What do you think of this? I know that many artists (specifically directing at Asians, since I don't know as many unsuccessful artists from other continents) go into America's music industry with high hopes and expectations but return as a flop. The only remotely successful artist I know of is Rain.

IMO, record companies should stop sending so many of their artists to the US because it's surprisingly hard to get into the industry here. Unlike in Asian countries, most of America looks for more talent rather than looks in their artists. So it seems like a clash with Asian expectations, in which beauty often comes before talent. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, since I do like my pretty boybands But yeah, even though many Asian-Americans listen to Asian music, we're still a minority and it's not enough to really get an Asian star up with the A-listers, don't you think?

I wouldn't really call Rain successful. I mean he was in 2 American films with decent roles for an Asian, then cancelled some concerts and last I heard he came back to Asia. Compared to other Asian artists he's successful but I doubt anyone except Asian Americans have really heard of him and I also kind of doubt he will be successful in America. I don't think any companies should think of debuting their artists in America without perfect english and being part white couldn't hurt either.

I really don't know any successfully debuted Asian in America, except maybe Amerie who's half and I'm sure she's not recognised for her Asian side anyway. I guess actors make it better in America like George Takei and Masi Oka, but they were raised in America so I there's no hope for BoA or Wonder Girls.

It's because Asian countries are not as diverse as America. We have limited standard as to what beauty is unlike in that part of the world.

I agree, I don't think I'd call Rain successful haha.
Maybe I guess the most successful is Utada Hikaru? Her latest song played a lot on the radio when it first came out. But she was born in America too, and I still don't think her American releases were really enough to bounce her to the top in the US.

I agree with Kensamor's statement about Asia having a far narrower view of beauty than America as well.

I think the forgein stars with the talent and charisma should never give up.

People think america is only about looks but thats not true
look at Thalia, she's huge on the latin scene but her US debut flopped even though she is a beauty and she's married to Tommy Matolla.

Just wanted to let you guys know beforehand to keep the discussion on topic and to refrain from member bashing. There was a similar topic like this a few months ago and it turned into a mess. Thanks.

That is a bad thing. You sound really shallow when you say that :S.

In all cultures, it is bad to judge someone's talent based on their looks.

It just means us Asians are even more shallow if looks matter more than talent, and the result would be even worse talent.

In America, personality and talent is greater valued than looks IMO.

But then when you speak of beauty, your competing with real beauties.

Seriously in the beauty and talent department, Hyori Lee versus Beyonce, tsh, easy winner.

It would have to mean foreign artists would have to exceed American standards to get noticed.

Meaning sing with a frisky voice better than Alanis Morisette, be a pop rock princess better than Avril Lavigne, be a versatile bootylicious dancer better than Beyonce, etc.

Which is why I think Charice Pempengco has good chances . Charice's level of singing outperforms even Beyonce, Rihanna,Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera!

In fact her singing has been put on par with Celine Dion and Whitney Houston by David Foster . . . .

Really Americans care about talent? Why do we have Brittney Spears on the charts. She can't really sing that good but she is pretty and can sell sex to anyone. The Asians have as much of a chance to make it as Brittney does. I think prettiness takes the cake no matter what music industry country your in. Even Paris Hilton had a song. She can't do anything at all but make bad black light movies.

^ o_O


but err... i'd totally support the ones who actually try to interact with american producers/choreographers/etc. first and at least gain some training within the us before actually starting on the album and whatnot
so jyp is ridiculously brilliant >:] if min ever decides to come out she'd probably gain alot of attention esp coz of lil jon

You do bring up a good point. And yes, I do realize that I put my words into a very negative and ignorant manner (though I don't mean to). Being Asian myself, I'm not saying that all Asian artists are bad and all American artists are great. It's just that it's harder to gain acceptance. But some companies are sending in their artists that may or may not even be ready to venture into a new market. IDK, I guess I'm really just on the fence about the whole scenario.


Singers shouldn't give up. But then again, many of them come into the industry confidently and expecting full blown success because of the success in their native country, and it just sucks if/when it doesn't happen the way they want.

