Bokunojpop.com

Many people who have tasted the fruits of Jpop and what it has to offer, believes that it�s only a matter of time before the magical world of Japanese music hits the western shores. But with some of their brightest acts already trying their best in the west, why hasn�t Jpop even made a dent in the western music market? Why can�t Japanese artists make it big in the west?

On October 5^th 2004, the Jpop super star Utada Hikaru released her full English album �Exodus� in North America, in an attempt to finally break into the Western music market. After her remarkable achievements in Asia, and with some of the most world-renowned music producers lending a helping hand, there was huge anticipation for her to become one of the biggest stars in the world. But the album was a huge flop and one of Japan�s biggest and most successful artists failed to make even a dent in the western music scene.

Japan has the second biggest music industry, right behind America, and over the past decade, it�s seen a dramatic increase in not only the amount of bands and artists popping up but also the quality and diversity. The three little words �I like Jpop� no longer means that you only like the cutesy high-pitched underage bubblegum candy pop that�s often regarded by the average westerner of what Japanese music is. Much like a lot of things in Japan, their music caters for all: from the pop to the rock, the R�n�B to the visual kei, the trance, the alternative indie music, the punk and ska, the rap and hip hop... For the majority, it�s all there.

It�s in this past decade that Japan has really seen these genres taking form, producing acts like Utada Hikaru, arguably some of the finest pop musical talent in the world. Talent that�s not only greatly surpassed western music sales in Japan, but also getting a firm grip throughout the rest of East Asia.

The obvious restriction is the language barrier. In a purely musical sense, the meanings and the emotion in a song are hugely important, and it can make a song what it is. It�s very hard to convey those meanings and feelings if the audience doesn�t know what they�re saying. But also in a broader sense, if Japanese artists aren�t fluent in English then they just won�t be able to make it big. It�s just one of those underlining necessary requirements for them to even start to appeal to the mass market, simply because the mass market is too closed minded to accept anything that isn�t already there served to them on a plate. It�s the same reason why the foreign films aren�t as popular as English films. People just find it that much harder to give something different a try.

It�s amazing how when some people don�t understand something different, they immediately reject it. And they not only reject it but some people reject others who do understand it. It�s not an unfamiliar story of how people who like something different is slightly pushed onto the outside, with them being branded as �weird� or �wannabies�, and this case isn�t really any different.

But is that really the only reason why Japanese artists have so far failed to make it big in the west? Surely it�s not just a lingual barrier that�s stopping the forces of Jpop. Take German industrial metal band Rammstein for example. A band that has enjoyed huge success even though they feature songs predominately in German. Or even the 5,6,7,8s, who�s one song �Woo Hoo� (which featured in Kill Bill) is almost world renowned, giving them a top 40 hit in the UK even though it didn�t really feature any language at all.

Language is only part of the reason, after all, Utada Hikaru�s western debut was in perfect English but it still failed to make an impact. That�s why it�s just as much about language as it is about exposure. Most westerners who like Jpop would probably tell you that they got into it purely by chance. A friend of a friend, some random anime, or some random game. Seeing Jpop on MTV, VH1 or any other mainstream TV channel or Radio station is about as likely as America not invading a country. But if it were to be played on MTV or to be played on the radio, it would be that kind of exposure that would allow a Jpop artist to truly take off. However, it really doesn�t seem like that�s going to happen anytime soon.

This begs the question, �Why doesn�t the record companies give them the exposure they need?�. A lot of artists signed in Japan are on huge multi-million selling companies with branches all over the whole world. Sony, Toshiba EMI, Universal and Epic Records all have Japanese and American subsidiaries, so why don�t they use their power and influence to give artists the exposure? The main reason is simply because it�s too much of a risk. Even though Japan�s music market is huge, there haven�t been any major examples of a Japanese artist making it big in the west, and it�s just too much of a risk for them to take. If they import something, they�re going to want something special, which is why in some sense, it�s hard to tell if Utada Hikaru�s debut did more damage then it did good. Here we had an artist who was fluent in English and who is huge in the Asian music industry, but hardly made any impact at all. After her poor attempt, are record companies going to give other artists a chance?

But then surely it�s about quality, that�s all music should ever be about. If an artist were truly good enough they would be able to break into the western music scene if they wanted to. This is why we all had such high hopes and expectations for Utada Hikaru, because we all know she has the quality to do it, all she needed was a quality release. Quality is the main reason why most of us listen to Jpop in the end. And Quality is the reason why a lot of people believe that it�s still only a matter of time before the Japanese music industry makes its way to the west.

But when will it happen and who�s going to be the first big artist to break though?

The recent years have seen the anime scene in the west dramatically expand, with more and more DVD and manga releases and conventions and stores popping out of no where. Because of this, the US has already seen acts such as High and Mighty Color, T.M. Revolution, Flow and L�Arc~en~Ciel coming over to America to perform a few gigs and it�s this cult like following towards anime that could be the special spark that ignites the path for Japanese artists to sail over.

Personally, I�m hoping that if Jpop does come to the west, it isn�t because of anime, and it�s because of people who just like the music. When I say �I like Jpop�, I don�t want them to start talking to me about anime, because they�re two different things and I don�t want people to think otherwise.

So who�s going to do it? American Pop Punk inspired Ellegarden has already made their debut in the US. Not only fluent in English but definitely with the quality to make an impact. Or the synth-pop rock band Polysics, who already have a small following in the west because of their extremely energetic live performances, and they also have the quality but they�re also able to offer something new to western audiences. Or could it be little known 18-year-old R�n�B starlet Satomi, who made her debut in the UK last year. One of the brightest stars with great potential, music critics have already hailed her as having all the right aptitudes to make it big in the British music scene. Or will it still be Utada Hikaru?

I really do think that Jpop will come to the west eventually; it�s just going to be a matter of time. But for the Jpop ship to set sail, it�s just going to need something that bit more special.