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?
Archive Page 3 of 11
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.
Hello Kitty announced that they will be offering a Ayumi Hamasaki figurine to their already extensive lineup of unique designs. Luckily, Ayumi couldn’t be happier, commenting in the press that she’s adored the brand since childhood, and is quite excited by the honor. The figurine will be a cute caricature of Ayumi holding a white cat, and will cost fans the equivalent of $5 to purchase. So far, it’s mainly on sale during her current Asian tour, but is expected for a wider release sometime in the next several weeks.
Popular Japanese group Morning Musume, are mixing things up for the first time in their long illustrious history, by adding the first non-Japanese members to their lineup. This comes, after several semi-secret auditions were held throughout China, in which the entire Chinese countryside was scoured, looking for just the right girls that fit the Morning Musume mold. The two lucky girls, 16 year old Qian Lin, and 19 year old Li Chun were handpicked from the most promising of the lot, and both have been sent for intensive training in dance, singing, and the Japanese language. Producers are wanting them primed and ready as quickly as possible, as they’re gearing them up for a national Japanese debut sometime very soon.
She’s not just a hugely successful pop singer in Korea, but Lee Hyori will be getting an enormous boost of international attention as well, after Calvin Klein recently announced that she’ll be their next model representative for Asia. She will be receiving a quite lucrative sum for such a brief 6 month contract, but the CK brand, well aware of her tremendous influence over Asian teenage fashion, knows that the investment will be well worth the cost. When asked why Lee Hyori was chosen over other attractive candidates, Calvin Klein representatives responded, that when they envisioned their new Asian model, they visualized someone with “a sexy, modern and fresh image,” and Lee Hyori was their top choice..
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.
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.
Producers for one of Japan’s most popular televised specials, “The Red and White Song Contest”, had a lot of explaining to do this month, after more than two hundred of the shows viewers called in to to complain about several nude dancers splashed across their TV sets. The producers, as well as broadcaster NHK, had to apologize profusely for what they termed, “a very serious misunderstanding.” The “misunderstanding” in question, turned out to be nothing more than an optical illusion, as the flesh colored bodysuits worn by the shows dancers, fooled Japanese viewers into thinking they were performing without any clothes on. As the complaints mounted, producers reportedly called emergency meetings in which wardrobe designers, and production staff, had to promise that nothing like this would happen again.
Although mainland China hasn’t been known as a center of extreme pop idol worship, that trend seems to be reversing, following the introduction of Taiwanese boyband Fahrenheit. Fans have been so enthusiastic about the group, that many in the bands management have been quite hard-pressed at keeping a productive schedule. On more than a few occasions, fan exuberance has interrupted important recording sessions, acceptance speeches, interviews, and pretty much everything else the band’s involved in. This has put Fahrenheit’s schedule in a constant flux, and may force Fahrenheit’s management to issue a special plea, letting fans know how much they appreciate the excitement, but to please realize that they’re finding it hard to get anything done!