Let's just say there's more balance in the West comparing to Asia. In there, talents or not, you can make it. It just depends on how you sell yourself. In most parts of Asia, if you're not pretty you're out of the game. Also, Americans' definition of beauty is different from ours. Like I said, they are more exposed to diversity. And yes, I think if they want to hear "outsiders" venture in America, they will be more interested in talented singers. Reason why Charice (who is considered ugly in Asia) is making waves there.







Probably because we are sending the "wrong" people. If you know what I mean.

Rihanna and Britney yeah
but Christina and Beyonce...I think ur going a lil too far there.

oh god not charice again
Her singing is SO overrated! She yells and forces her voice, it's so not natural imo
and she's conceited.



In the States it's not all about talent, nor looks
it's a combo of everything, most importantly, you have to have CHARISMA and good ppl backing ya.

No, it's true! But of course, I'm biased. And she is talking about vocal power here.

Err no I am not.

If Charice Pempengco's singing ability is like on par with Whitney Houston and Celine Dion, what makes you think she can't beat Beyonce or Christina?

The thing with Charice though is she's still 16 years old.

Once Charice hits her 20's, dang, she can knock out some crazy powerful notes, they say Christina Aguilera sounds like she swallowed a black woman, well Charice will sound like she swallowed two black women when she finishes puberty.

Charice started hitting Whitney Houston and Celine Dion notes since she was like what, 6 - 7? Charice did it for survival, if she lost singing contest, her family like starved.

I don't think she is vocally stronger than Xtina and Beyonce
just because she can hit a higher note doesnt mean anything, Xtina and Beyonce have better control and can maintain it better than Charice.

Is this going to turn into another Charice fangirl thread?
I hope not

Charice is not really on par with Whitney and Celine
listen to "Always Love You" by Whitney
when Charice hit that note it was nowhere and I mean NO WHERE on par with Whitney Houston I am sorry
listen to more Whitney Houston songs plz.

And the whole swallowed black woman thing is retarded and lame whoever came up with that needs to get hit in the face.

If this becomes a BoA or Utada or WG fangirl thread or whatever and don't like it, I have the option not to go here. It's because I have no control who post in here and what they say.

That's true but the thread is about people breaking through
and once people start spamming like crazy about their favorite artists, putting down artists to praise another artist the thread gets out of hand which I think will happen just like the last thread.

Listening to charice isn't relaxing...
There's some unknown chinese sings that sing much better, and it seems effortless

charice just makes me go eh...she's showing off, she's forcing her voice. AND humility is a good thing, so she needs some of that.

I think the problem starts when someone starts stating his/her opinion and someone right away contradict the person as if her opinion is the only thing that matters. I say Charice vocal ability is better then Beyonce, that's my opinion. That's not putting down Beyonce, I just prefer Charice. What's not proper is to tell people who can post and what they can post here (no insult or whatever though). I say just post away!

I wasnt referring to
I was talking about other people who did that in the other thread and are starting the crap up again.

Hope this doesnt go down the drain.

EVEN AMERICANS HAVE A HARD TIME GETTING IN!!!!!!

charice is good, but IMO she's not quite up to christina or beyonce.
but as breaking through for asians, i believe if they have the talent and drive they'll make it in the industry sooner or later.

nice to see a thread like this.... again.
it got so ridiculous at the end last time.

with boa 'supposedly' collaborating with timbaland, and performing at the san francisco pride festival
and se7en finally having his music video play on b.e.t.
and wonder girls going on tour w/ the jonas brothers this summer
.... that's all great, but i still can't be sure that any of them will truly be successful. :/

QUOTE (Euphorie @ Jun 2 2009, 08:54 PM)

What do you think of this? I know that many artists (specifically directing at Asians, since I don't know as many unsuccessful artists from other continents) go into America's music industry with high hopes and expectations but return as a flop. The only remotely successful artist I know of is Rain.

what are you talking about? rain hasn't even attempted music in the states, yet.
if you're talking about being in the movies, that's different.

QUOTE (LazyAzian @ Jun 3 2009, 01:34 PM)

Which is why I think Charice Pempengco has good chances . Charice's level of singing outperforms even Beyonce, Rihanna,Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera!

yeah she can really sing but beyonce, britney, etc can perform and entertain.
you may think charice is a better singer than them, but what else?
i wouldn't attend her concert just to hear her belt out songs while just standing there
unless she can play the piano or something like alicia keys.
(but then again, alicia would still be steps ahead of charice because she writes/composes her own songs).
so it's not fair to compare her to beyonce or britney because they are performers.

