Arriving home to Japan to much more press than the last time around, Ochi Yosuke is asking the media to believe he’ll win the next World Air Guitar Championship 3 times straight. Even with his unorthodox playing style, he still manages to mesmerize the Finnish judges quite handily. And seeing that he puts about as much passion into the contest as his own comedy career, who should doubt him?
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It was not long after Korean singer BoA began posting to her new blog online, that buzz started spreading about her apparent talent as an amateur photographer. She started out with quite rave reviews on her personal musings, but it was her artistic photos that seemed to have garnered the most attention. In fact rumor has it her agency has been inundated with offers from several interested parties, all looking for possible photo-book deals to be produced as soon as BoA has any spare time…
Casting for the musical “Notre-Dame De Paris” (Korean Version) is now officially over. Producers choose Moon Hye-Won, a relative unknown, to play the pivotal role of Esmeralda–which was surprising to many. Casting directors had originally envisioned a quite different person playing the role, but her audition, and apparent review of hundreds of hours of previous performances, convinced them they had found their girl.
Yes, there’s yet another Asian music debut seen coming on the horizon, and she goes by the name of Son Dam-Bi. After rumors of her dancing skills began spreading across the internet, there was a rush of fans looking to get, if even a small glimpse, of her reputed talents. Several videos demonstrating her skills are making the internet rounds, and some feel she may just be the next big thing. A cursory look at some of the videos in circulation, and it’s clear those predictions may not be too far off the mark.
X-Japan’s Yoshiki, made an interesting new blog post recently, in which he talked about a particular night right before his L.A. JRock extravaganza. Apparently, he was driving past the venue a few evenings before the show, and noticed a bunch of people camped outside. Intrigued by the sight, he phoned one of his personal assistants to find out what all the fuss was about. He was gently reminded that it was non other than HIS show that they were all awaiting for! After learning that some had been there for several days, he returned minutes later, shocking everyone with coffee and hot chocolates to help ease their wait..
There’s a new study just out by Asian market research company Synovate, showing a surprising trend among music listeners across the region. According to the report, Asian music was the overwhelmingly preferred genre..and by a long shot. This came from a poll spanning several Asian countries, including China, Taiwan, and Korea among others. This is great news for Asian record companies, and confirms what has long been considered the obvious. Asian music is growing in popularity, not only internationally, but within the individual Asian populations as well.
An introduction to Korean pop singer Ivy may seem unnecessary to some, but it’s surprising to find just how few have even heard her name. She gotten many props from her Korean pop star peers, all of whom seem to exclaim of her virtues and respect her voice. But it’s not been until recently that she’s attracted attention outside of her Korean homeland. As the realization has hit of her more mainstream appeal, there looks to be a major push by the Asian media to get the word out, and all seem to be exclaiming..”there’s a new pop princess in town and she goes by the name of Ivy..”
Even though she’s quite new to the Japanese music scene, pop singer Ayaka is turning more than a few heads, after the incredible selling success of her debut album “First Message.” The album sold 300,000 copies the first week, and 1 million shortly thereafter, earning her a “Best New Artist” nod at the “2006 Japan Record Awards.” She’s currently rumored to be working with a top secret Asian producer, all in hopes of creating just the right single to capitalize on her incredible new-found popularity.
This month, my hat goes off to a special group of fans, fans willing to wait an astonishing 17 years to see their favorite band play live again. I’m speaking of those dedicated to the Japanese group D’Erlanger. Many were willing to fly any distance, paying any price to see the group, and their hopes finally became reality after an announcement came that D’Erlanger would perform live again in late April. Playing before 3 thousand of their most dedicated in central Tokyo, many were ecstatic, many were in tears, their long wait was over, but one question remained. When will their beloved band ever play again?
Korean singer Lee Hyori has had a long history of being influential in Korea’s fashion scene over the years, but now reports show a growing influence in Chinese fashion as well. The country has been broadcasting Korean TV shows frequently during the last few years, and Lee Hyori’s exposure has been quite substantial during that time. Chinese women have responded strongly to her image, and just like their Korean counterparts, they’re copying her many fashion sensibilities–from hairstyle, clothing, to accessories, she’s fast becoming THE fashion icon of China. Thanks to her influence, it is now said that Korean fashion surpasses even that of American and Japanese at this current point in time.
