Korean musicians struggle with U.S. success

[unreal.livejournal.com]

It is so difficult for Asian singers to break into the American market that success in the U.S. is a feat often compared to “the first human landing on the moon,” according to American pop columnist Joseph Young.


Singers that are ultrafamous in Asia, such as BoA, Rain and Se7en, each of whom earn more than a medium-sized Korean company, have proven that upon entering the U.S. market, their appeal just does not translate.

So when the Korean girl group the Wonder Girls made it onto Billboard’s Hot 100 chart in October, it was a significant moment for Korean pop music. The song “Nobody,” which entered the iconic music chart at No. 76, has a simple but addictive melody, and the five-member girl band, with their spangle-studded dresses and wholesome appeal, captured U.S. fans in a way no other Asian act has.

But it certainly hasn’t been easy for the band, and their success has come at a price.

Last month, band member Sun-mi, who goes by Mimi in the U.S., announced she was leaving the band to focus on her studies, a move that shed light on the difficulties Korean singers face when they burst into the American market.

In October, after the song Nobody had entered the Billboard chart, the band had a press conference in Seoul at which some of the band members, including Sun-mi, who was 18 then, cried as they shared their struggle to make it in the U.S. market.

“I cry every night before I fall asleep because I’m a slow learner and I need a lot of time to adapt to new circumstances,” Sun-mi said.

Band members said cultural and language barriers were the most difficult aspects of their U.S. life.

So it was no surprise that when the band’s managers were looking for someone to replace Sun-mi, they chose Hye-rim, a singer who is not only talented but fluent in four languages including Korean and English.

Their choice of Hye-rim, experts say, probably has something to do with the band’s success in the U.S.

“If you can’t speak the language, you can’t make it in the states, no matter how well you sing,” said pop columnist Park Eun-seok. “We have to remember that the most successful Korean actress in Hollywood is Kim Yun-jin because she is a native speaker.”

Kim, who was educated in the U.S., plays Sun Kwon on the TV series “Lost.”

Another problem Korean musicians encounter when they try to enter the U.S. market is the difference between the two countries in the way musicians gain recognition for their work.

In Korea, a star is born through a formal relationship between an entertainment agency, a producer and a composer. Talented musicians are carefully selected and then trained by an entertainment agency. In the U.S., however, musicians play local clubs for years waiting for recognition, after which they may be lucky enough to sign with a record label. Korean acts that try to make it in the U.S. often say they find it difficult to adapt to the U.S. system.

Music critic Lim Jin-mo advises bands to remember that “the Beatles sang for about six years at a small club before they became famous.”

Name recognition does not, however, guarantee financial success. JYP Entertainment, the Wonder Girls’ agent, says it spent a lot to promote the group and hasn’t yet broken even.

“It’s everyone’s dream to be successful in the U.S. because once you make it, you can sell your albums throughout the world,” said Park the music critic. “But it takes a lot of patience.”

source: joongangdaily

Comments

[nudrive.livejournal.com]

“It’s everyone’s dream to be successful in the U.S. because once you make it, you can sell your albums throughout the world,” said Park the music critic. “But it takes a lot of patience.”

OHIC

But I just don't get why they don't break into the UK market first
Since loads of people have succeeded here and then gone over to the UK
Surely that's way easier T.T

plus we need some love

[froggster.livejournal.com]

I agree. Europe should be a lot easier :/ But I guess they think otherwise

[finchburg.livejournal.com]

The fact that if you can't speak English very well (or have a terrible accent, Rain) you will go nowhere is a sad truth.

[prdarkstar.livejournal.com]

Not always. That wasn't the case for Shakira. Yeah, people bitched endlessly about her accent at first but that didn't stop her from being successful.

I think having that IT song is so important and "Nobody" was never going to catch fire in America like it did in Korea. I don't know what JYP was thinking.

[nicooyo.livejournal.com]

Half the time I don't even think it's because they're Asian. They're all pretty talented but none of them can seem to get their lyrics/sound or image right. They try too hard and in the end it always turns out bad.

