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ASIAMS.NET |
ASIAN AMERICAN ISSUES
Is the U.S. Ready for Asian American Pop Stars?
(Updated
Tuesday, Apr 1, 2008, 05:57:18 PM)
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.]
sorry i have made many typos in both posts, Malaysian sensation i really doubt 48% Malaysia is Christian prodestant whatever u claim, the majority is of course Malay and according to Malay law, all malays must be Muslims Malaysia is an Islamic country and in many ways more strict about it than Indoneisia (the worlds most populous islamic country) as their own ppl don't have religious choice, the the next largest ethnic group are Chinese, yes there are many Christian Chinese, but that number is FAR less than Buddhists Chinese, majority of Chinese are Buddhists, while the smaller minority religions are Branches of Christiananity and Hindu (which are very peaceful to Buddhists) and the KL twin Towers are the tallest buildings in the world, its the third tallest. and its not very safe either, stop feeding ur lies u get from tourist stuff, i was born there and i would know, the Malay ppl themselves are very poor and deprived due to their own Government's greed and corruption (only the royal family and relatives are rich)and it will stay a developing coutry. The Chinese have a long and rich History in Malaysia and are part of it. Anyways about music, the other guy, Linkin Park might seem like the solution to every1's tastes, (alternative, pop and hp hop elements mixed in) but in fact they are giving rock a bad name, they are caretorised as Nu Metal, and are moving rock backwards (using cheap powerchords to give it heaviness and less technical skills, NO Guitar solos at all, NO MELODY at all as it is rap,rock is about MELODY~! rapping doesnt help, the Asians in Linkin Park a MC and a DJ~!!! come on, Asians are very talented at rock, to a non rock listener it might sound cool or even hardcore but its really cheap music disguised with cheap powerchords riffs(NU METAL is just as bad as mainstream rap, really any musician knows rap is sh!t no offence i was once a rap and trance fan myself, bands like Linkin Park and limp bizkit ruin rock) if u want my opionion on where modern rock should have headed Listen to Luna Sea's Lunacy album- they incorporate modern techniques and experimental stuff with DJ Krush and use various recording techniques and arrangements) u will see what i mean, the drummer and guitarists, bassists and vocalist are so versatile in the progression in rock and don't cheapen themselves with by incorporating rap elements with non melodic rhymes, and hide behind cheap powerchords and a DJ shhouldnt be used for conventional scratching incorporated into it.. J-rock's progression its where modern rock should be not this cheap "Nu Metal" u hear in America
ASIAN ROCKER
Thursday, March 27, 2003 at 08:43:23 (PST)
[203.217.15.43]
"Asians are always too nationalistic when it comes to everything they do, including music.We limit ourselves to what we are familiar with"
Well there is a reason for this. That's because people don't really like music where they can't understand what's being said! In Japan, the people have never heard of Malaysian, Indonesian, Filipino, Indian artists before.
But, American pop stars are very famous in Japan. English is the most popular foreign language. Some Hong Kong pop stars have also had some success in Japan (some of them even released Japanese language songs).
AA
Wednesday, March 26, 2003 at 20:47:44 (PST)
[172.174.179.243]
The only reason Malaysia is well off now is because the CHINESE RULE U, the chinese make up only second largest minority we hold up most of the economy just like the 3% of Chinese hold up 70% of Indoneisias economy, if it weren't for Chinese country's like Indo, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Philliphines would all be very under-developed. Look at Singapore a thriving 1st world country richest, why because it has Chinese majority. Malaysia could be like that if the Chinese ran it.. the Malaysian Government is corrupted, actually not many illegal chinese immigrants want to move there, most of them are from Indoneisia, they all end up as house Servants along with Malays and Indians for Chinese families, and if those chinese were illegals it would only be due to the Malay governments racists policies for immigration. Even the education system (very racists), chinese have to work harder to make it and most of them do succeed. And i know about the Malaysian music scene it is divided into mainly Malay pop and Chinese pop, many Malaysian chinese have made it successful in the C-pop industry from Malaysia, is the Malay Hip hop group u refer to Poetic Ammo? ive heard of them although i am not rap fan, they are ok, but they are LMF's (HK hip hop/rapcore crew) biggest's fans being opening guest for LMF concerts in Malaysia, from what ive heard from Malay music, its mostly homogenous Hip Hop (they rap in english, not even malay), replicating Divas/opopstars or heavy metal, they dont make their own style, while the malaysian chinese make their own styles distinctive from HK-pop and Taiwan pop which is why most of them move to HK or Taiwan cos their music attracts wider audience sars like Fish leong, R&B sensation Zhang Zhi cheng, ah niu who has he's own brand of country, rock, fold pop etc etc
ASIAN ROCKER
Wednesday, March 26, 2003 at 08:23:48 (PST)
[203.217.15.22]
The pioneers who blazed into new fields previously uncharted by those of their race, were all able to do so because they possessed one thing: talent, and bucketloads of it. After that, race didn't and couldn't matter. The entire genre of pop music, on the other hand, is too dependent on superficial matters such as looks, sex appeal, tabloid gossip, etc. Creative talent is not even an issue in this department. There won't be an Asian-American pop sensation for a long, long time, and this is a good thing: it's a credibility issue. If we come out peddling our shoddy wares too soon, because at the moment that's all we've got, we might lose our opportunity for that "golden age" when suddenly we emerge from the woodwork all afire, and everything we produce is a hit. Trust me, there will be plenty of time in the future for Asian-American artists to become complacent and mediocre like everyone else. In the meantime, let's learn to recognise true creative talent so it doesn't get stalled, jumping up and down screaming to be noticed while we've all got our heads in the clouds.
