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BoA heads to America

South Korean singer BoA has been a pop star in Japan for quite a while now, regularly releasing hit songs in Japanese and appearing in commercials for Japanese products. The talent agency managing her now believes they can bring BoA to America and make her a big star over there.

However, as YeinJee’s Asian Journal has pointed out, her debut English language single could be bad enough to doom her to failure in America:

Do you think BoA will be successful in America?

41 comments - What do you think? Posted by James - September 11, 2008 at 2:23 pm

Categories: Celebrity News, Foreigners in Japan Tags: BoA

http://www.victorymanual.com Alex

She’ll make it big as soon as she learns the proper rules of upper and lower-case letters.

My 2 Cents

Who is her agent representing her in the US?

Jane in Windy City

Probably UTA, or Venture IAB. I would guess Venture if she is trying to become a US brand. That is what they do.

My 2 Cents

Don’t they represent the Chris Knight and Adrianne Curry brands? She is hot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I loved My Fair Brady. Chris is the host of Trivial Persuit right?

Well

I think she’s only on her original label in Korea (only now has a new US branch) – SM Entertainment USA.

http://www.hormel.com VonSkippy

So apparently her “talent” agency doesn’t get American MTV?

They could have played the “race card” and made her debut something exotic and distinctly Asian, instead they made her look like one of millions of third rate hootchie girls with a truly craptastic song.

What’s the Korean word for FAIL!
Montsan

Somehow I think that if Utada Hikaru didn’t have much luck in the U.S., BoA is sure to fail – but then I look at who our domestic pop stars are and realize I know very little (and am proud of it).

It’s always a shame when style and superficiality trump talent and skill.

Montsan

Oh wow. I just broke down and watched that clip. O_O

I’d like to revise my previous statement and say that there’s no way this song is going to help BoA “debut” in the U.S. unless there’s nudity and/or sex involved.
Andy

you took the words right out of my mouth…

kenji

There’s always a chance she’ll make it over here. But I’d say its very slim. I have to say the song is absolute garbage. Shes just an Asian version of Britney Spears…woohoo…..
Jack Elliot

She’ll make it as soon as she gets naked (unintentionally, of course).
Jack B

What on earth gave them the impression she would be successful in America?, the song is actually worse than the usual generic pop drivel, and well she doesn’t really stand out looks wise.
Bad Wolf

All that baggy pants crap sounds the same.

Kevin

Baggy pants crap? Are we talking MC Hammer, because I’m not familiar with this genre of music.

me

Three letters to describe her American debut:

DOA

http://www.victorymanual.com Alex

You mean “DoA”?

Osakesan

or dOa ?

Bonobi

That was awesome, and I think it’ll do well. Seems fits her style perfectly.

Utada Hikaru’s Easy Breazy song didn’t seem to fit her styles at all, too well, I think if she does something that we’re used to seeing from her, it will be great, as what we see here from, BoA.
ty_ping

Well I just went back home to Canada this summer and with singers like “Girlicious” and “Pussycat dolls” (or whatever the hell they’re called) marketing her as just another hoochi probably isn’t that bad. I mean if they just want to sell a few quick records and then when the market moves away from that particular breed of “Crack skank” to some other kind she’ll never be seen again.
But I think her real failing will be the same as Utada’s in not so much that they cant make it into the american market but that they try to act like the american market and the last thing MTV needs is another person doing the same damn thing everyone else does. Like VonSkippy said, If they could have pulled something exotic even so far as tossing in a few korean words they may get further. But lyrics like “I’ll eat you up” or Utada’s “I’m Japanese and you’re easy breezy” probably not going to cut it.
Pingback: BoA Hits American Hoochie Mama Scene « しかし! / shikashi!
tentaro

Apparently no one listens to pop music these days…if Katy Perry can make it big with “I kissed a girl” then this will have no problem going big. My only problem is isn’t she rich enough already? She is in Korea, Japan and China…isn’t that enough. Oh well fricking 21 and got more money then I will ever have. I will probably still go buy the CD anyway
http://www.jappleng.com Colin

WOOT

I like her
Alex

Well, I like quite a few of her songs, but this one is awful. I also liked Shakira’s stuff before she came on the United States market, when she was in south america it was decent stuff. It looks like they will try to “americanize” BoA as well, and it will probably have the same result. She will be popular, and will lose her distinctive style.
Rob

Doubt it, but then again I’m surprised by some of the stuff that generates record sales here anyway.
Joshua

What these Japanese agencies think about American music is “OOH! American’s like our music why dont we just sing the same song in English. Also lets go with an R&B beat to it too!”

here is my rebutle:

Either sing in Japanese, release the Japanese albums here in America, or…dont sing at all.

