I was overjoyed with the opportunity of watching Utada live. My hopes were cracked for the first time when I found out I wasn’t going to the Los Angeles concert, but then they were patched up when I found out I was going to see her in Chicago. Today, my hopes were completely crashed, not only because of my own experience with the tragedy that was the House of Blues, but also because of other people’s experiences.
By the time I got there, the fast-line was forming, meaning that people who bought over 15 dollars on merchandise were treated like VIP, and were able to line up inside and go in before the rest. I sat on a bench right in front of the fast-line to observe the club/restaurant some more and make sure I was in the right place. Some Utada fans were obviously gossiping about me, but that’s pretty normal, so I wasn’t too uncomfortable about it. I was the eighth one to arrive on the fast-line, and was beyond excited. Some people were arriving from Kentucky and we struck a quick friendship, talking a lot about Hikki and laughing at random comments. Besides, I loved their accents (and personalities) to death, and they were so sympathetic about the fact I came from Brazil to watch Hikki live ~ We listened to the rehearsal completely extatic, occasionally hearing Hikki’s vocal warm-ups and the live instrumentals that were getting us through the roof with energy, in song intervals we talked random and planned future trips together even though I’m just a 16-year old baby. That’s exactly what got me into trouble.
I got in line at around 1:00 PM and waited the entire 4 hours until the House of Blues staff began checking IDs. I was concerned about this step every step of the way since I came from Brazil. The concert was PG-17, and I’m one year short, but considering my situation, I was sure they’d understand. Once the man was checking my passport, he started shaking his head, that’s when I knew I was in trouble. I explained my situation to him, but he continued to shake his head, so I begged him to go in, and he told me he’d come back to me.
He did, and told me that he talked to his boss and there’s nothing he can do about it, so I asked him to talk to his boss. Here’s when I finally felt that I was in for a rough ride. His boss was a typical heartless I-could-care-less security guard-type. Bald, slightly overweight and had that attitude that provoked a fiery exchange of words in anyone. Unlike his staff, he was curt and rude, laughing at me and telling me that it’s my fault I came from Brazil, because the tickets explicity stated how it was a PG-17 concert and that I was told the same thing once I got the tickets (I guess he missed the part where I’m from Brazil and unless they ship me a person along with the tickets to warn me about this stuff, there’s no way he can use it against me). After some begging and more explaining of the technical LA-to-IL stuff, he decided not to let me in as to not put the House of Blues’ liquor license in jeopardy.
Now here’s the part I don’t understand. The House of Blues is a popular chain of show houses/restaurants, and nearly every concert for Utada’s In The Flesh tour had no age restrictions, so I don’t see why Chicago should be so strict about any form of age restriction. 17-year olds can’t drink anyway and they’re allowed to enter the concert, 16-year olds are no different! Nobody really wanted them to include liquor in the concert, and now the fans have to pay for their senseless decisions! I was told a 15-year old tried getting in with her 18-year old sister and her 50-year old father, now there’s a devil child who’d get drunk all night right there!
That’s not the end. I was shocked by not being able to attend the concert, so I just sat on the bench and waited for hours, just watching and thinking, trying to filter all the information and rely on the mercy of the staff. Here are several of the things that got me absolutely in shock with the situation:
- Members of the staff were telling tickets-less fans that I had tickets available because I wasn’t going in to watch the concert anyway, making fans ask us about our tickets that I wasn’t going to give up, even though this young Asian man really wanted them and I felt so bad that I nearly gave them for free to him! But I was on a silent protest.
- The indifference of the staff to the fans. People from Japan showed up with their suitcases in their hands and not knowing much English just to have the staff show them the door because of the lack of tickets.
- How the staff members celebrated the expulsion of fans that were injusticed and revolted. The staff repeatedly told each other stories of fans, laughing and making fun of them, and gave each other high-fives, as if their rude, insensitive accomplishments were something to be proud of.
- A group of Asians did not receive instructions (nobody did, actually) about how bags weren’t allowed during the show, and were telling the staff how ridiculous the security was, which is true, luckily, the ever-so-lovely staff didn’t turn around to mock them like they did with everyone else who complained.
- But the thing that made me stand up and leave was how the staff judged a 21-year old girl’s ID as invalid, and when the girl’s mother tried to solve the problem, the staff messed with her temper, and she went into a fervent argument with security, just to have the bald boss threaten her to leave, by intimidating her with his own body and saying “Good night!” to her, as to make her leave, bringing her to the door with his threatening stride, just to come back to his workmates laughing at the act and high-fiving each other. That, to me, was beyond disrespectful.
I guess it’s funny how Utada fans were anticipating this moment ever since 2004’s EXODUS and the security takes advantage of us for their entertainment. If that doesn’t get a laugh, I don’t know what does. Honestly, today brought me one of the worst experiences of my life. Thank you, House of Blues, for being the worst venue possible for a concert by an international popstar loved by so many sensitive, lovely people. The only positive thing I took from this experience is the experience itself and the wonderful friends I made ♥ ~
For those of you who made it inside, I hope you had a wonderful time, you deserved every second of it! ♥ ~
Christina Aguilera began her career as a genie in a bottle as one of the American pop princesses that emerged in the ’90s. Now she’s a musical genius that is one of the only artists who are able to reinvent herself and get better every time. She sticks to her roots and she just knows what sounds good, since she enrolls in most of the creative processes of creating and recording her songs, especially since she’s a perfectionist.