I believe the first big Asian music stars will be lyrically-gifted rappers and musically-innovative (and also possibly lyrically-gifted) indie rockers, two genres where creative talent is truly allowed to shine unfettered. (Incidentally, please don't believe that popular artists such as John Mayer or Vanessa Carlton embody true "creative talent" like how they're marketed as. They got by on their pretty looks like the rest of them. The fact is, one visit to your local open mic venue, and you'll see that each houses a regular or two with songwriting skills at least on par with those mainstream acts, if not better.)
In short, don't sit around fretting about whether talent will ever arrive. It'll come. After all, having lived through the fiasco that was Vanilla Ice, could any of us really have predicted the success (and yes, lyrical genius) of an Eminem a mere decade later? In the meantime, let's support hard-working independent Asian-American musicians who are already out there, like the Yearlings, Skyflakes, Mountain Brothers, and yes, Seam and Versus. It is artists like these, and not a million American Idol dime-a-dozen hopefuls, who have the greatest potential to deliver the creative talent we seek. Let's not disappoint them by leaving them stranded at the gates when they arrive.
Oakland indie kid
Wednesday, March 26, 2003 at 04:35:05 (PST)
[24.31.34.68]
if malaysia is so third world why is it the country with the tallest building in the world, why is it one of the most accepting and racially diverse countrys in the world, why is it voted as number 7 in Time magazine on the worlds safest countrys ahead of the united states that didnt even make the top ten. If it is so third world then why does malaysia get thousands and thousands of illegal chinese immigrants from china trying to enter the country, i thought you said east asians such as chinese were much better off, why would they want to come to third world malaysia??
Why do we get immigrants from all over south east asia coming to malaysia to work and for a better life if malaysia was third world? (mainly from philippines, thailand and indonesia). Is Ireland third world? but why is it that when the large majority of ireland is catholic there is bombing in the streets when fighting fellow christian protestants. Malaysia is about 60%islamic 48% christian and the rest made up by budhist and hindus. But there is never any fighting against each other. One street in my city has a mosque a church and a hindu temple each one next to each other. What other country in the world can you find that. Whys does Malaysia have one of the longest bridges in the world, connecting Singapore with Malaysia?? Ive never heard of a Third World Country that has achieved feats such as Malaysia. Malaysia is NOT a third world country, i beleive it is a developing country and i thank God that me a christian malaysian has the privelage to live here.
Malaysian Sensation
Monday, March 24, 2003 at 23:48:21 (PST)
[202.188.86.159]
[This is a digression we are only allowing as a response to an earlier post suggesting that Malaysia is a third-world country, but other off-topic posts will be omitted. --Ed]
Why would say a Japanese teenager in Tokyo listen to Malaysian music when she can't even relate to them. In Japan most teenagers listen to what is perceived as cool like American pop, Brit pop, J-pop, K-pop or even some South American stuff.
This is true also in Korea, HK and Taiwan as well. No one listens to Malaysia or Indian music in East Asia.
I won't be suprised if there were good artistes from South East Asia.Yes, the region might be THIRD WORLD compared to the richer East Asian Block, but don't forget talents like Regine Velasquez,KAI, Anggun,etc, are all South East Asians in origin.
Who?? I have no clue who you're talking about? Were they ever listed on Billboard Top 40? Any wannabe popstar can cut a CD these days.
Get real
Monday, March 24, 2003 at 18:04:41 (PST)
[64.12.96.103]
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