[nicooyo.livejournal.com]

And of course it'd help if they learned the language more before trying to officially debut.

[eternityras.livejournal.com]

“If you can’t speak the language, you can’t make it in the states, no matter how well you sing,”

also applies to the workplace. in my personal experience, non native speakers get discriminated against bc ppl assume they don't know what's going on/can't fight back/can't take the perpetrator (boss, coworker) to court. i have so much respect for first generation asian americans (hi mom, you rock).

[xkimchi-ninja.livejournal.com]

Agreed. The problem with a lot of Korean idol groups is their image and sugary music style. CN Blue and FT Island would appeal more to American audiences. If only they weren't Engrish-y D:

[bisharp]

ugh. americans. -lives in america-

[aunts.livejournal.com]

SM and BoA herself claimed that the U.S debut was something that had been in the works since late 2005. Yeah IDK how much of that is believable but either way, they definitely should have at least waited until she had somewhat of a pretty strong grasp of the english language, like Utada, and probably wait for a year where the media wasn't marking it as 'Asian groups/artists wanting to crossover'.

I will say though that while her attempt wasn't really successful, I did enjoy her album unlike others. At the end of the day, it's just music to me, whether it be in good english or not. I mean LOL there's tons of engrish everywhere and you don't see that many protesting, :P I also loved loved LOVED her mvs as well. She had a chance to show off her dancing and threw off all those in doubt of her skill.

[katzsong.livejournal.com]

Utada lived/was raised in New York for sometime. So, her English is perfect.

[zizy.livejournal.com]

I don't think language fluency is the problem. I bet if somebody who sang like Christina Aguilera came out of Korea, she'd be famous. I like the Wonder Girls but they're mediocre as far as talent goes.

[luvey.livejournal.com]

i always thought yobi or hwannee would make it in the US because of their vocal talent. i remember hearing Yobi sing in english on WGM...and just it just blew me away.

[kpopbabo.livejournal.com]

surely they aren't surprised by this
it's nearly impossible to break america, even for brits :/
robbie williams has been trying for like 164974 years

[to-the-wick.livejournal.com]

Robbie had like... two hits over here! Like ten years ago or something.
(Just looked it up: Millennium and Angels both charted but not enough to make a Top 40 list. Angels was 41. *sad trombone*)

[voleur.livejournal.com]

here is how i always viewed it:

we DO have a good number of asian-americans here in the USA. (ok...so it's still around 5% but that's still thousands and thousands of people). i'm pretty sure a lot of them sing and act and dance...i've grown up with them and i have plenty of asian friends who are part of dance-crews, who major in acting, singing, etc...they aspire to become famous...and yet, how many asian-american celebrities can we name? i mean those that are hollywood/top of the charts status? my point is this:

IF AMERICAN-BORN ASIAN CELEBRITIES ARE RARE AS IT IS AND HAVE A REALLY, REALLY HARD TIME BECOMING FAMOUS, WHAT MAKES KOREA THINK THAT AMERICA WILL MORE READILY EMBRACE FOREIGN ASIANS WHO CAN'T SPEAK THE LANGUAGE PROPERLY AND WHO HAVE SUCH DIFFERENT STYLES/ETC? idk, man. it just...doesn't make sense to me.

[matsujoongie93.livejournal.com]

I completely agree with this. Foreign artists (esp Korean artists) should really do the research and see that there aren't even many recognizable Asian-American artists in Hollywood or the music scene.

[matsujoongie93.livejournal.com]

“If you can’t speak the language, you can’t make it in the states, no matter how well you sing,”

tbh, I don't think that's completely true. Sure, you should be able to speak a good amount of English, but I've seen artists start out with not-so-polish English (but they also had knock out voices)

I just think that it's the way that they're (Korean artists) are presented. Like Tablo said once, it's not all about trying to learn the language and everything

[love-keiko.livejournal.com]

it is in america. spanish is the main secondary language here, so u COULD say spanish singers have a bit easier with their accent. reggaeton artists and shakira (especially shakira) have had their hey days. but asian artists? no. this is the country who remakes asian movies because they don't think americans want to read subtitles. this is the country who STILL uses yellow face in movies and its 2010.

asians have little to no media representation in america. it's not only language---it's RACE. america is still a very racist country. just cause ppl aren't hanging from trees doesn't mean it's over.