I agree.


In a general statement, when it comes to music you can be popular or whatever but for some odd reason you cannot be a superstar in the states if you came from another country.

On top of that, its even harder to be a foreign rapper coming to the states.

Uh uh. Have you forgotten about the British invasion? You don't have to be an American to become a legend in the U.S. music industry. Alot of influential rock bands were British: The Rolling Stones, Ledd Zeppelin, Pink Floyd & The Beatles. And then, there's a recent surge of popularity of indie rock bands like Radiohead, Muse, Arctic Monkeys and the White Stripes. Other legendary acts have come from mostly English speaking countries(Canada, Australia & Ireland)w/ the exception of Santana from Mexico.

Hehe. Drake aka Jimmy from Degrassi is a Canadian rapper who is gaining popularity & hype through Lil Wayne. Must wait and see if he'll live up to his hype. ;D

P.S. i find Charice so overrated. Singing is more than just hitting the right notes. You have to be able to convey the feelings of the song so that the audience can feel it too. Charice also tends to over sing which can be really annoying and frustrating for the audience.

The artists that will be memorable are the artists that actually take risks and supplied the audience with a different sound than the same, tedious sound.
Following the trend may gain you popularity, but your fame will most probably be short-lived.

If they want an artist to breakthrough and have respect, I don't think they should be sending pop artists, in my opinion. Native pop artists aren't even really respected over here, only a few of them have any sort of staying power, and they already fit cultural standards of beauty and know the language. Why even bother waiting for a foreign artist to "improve" to American standards.

I've seen some asian indie bands that are pretty good. Why not try to send someone over with a little more credibility and that could open the door for other asian artists to come through. I'm not trying to bash asian pop, cause I like some of it, but honestly I like it better when the songs retain the asian feel, like when an artist is singing in their language, it sounds a lot better than when they are singing in english. It sounds kind of silly most of the time, not just the heavy accent, but a lot of the time the actual word choice is awkward. I don't really care for any of the "breakthrough" songs I've been hearing, even from the artists that I like otherwise.

Have you EVER seen Charice perform dance numbers?

Charice performed dance numbers before, what happens:

Charice runs around like she's a marathon runner on the stage.

Chairce jumps up and down, and then jumps off the stage whilst hitting a high note.

Charice practically runs throughout the whole stadium whilst singing, high fives everyone.

Then jumps back up the stage, screams, runs, and hits that one high note.

Does moon walks, Micheal Jackson dancing, etc.

Basically Charice demolishes a stadium! Charice can run live, just a microphone!

The only reason why you have seen Charice perform with a lot of movements is because Charice hasn't released a dance number yet.

Although Charice is said to have some RnB dance tracks on her album produced by J.T/Will.I.Am . . .

Oh no. -_- I hope this won't turn into another Charice bashfest. LazyAzian, sorry but can't you be more humble about Charice? I understand the fangirling/fanboying on Charice's own thread and I do it too but once you start showing off like that on other threads, it just invites the haters to put her down. Look, it has already started. I was actually relieved when the other thread got closed because that one turned really ugly.

If supporters would stop saying Charice this and that everywhere, people would appreciate her more. Some fans insist on comparing her to established singers but all that does is piss off fans of the other artists instead of helping Charice gain potential supporters. People would like Charice a lot more if Chasters would just learn how to control themselves and I hope you get what I'm trying to say here. I swear, Charice's own fans might cause her downfall and that would be such a shame.

Going back on topic, it looks like now is the time for Asian artists to finally shine in the West. They're all catching breaks like Se7en getting on BET and possibly working with Johnny Wright & Justin Timberlake, the Wonder Girls touring with the Jonas Brothers, BoA headlining the SF Pride Concert, Utada getting a lot of radio airplay and Charice breaking into the main Billboard and Canadian single charts. It's little steps but they're all getting there.

http://www.divinecaroline.com/22342/75959-...e/3..........do you really know who charice is?

