Korean pop singer BoA’s enormous success in Japan, has made it all but impossible for her to spend time promoting, or performing just about anywhere else. This of course, has caused many grumblings back home, with Korean fans complaining that it’s virtually impossible to see her live without incurring the expensive costs of flying back and forth to Japan. After hearing about these issues for so long, BoA decided to take matters into her own hands, and arranged for a special one night only performance earlier last month. After the audience’s not surprising enthusiasm for the show, there was talk of adding a few more, but with her Japanese popularity being what it is, and the responsibilities that come with that, it may not be realistic to expect something like that to materialize anytime soon.
Archive for April, 2007
With a voice that’s been mesmerizing TV audiences throughout China for quite awhile now, Chinese pop singer Zhang Liangying, is making many in Asian music take notice– in a slightly unexpected way. After winning 3rd place in China’s incredibly popular “Super Girl” contest, she is not only known for her beautiful voice, but for her preference for singing English language cover songs. This has caused many of her loyal audience members, intrigued by her command of the language, to inundate Chinese bookstores and language schools, scrambling for the most direct and effective tools to learning the language. Businesses are making claims that, because of her growing influence, they’re seeing shortages of some of the more popular titles, and are having to order significantly more just to keep pace with the demand she brings.
It was recently revealed that one of Korea’s biggest talent agencies, SM Entertainment, is actively seeking US talent, with the intention of exporting those chosen back to Korea. There have already been several auditions in as many as 11 U.S. cities, and still several more being planned. The idea came, after top SM executives concluded that the only way to have American culture conveyed authentically to Korean audiences, is to to recruit directly from the US. After teaching them the language, and Korean cultural nuances, the newly groomed pop stars would have qualities hard to find on their home turf. So far, the project hasn’t had enough time to bear fruit, but with SM’s president Lee Soo-man behind the idea, you can safely bet there will be some quite interesting stars coming out of Korea sometime in the near future.