Of course you all know Utada is coming to America as well. She’d make it better in America then BoA

LLL

The video background looks kinda drab, but the sound of the song is something that might go over well in America, and the fact that she can dance as well. I’ve been a fan since I was still living in America; I wish her the best. Already, though, just like w/Hikaru Utada I can see a change in her image. The title is gross.

P.S. Utada Hikaru already debuted in the U.S. (Exodus), which was a flop. She is one of my absolute favorite singers, but I hate the album. Like with BoA, maybe doing something truer to her earlier style would have gone over better.
LLL

The video background looks kinda drab, but the sound of the song is something that might go over well in America, and the fact that she can dance as well. I’ve been a fan since I was still living in America; I wish her the best. Already, though, just like w/Hikaru Utada I can see a change in her image.

P.S. Utada Hikaru already debuted in the U.S. (Exodus), which was a flop. She is one of my absolute favorite singers, but I hate the album. Like with BoA, maybe doing something truer to her style would have went over better.

Kuno

Stating OPINION as FACT for the win.

A lot of people are saying her US debut is doomed because the song is so bad, but maybe they should try to realize that the song just isn’t for them.

I for one think this song is pretty hot.
http://old-school-rpgs.blogspot.com/ MagicalPokingStick

I doubt she’ll have any more success than the countless other pop acts from Korea and Japan that have tried to make it big in North America. I find it interesting that the big pop bands sometimes try so hard to get famous here, yet it’s usually the smaller, indie groups like Cornelius, Fantastic Plastic Machine, Hi Standard, etc., that gather a following instead.
Mister M

too bad Boa is going to America. but anyway good luck!!
http://www.essential-japan-guide.com Ichiro

I wish her luck, but it’s not going to happen.
jmadsen

uhm…okay, I’m old.

I read the headline and thought “But Bank of America is already in America.”

wonder if they have that trademarked….
mr sensibility

yeah, that song is bad, but its definitely more tuned to an american palate (which says something horrible about the state of music, but thats another discussion).
k-pop already has somewhat of a foothold here, due to the huge korean american population that turns out for kpop shows in LA.

i remember when tetsuya komuro and his crew tried to get a piece of american pie years ago. big time fail, but his music seemed much more out of touch with what america was into (as far as that kind of music concerned).
ZiCott

I love BoA, and wishes/hopes she does make it in the US, but this debut single is BaD. She has so much talent/skills, I just don’t understand it, but I love the Wallpaper from her US site…=)
madne0

That song is seriously awful.
But then again, i don’t like a single song on MTV these days, so…
mortonsalt

didn’t she do the intro song to Serial Experiments Lain?

Asuka

No, that’s a British band called “Boa” (lower case “a”). See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%B4a.

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http://myspace.com/clampx_1999 Xenobia4

Oy! You all are horrible! I mean, come on. It’s not like it’s hard to make it into the American market! Look at 99% of all of our singers. They all suck, but they’re all millionaires.

BoA has as much of a chance as anyone. Her music is more suited to the American style, anyway. With the exception that BoA’s music is actually GOOD.

Oh, that’s right. I forget. American music doesn’t KNOW what talent is. As long as you have the money and you’re considered “sexy,” you’ll make it.

fh

I’m not sure what about BoA’s music is suited to the American style. Is it because it’s Korean hiphop (emphasis on the “hiphop”)? Because last time I checked, American hiphop is overwhelmingly rooted in African-American pop culture, not Asian-American. In fact, the only Asian-American hiphop acts that weren’t one-hit wonders seem to hail from behind turntables and a mixer.

That doesn’t mean she won’t be popular with her existing fans, but I don’t know what exactly distinguishes her from other asian pop stars who have already tried and failed.

Frankly, there’s a huge gap between BoA’s accent and the type of hiphop that partygoers like to hear at clubs — it’s just too much of a buzzkill. Maybe you’re right, maybe it means Americans don’t “know what talent is”, but that doesn’t make her any more likely to succeed.

srsly

full song on youtube:
watch?v=08-INbL8WIA

BoA heads to America

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