It's funny but I just wrote a response to another thread that would have been perfect for this. oh well! I guess I'll just summarize things. First off success is a lot more than getting a song on select radio stations or maybe a video through B.E.T. Thinking about the most recent artists that have tried their debut...they don't seem to have staying power. Honestly, it's the ability to break into the market and STAY within that will matter.

Some people are saying that they've heard BOA etc on the radio but what i want to ask is, what is the population of your area like? These artists are probably targeting areas with significant asian populations. Its one thing to have the support of existing fans- but if you want to actually want more then the approach needs to change. I haven't heard of any of these artists in the mainstream-- everything I know about Se7en, Utada, etc. is coming from places like Soompi, or from people that already know them.

I don't know if you can fully place the blame here, but the publicity is lacking. I have somewhat surprised (happily? well...) when I found BOA and Utada's albums at the local Best Buy. On the plus side it means that their music is available but there's no way I would have found them unless I was already aware and actively seeking. I've had one shock tho (!) The other day I had been at the mall and walking past a store I saw....Se7en's video for "Girls". No lie, I'm not a fan of his but I did freak when I saw the video on the stores monitors. i dragged my friend in so we could loiter until the songs completion..ha,ha, i just couldn't believe I was seeing the effects of his 'debut' in such a mainstream, public context. But then again like Best Buy, would you have noticed if you weren't looking for it? no.

One of my last issues is with the actual content? maybe its just me (maybe...) but Se7en's song/video isn't appealing. at all. I'm not bashing him either, but the video and song are mediocre. I've a legit fan of Utada (so was psyched when I heard of her debut) but again, her US album isn't exactly a standout. And BOA? can you understand her? She was the first 'debut' i got material from so I decided to play it from another friend who's not familiar with her but the type of 'mainstream american' that BOA's targeting. She thought it was really catchy BUT...couldn't understand a word! (i think that speaks for itself). Speaking coherent english is minor, even if you have celeb backing...you HAVE to have something that sets you apart! The ability to be just like the rest IS NOT GOING TO WORK..

Which is my I agree alot with faydradonovan.


You know the term 'indie cred'? That might be the key- because that genre is taken as legit here. and its catching on to the mainstream too. there have been several 'underground' acts that have or are becoming mainstream regulars. Judge me if I'm wrong, but groups like Death Cab for Cutie, Feist, M.I.A.... This seriously might be the key

^^whoaa, your friend couldn't understand the lyrics?!?!?!?
thats mental. you'd have to be deaf to not understand.

i agree with LazyAzian
charice is a performer. just because she doesn't have choreographed dance moves, doesn't mean she can't perform.

Well what about it? The link you placed there was nada.

To be honest, I think there's a lot more in succeeding the American market. It's not just about looks and talent. While I agree that a pretty face can garner you instant publicity, even fame gained by beauty is not temporary. Despite how shallow Hollywood might seem, people still appreciate talent.

But then again, there are those who have the talent and the looks but can't get in. Like BoA and Se7en. Was it because of lack of promotions or mismanagement of the artists? No one knows exactly for sure, but either way, I can tell these two have a long way to go before they crack the top spots at Billboard 100.

IMO, Boa's debut album in the US was just 'okay'. No offense to her fans, I agree she has talent--girl can outdance any big name pop star I know in the States but I am in doubt of her vocal skills--but Boa only sings what sells. Sure, her songs are catchy, I admit, but it doesn't really showcase how good she really sings. And I'm afraid to say this but her work is rather very similar to other US artists already. There's no 'it' factor there that would make people notice her straightaway. If SM really wants to make her a big name here, I say they need to stick around for a few more years. By then no doubt Boa would have already built a considerable fanbase to propel herself to the charts and not just be labeled as another Britney, Christina Aguilera or insert name of whatever famous pop star here for now.

The only Asian I've seen so far with some considerable success is Utada Hikaru, but perhaps it's because she already has experience with how the American industry works. But she's still far away from becoming a household name like she is in Japan.

As for Charice, it's still too early. While it is true that she's fared better in the charts than BoA, for example, you wouldn't exactly call her as a prime example of a success story. Let's wait until she releases an album of her own, then we judge her against Boa, Utada and the others.