She’s not the kind of artist that releases something every year just to get her name out there, her confidence allows her to wait, gather her creativity and release her albums in full quality. This year, she’s returning to the charts with her next studio album (the first one since 2006’s chart-topping Back To Basics), Bionic.
This time she’s looking for a new, modern, style, collaborating with Sia and taking groups like Cansei De Ser Sexy (aka CSS) as inspiration. At first, I was quite worried, since her latest attempts at more contemporary electronic music scared me a bit on her first ‘best of’ compilation, Keeps Gettin’ Better: A Decade Of Hits, but recently, the first preview of the title track leaked:
If this is truly hers and a real preview of Bionic, it sounds amazing. It’s perfect for her voice, she’s trying something new, and she’s nailing it, I can’t wait for Bionic’s release (which was recently pushed back to April). Another song that’ll be included in the album is Lift Me Up, which was revealed in its stripped down goodness during a show to raise money for Haiti:
This is going to be a huge year for Christina, not only is she releasing new music and showing off her new modern style, but also starring in her first motion picture, entitled Burlesque!
The movie will bring her back to her Back To Basics days. Directed by Steven Antin, brother to Robin Antin, founder of The Pussycat Dolls, the movie will be about a small town girl who tries to make it big at a neo-burlesque club. Big names like Cher, Kristen Bell, Cam Gigandet and Alan Cumming are also confirmed for the movie that began its filming activities last year.
One of the songs to be included in the musical-esque movie is Spotlight, recently leaked as well. This song is very reminiscent of her work on Back To Basics, lots of vocals with fun, burlesque-styled instrumentals that just prove the grandness of the upcoming movie! Feels like a future favorite of mine!
In the upcoming months, I feel lots of excitement, leaks and genius diffusion coming our way! Legendtina is certainly the artist of her generation ♥ ~
I’ll be eagerly anticipating every release of hers this year, because 2010 is going to be hers (and Maki Goto’s, but that’s a whole other story)!
Due to some technical issues, I had been isolated from the internet and from Asian music news, but it’s all fixed now, and I came across a very shocking piece of information while I was checking out one of my favorite blogs, ♥asianpopattack♥, blog of the ever so lovely, .nodame.
I found a post from 3 days ago on the death of Maki Goto’s mother, Tokiko Goto. This is yet another tragedy to hit Maki’s heart, ever since her brother went to jail, and caused the end of Maki’s contract with her previous record label (which ended for the best, since she joined avex, one of Japan’s biggest record labels), and I have no idea just how traumatizing this event with her mother must have been for her:
According to news reports, Tokiko Goto arrived home around 10:30pm, under the influence of alcohol. After exchanging a few words with Maki, she went upstairs to her room. It has been reported that Maki heard a loud noise, and ran upstairs to find her mother’s window open, and her mother lying three floors below.
Though they rushed her to the hospital, she passed away an hour later due to severe cranial injuries.- .nodame @ ♥asianpopattack♥
In a recent news report, Maki appeared to be confused, and I feel like the media ganging up on her like they did is an extreme disrespect, and Maki is a true lady for still receiving them with such courtesy and respect. She was clearly nervous (by the movement of her hands and her expressions), and the cameras were shamelessly flashing at her.
I hope this doesn’t shake her up too much, especially since her father died when she was younger, so it must feel very lonely for her now. I hope she gets better soon, because she is so sweet and does not deserve the suffering.
Hopefully she’ll have lots of support from her siblings, friends, and of course, her fans, who want the best for her! ♥ ~
Artist: K.will
Mini Album:눈물이 뚝뚝
Release Date: 03.31.09
I was introduced to K.will when I watched a K-Pop Christmas special last month that featured the Brown Eyed Girls and him singing SIGN of the BEG, and then several of K.will’s own songs. I was so blown away by his voice, his range and skills got me in cloud 9 the whole time, I had to look for his solo work and find a way to make him join the Brown Eyed Girls. He was singing such difficult, beautiful songs with such ease that it got me perplexed and begging for more, that’s how I got to listening to his first mini-album, 눈물이 뚝뚝. I’m very picky when it comes to male vocalists and K.will did not disappoint me at any time throughout this whole mini-album.
The Present kicks off the mini album, and it’s a small interlude that I find slightly unnecessary, it doesn’t set the mood right for me because it’s very dreamy and Disney-esque classic, some parts are really beautiful, but don’t showcase what the album is truly album and blows romanticism out of proportion for the record.
By the time 1초에 한방울 beings, you know you hit the g-spot jackpot. This is possibly the catchiest song of the mini-album because it’s slightly more R&B and the others are straight up ballads (for it being a ballad mini-album). The rapper is actually very pleasant, and the way he ends his sequence is very feeling. This is an amazing song to begin the album and set straight what the interlude didn’t. It’s a song that basically says that this album might include only ballads, but they’ll blow your mind.
