The Asian wave continues into the United States, with another Asian star making headlines throughout the mainstream US press. This time, it’s Edison Chen, who has been named one of People magazine’s sexiest people alive. The People article, not only called him sexy, but also complimented him on being a multi-dimensional star– mentioning his broad influence in Asian music, film, and fashion. He seems to have been picking up alot of attention after his work on the film “Grudge 2″, which exposed him to many new fans in Canada, the UK, and the US. When asked what qualities he himself thought to be sexy, Edison replied “confidence”, which he no doubt seems to have himself in spades.
Archive for the 'chinese music' Category Page 2 of 4
With Asian music’s incessant need for bigger and better artists, scouting for talent in other Asian regions almost becomes a necessity. With that being said, it makes perfect sense that Japanese music industry heavyweight Avex Trax, would make an announcement of their leasing a major new office in vibrant downtown Shanghai– opening it for business almost immediately. Many talent scouts have been reporting back on a huge backlog of undeveloped talent within China, and Avex is looking to begin tapping into that market as quickly as possible. Not much is known yet what they have up their sleeves, but rumor has it that there are several very promising artists already lined up and ready for development.
The Korean phenomenon, better known as Bada, had a pleasant surprise during a her recent trip to China. After performing a few songs at the “F1 Korean Wave Concert” in Shanghai, she apparently impressed the audience so much, that she was the talk of the town for several days afterwards. This came, not only from fans, but from the press as well, many of which gave her glowing reviews throughout the Chinese media. Since that time, her management’s phone has been ringing off the hook with offers for return visits to be made as quickly as possible.
Should the term ‘Super Girl’ be included in the Chinese dictionary? That very question is being posed throughout China of late, with many differing opinions on the issue. This all comes, as one of China’s most respected dictionaries announced that they will not include the term in their upcoming 2007 edition. A statement from the editors, says that they are striving to include terms that are not only popular, but also come with some historical track record of use–which would exclude ‘Super Girl’ of course. This created quite a debate within the public, as the show has been so wildly popular, that many believe it’s future within the language should not be questioned.
I recently reported on Chinese newcomer Zhang Li Yin’s upcoming music debut, and was pleasantly surprised to see her first release do so well. The single “Timeless”, was downloaded an incredible 500,000 times in just a few hours, and it looks like all the hard work SM Entertainment has put into the young pop star, is starting to pay off. Don’t think that the SM execs will be taking anything for granted, however, they continue to aggressively promote her throughout Asia, and you can bet that the next several releases will probably do even better.
Just when you thought that Jerry Yan’s star couldn’t shine any brighter, he had to go and prove us all wrong. A massive fan meeting organized in Tokyo recently, was so overwhelmingly successful, that the 2 day event may just well earn him a staggering NT $50 million–or more. The event was said to be a truly electric evening, with no security issues reported–surprising considering the enthusiasm of the fans assembled. One participant claimed that they haven’t seen so many smiling faces leaving the arena in a long time, and that several hundred hastily rushed off to local stores, all clamoring for anything Jerry Yan..
Jerry Yan officially launches his own private website this month, offering fans some quite interesting perks. Hoping to be more accessible to his audience, Jerry will be giving out such things as free concert tickets, special passes to meet him personally, and other exclusive gifts yet to be announced. There’s a hefty fee attached, but those of his most diehard fans may find the perks might justify the expense involved.
Of course it wouldn’t be appropriate to end this months column without mentioning the controversy around the unauthorized nude photos taken of Twins member Gillian Chung. It’s been all over the Asian press, with both the public, and her fellow celebrities, coming together in protest. Gillian was obviously quite shaken over the incident, and it looks like pictures such as these may become harder to print in the coming years. The intense public scrutiny over the affair, has forced the Hong Kong government to review the privacy laws on their books, and to reevaluate whether these kinds of photographs should be made illegal going into the future.
Interest in the Korean group ‘Super Junior’ has rocketed through China of late, and that was readily apparent during an online fan meeting, organized for fans in the country recently. With only Choi Si Won making the cyber appearance, an estimated 210,000 fans logged in to the event in hopes of getting a question into the Korean singer, and quite possibly into the band itself. There were claims of some 50,000 questions being submitted, which is incredible considering only one of the band’s members was in attendance. It looks like a few local concerts might be in order to appease the seemingly unquenchable thirst the Chinese currently have for all things Super Junior..
It has been said that both members of the Hong Kong pop duo Twins are some of the nicest stars in the business. That coming after reports that the groups sudden success and hectic schedule is starting to catch up with them–with claims that there are many days in which the singers are quite literally on the verge of complete exhaustion. In spite of this, many around them have been pleasantly surprised to find out how kind and engaging the two can become when approached by their many fans. Known for going out of their way to chat and spend extra time while signing autographs, it’s nice to know that these pop stars haven’t forgotten the very fans that put them on top.