I think the odds of success is really against an Asian singer in general to breakthrough into the American music industry.
I think the main problem is the language barrier. I wish they would try to find an Asian American or someone with a strong command of the english language to promote, since they would be able to speak english fluently. Let's be honest, if they have an accent, Americans will stereotype and not take the artist seriously.

Also song selection is pretty important. I love Utada, but some of her songs are full of cliche lyrics so they don't stand out. Se7en's single is just another song, nothing that gives you that "wow" factor. I'm not sure how wonder girls will be promoted, because it's really hard for girl/boy groups to succeed these days, but especially hard for girl groups in particular. Their cutesy type of songs aren't going to cut it.

Lack of promotion seems to be another problem. Autograph signings are good and all but really doesn't bring in any new fans, because the people showing up to those events most likely were fans following their careers in Asia to begin with already. Autograph signings should be done after you establish a decent fanbase in America. What they need to do is get booked on RADIO stations to sing and do interviews. The radio is what's going to get your music heard. It'll not only showcase their singing but also let listeners get to know more about them. If the radio station likes them, hence they'll probably play their song more = more exposure. Music videos aren't that big of a deal anymore. When was the last time MTV played music? They could try to get an opening act gig for an American singer/band. I think JYP is smart to get the Wonder girls booked as an opening act for the Jonas brothers. Lastly, the should try to get itunes to promote them.

Lol... any Charice worship thread...

Well she can sing but i can't stand seeing her perform, she is really over the top and it looks really awkward to watch, she forces her voice to hit those notes...

Beyonce and Xtina have a more natural sounding way of projecting their voice not to mention Xtina's whistle register!

Oh yea i think the unknown chinese singer your talking about it alan dawa dolma.. Well she's actually Tibetan
Her vocals her amazing and she makes it looks so easy...
http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/dUpsH-et6qg/
There's a better quality version her singing live somewhere but i can't find it

FOund it..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jr-khxHMV64
& heres another one
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uiMFx1xnDA

^I apologize to her fans but the high notes kind of hurt my ears because it's not falsetto but it's not full chest tone as well. And since we're talking about crossing over, America is not ready yet for that style. I prefer Jane Zhang, not because I hate whoever that young lady is. It's just that I'm more exposed to American music. I'd like to hear her sing an English song. I'll search YouTube.

American Idol helps alot as well... For any average person to become a celeb. Do they have something like this in Japan, Korea, China? Or something close to it?

BoA to me is like Britney Spears and they can try to milk money off her like another Pop princess in America. She can dance though.. I don't listen to her music.

They should have sent Fly to the Sky instead. They are awesome singers. They sing with harmony.. not just computer beats that make them catchy.

I basically agree with you people.

^

Well yeah, that's the problem with BoA. Girl has no doubt talent but the US has like way too many solo acts like hers already. And honestly, I am in doubt of her vocal skills, most of her songs are just what the trend is right now in mainstream music so it's hard to know what her actual voice is. If I can hear her sing a ballad, perhaps so much better. Not that I'm saying she has no chance in the US, but as of now, her chances are very minimal. If she really wants to make it big she needs to stick around longer to build herself a steady fan base because right now, with the approach SM is going with her, she's not really turning heads around right away.

I agree with you as well on Fly to the Sky...it's too bad they disbanded already.

As for American Idol, I'm sure there are some Asian finalists there on the Top 3 on past seasons already, but their career hasn't gone off anywhere. One example is Jasmine Trias of Season 4.

For now, I think Utada still has the best chance making a successful crossover.

I'm sure they do~
Thailand has more of those types of shows than there are people in Canada >_>;
And Japan has its fair shares of talent shows, like Junon Superboy contest and others I don't remember the name of.
I've heard of a few Chinese groups who won some sort of talent show like that, but I don't know what group or what the show was.
And I know nothing about Korea, but I would be very surprised if they didn't~

Lol its called a tibetan wail..
I still find it amazing how she hits high notes without going into falsetto or whistle..
And yea i know that style is definately too asian but i'm talking about her vocals, it sounds more natural and less over the top than Charice.
BTW, her english is kinda horrible.
WEll Jane Zhang is amazing, she has a really good whistle register but her accent has too many flaws when she sings english.