눈물이 뚝뚝 is my favorite of the album, it’s the song I fell in love with during the Christmas special. His voice, his feelings, the instrumentals . . . There’s no way to describe it, it’s just magic. It’ll get you crying, or simply stopping whatever you’re doing just to enjoy it. It’s a fantastic song.
Because it’s hard to continue strong from such a fantastic ballad, 소녀, 사랑을 만나다 kind of loses a bit of its shine, especially because it features a female vocalist that isn’t as strong as K.will, I think JeA (from the Brown Eyed Girls) has better (vocal) chemistry with him. This track falls a bit flat, but it’s no different from the rest, beautiful vocals and instrumentals that complete any ballad.
쇼핑 is another one of my favorites of the mini-album. It sounds very ’90s in the beginning, but once K.will starts singing, the song absorbs his trademark style and becomes his own, the chorus is very mellow and beautiful, not emotional like 눈물이 뚝뚝, but still powerful and the way he conveys his feelings all caught up in his beautiful vibrato is one of the things that get me hooked the most.
The beginning of 러브119 is very corny, with a music box and someone talking, and then K.will does shows off some of his vocals before a bad rapper breaks out for way too long and the song resumes. It’s a very cute song after the ups and downs of the beginning, and it doesn’t fall behind to the others. Once again K.will wows me with his range and vocal skills.
K.will is way beyond a good singer, I’m sure people would kill for his voice. It’s upsetting how he picked ballads to show it off, because that’s usually the easy way to go, but in his case, it worked way too well to his favor, his voice just fits every song, his emotions are conveyed perfectly, and this mini-album is one of the most epic out there, he created a style for himself (his voice is so striking that it’s impossible not to), and even though the album lacks a bit of variety in ballads, since they all sound similar and have the R&B ballad label (he could have worked on some rock ballads or stuff that’s more intense), he nailed the R&B ballad genre like nobody else. This genre (and mini album) was perfect for him, I’m very excited to see if he gets more attention and starts experimenting some more!
Final Score
100 / A+
K.will feat. Brown Eyed Girls -그립고 그립고 그립다 & 눈물이 뚝뚝
I’m getting very excited for the In The Flesh tour, now I’ll be attending the Los Angeles Chicago concert because of conflicts with the plane tickets, I’m still a bit shaken up about it (especially considering the fact that Chicago’s concert has age restrictions of 17+), but regardless of this trip-changing detail, I still love traveling, despite the hours stuck in a crazily pressured aircraft, the whole process is very mellow and I have this thing with airports, I don’t know why I feel so good when I’m in one, the strangers who are arriving from their trips, tired and crazy-looking, the hopefuls who are about to go on board with a perfect trip in mind, the odd smells that are similar to that of aircrafts, it’s all very comforting for some reason, and I love to have the perfect music with me from the time I’m driving to the airport to the time I get to the hotel.
Cubic U – My Little Lover Boy
This song is one of the millions that remind me of Miami (which is basically my home away from home), it’s so soft, beautiful and poetic, and I can spend hours in the car listening to it while driving around the night, just relaxing and watching the beautiful night lights, or simply waiting for the plane to arrive or take off, it’s my favorite by Cubic U, nothing can beat it and the nostalgia it may bring about relaxing, beautiful times in a distant country/place, it’s so natural and beautiful, with a very strong influence from ’90s R&B, excellent to begin a trip and to end it.
Utada Hikaru – BLUE
BLUE would be #1 on my list for being one of my all-time favorite songs and simply the best for any kind of trip, but I let the freedom of nocturnal nostalgia take the first spot because it’s more versatile. BLUE is more of an airport/hotel song. I love to walk around the airport listening to this, you get caught up in the beautiful synth, Utada’s relaxing vocals, the quick pace, and you can’t help but simply feel good. This song ends up dominating my plays whenever I go to my home away from home, even if I feel like I got tired of it, this song is pure magic, I’ll never get sick of it and it’ll be one of my favorites forever.
Koda Kumi – So Into You
Kumi’s debut album, affection, has very raw vocals and synthetic instrumentals, and I’m not a big fan of it, but So Into You is a harmony of different instruments and sounds with Kumi’s immature vocals that just works. It’d definitely a flight song, or at least an airport song. It’s slightly more dynamic than the previous ones, but there’s just something about it that makes me want to listen to it while in the airport, it’s the type of song that brings a good trip.
Utada – Hotel Lobby
This one is here for obvious reasons. Utada captures a whole plot-line in this song, but I love the chorus about the hotel lobby, she captures the feeling of solitude so well, and the song itself holds the vibe of a hotel lobby, very intricately, somehow, and the lyrics certainly help, despite most of it being turned to some kind of prostitution. It’s an amazing song, and the whole EXODUS album is perfect for a listen at a hotel or airport, but I can only fit 10 songs per COUNTDOWN, and Hotel Lobby is perfect for this one.