[ghost-whisper.livejournal.com]

Language fluency is big, I think. It's sad to say, but almost everyone I know has expressly stated they wouldn't want to listen to music they can't understand.

On the other hand, I think a lot of it is not understanding the way music is marketed in North America - and I don't necessarily mean "waiting to be discovered". I mean music style, and the shows you go on, and releasing albums rather than singles.
Still, there's loads of uber talented individuals, and all we really need is someone to really break through, and it's bound to pave the way for many others.

[isikenai.livejournal.com]

I think it's a double-edged sword for asian artists wanting to break the American market. One, as someone said the image of what makes a performing artist in the two cultures are vastly different - in America popular mainstream artists generally have to be edgy, sexy, feisty and sometimes get a few scandalous articles from the press to be thrown into the spotlight or considered more than children's/old people's music. Whereas in Korea a scandalous article describing your drunk-driving habits is enough to ruin your public image. It must be hard to try and alter your attitude and performing habits completely.

Two, a lot of people in America who already like the asian artist (such as us here in omonatheydidn't) like the artist for exactly the kind of things they market to their asian audience, whether it be their sugary image or pop sound. When those artists try to crossover they understandably try to alter their image and sound to match American tastes, but in the process alienate their existing western fans. This happened when Utada Hikaru tried to debut. You just can't win.

[umbrella-smile.livejournal.com]

like the artist for exactly the kind of things they market to their asian audience

Exactly.
Personally I miss the innocence of the pop I listened to when I was about 11/12. It is fun to escape to that place again even for just a few minutes.

[umbrella-smile.livejournal.com]

It's hard to break into the American music scene even if you're American.
The Asian entertainment companies don't seem to understand that you can't just release one single, expect it to be a hit, if it isn't you stop, because that is a "failure". Some artists release a few singles before they are even mildly successful.

Shakira's English was pretty darn shabby when Whenever, Wherever came out and it was a huge success. Hell, Lara Fabian speaks incredible English, has an amazing voice, and her album still didn't do well. I don't think language is the problem. You have to hit America at the right time, with the right concept, and the right song. That is something that is VERY hard to do.

[akaich0u.livejournal.com]

IA.

I love WG more than I can say but I'm tired of the "wah wah America this America that" articles too. I do think JYP is doing a good job promoting WG though.

[katzsong.livejournal.com]

“It’s everyone’s dream to be successful in the U.S. because once you make it, you can sell your albums throughout the world,”



Hm...you already can sell your album throughout the whole world, now!! There's so many international fans already who are more willing to accept your artists, even though the artistes speaks very little English. All you gotta do is making subtitles =P

There's a whole wide world out there than just USA. Like Nudrive said, why didn't they try UK/Europe first? They're more open to language varieties.

Beside, the reason why I got into Jpop & Kpop because I got tired/bored with US music already. Lately, they're kinda...uninspiring.

[unreal.livejournal.com]

There's so many international fans already who are more willing to accept your artists, even though the artistes speaks very little English.

This. Look at all those Japanse rock bands coming to Europe. In June/July Europe will be having Versailles touring. Their Europeen releases sell quite well in for example Germany. They even have a Jrock club over there.

[onerainysunday.livejournal.com]

"If you can’t speak the language, you can’t make it in the states, no matter how well you sing"

well NO SHIT

I think the problem is...

[cookie-nut.livejournal.com]

Timing.

Whenever foreign artists have broken into the US market, it was because the American public was ready for something new and different.

The thing about America and music is that we're extremely fickle and changeable as hell. One minute we like this, the next minute we hate it. Twenty years later, we may like it again. Remember when swing music was suddenly popular again back in 1998? That's the way things work here: Cycles, and some cycles are longer than others. Some never repeat.

