Blog Archives
Lookin’ Back: Utada Hikaru – “Easy Breezy” (2004)
I can’t believe seven years has passed since Utada Hikaru‘s US debut, “Easy Breezy” off her album Exodus. By this point in her career Utada was already an extremely successful pop star in Japan, and her partnership with Island Def Jam for her US debut held a lot of promise and anticipation for a lot of fans. Unfortunately (in my opinion), this was her first single and it was… underwhelming… to say the least. It just came off as misguided and ill advised, ultimately culminating in disappointing record sales and negligible impact on the industry. This would prove to be the pattern for many a miss-start for Asian artists attempting to cross over into the US industry in the years to follow (Se7en, BoA, etc), and even know, nearly a decade later is still an issue that many artists struggle with. Even with Utada’s extremely strong comeback single a couple years ago (“Come Back to Me“), she failed to garner main stream success here in the states. At least progress is being made, albeit slowly.
Utada Interview w/ PopMatters
PopMatters has a new interview with Utada Hikaru. It’s a quick read but touches upon a lot of different subjects including her US debut in 2004, how she’s doing things different now and the inspiration behind some of her music. Our very own Music4UrSoul will be in attendance at Utada’s show in SF this weekend so you be on the lookout for her commentary!
Catch the interview after the jump!
Lookin’ Back: The Top 10 Asian American Tracks From The Decade
Image Credit: mtv IGGY
2009 is quickling coming to an end and as part of my guest blogging gig at mtv IGGY I was asked to compile a list highlighting what I considered the top 10 tracks of the past decade by Asian Amercan artists. It took a lot of debate and even now I’m not 100% satisfied with my list by regardless I stand by it. This is just a repost of the mtv IGGY article with some minor edits but without further ado I present to you my Top 10 Asian American Tracks From The Decade.
Let me start off this list by saying it was nearly impossible to try and pick my top 10 favorite songs by Asian American artists from the past 10 years. One reason being, I didn’t really follow the scene heavily until a couple years into the decade and even then the pickings were a bit slim at the time. Also, I’ve opted to go for my personal favorite songs that have stood the test of time, and not just the most influential. Keep in mind this is a list of top 10 songs, not artists. That would have been a similar but still different list altogether. Lastly, I’ve decided to stick strictly with Asian-American artists meaning UK import Jay Sean didn’t make the cut despite how much I love ‘Down’. All I can say is, it’s been really exciting to see more and more Asian American artists make a name for themselves in the industry and I can only imagine next decade’s top 10 will be exponentially more difficult to sort out. As with any list there’s going to be some consensus and some disagreement but without further ado I present to you my top 10 from 2000 to 2009.
Read on for the list!
Utada Hikaru to Embark on US Tour
Things have been quiet for Utada since activities died down after the release of her album, This is the One. But it looks like it will all pick up again as it’s been announced she will embark on a US Tour.
A couple shows have already sold out! Keep in mind she’s one of the selling artist of all time in Japan so I definitely encourage you to catch a show if you’re anywhere near the following:
Jan 15, 2010 (SOLD OUT)
PIPELINE CAFE
HONOLULU, HI
Buy TicketsJan 19, 2010
HOUSE OF BLUES
LOS ANGELES, CA
Buy TicketsJan 22, 2010
THE SHOWBOX
SEATTLE, WA
Buy TicketsJan 25, 2010
THE FILLMORE
SAN FRANCISCO, CA
Buy TicketsJan 30, 2010
HOUSE OF BLUES
LAS VEGAS, NV
Buy TicketsFeb 2, 2010
HOUSE OF BLUES
CHICAGO, IL
Buy TicketsFeb 5, 2010
PARADISE ROCK CLUB
BOSTON, MA
Buy TicketsFeb 8, 2010
IRVING PLAZA
NEW YORK, NY
Buy TicketsFeb 12, 2010 (SOLD OUT)
O2 ACADEMY ISLINGTON
LONDON
Buy Tickets
Source: AAtheory
Two Cents: Apathy Killed the Asian American Star
So I decided to give vlogging a try and I realized I talk WAY too much. I apologize for being so verbose, I’ll work on it for the future =).
Anyways, the point of the video is this: Support the music you love, because we, the consumer can shape the market for Asian American musicians.
