach to a lot of songs@` many are in a conversational tone@` so there's something almost "theatrical" about K-Pop that would be a welcome addition to the American music mix.
MUSICAL STYLES: Japanese and Korean music are *industries@`* not genres@` so within each world are genres as diverse as the American industry's: rap@` teen-pop@` dance@` rock@` alternative@` etcetera--but that doesn't mean that the genres are the same across different industries. I've found Korean pop music to be more imitative of American music than Japanese pop is@` but it's still distinctive. To me@` K-Pop has a "retro" feel to it melodically@` hearkening back to seventies American pop@` fifties doo-wop@` or even the nursery rhymes we grew up with. Simple@` pretty@` sweet. This especially applies to girl-pop@` like FinKL@` SeeU@` CLEO@` and early SES. Musically@` Japanese pop would probably best be described as "what American music would be if the grunge and gangsta rap era never happened." Namie Amuro's bouncy pop songs and the Visual Rock genre are all stylistic mutant offspring of Debbie Gibson and the Glam Rock bands of the eighties@` respectively. J-Pop is dramatic@` lengthy@` instrumentally complex (and occasionally overproduced)@` and sometimes just plain eccentric. K-Pop's a home-cooked meal with your sweetheart; American Pop is grabbing an extra value meal at a fast-food joint; J-Pop is a sit-down dinner at a restaurant--drinks@` appetizer@` entree@` dessert (and to complete the analogy@` you have to pay more for it@` too).
Basically@` what I'm saying is that K-Pop and J-Pop are different from American pop@` and that means that we Asian-pop connosieurs are getting something that the general public is lacking. If they don't have it@` then perhaps they NEED it@` and a true entrepreneur doesn't give people what they want@` but what they need. In the creative arts@` in music@` where the wheels of the industry grind slow@` you don't work on something that people like now--you try and put together something they're going to like NEXT YEAR. Britney and Christina@` BSB and N'Sync are and will continue to be the only true successes of their subgenres...everyone else is an also-ran@` and the really good record producers who are going to rake it in two years from now are the ones scrambling to find something different@` not the ones putting together their teen diva/boy group act now. And I really do think Asian pop offers something different.
II. CHOOSE THE RIGHT VEHICLES.
CoCo Lee isn't the first wannabe Asian/Asian-American artist to botch an "Asian invasion@`" she's just the most recent (Hoku Ho@` who by appearances is just "Another Dumb Blonde"--pun intended--doesn't count). Mai Kuraki@` YoCo Ross@` Lea Salonga@` Tia Carrere@` Seiko Matsuda@` even Hikaru Utada preceded her (Hikki redeemed herself by conquering Japan later@` though)@` with poor results. "Doing it right" means choosing the right people.
-HAVE A GOOD AMERICAN SONGWRITER ADAPT SOME SONGS. Although by no means is rewriting an Asian pop song into English a guarantee that a song will be a hit@` if done right it will help to demonstrate how distinguishable Asian pop is from standard American fare. The lyricist must be able to adapt the song well@` faithful to the original when necessary@` taking artistic license when necessary@` and write convincing English lyrics. More likely than not@` this means an AMERICAN professional songwriter taking charge of the adaptation@` not a Japanese or Korean one--one merely needs to point to any indigenous "English version" of a J-or-K-Pop song to see how even revered songwriters like Tetsuya Komuro just can't hack real English lyrics. Someone pay Dianne Warren to do a couple songs.
All of us probably have a secret list of songs we'd love to be redone in English. Mine would have to include Hikaru Utada's "First Love" (it would simply KILL on the American charts) and "Addicted to You@`" a number of songs by The Brilliant Green and Ringo Shiina@` FinKL's "To My Prince@`" a selection of Diva and SES songs@` and Shinhwa's "Yo" (imagine Puff Daddy doing that--oh@` wait...).
-GET AN ASIAN-AMERICAN ARTIST. I'm sorry@` but no matter how "fluent" they are@` ESL Asian artists (even those born in America) just simply won't cut the mustard here in America. The Asian Invasion must be led by someone born and/or raised here@` I'm talking a George Takei--Garrett Wang--Tamlyn Tomita--Kelly Hu@` NO accent. Accents have given America cute cult crossover acts like Cibo Matto@` Shonen Knife and Pizzicato Five@` but mainstream pop would require a singer whose accent won't get in the way of the song. The "Asianness" of the song should come through in the musical@` lyrical@` and visual style instead@` not the singer's accent. That doesn't mean we can't import J-Pop and K-Pop stars; we simply have to "recall" the Asian-American acts we've exported@` like As One and Hikaru Utada.
III. ASSEMBLE A COMPLETE PACKAGE. EXPERIMENT WITH MARKETING STRATEGIES.
We Asians are good at coming up with clever or crazy ways to sell things@` and I think an Asian Invasion would also call for some clever ways to bend the rules and conventions of the American music industry. Take a look at some J-Pop gimmicks: -release four singles by the same group@` each one week apart; have an offer of a fifth single if one collects all four. -release all the singles of the album before releasing the album@` and start releasing new singles from the next album after that (this is actually the usual J-Pop industry practice). -create two groups with the sole explicit purpose of them competing against each other for record sale. -have each member of a supergroup release his/her own single. -sell "special first editions" of an album with bonuses (like an extra whole CD of karaoke versions of all the album's songs). -instead of an album every two years@` an EP (a smaller album@` five or six new songs) every six to eight months. -tie the single to something--a movie@` a commercial@` a TV show. -have your group endorse products and do commercials for them.
I think that if done right@` an Asian Invasion would not only finally establish an Asian presence in American pop@` it may actually help reshape the industry@` especially in the face of the mp3/digital music revolution.
And it's news isn't much better from this end of the pool@` where Asian-American acts are trying to be the first Asian-American act to make it big (we all know Jocelyn Enriquez doesn't count because in the world of club music@` the singers are interchangeable anyway). And while they may have an edge language-wise over nearly all acts that would be or could be imported from Asia@` they are woefully lacking in any originality. Your typical Asian-American musical "startup": three to five teenagers of the same gender@` dressed up like either hoodlums or skanks (depending on gender)@` churning out low-grade R&B with an abundance of rhymes like night/right@` life/wife@` and love/above/of. If the group is female@` then En Vogue's "Don't Let Go" and/or "Never Gonna Get It (My Love)" is invariably found in their live set. (Try these for examples: http://www.sx4.com and http://realemotions.tsx.org). If they're good@` they sound Black or Hispanic. If they're bad@` they sound like Asians trying to sound Black or Hispanic.
So is there any real hope for a substantial Asian/Asian-American invasion in music@` something along the lines of (though I'm sure not the