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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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Discussions posted during the past year remain available for browsing.
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WHAT YOU SAY
[This page is closed to new input. --Ed.]
(Updated
Tuesday, Apr 1, 2008, 05:57:28 PM)
"Pop is crap. We need to support asian rock artists like Hoobastank and Linkin Park"
Haha... you don't think Stinkin kraP is pop? They are on all the same stations that bump BSB and Christina. That sounds pretty pop to me.
TSJ
Eric@KristinKreuk.net
Tuesday, June 18, 2002 at 00:27:34 (PDT)
I'm from chicago, and on one of our more popular radio staions, they played an American/English version of a Thai/Taiwanese song, by a Thai group called China Dolls....it was on the radio stations for a couple weeks.....pretty interesting....1st time i ever heard anything like that b/f.....
YellowDragon21
dragonash23@hotmail.com
Monday, June 17, 2002 at 23:12:53 (PDT)
Utada is classy, smart, talented, and cool. Coco Lee looks like cheap trash.
Hiki
Monday, June 17, 2002 at 23:12:47 (PDT)
check out http://www.soundclick.com/bands/vietnameseclick.htm If u want to see what asians have for mainstream america...This kid THAI is going to represent!!!!
KillerXO
Monday, June 17, 2002 at 04:16:26 (PDT)
No, the guy from Hoobastank is named Doug Rob, and the DJ (Joe Han) from Linkin Park is full asian, not the drummer, the lead singer Mike Shinoda is half.
fact police
Sunday, June 16, 2002 at 22:02:35 (PDT)
Hikaru Utada can't sing! She sings like she's drowning in the sea or something. Her voice is pathethic. Weak and feeble. Not diva material. Besides, she's not even prettier than the msdiocre Coco Lee!
AsianMusicRocks
Sunday, June 16, 2002 at 17:02:48 (PDT)
I think you mean the DJ of linkin park is Asian, not the drummer.
And what of Coco-Lee? Though she has yet to establish a name for herself she has entered the pop arena representin' Asian American pop?
Ky
Sunday, June 16, 2002 at 09:30:36 (PDT)
f*** yeah dude. GO frequencey 5 f***ing yes. i love it when you say that.
a
Friday, June 14, 2002 at 15:44:44 (PDT)
Hikaru Utada is the most popular singer in Japan. I predict she will be the first highly successful Asian-American singer in the US. Before any of you say that she is not an American, but a Japanese, please note that she was born in New York. She is also a student at NYU studying biology. English is definitely her stronger language as some Japanese critics say that her Japanese is Americanized. She took Japan by storm because she is bilingual, but very few people know that is being produced by none other than the duo of Terry Lewis and Jimmy Jam. These 2 recognize talent when they see it and don't care what ethnicity she is.
Just because her first name is Japanese, most people assume she is from Japan. She became famous because people love her songs and not for any stupid gimmick that is prevalent with J-pop. Did you know that she sang a duet for the movie Rush Hour 2 with Foxy Brown? If anyone has heard her sing, you will be impressed with her unique singing voice. She has an english album in the works and I will be sure to get when it becomes available. Such a cute girl! Check out her website:
http://www.toshiba-emi.co.jp/hikki/
LA yonsei
Friday, June 14, 2002 at 15:05:25 (PDT)
Pop is crap. We need to support asian rock artists like Hoobastank and Linkin Park with music we could actually listen to. The lead singer of Hoobastank is half Japanese and his name i think is Robert Black, and the dummer of the band Linkin Park is a full asian.
Rock rule, pop sucks
Friday, June 14, 2002 at 12:59:18 (PDT)
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