Tokyo Jihen - 能動的三分間
This is a new song by Tokyo Jihen, and it makes me feel so good while I listen to it, Shiina has this way with acoustic instruments and synth that nobody else can master like her, and the energy of this song is just the kind that I need for a trip, it doesn’t bring any sort of evidence emotion, it’s just stunning, beautiful and everything is in synthetic harmony. It’s certainly a song to fly to and/or to enjoy late at night in the hotel.
ERIKA – FANTASY
I. love. this. song. to. death. It’s just way too epic, and it makes me feel good just listening to it, kind of like BLUE, I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of it. This is a song for anytime, the synth, the distortion of the vocals makes this song so enjoyable, I was surprised that a debut single by Erika Sawajiri could sound so amazing. It’s sort of Perfume-esque but a million times better, it actually appears to have some sort of soul or something deeper to it, other than the vocals being a lot less helium-inspired.
SWEET BLACK Feat. MAKI GOTO – Fly away
This song is definitely a night song. The dark synth is still upbeat enough to make it comforting and familiar, but not enough to make it bubblegum material. The beat is intricate, full of feeling, and pretty intense, definitely different from the previous songs, that are slightly more experimental and crazy. This song has an edge of pop that makes you feel good, that’s why I love the mysterious feel of this track.
Utada Hikaru – Keep Tryin’
ULTRA BLUE is full of feel-good goodness, and Keep Tryin’ is yet another example of it. I don’t know if it’s the PV that brings that urban feeling or if it’s the synth of the song, but it’s so epic, one of my favorites of the album. I think it’s the type of song that’s good to walk around in an airport to, it’s very relaxing, and makes anybody feel good, it simply has an international feel that’s very contagious.
BoA - 공중정원
This song is pure feel-good material, and it’s the type of song you listen to in the car. It has an amazing uplifting element, maybe because it’s so unique and different, and possibly because of the guitar and piano utilized to make this track all that it is. Of course, BoA’s vocals also contribute to the lightness of the song because she doesn’t oversing and sounds pretty natural showing off her range in ways that don’t break off the song, I like it a lot.
Maki Goto – DAYBREAK
This song feels like an afternoon gone right, it’s so soothing, and feels like a great trip-ender, a song that you listen to when you come home and rest as the sun goes down (not that it actually happens, since coming back home is usually chaotic and tiring all in one mess of emotions), but that’s the idea the song comes across with, makes us feel corny about a good sundown. Maki’s voice is also very soothing for this song, and it’s not as range-shifting as Fly away, that’s pretty sweet for a cooldown.
What songs do you enjoy listening to while traveling if you enjoy it as much as I do (or even hate it)? ♥
Hope you enjoy the selection, and I’m wishing everyone safe trips back home from vacation, or even safe trips to your destinations if you haven’t traveled yet! All of you who are going to watch In The Flesh live, have fun and I hope we get to sneak in cameras for those who can’t, don’t worry, we’ll all go together next time, when it’s a super mega production like UTADA UNITED!~
UTADA UNITED 2006 is Utada Hikaru’s latest tour to date, and certainly the most visually alluring of them all, for this tour, she went all-out on special effects, lighting, and it’s all a masterpiece!
Opening
Passion
MEDLEY ~This Is Love, traveling, Movin’ on without you~
The tour opens up with a beautiful, yet simple interlude video of Utada looking towards the viewer (occasionally blinking) as cherry blossom petals blow in the wind and the opening to her debut English album, ingeniously entitled Opening, plays. She’s wearing the classic ULTRA BLUE dress, and once the interlude is over, she kicks off the show with Passion.
Utada emerges from the glass stage that resembles a cherry blossom, since it’s eye-shaped and televising a pink color. The stage has only a blue light on Utada, and she sings a few stanzas slowly before the song climaxes and the whole stage lights up with the screaming crowd. I always get chills from this part, I think Utada’s movements are really beautiful, and they go with the lighting arrangement. Right after Passion, Utada begins the performance for the medley of three songs that come next.
Because the whole stage is able to light up in different colors and show different images and graphics, the medley segment takes advantage of this, the performance is amazing, with Utada delivering her emotions through her vocals and the lighting and colors delivering emotion through the imagery, it’s a very stellar performance.
SAKURAドロップス
FINAL DISTANCE
First Love
After the medley ends, Utada takes some time for a breather through a short sequence in which the screens show sakura blossoms and you can hear breathing sounds. Soon after it ends, she begins singing SAKURAドロップス acapella, it’s a song that’s always hard to present because it’s so unique, but Utada nailed it this time, the live mix is amazing and the visuals are stunning.
FINAL DISTANCE initiates a small ballad segment, once again a beautiful performance, especially because the focus is all on Utada’s vocals, and she delivers it, the ending is truly special, with the characteristic FINAL DISTANCE backing vocals, as Utada sings along.
First Love, goes without saying, is a classic, and this performance is very unique, it has a certain maturity that none of the others did, for they used to be more nostalgic, but it’s like this one is re-invented and refreshed and has a new essence, it’s something special that ties it in to the other setlist of the concert.
Devil Inside
Kremlin Dusk
You Make Me Want To Be A Man
One of my favorite sequences, Utada changes outfits after a video interlude to begin her English sequence. Devil Inside live is beyond words. The guitar, Utada’s vocals, everything is incredible, and it’s a very nice surprise how she incorporated part of her American career into her Japanese tour. The whole performance is lit in red and the energy is overwhelming, perfect for the song.