You must never heard Beyonce sing have you?

i use to like Charice until she got these crazy fans who thinks she is the greatest singer on planet Earth when in fact she is pretty good buts he lacks any real emotions when she sing. Everything just seem really fake and over done.

and wth is david foster and why should i care he thinks she is on the same level as CD?

So true, i agree with you 100%

Beyonce is amazing and so is Xtina!
Mariah Carey was a really great singer but her voice has gone bad over the years, i guess her amazing whistle register destroyed her voice..

Eh?? We're talking about Charice too?

She is good but the only reason she got so much recognition is because she's a teen & because she's a foreigner. People really don't expect much from teens to begin with (even if they tell us to do what we believe in) and I'm not racist or anything (I treat other cultures like they are mine) but people aren't going to expect a great voice from an Asian. I'm pretty sure if it was a Black girl they wouldn't be as amazed. Yeah that's a bad stereotype that all African-Americans can sing but a lot of people believe it. Someone even made a comment in this thread about Charice 'sounding as if she swallowed two black women' which is just plain stupid. I also don't see a lot of emotion in her singing. She smiles in a lot of songs that are supposed to be emotional..the emotions never fit the song. & she does go over the top sometimes. I'm not bashing though-I am pretty obsessed with her. I also wish that people would stop comparing her to other artists. Especially Celine Dion and Whitney Houston. They are on a whole other level that can't be topped no matter how good anyone else is.

And it seriously is hard for people already in America to get noticed. A good portion of successful artists in America really aren't good at all. (I'm not making any examples) There is so much effin talent on youtube that will for always go unnoticed.

back to the real topic..lol; The language barrier is a problem. Many Asian artists have good English but I still hear their accents pretty badly & there's always grammar mistakes. Like with 'Eat you up' I was guessing half the lyrics. I couldn't tell what she was saying. This is with a lot of Asian music I listen too. When they speak in English is hard to tell what they are saying. People in America aren't going to give you the time of day if you can't speak the language. I seriously think Korea is sending the wrong artists to make it here. It be awesome to see an Asian artist make here for real though. Some people were using Utada as a semi-successful artists but the only reason she became so popular was because she did the songs for Kingdom Hearts.--no offense to anyone. She's one of my fav singers but I will admit if it wasn't for playing that game I wouldn't have ever listened to her music.
----------


Um..Who? I think they are bother pretty so..Not good example

Excuse me, May I butt in? Why are you taking these things so personal? Lighten up, will you? Why do you take the fans' reactions/actions (or whatever you call it) against the artist herself? That sounds so immature. You were a fan, sure. It's okay to admit that you were not and will never be. The poster is a fan so it just follows that in her opinion Charice one of the best singers out there. If I say I'm a fan and thinks that someones better, isn't that kind of contradicting myself? It's okay if you don't know who David Foster is, LazyAsian's post is not specifically meant for you. Santissima trinidad!





Exactly one of her selling point just like what I said in the other thread. And no, nothing racist about what you said...it is what it is.

And like what I said previously, the Wonder Girls is going to be more popular than BoA and Utada (nothing personal against the two). I'm no fan of these girls but there's something about them that's interesting. Sometimes you don't really have to be oozing with talent, you just have to have charisma. If they are given the exposure, I really think they are going to be popular.

i agree. i'll never understand why people do that... it's so dumb. just don't pay attention to the fans then! the artist isn't responsible for their actions.

QUOTE (kensamor @ Jun 9 2009, 10:38 PM)

like i said its annoying ppl like you that made me dislike her.

^No skin off my back. I'm annoyed with dumb people, too but I'm just thinking life would be too boring without them. No go and drink your milk!

Gospel truth!

Yall took the words out of my mouth

People think they know the industry so well and they don't
america and asia have two different industries and the whole Charice thing..you cant watch a whitney video on youtube without her fangirls babbling

Well here is a list of good American Music
Foo Fighters
Queen
Nirvana
Incubus
Red Hot chili peppers

Cheers !

^
Wrong thread...

Anyway what happened to Melissa Reyes from that the next PCD show??? She could sing and dance and was really attractive. I wonder why she hasn't done anything music related yet. She should of formed a girlband with some of the other contestants like Chelsea and Melissa S. Definately NOT ASIA!!