The short answer: No, but it won’t be for a lack of trying.
The long answer: Anyone who has a basic knowledge of J-Pop or K-Pop music knows who BoA is. If you don’t, here’s a brief synopsis: A 12 year old Korean girl auditions and gets drafted into the Korean music scene. She becomes huge in South Korean, then promptly goes to Japan and records a bunch of #1 Japanese records, making her the first Korean to do so. She promptly becomes a superstar all over Asia. Now BoA is 20 and there are dreams for her to make it big in the United States. Don’t they all, really? But this will be easier said than done, because — and let’s be brutally honest here, because I’m actually a really big fan of BoA since her Kimochi Wa Tsutamaru days — the girl can’t pronounce her Rs.
No, seriously. Take this song, performed by teen fashion dolls turned bad pop band Bratz, for example: I played this for a friend once and when BoA butchered the line “All the Girls” as “ARR DE GURRS,” I instantly lost what little credibility I had.
So now BoA is giving another go at it with her new single “Eat You Up,” and the big guns have been called: the song is produced by Bloodshy & Avant, who produced another song you may have heard of called “Toxic,” by Britney Spears. Her video producer is Diane Martel. And Flo Rida is rapping on one of the remixes.
If I was the agent of a pop star, those are the names I would want to be using, really. But at the end of the day, the great American music machine is more than that — it’s promotion, it’s going to radio stations, it’s going to TRL and having 15 year olds from New Jersey being able to love you through an accent and a lot of peace signs. And it’s a shame, because she has the image skills, she definitely has the dancing skills and watching an exhausted-looking BoA learning hip hop moves and auditioning dancers and dealing with Americans that speak 100-words-a-minute, she most definitely has the drive and the work ethic. And it’s for those reasons that I really want her to do well when her single comes out in digital format on October 7th.
But given the track record of Asian in the American music industry? I’m not holding my breath. At all. Here’s to vocoders and chest pops taking you to the top, girl. Vocoders and chest pops.
Update: The full song is available via a YouTube link here.
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Xxxtine wrote:
As I stated before, out of all the Asian artists preparing for a US debut, BoA had the best chance … Other artists Se7en and Rain - both of whom are no where to be found at this time. OK, maybe Rain’s around, but just as a movable prop.
SM Entertainment should actually look around their roster to find that The Grace is the only group that really IS ready to debut in the US.
Posted on 24-Sep-08 at 5:42 am | Permalink
Jun wrote:
I think The Grace is far too under-appreciated not just by Korean Fans but by SM for them to adventure into anything like that… they get like 1% of the promotion after groups like SNSD, DBSK, and Shinee…
where’s JYP’s Min at?
i was sure she was gonna “succeed”…
a lil asian girl shaking her booty like there is no tomorrow…
voicoders, chest pops, AND booty-shaking….
BOOTY SHAKING…
Posted on 24-Sep-08 at 7:17 am | Permalink
Royce wrote:
Two things…
1) TRL is officially dead.
2) Do you think it’s easier for other ethnicities to do cross over stuff? I see a lot of Latino artists going back and forth between mainstream American music and Latin music. Do you think it’s more difficult for an Asian artist? If so…why?
Posted on 24-Sep-08 at 8:12 am | Permalink
Royce:
1) I KNEW I would be called out on TRL. Knew it, knew it, knew it. I don’t know what MTV’s current equivalent is nowadays, unless they just play The Hills the entire day. (I’m sure that show is canceled too. This is me, rapidly approaching adulthood.)
2) Latino artists absolutely have an easier time crossing over. Shakira, Marc Anthony, the fact that I even know who Luis Miguel is says a ton. And it’s easier for Latino artists to cross over: there are more Latino influences in pop-culture — movies, television, music. Ask someone in Iowa or Barbados an Asian movie star and they say a martial artist or Lucy Liu, and she was over five years ago. There hasn’t been an Asian male in the 20 seasons of Real World, and I’m trying to think of an Asian on primetime TV and the only person that comes to mind right now is Sandra Oh and the Super Smash Brothers champion that will be on the next Survivor.
And to be catty but kinda brutally honest, it’s two-fold: a lot of producers out there just don’t think an Asian popstar will make it big. And that’s because there’s a lack of good Asian entertainers out there.
Posted on 24-Sep-08 at 9:14 am | Permalink
Xxxtine wrote:
Ernie: You mean Asian North Americans right? … Because there are tons of highly entertaining Asian artists … they just happened to be in Asia.
Posted on 24-Sep-08 at 11:29 am | Permalink
Lana wrote:
No, she has no chance. The video, her song, the way she’s dressed (like a 90’s b-girl…heck Ciara doesn’t even dress like that anymore!) Scream cheap, lame, wack, etc. That video is dang cheap. Eat you up? Gimme a break.
That whole set up needs an upgrade from the 90’s to the 21st century before she gets taken seriously. As of right now of that dated song, video and dance, the only people I see buying into her act are people who know about her already.
Posted on 24-Sep-08 at 10:18 pm | Permalink
rocketfuel wrote:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKlINmIKKcw - that’s the other MV which is the one they should be using…Lana.
anyways, the problem with Asian Popstars crossing over, there’s nothing Asian about them except for how they look and their “Engrish.” They become carbon copies of their American counterparts…no matter how hard they work at being great performers.
