TAEYANG thinking about landing in the U.S.? American agency leaves their door wide open

[benihime99.livejournal.com]

BIGBANG’s TAEYANG has been receiving calls from entertainment agencies in the United States for his solo musical career, and many eyes are on the artist to see if he will be branching out to the U.S.

It was confirmed on Nov 21 that TAEYANG has been giving much thought on reaching out to the U.S., since he received many offers from major entertainment agencies in the country. Nothing has been made concrete at this point, but it has been revealed that amongst the many agencies is the one giant agency of U.S. as well.

The offers from this side of the world is reaching TAEYANG since the release of his new song ‘Ringa Linga.’ The song is of a strong hip-hop with melodies here and there.

‘Ringa Linga’ may seem a little new to the South Korean public, but in America where hip-hop is already mainstream, the song is arousing much attention.

The effort of YG Entertainment is playing a role in TAEYANG’s branching out as well. Not many artists, including those in the U.S., have the capacity to encompass both R&B and dancing skills, so TAEYANG’s unique strength will highly work to his advantage when he expands his playing field to the U.S.

‘Ringa Linga’ has indeed brought about a sensational wave, with its music video and dance performance video altogether attracting whopping 10 million viewers. G-DRAGON and foreign composers co-written and composed the song, and the dance performance video with America’s top dancers has heated up the music world.

But the most important aspect to consider is BIGBANG’s schedule. TAEYANG is part of BIGBANAG, a group that boasts the busiest schedule in Asia, so the tight-schedule makes it that much harder to get the timing right for TAEYANG to be in the U.S.

TAEYANG joined the rest of BIGBANG members last week for Japan’s largest Dome Tour, where 770,000 Japanese fans will join them until next January. TAEYANG has his solo album prepared to reveal next March, and then will have to move on quickly to the release of BIGBANG’s new album. It is clear that his tight schedule is already full enough.

In an interview recently, TAEYANG commented, “If BIGBANG were a big tree, then I would be a branch.” This shows that he has much affection for group activities, so the public will have to wait and see how he will be able to plan his schedule so that American market penetration can take place.

TAEYANG, immediately after participating in the 2013 Mnet Asia Music Awards in Hong Kong on Nov 22, will fly to the United States to have his very first solo performance in San Francisco on Nov 26. He is expected to have meetings with a few music industry related personnel to further discuss the matter.

The performance in San Francisco is TAEYANG’s first one in the States as a solo artist, which will be part of Music Experience 2.0., an event co-hosted by MTV IGGY and Intel.

Media play or actual news?

YGLife

Comments

[chanxchan015.livejournal.com]

could be actual news. who knows with yg though now and days. i think he could do well here in america though. he needs to drop the four braids.

[iglossmyeyes.livejournal.com]

no way he'd make it. lbr, even in korea he's in gd's shadow, in us he'd completely disappear.

[sub-divided.livejournal.com]

Taeyang has a lot of American fan(boy)s who aren't Big Bang fans, though. You notice Skillex wanted to work with TOP and not GD, as well... music industry folks might be thinking that GD is too flamboyant/feminine for the US audience. Plus Taeyang's English is better.

The article is overblown but I totally believe he's meeting people in San Francisco.

[torontok.livejournal.com]

I feel like Solar era Taeyang could've done well in the US. Hell I got into kpop afte rhearing the english version of Wedding Dress on the radio in Canada.

[luvey.livejournal.com]

i love Wedding Dress....and it could have worked well on US radio as well (never heard it on the radio here sadly)

[torontok.livejournal.com]

Wedding Dress was a lot of people's gateway kpop song and its still one ofthe best ballads in kpop. I was honestly surprised when I found otu Taeyang wasnt fluent i nenglish, I could barely make otu his accent on the song.
ah well. que sera sera

[miwa201.livejournal.com]

mte
nowadays he'd just be ridiculed

[snoaz.livejournal.com]

Wedding Dress is so well-known, I've heard it in the most unexpected places where you really do not expect to hear a k-pop song ever. Taeyang really does have some good songs.

[luvey.livejournal.com]

since there isn't anything concrete....i say media play with positive affirmations to make it come true.
if he wants to make it in the US, there is no way unless he took a break from Big Bang and put in the work here to really get his name and music out there. UNLESS, he will go for the niche market who already understands kpop, but he would still have to put in the work. and the way YG seems to work Big Bang lately and the way they are working on stealing more wallets in Japan.

[goldndiamondgir.livejournal.com]

The difference is though that Taeyang is being scouted by an independent company. It's more like how Psy promoted in the US with a company that had nothing to do with YGE. YGE won't have anything to do with how he's promoted in the US (if he accepts it). However I think Taeyang never really had much thirst for the US market and I think that's probably why, and the fact that he's content doing music anywhere anyhow. He might turn it down..

[goldndiamondgir.livejournal.com]

It depends on many things but with the right company and music direction I definitely think Taeyang has what it takes, He has the most appeal to the US market. If they are the ones who contacted him then the proof is in the pudding that he obviously has the appeal.

[imangos.livejournal.com]

Solar-era Taeyang maybe would've had a good chance. Songs like "Wedding Dress" could've really made a mark on the charts. 4-braids-era Taeyang doesn't stand a snowball's chance. He'd only end up becoming fodder for trashy magazines and racist pricks.
Then again, breaking into the US market is as much about luck and timing as it is about image. Maybe with the right song, the right video and some tactful and aggressive marketing he could wind up carving a niche for himself in the US market. He should be ready to duke it out with the other chart toppers though.