For Kremlin Dusk, things get less intense. I keep wondering just how hard it must’ve been to sing it live, there’s so much to it, it’s such a masterpiece, and it’s evidence of Utada’s talent and genius. When the song speeds up, it gets intense full-throttle again, and this is the mood it leaves off before You Make Me Want To Be A Man picks up from it. Both these performances also cause chills, You Make Me Want To Be A Man gains a ‘news channel’ vibe from its live mix, and it’s awesome, the live instrumentals work amazingly well and it’s a very powerful song, the ending is beautiful, and unfortunately, it’s the end of the EXODUS sequence (but I hope we get plenty of that for the In The Flesh tour).
Be My Last
誰かの願いが叶うころ
COLORS
After Utada drops the jacket/dress from the previous performance, we begin yet another ballad section of the concert. I’m not a big fan of this live of Be My Last, since it’s almost acapella the whole time, and we see the effects of Utada’s allergy to the cedar wood of the stadium and how her voice was damaged from previous performances, due to it being acapella, she strained herself further, and it sounds its best considering the situation, but it’s not my favorite.
誰かの願いが叶うころ is very beautiful, though, because it requires a lot less tension on the vocals, but the true highlight is COLORS. I like this mix of COLORS better than the original studio version, it’s simply beyond words. It already begins with the keyboards and the cello in such a beautiful purity, and it just keeps getting better in every second. You have to watch it to believe it.
Can You Keep A Secret?
Addicted To You
Wait & See ～リスク～
This sequence is the most nostalgic of the concert. Can You Keep A Secret? gets a lot more latin, and Utada gets to move around and interact again, dance around and relive her Distance era, it’s very cute and entertaining.
This live is what got me into Addicted To You, it sounds like Utada’s voice is naturally synthesized during this performance, it makes it very enjoyable. Wait & See ～リスク～ brings nostalgia to any fan, and this performance is full of it, other than Utada’s voice sounding perfect on the characteristic parts of the song, is also shows how she’s enjoying herself and having fun.
Letters
Keep Tryin’
Possibly my favorite sequence. These two songs are huge favorites of mine, and there’s something so magical about their live performances, maybe it’s just nostalgia, or I don’t know what, but it gets me chills all the time. Everything is beauty for both these songs, the scenery turns to life with the photography selected, and Utada conveys so much emotion (particularly for Letters). While Letters is more about body movements and facial expressions, Keep Tryin’ is more about moving around, enjoying yourself and having fun. The screen shows scenes that are very much the face of Keep Tryin’, and the energy from it is so positive, it’s a performance that’ll make you feel good, for sure!
Automatic
光
After an outfit change for something a lot lighter and more fresh, Utada begins to perform Automatic, it’s a very sweet mix, it goes with Utada’s fresh outfit change and everything fits together to end the concert in a nostalgic mood. After Utada promises to sing her best for the upcoming song, she ends the concert with 光. I can imagine how much she suffered from her allergies and the damaging of her vocal chords, but she doesn’t lose one bit of her energy anytime, her last performance is amazing, full of charisma and intimacy, since it’s such a meaningful song for her and her fans. 光 is magic, whether it ends a concert or begins one!
If Utada seemed confused about how to convey her music to an audience before, UTADA UNITED 2006 is the materialization of her style, and she nailed every aspect, this is exactly what matches her style, and it might not have dancers and a million outfit changes with special tricks, but it’s beautiful beyond words, with her amazing energy, and the perfect dosage of nostalgia and the future, other than her beautiful voice. I’m very curious to see what she does next to outdo this!
No other concert could do as much justice to the title UTADA UNITED.
Final Score:
100 / A+
I was never one who admired plagiarism or simple acts of copying, and I believe it’s like committing suicide against your own originality and that of others. The plagiarism card was being played around ever since the preview for Koda Kumi’s latest promotional video, Can We Go Back, leaked into the internet.
Many Ayumi Hamasaki fans started a debate about how the video for Can We Go Back looks similar to Ayumi Hamasaki’s promotional video for talkin’ 2 myself. I believe this is a big exaggeration, since none of the sets actually look similar, and the only notable similarity is how both of the leads have dirty faces . . . but that’s been around ever since we were cavemen. It’s impossible to treat an artist like the pure essence of inspiration, even when they’re such big trend-setters like Ayumi, and that’s something that’s proven by JPop Trash and their selection of pictures where Ayumi seems to have taken inspiration from other artists (to say the least).
avex trax is certainly one of the biggest record labels in Japan (if not the biggest), and a lot of that is due to their heavy promotion, and that makes image something really important, if their artists don’t follow a certain trend, even to the smallest degree, their marketing possibilities will crash, and without that, not many artists are successful. Two very recent, explicit examples of trend-following music videos are those for Lady-rise and can’t stop the DISCO (especially the former).