Here are the articles I referred to:
- http://youoffendmeyouoffendmyfamily.com/hollywood-and-asians-why-protests-alone-won%E2%80%99t-change-anything/
- http://www.aaartsalliance.org/news/groundbreaking-new-report-from-the-alliance
Hope I didn’t bore you to death! Thoughts? Comments?
WTF: a-Tunes Mix Vol1 – Summer Break
This marks a special edition of Weekly Thursday Freebies as we are presenting what is hoped to be the first of many releases to come in a series uncreatively titled ‘a-Tunes Mix’. In short, the a-Tunes Mixes are going to be digital mixtapes comprised of music released by Asian/Asian-American artists here in the states. These mixes should fit on a standard 80 min CD when burned and/or play on the media player of your choice.
The main purpose of this project is to promote artists you wouldn’t normally hear in mainstream media and increase their exposure because they truly do deserve it. In no way are these mixes meant to undermine or serve as a substitution to actually supporting these artists by buying their music. In fact, it is meant to encourage all of you to find new artists you really enjoy and show your support. That being said, if there any artist(s) or members of their staff who are reading this and object to their inclusion, then please let me know (giftedthought at gmail) and I will respectfully leave you out of future releases.
Now, with all the information and disclaimers out of the way… a-Tunes is proud to present the ‘a-Tunes Mix Vol. 1: Summer Break’. I know the summer season is rapidly winding down, and many of you will find yourselfs back at your fine educational institutions soon (if you haven’t already). However, that doesn’t mean we still can’t appreciate some fun, catchy music. All the songs included on this mix were released in roughly the past yr (given a couple exceptions), and are light and infectious enough to simpley relax and enjoy like it’s summer break all over again.
You can find the tracklist, links to the artists, and link to DL all after the jump!
Two Cents: All Accents Are Not Created Equal
With so many Asian artists attempting to cross over to the US music industry this year (BoA, Wonder Girls, Se7en, Utada Hikaru, etc), it goes without question that increased public awareness also brings increased scrutiny. Across the board it seems like a lot of people are commenting on how (fill in the name of an Asian artist here) needs to work out their accent (Utada being the exception). Or how they sound foolish or embarrassing. Go to any youtube video or forum post about these artists and you’ll undoubtedly see all the negative remarks. You know I’m not going to lie, I’ve made similar comments many times myself.
However I think it begs the question, what makes an Asian accent so “ugly”? I mean, British and Latin accents are almost unanimously considered attractive or sexy, yet Asian accents are often the subject of ridicule and shame. What makes Enrique sound so exotic and smooth, but Se7en awkward and funny? What made the Spice Girls sound so endearing but the Wonder Girls like level 2 ESL students?
WTF: Utada Hikaru – Piano Melodies
Welcome to another Weekly Thursday Freebie. This week I thought it’d be appropriate to offer a lesser known offerering of the artist that was most recently reviewed by us, Utada Hikaru.
We bring you Piano Melodies. Piano interpretations of some of Utada’s earlier hits. Now I’ll be completely honest and say I have no idea if this is an official Utada sanctioned release, or who did the tracking and instrumentation but regardless it’s a beautiful listen worth checking out. There is a volume 2 somewhere out there but I don’t have it.
As always you know where to find the link and tracklisting… after the jump.
Critic’s Corner: Utada – This is the One
![20090222_utada_2[1]](http://atunes.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/20090222_utada_21.jpg?w=604 "20090222_utada_2[1]")
This definitely isn’t the first time JPOP singer Utada Hikaru has released an American album, but it strives to be her most relevant English release yet. As an Asian artist signed to a major label (Island Def Jam) she definitely has an uphill battle in winning over a western audience, despite her mega-star status back in Japan. Almost every asian-american I know born before 1990 knows her hit ‘First Love‘, whether they understood it or not. So the question remains, is ‘This is the One’ … the one to bring her the same level of recognition to a broader demographic? Read on to find out after the break.
Utada featured in ‘Just Dance’ compilation album
Utada Hikaru announced that she has been included on a summer dance music compilation album entitled ‘Just Dance‘ by Island Def Jam Music Group in collaboration with Ultra Records. The remix to her single ‘Come Back to Me’ will be featured along the likes of songs by Mariah Carey, Ne-yo, and Rihanna.
Full tracklist after the break:
a-Tunes.net
giftedthought
music4ursoul
annamolly67
