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GOLDSEA |
ASIAMS.NET |
ASIAN AMERICAN ISSUES
IS THE U.S. READY FOR ASIAN AMERICAN POP STARS?
ime was when we saw literary fame or Hollywood stardom as the final frontier for Asian acceptance in the U.S. More recently the frontier shifted to pro sports and national politics.
A year into the 21st Century we see Asian lights going on in the literary world, Hollywood and pro sports. We even see Asian Americans in two cabinet posts. But one arena remains starkly devoid of Asian stars -- the pop music scene.
James Iha, Smashing Pumpkins guitarist/backup vocals & solo recording artist
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Classical stars like Yo-Yo Ma, Seiji Ozawa and Vanessa Mae are old news. We've noted Japanese imports like Shonen Knife, Keiko Matsui and Pizzicato Five. We've marveled at the unlikely hit "Sukiyaki". Many of us have spotted James Iha in Smashing Pumpkins and Jeff Lin in Harvey Danger, or maybe even heard of Asian American bands like Seam and Versus.
But where is pop music's Chow Yun-Fat, Ichiro, Chang-rae Lee, Norman Mineta?
One indication of our lack of presence in pop music is the fact that Ming-Na and husband Eric Zee have even financed a record label (Innovazian) in hopes of promoting an Asian American pop/R&B boy group -- a sort of private Head Start program for pop music. Few of us even know its name (At Last). Its first CD sold all of 3,000 copies.
Those of a paranoid or cynical bent will postulate conspiracies among racist, short-sighted heads of major record labels. The sociologically inclined will see pop music as the inner sanctum of American culture and Asians as the perpetual outsiders.
But for purposes of this page, put on your music critic/historian hat and prognosticate the most likely path by which an Asian star will ascend to the American pop firmament. Will it be a Canto-Pop, J-Pop or K-Pop star storming the U.S. via the import route? Will it be a surprise chart-topper by an AA artist (say James Iha with another, more successful solo album)? Or will there be a frontal assault by a wave of AA groups/artists currently playing the club and auditorium circuits?
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WHAT YOU SAY
[This page is closed to new input. --Ed.]
(Updated
Tuesday, Apr 1, 2008, 05:57:34 PM)
Chinese 21... you call that "hit pop" Korean hip hop real hip hop?!?! And I supposed you think Jay Z and Nelly are hardcore hip hop too, huh?
Jinusean is hip hop?! How Deep Is Your Love?!?! 1 Tym, One Love?!?! Ooooo kay. Those songs are sick, but hip hop?! Uhh... no.
YG Family is dope though, but I wouldn't call that hip hop either. Yoo Seung Jun can rap. And what's with those Korean artists trying to act black? People say we out here are Chiggers for listening to hip hop and talking slang, and these fools be all decked out in Fubu and Sean John. They try too hard to portray that hip hop gangster image, but their music is too bubble gum for that. I guess they think we just see how hard they look on the video, and make us think it actually is hip hop.
Also, do you happen to speak Cantonese, Mandarin, Korean, and Japanese?! If not, how do you know which has the better love songs? Love songs are all based on the lyrics, not the beat, unlike dance music and hip hop.
Toi San Jai
Eric@KristinKreuk.net
Wednesday, January 02, 2002 at 23:45:28 (PST)
i think we ought to have our own asian music if we want an asian to take the world by storm.Like how shakira the colombian singer has a musical style of her own.(have yo heard of her single "Whenever,wherever"?) im not a music whiz,but that song sounds like south american jungle music mixed with modern pop and rock and it sounds fantastic!
i do have to agree that many asian singers can't go international becoz of language problems,they hardly speak proper english.They might be able to sing in english but it would sound like theyre singing in some language from timbuktu!there was this song ive heard by utada hikaru (i think)which is in english and sounds terrible.
secondly,i do think one weakness why we can't make it big internationally is most asian artistes have weak voices.you seldom hear asian artistes with a soulfuls voice like that of brian mcknight's or whitney houston,its always the same kind of voice texture you hear from mando and canto pop hits.
jezebelle
Wednesday, January 02, 2002 at 16:08:11 (PST)
The best Canto-pop-dance album I've ever heard of was Sandy Lam's remixes album with songs 'Fui sek' and 'Ai sang e ke bu wei zhia de ren'. back in the 80s and 90s, HK Canto scene was still upbeat and exciting with Leslie Cheung, Alan Tam, Sally Yeh and Priscilla Chan. Today, i don't listen to any HK Canto music anymore. The singers have tapped into 'Britney Spearidom' - good-looking performers who have annoying vocal. Like Gollum in LOTR, "We hate it (Canto music)!" Coco Lee is absolutely one of the best Asian singer at the moment, but her nasal voice is screeching to my ear. how about Michelle March? The gal with "Everywhere"? its pretty impressive and not painful to listen to. I considered that an Asian soloist's milestone in English music.
JJ Augusta
Wednesday, January 02, 2002 at 07:55:33 (PST)
Well, a Korean R nīB group like Bijou are actually really great since they seem to acknowledge that they donīt have those deep souly, sexy voices but still manage to have that lovely groove.
Madeleine
Tuesday, January 01, 2002 at 09:51:40 (PST)
To Toi San Jai:
In terms of diversity, here it goes, hip hop: 1tym, jinusean, etc..
alternative rock/metal: seo tai ji
Not to mention the days of good HK ballads are long over, it was way better in the past. And if you haven't noticed, the HK trend is to go techno, hip hop, and boy bands too, they haven't come up with a lot of memorable slow jams as of late.
Korea has plenty of ballad singers, and they can sing live. Ex. Jo Sung Mo, Lee Seung Hwan. I would listen to Jo Sung Mo anyday over the current hk pop singers, such as Edison (sucks), Eason, twins, blah blah blah, and Korean hip hop is much better than hk hip hop.
Most of the artists in hk, that claim to be an R&B artist, are not true R & B artists or hip hop artists. Their songs are R & B or hip-hop influenced POP, that's a big difference.
Like I said, if you're looking for good ballad singing, listen to Jo Sung Mo.
Chinese21
Monday, December 31, 2001 at 13:43:21 (PST)
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