The similarities between Maki Goto’s promotional video for Lady-rise and The Pussycat Dolls‘ video for I Don’t Need A Man are beyond striking. The sets are basically the same (if not for the ending of Lady-rise), the only thing that actually changes is the tone of pink used for the sets and the black lamp in I Don’t Need A Man during the clothes-changing scene. Both of these music videos are very girly, alluring and the songs they promote are pretty much amazing, but it’s inevitable to notice just how similar they are after watching each one. I think that this one is by far avex’s most explicit attempt at promoting an artist within a trend set by another. A simpler example is Ami Suzuki’s can’t stop the DISCO.
Both of these music videos were released in 2008, but Kylie Minogue’s In My Arms was released earlier that year, while Ami’s can’t stop the DISCO was released in September. The similarities are once again, striking. The sets are beyond similar, and the first time I watched can’t stop the DISCO, the first thing that came to my mind was In My Arms.
Maki and The Pussycat Dolls have pop music in common, wherein Ami and Kylie have dance music in common. Kylie and the PCD are possibly the western ambassadors that avex chose as the best influences for their artists, it’s just that they went a bit too far with the inspiration. Part of being an artist is to use your influences to your own advantage, and have them as an aid to finding their own voice and style (kind of what Christina Aguilera did in Back To Basics, along with other contemporaries), but sometimes, that freedom is taken away because of other parameter-setting artists that set an image for a genre that is hard to break away from.
This is what Ayumi fans shouldn’t be arguing about. Ayumi is one of Japan’s most recognized artists, but before that, she’s a trend-setter, and she sets the bar for other label-mates, who look up to her. I think that in Kumi’s case, plagiarism is not the case, since she sets trends herself, (ero-kakkoi should ring a bell) and has her own style, but even if she did take Ayumi as an inspiration, it’s only what Japan expects and what is set for her to do, it’s impossible to remain in the same label as a major top-selling artist, work in the same genres, become internationally recognized, and still be absolutely different from them . . . Especially because worldwide recognition is already something that labels them as contemporaries. Accusing contemporary artists of plagiarism just for mere, indirect similarities isn’t how you prove the superiority of the ‘plagiarized one’, especially since inspiration does not come from nowhere, it’s just a matter of making it their own and how well it’s distilled into their own image, style and capabilities.
There’s no helping the comparison between contemporaries, but respect, understanding and an open mind can come a long way!
Lets hope for a very exciting, creative and fresh 2010 for our favorite artists!~ ♥
At the end of each year, usually around Christmas time, Asian artists come out with several winter singles for the holidays. Winter ballads might not have the classical, traditional quality of Christmas carols, but are still timeless, especially for blending an artist’s musical style to a universal, holiday feeling that many people can relate to at this time of year. Winter songs are all very unique and vary from artist to artist. This year, I asked for the help of 4 Christmas-spirited sugar plums (Hyperballad, aikorin, .nodame and niiwa) to compile a Christmas COUNTDOWN with me as a treat to all our blog-writing family and readers! ♥ We hope you enjoy our selection and that it warms up your holidays as much as it warms ours!
K – First Christmas
(recommended by aikorin)
I really like the song First Christmas by K. K’s vocals are absolutely perfect against the light violins and sweet twinkling synth piano. It’s even got little hints of gospel backed by classic bells. It’s one of my favorite songs to listen to during winter; it’s a really a great song to get in the holiday spirit.
- aikorin
Hello!Project – きよしこの夜
(recommended by .nodame)
Beautiful. The harp, strings, and chimes combined with the girls’ voices really make this a stand out track.
It’s a mixture of both Japanese and English, with the Japanese sung more softly then the English, making this a nice soft sound to listen to while watching snow fall (not that I get that where I live), or while reading a book as your wrapped up in a blanket.
- .nodame
BoA – メリクリ
(recommended by Hyperballad)
BoA is the reigning queen of winter ballads. She comes out with a new winter single nearly every year, and メリクリ is a masterpiece. At this time of year, it’s the most sought-after winter ballad, and even though BoA rearranged the song recently, it’s the original one that people fell in love with. This song has so much energy, so much feeling, and it’s by far, one of the most beautiful songs by her, not even Winter Love can surpass it, and Winter Love is another one of her trademark winter ballads. It’s pure magic.
SM Town – Jingle Bell
(recommended by .nodame)
A classic, but with a fun and bouncy twist. It starts off with that sweet holiday sound in the beginning before the typical SM music kicks in. (If you’re familiar with BoA’s earlier works or any S.E.S’ tracks, then you’ll know what I mean.) The artists’ voices really blend well together, even with Shinhwa’s rapping. The entire track is sung in Korean, which gives this old track a nice new spin.
-.nodame
Namie Amuro – White Light
Namie Amuro’s White Light has got to be one of my favorite J-Pop Christmas songs (if not my absolute favorite). Her voice is so smooth, beautiful and captures the exact feeling the song is meant to convey. The beats and backing vocals give it a strong R&B vibe. It just makes me feel so good! She brings up love and everything the holidays are about in this song along with instrumentals and vocals that are beyond words. I listen to this song even when it isn’t Christmas time because it’s that good! You’re in for a good time listening to White Light!
