How to Crack Japan: The Big Bang Theory (BB Article in TIME)

[asteri5k.livejournal.com]

For the past 20 years or more, Japan has successfully sold its superinfectious brand of pop music in other Asian markets. Now the South Koreans want to follow suit. The vocalist Rain — among the TIME 100 in 2006 — remains the international face of K-pop, but a host of other artists are eager to follow in his wake. Their appeal to Western audiences remains niche — Rain himself has struggled to make an impression in the U.S., despite a ton of MTV appearances and onstage backup from the likes of Omarion and Diddy. That leaves Japan as the prime foreign market for the talented, preening young acts that South Korea produces by the score.


The most promising of these is Big Bang, a domestically successful five-man hip-hop group formed through a Making the Band – style reality show in 2006. A Japanese-language mini-album (With U) enjoyed some success in 2008. Big Bang now hope their debut full-length Japanese-language release — having entered Japan's charts at No. 3 — will deliver the coup de grace. The good looks of the creators certainly won't harm the disc's chances.

A self-titled affair, Bigbang serves up fresh tracks and reworkings of the group's old Korean singles. The tasty production, dance-pop beats, fluid raps and great vocal harmonies comprise an expertly fashioned example of globalized R&B. Tracks like "My Heaven" (a collaboration with top Japanese DJ Daishi Dance) and "Love Club" have plenty of dance-floor appeal. As for swoon factor, well, their track "Let Me Hear Your Voice" has been selected as the theme for the new Tokyo Broadcasting System romantic comedy Ohitorisama. If your work is popping up on Friday-night prime-time drama, total domination can't be that far behind.

source: TIME MAGAZINE

WUUT. BB in TIME? Congrats gaiizz! :D

Added the Bigbang pic from the article

Comments

[ms-worplesdon.livejournal.com]

fdjsfhkjdshfksdah ♥

[jia-zhang.livejournal.com]

The most promising of these is Big Bang...Really?

...I'm thinking TIME doesn't know "Tohoshinki" is Korean.

[super-genin.livejournal.com]

Big Bang bias aside, I think the article meant "promising" as "full of potential" and "on the way up".

IMO, TVXQ/Tohoshinki is already on top. And there's not much to do on top but to maintain being there.

[wenzi.livejournal.com]

I believe the source itself is pretty clueless as to kpop and jpop...?

Konnichiwa, Tohoshinki!

[jia-zhang.livejournal.com]

Ain't that right, bb...because apparently Tohoshinki didn't set a record for all time Oricon number ones for non-Japanese artists. Though, I think some times people forget they are Korean when they work in Japan.

[gingerloop.livejournal.com]

oh.

[pocketofskies.livejournal.com]

lol mte

[twomin.livejournal.com]

OIC.

[nudrive.livejournal.com]

Nothing to say cept: let me hear your voice sounds SO funny in Ohitorisama XD

[crypticbluerose.livejournal.com]

I love these crazy hiro icons hahaha

[d-magix.livejournal.com]

About TIME (get it? Time? Okay...)

I just wonder why SM artistes were rarely featured in such big media. But then I realise they're not very open in some sense.

[albeitalways.livejournal.com]

lol i've noticed that as well, although it's a bit weird i mean considering sm has more money compared to every other entertainment company out there, all they need to do is pull off some strings here and there.

[murasakinoegao.livejournal.com]

That's good to know.

[readyforever.livejournal.com]

... i got more excited when I saw the article on VAMPS in Time. brb loving on hyde again.

[rockerista03.livejournal.com]

lol me too.

[asteri5k.livejournal.com]

Gosh, I didn't know there would be so many haters. Sorry they didn't mention Tohoshinki. They're kinda in the middle of a lawsuit? Defo most successful but lesser promise atm?

[jia-zhang.livejournal.com]

It's not hating. It's just one going "Really?" with that skeptical eye-brow raising thing. I love BB like their new song, omg, it's amazing, I so hope Japan does for them what it did for BoA and DBSK, but honestly, knowing JPop, this article just makes me roll my eyes.

[chiamharkem.livejournal.com]

uwoh TIME.

[breathe-ai.livejournal.com]

Love Big Bang and all but DBSK's been working at it longer...and they basically broke a lot of ground for other Korean boy bands, like appearing on Music Station, etc and they are still considered foreign in Japan I think since they still mention that they're Korean. But I guess they're assimilated enough that an outsider would think they've been part of the scene for ages... Though I'm always excited to see an article about Asian artists in general in Time, so yay~

[wrongbyright.livejournal.com]

WOOHOO BIG BANG IN TIME MAGAZINE! ♥

Thanks for submitting this news, I am liking it very muchly. :DD

[albeitalways.livejournal.com]

i dunno.

don't get me wrong, bb is ♥ ever and ever but in terms of their overseas success in japan, let's get realistic though. i think dbsk should have even been at least mentioned in the article for successful non-japanese artists in the market.

or

the article is more focused with artists still trying to get in the oricon spotlight like bb.

or

big bang theory as the title of this article decided it all.the author's not really well-versed with the material.

[jhj2001.livejournal.com]

.... and then we'll see some insecure DBSK's fans yapping about this article -_-

[brassbikini.livejournal.com]

lol. this.

[herro-is-vip.livejournal.com]

lol drama.

DBSK has already made it into the mainstream. Chill out, this article is talking about Big Bang trying to make and how promising they are compared to other Korean acts trying to make it.

[jia-zhang.livejournal.com]

Except the fact that they are hip-hop group does cut their chances like in half, making them not so promising; that's the key issue that TIME doesn't get, because it doesn't know about the Japanese music scene at all.

[nicooyo.livejournal.com]

Don't see why everyone is leaving such down comments.

Okay so it's an article in TIME about Big Bang instead of DBSK.. why exactly is that a bad thing? I'm a bigger DBSK fan than I am a Big Bang fan and I'm happy for them.

Whatever I still think this is awesome. You go Big Bang!

[stage-persona.livejournal.com]

here, I so agree with you ^^

[shopaholism.livejournal.com]

TIME doesn't know shit about foreign music scenes. BUT I LIKE THAT THEY TRY.

[two-ne1.livejournal.com]

YAY!

& I still want "Hallelujah",NOW.

[helzfyah.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty 'BB in TIME, WOOT!' because i love me some BB, but face it - even if the article is coming from a 'what's hot, what's got potential' point of view, NOT mentioning BoA and Tohoshinki as forerunners sort of says the writer isn't really doing their homework.

[streetrat.livejournal.com]

prom·is·ing (präm′is iŋ)
adjective

Likely to develop in a desirable manner.

[chalakchalak.livejournal.com]

DBSK fans are insulted therefore your logical argument is invalid.

[brassbikini.livejournal.com]

The author is indeed remiss in not mention TVXQ and BoA as being forerunners of successful Korean artists in Japan, but that doesn't change the fact that -- as of this moment -- Big Bang is the most promising new Korean group on the Japanese market. Whether they ultimately succeed to the same level as the aforementioned artists has yet to be determined, but it doesn't change the promise they show now.

[stoplightheist.livejournal.com]

I totally thought SHELDON!! (& The Big Bang Theory tv show) when I read the title.

But YAY for Big Bang.

[asteri5k.livejournal.com]

[xperfect-lines.livejournal.com]

Oh my god. Time. Big Bang. Brain does not compute but holy fuck I am so happy for them asdljhadfjk

[seidy.livejournal.com]

The lack of BoA and mentioned of Rain makes me go WTH at first.

Anyway, I hope to see the real Big Bang (as we've seen in Korea) in Japan market. I like some of their works in Korea, but I don't find anything like that in their Japanese work so far.