Not sure where I read it…oh yeah, in the New York times; it was about American producers and the reason why so few of them work with Asian artists. With the Latin artists, they know they’ll have an easier time crossing over because they have a distinct flavor that can be labeled as Latin and still be marketable towards American no matter what the genre is. With Asian Pop stars…they have nothing that sets them apart other than being seen as an fetish with dyed blonde hair who could sing well. That’s not the “pop” artist fault though…it’s the people producing, finding a concept, and composing the music who needs to be more clever. Boa can only lend her voice and personality to the album, it is up to Soo Man to get the right people to make a song that’s distinguishable as being Korean but palatable enough for the Americans to dance to…..of course though, Boa’s voice isn’t as soul thumping as Rihanna so it might be harder.
SM really needs to do some research…especially into sounds that have worked before in the past….like with 1tym, a korean pop hip hop group. They had this one song where they use old Korean instruments to make the beats and music. I forgot what is called…but it was distinguishably korean with a hip hop twist.
Then there’s Miss Korea 2007 who played a traditional string instrument with Korean pop rapper Tablo…..Also, the Samsung commercial using a maestro of traditional string instrumentals who played Canon D as someone beat boxed while Last4one bboy’d to it…it is stuff like that they need to make sex.
Lastly, the best way I think for Boa to hit mainstream is if she hooks up with Pharrell who has worked with Asian Artists before and isn’t afraid to use “ching chong” beats. He’s the only one who can make her fobbiness……cool.
Posted on 30-Sep-08 at 10:01 am | Permalink
rocketfuel wrote:
oh yeah…red rover red rover…Korea, please send Clazziquai right over.
Posted on 30-Sep-08 at 10:14 am | Permalink
jun wrote:
rocketfuel:
your point is exactly why I dont want Asian artists, especially Korean ones crossing over. They automatically lose their appeal to me.
The reasons why I like Clazziquai and my other favorite Korean artists such as Epik High, Gummy, and Tasha (where is she btw?) are that they are Korean and they sing in Korean with songs in relation to Korean culture.
I dont want them crossing over. I thoroughly enjoy their music as it is.
Posted on 30-Sep-08 at 11:13 am | Permalink
rocketfuel wrote:
Except for Tablo, who is more kpop than the other 3…..their foundation of songs comes from American style Hip hop, R&B, and Electronica lounge music….so their brand of music doesn’t have any real relations to Korean culture other than the language. Excluding Gummy and Boa…Tasha and Clazziqaui can easily be considered “artists” before “pop stars from Korea.”
Besides, Tasha and Tablo grew up in the states and a few of Clazzqiaui members lived in Canada….
Posted on 30-Sep-08 at 12:22 pm | Permalink
jun wrote:
well I meant “artists” not “pop stars” anyway…
i know Alex from Clazziqiaui is from canada and tablo went to stanford and tasha had a black father and all that…
but you have to say the type of music they make, the Korean romanticized idea of love is very different from the American romanticized version; and other cultural influences heavily affect the way they make music. If you think Epik High can make a songs like “Fan” or “Whee Sang Yang” or “Rain” or even “Love Love Love” based on American culture and values then tell me where that place is in the US cause I want to move there, lol
and Tablo is kpop???
I dont think anyone in kpop can spit a vicious 16 bars like he did on “Lesson One” from their first album…
and i dont think its coincidental that I am drawn to Koreans that have grown up in the states but are more Korean than they are American… because Im just like that too..
Posted on 30-Sep-08 at 1:53 pm | Permalink
rocketfuel wrote:
You’re talking about lyrics…music is pretty much about sound and harmony. I don’t listen to Epik High, but from what I’ve heard the sound of Epik High is very Kpop…but as for content, you’re right….it is Korean. Just like G.O.D.’s single “Mother”….and how there’s a reference to Ja jjang myun in it despite have message that’s not much different Tupac’s “Dear Mother.” Regardless, the package is still R&B with some hip hop.
I’m sure if Tablo came to America and sang about Asian American issues, people would listen. While it might not be like Korea… he’ll find an audience like David Choi, Sam Geunjin Kang, and Priscilla Ahn.
And of course it’s no coincident that you’re drawn to Korean stuff if you’re Korean. That’s like saying it’s no coincident that you refer to your mother as Uhmma since she’s Korean. I think it’s only natural that you feel that way….but for me, my Korea is my parents….other than that, I am more American than Korean.
Posted on 30-Sep-08 at 2:30 pm | Permalink
Jeff wrote:
Jun and Rocketful, I’m with you guys on this one. I’d rather not see artists try to totally Americanize themselves to crossover - what is new and interesting about that? I’d generally rather hear some OPM (Original Filipino Music) then some Filipino doing a cover of some song in English (Arnel Pineda being an exception).
Posted on 30-Sep-08 at 4:11 pm | Permalink
Xxxtine wrote:
FYI - Tasha and Drunken Tiger got married last year and they both just had a kid this year.
Posted on 02-Oct-08 at 8:55 am | Permalink
jun wrote:
WHAT!?!?!
how COOL would it be if your parents were T and Tiger!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted on 03-Oct-08 at 10:16 am | Permalink
an wrote:
Full song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdA5DWawHF4
Posted on 03-Oct-08 at 11:03 am | Permalink
Chaz wrote:
^ Video’s gone.
Here’s the whole song (audio only):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08-INbL8WIA
Posted on 04-Oct-08 at 7:32 pm | Permalink
8Asians.com » BoA’s Asian Video for “Eat You Up” Different From American Version: An Asian American/Asian Canadian Blog wrote:
[...] a quick follow-up from the previous post on “Eat You Up,” BoA’s first attempt to break-out in the U.S. pop music market — it looks like there [...]
Posted on 20-Oct-08 at 9:41 pm | Permalink