4Minute feat. Mario Amen – Jingle Jingle
(recommended by niiwa)
Jingle Jingle is exactly what you get when you mix contemporary K-Pop to a winter holiday. Jingle Jingle is catchy beyond words, with elements of electronic and pop music that won’t get out of your head. Its captivating quality makes it a song for the whole year, not only during the winter. Its cuteness is also something beyond words, 4Minute makes use of synthesizers to make themselves extra cute and contort their vocals to make this a very cute, catchy, and original Christmas song.
L’arc~en~Ciel – Hurry Xmas
(recommended by Hyperballad)
Hurry Xmas is simply rich in every way possible, and it’s an incredible holiday song. The energy of the song is amazing, and even though the vocals are kind of rough in the beginning, they’re let loose throughout the song and bring on the holiday spirit full-throttle. There’s no way your holidays will be less than amazing with this song, just listening to it is already a mood boost and everything about it makes you feel like you’re spending Christmas on broadway or Paris, you have to hear it to believe it.
Koda Kumi – stay with me
(recommended by niiwa)
Kumi’s latest winter ballad, and very different from those she did in the past. Instead of focusing on intricate instrumentals, the focus was turned to her vocals. This song is so filled with emotion and beauty that only those who have a biased point of view about Kumi’s ballads can resist. Her voice is incredible and soft throughout the song, and even though it isn’t about the holidays like the other songs in the selection, it has that feel, and you just know. Kumi always does a great job for her winter ballads, and stay with me was no exception!
Kanjani8 – Snow White
(recommended by aikorin)
For Snow White, two of the members – Nishikido Ryo and Shota Yasuda – composed the song and wrote the lyrics. The vocal harmonizing during the chorus is fabulous and the layers of piano with little sprinkles of percussion, and sometimes traditional winds, make for a really beautiful song. The bittersweet lyrics, the catchy melody, and the excellent vocal delivery really show off Kanjani8’s talent as musicians. It’s a really pretty song!
- aikorin
Ami Suzuki – Crystal
I hadn’t realized this was a Christmas song until I got to take a look at the lyrics and discovered that she sang “Christmas” instead of “Crystal” in some parts, it was very foolish of me not to suspect it being a Christmas song because the backing vocals sound like they’re caroling, and there are bells and jingles all throughout the song. The PV captures the Christmas spirit, and the song makes you feel so good, it’s not the traditional Christmas song, but it’s one of the few songs where we get to hear Ami’s voice naturally, and it’s so beautiful, it’s yet another song to listen to not only on Christmas day, but also for the other 364 days of the year.
On behalf of all of us, I’d like to wish everyone a very safe and merry Christmas tomorrow, full of joy, peace, and everything that’s special to you! ♥
Our ever so lovely .nodame would also like to share a few words:
“Joyeux Noël!
Je vous souhaite une très belle journée et une nouvelle année merveilleuse ~
Again, I wish you have a great day and a wonderful new year!
Mon amour pour toi, much love,
♥nodame♥”
Happy holidays from all of us!~
Artist: Namie Amuro
Album: PAST < FUTURE
Release Date: 12.16.2009
Two years after the release of Namie Amuro’s last album, PLAY, Namie comes out with PAST < FUTURE, a pretty experimental album that just feels like she wants to change her style and image completely, as even the title of the album and/or the cover suggests. It’s a bold attempt at doing so and I really enjoyed listening to the album!
The album begins with FAST CAR. It’s an okay track, but it doesn’t fit the theme of the album and the rest of the songs, it has an old school burlesque feel, and it’s not exactly a bad song, but I’m not crazy about it either. It’s not very good to kick off the album because it’s in its own category, and could be placed somewhere else, where it wouldn’t sound as misleading as it does in the beginning. It’s a fun track, just kind of dry and flat.
When COPY THAT begins, you know you’re getting somewhere! It’s just fierce. This song shows an edge that Namie hadn’t experimented with before, because of her R&B roots, and it’s great she decided to test out the pop genre so out of the box. The song has elements of synth and a light old school feel that’s a lot absorbable than the one from FAST CAR. Satisfaction guaranteed!
LOVE GAME introduces a style that’s closer to that of the other tracks, so it’s like the album truly begins with this track. This track falls so flat, it feels like a car crash, minus for the excitement. There’s isn’t a single point in this song that could be considered the BOOM factor and is just the same thing over and over again, it’s just a very boring addition to the album and nearly impossible to listen to up to the end.
Following LOVE GAME is Bad Habit. It’s not nearly as bad as its preceder, (I love her pronunciation of the title in the song) but it’s not the kind of song you look for and listen to the whole day. It’s like a more interesting version of LOVE GAME, like a car crash gone right . . . It’s a good song, just not a highlight for the album.
Steal my Night is one of my favorites so far. I love how fierce Namie sounds and how the instrumentals bring her energy to another level. The chorus is exactly the BOOM I look for. The instrumentals are not consistent, so it makes the song less repetitive and fresher to listen to. The chorus is really strong and fierce and makes for one of my favorites in the album.