[snoaz.livejournal.com]

Hmmm I'm always a little (or a lot) sceptical about US debuts because they tend to fail. Of course if he's had offers and he wants to, Taeyang should do it; but rather than expecting instant fame he should focus more on the existing overseas fanbase and expand from there. I'm sure he could do some nice things if you approached it that way. Out of the five members, I think he has the most US appeal. Still doubtful anything will happen, though.

Also, this made me think of what GD said some time ago in an interview, that it used to be this big dream of his but to break into the American market but he wasn't interested anymore and even thought it a little embarrassing. Something like that. I get what he's saying tbh.

[snoaz.livejournal.com]

Really? I could swear it was Jiyong, as I tend to remember his quotes the most (him being my bias).

I wish he'd modestly pursue it. Not expect to become the next big thing, because that will fail and be a waste of his time and talent, but rather use his current international fanbase as his starting point. YG seems to have realised that they do have international fans, but still they could use and facilitate that fact a lot more. Have good English subtitles for stuff, make albums available abroad like you said, sometimes visit the international fans and do some interviews and small scale promoting when you're there. Like this it could be nice.

[snoaz.livejournal.com]

You're right! How did I mix that up? Thanks anyway ;-)

And yeah I hope Taeyang can have fun in San Francisco and who knows it really is a sign he's somewhat pursuing something that way...! :)

[babyonions.livejournal.com]

It's media play. Or YG's wet dream.

[the-erotomanic.livejournal.com]

are male pop stars in the u.s. still marketable?

but if he decides to push through with this, i hope his management doesn't half-ass it.

[zombiechick815.livejournal.com]

I think Taeyang has the potential to make a legit try at the American market. His English songs are pretty good, and he is really talented. If he makes music like he did on Solar I think he would stand a decent chance here. I would be excited if he tried just so I could see Taeyang in real life (on American TV, magazines, radio, etc), but I'm not going to cross my fingers for it.

[odd-fish-stick.livejournal.com]

No.

[hellodee16.livejournal.com]

he can go ahead and try if he wants
but he best leave those braids in Korea.

[45s.livejournal.com]

Lol

[love-keiko.livejournal.com]

THIS.

[dirkismyhomeboy.livejournal.com]

If he would get his styling together and stop trying to be all swaggity swag, he could have at least one hit here. He's good looking, sings and dances well. If he did a song like Bad Boy in English he'd be alright. If BB did Bad Boy in English it might make some noise here.

[ashiva.livejournal.com]

Maybe if he goes back to his old style and abandons GD's crazy electrodance hip hop stuff, and does straight out R&B. I mean let's be real hardly anyone in US wants Ring Linga Taeyang over Wedding Dress Taeyang.

[turdferguson.livejournal.com]

it'll only work if he goes about it as if he was an independent underground artist. create buzz by putting out mixtapes, promote in smaller clubs, which is kind of what he wants anyway. don't come barging in expecting like you're going to be big just because you're already famous within the international fandom.

[modestgoddess79.livejournal.com]

side eyeing the fuck out of this blatant media play

"not many artists, including those in the U.S., have the capacity to encompass both R&B and dancing skills, so TAEYANG’s unique strength will highly work to his advantage when he expands his playing field to the U.S."

like seriously GTF out of here with that, your entire performance and musical style is copied from American R&B artist that sing and dance yet YG wants to act like they invented it

[music3chick.livejournal.com]

exactly. nice going dissing people you're copying your whole style from

[love-keiko.livejournal.com]

THIS!!! omg, i was JUST about to comment on that sentence? like WHAT?!

one thing i noticed when i saw them live is how LITTLE taeyang actually sang. he relied too much on the back vocalists while he through in some random assed forced riffs that his voice sure as fuck cant carry.

taeyang is an excellent performer, and given the right material he's a great artists---but there is some FRESH ass delusion in thinking that taeyang didnt straight LIFT his style off of EXISTING dance/r&b artists in the U.S

[oppameansit.livejournal.com]

since he received many offers from major entertainment agencies in the country

[erbalurbal.livejournal.com]

lol there are tons of small record labels out there. YG probably won't even consider it, they are just using it as a bragging point without offering any details.

[scheisse.livejournal.com]

The only YG artist I could see making it in the US is CL. I don't know why I think that, but she just seems like someone the US would love. Talented, beautiful, and a great performer.

I don't think the US is here for foreign male popstars right now.

[benihime99.livejournal.com]

I don't see it happening, she could be a socialite but that's about it

[batterydead.livejournal.com]

uh

[hagar-tammaa.livejournal.com]

I came here to say the same thing.
the US are not here for a male but they will like CL

[taylorniw.livejournal.com]

Media play. He'd be a joke and anyone with any business sense knows it.

[eijem-sawada.livejournal.com]

he better dress normal clothes or people will laugh at him.

[kotetsu.livejournal.com]

sounds like bullshit media junk bc of the Music Experiment event or w/e soon. he just said in a mag interview he wasn't interested in that anymore lol

"You have many foreign fans now. You said once that your dream is to enter the US market.
Maybe it was when I’d just debuted. I cringe a little thinking about it now. I don’t feel that way now. I just want to express what I like, what I feel is awesome and cool. I don’t think it’s cool to set a huge goal and try to make it happen"

http://alwaystaeyang.wordpress.com/2013/10/31/interview-elle-korea-november-2013-solar-storm/

[uguukawaii.livejournal.com]

hes so short though could he be a heartthrob?

[45s.livejournal.com]

it must kill him that aziatix got signed to young money before him tho

[mjspice.livejournal.com]

Huh??