Following Steal my Night is FIRST TIMER. It wasn’t until lately that I fell completely in love with it. The way she repeats
Li-li-li-li-li-li-ke a first timer
is very annoying and it breaks the song so badly, but other than that, the soft synth that accompanies her voice in the beginning of the song and the rapping, for some reason, is very sexy by the end, so it doesn’t bother the song. The song is very interesting, and I love the overwhelming vibratos and different layers of the song . . . Some people might get a messy impression, but it just fits with Namie’s voice.
I never really liked/listened to WILD before the album was released, it just sounded very dry to me, just a generic electronic dance track. When I truly started to listen to it, I noticed how awesome it is. It’s very catchy and the instrumental is very intricate and really fits Namie’s voice, it’s certainly a highlight of the album!
No matter how much attention Dr. gets, I can’t seem to be able to listen to it. It’s very interesting and original and I feel like it can still grow on me, it’s a good track, but to me it’s so dry and different. I love the part with less synth and when everything sounds softer, it’s so beautiful, and if the whole song was like that, I’m sure it’d be my favorite of the album (possibly out of everything I’ve listened to by Namie as well).
Shut Up is another one of my favorites! Her pronunciation of the title is once again, very cute and addicting. The song experiments with some synth and a more pop/rock genre that works very well, and it’s one of the best in the album and very enjoyable!
MY LOVE is a synthesized approach to R&B, and it’s a very sweet song, easy to listen to and enjoy. It sounds like something that would be from PLAY, but mixed with her new electronic style to fit PAST < FUTURE better, and it truly does. It’s not exactly a highlight, but it’s not faded or a bad song, it’s a way to keep the album fresh.
The Meaning Of Us is the first and the only ballad in the whole album, it’s very beautiful, the vocals are very amazing accompanied by the instrumentals, but despite it being fresh and beautiful, it’s not very exciting and pretty straight-forward.
Defend Love isn’t very exciting either, it has electronic elements despite its misleading title, and like Dr., it gets far more interesting when it slows down and gets stripped from its synthesized properties. It isn’t a very good track for the albums closure because it’s not very original and inspiring.
Namie experiments with many new styles and genres in PAST < FUTURE, but they all share some resemblance, even if fluidity of the album does suffer from the random styles throughout the album, but if each track is listened to individually, it’s a very good album and it’s good to see Namie expand her horizons and experiment with other genres to see how far she can with her skills.
Final Score
89 / B+
Namie Amuro – FAST CAR
An artist’s image is very important, especially when it’s used as an extension to their body of work, how they convey their current style and interests to their audience and set the trademark for an era, really makes a difference. This takes a lot of work, and there’s a whole staff behind like that, and it sure is surprising how far a record label can go to portray their artists however they want. The changes from childhood to adulthood in artists are very surprising and very adorable to observe!
Utada Hikaru
Hikki can be so cute and beautiful at the same time, and it’s not surprising that she’s been like that since childhood. She was such a cute baby! Then we see her at what looks like her prom, and she’s smiling so beautifully! I don’t think there’s ever a picture of her being gloomy or anything else if not the cheerful, adorable Hikki we all know and love. She’s unlike many Japanese artists for not experimenting too much with her looks and maintaining a fresh appearance with new hairstyles and nothing too forced or that doesn’t match her cool, confident and cute personality.
Before becoming an international popstar in Japan, Hikki had released an album under the name Cubic U, and recorded a music video for her cover of Close To You at 13:
Koda Kumi
I think artists under the avex label are the most likely to submit themselves to cosmetic procedures to change their looks because of the heavy emphasis on artist promotion. Kumi suffered a lot through high school because of her weight and appearance, even though we always see her smiling in pictures when we’re not seeing her show off her talents in auditions. Her baby picture with sister misono is beyond cuteness, and her hugging of the dog is too adorable!
Here’s one of Kumi’s early performances, before her official debut and her attept to join Morning Musume, she was 14 at the time of this performance:
Ayumi Hamasaki
Ayu is probably one of the most famous examples of cosmetic surgery when it comes to Japan. She certainly went through many processes ever since she was signed with avex, and even a few years can already make a huge difference in her appearance, only not naturally. She was very cute when she was younger and holds some resemblance to her appearance today, but she certainly changed a lot since her debut in 1999. Her current look is very memorable because of her doll-like eyes.
Ayu has worked many times as an actress and a model before her debut, and here’s some footage of her when she was 15:
Maki Goto
Maki joined the music industry very young (13 years of age), so there isn’t much to her we don’t know, if not for the fact that she was so cute in elementary school! I’m sure she was grinning in that picture because she knew she was going to become a Japanese popstar for being so cute! Maki hasn’t gone through significant cosmetic surgery, and has kept her look pretty much the same until she joined avex and had a nose job to make her look softer, her nose was pretty much her trademark, but it certainly helped her look her best, and it was nice evidence of her growing more mature.
Maki auditioned for the same season of Morning Musume as Koda Kumi, and guaranteed her spot in the group at 13:
Baby pictures of these divas are especially adorable, and they’re always posted around threads and fansites to surprise the fans. Maybe the contrast is so different between their adulthood and their childhood because they’re discovered so young, and are made into beautiful young ladies right from the start, and for a good reason, since they have talent to spare!