One of the safest areas to debut is Pop, because it's the one cycle where certain things (boy bands, girl groups, Disney-ish "sweet" music) are most likely to repeat, with little variegate except maybe fashion and dance styles. Here it's all about the read, because the pop bubble does burst, only to be blown up again. It's just a matter of when to catch the next bubble.

Regardless, as I said, aside from sincerity (and NOT desperation) and talent, it's important to consider the timing. The American market is like double dutch: One has to know when to jump in.

typo: variation not variegate...

[cookie-nut.livejournal.com]

Damn Firefox and your kooky spell check...

Oh and for people crying about language barriers...

[cookie-nut.livejournal.com]

Not necessarily. We've had non-english songs become popular here, so non-english speaking artists could catch on. In the end, it's about the music and if a song is able to make a big enough impact, it will stick.

The question is if any progress can be made beyond the one song, or if it will be a dreaded "one hit wonder". Of course that's only here. I think having a hit in the US would make it easier to succeed anywhere else on Earth.

[unreal.livejournal.com]

Some views shared by some people on asianfanatics

#01
The main issue is not the artists' lack of English skills considering both Utada and CoCo Lee who both speak fluent English and still couldn't break into the American market. Asians are deemed as not cool enough to be followed by non-Asian American audience. We've been stereotyped as nerds, geeks, martial artists, and if Asians try to go mainstream with their music, no one will bother to listen to them besides the Asian folks

#02
What I've noticed is that Asian singers lack originality. If you look at the majority of Asian female singers (Korea, Japan, HK, Taiwan), they're all clones of one another. It's all about being "cute". This constant need to be "cute" simply translates to "cheesy" in North America. What sells in Asian just doesn't work.

#03
JYP pushed this girls too far... they weren't prepared at all... with not even some proper training, no matter how much money you'll spend on these girls in America... they are still nothing even appearing briefly on the billboard. Asian just won't do it in America without having a huge backup... JYPEnt is nothing compared to other American labels it's sad but it's a fact.

[cookie-nut.livejournal.com]

I think the first one has a very good point. Though I'm reminded that Bruce Lee, who is like still God over here, did not make an impact in the United States until after he had died. And he was cool, not just because he knew martial arts. And it kind of irks me that people think that. Sure he helped push that art form, but there's a reason why asian martial artists come and go in action movies, and Bruce Lee continues to be immortalized.

He had that "it" quality. A spark, an attitude, that made him cool. He was just awesome. Now, I don't doubt for a minute there were and are Asian martial artists that could kick his ass. But, what people tend to forget that it wasn't merely his being a martial artist that made him so popular over here post-mortem.

He had an "attitude" that went with his moves.

And "attitude" is key. Americans can smell a phony a mile away, and much of the problem with trying to make Kpop work here, is that the industry is manufactured to death, right down to "nicknames" for artists. There is very little genuineness in marketing, and they don't worry about it, because it sells. THERE. Here, such things will get you laughed back to whatever you came from.

Now, you may scoff at how Americans see martial arts, but, it would perk up the interests of audience members really quick-like. We really go for that. It may suck, but it's a foot in the door.

Not to mention "sad back stories". It's no secret that these kids work their asses off to get where they are. Train for years. Here, nobody does that. And we in the States really do like the idea of coming from the bottom, working tirelessly to achieve your dreams. That stuff goes right to the heart of what America was built on.

I think looking into the background of where these kids are from and what they go through would go a long ways towards getting them some interest much more so than the fake "idol" qualities that companies drill into their artists.

[callmeliyah.livejournal.com]

I still don't understand this popularity they talk about with the wonder girls. I have yet to hear them on the radio or see them on tv.

[umbrella-smile.livejournal.com]

The "popularity" comes from the fans they already had, which is why their single charted so high.
It is pretty much an unwritten fact that record companies bribe DJs to play a song, and play it often. No matter how much a song is requested, some DJs won't play it if they haven't been paid to. Me thinks JYP hasn't greased enough palms.

[jia-zhang.livejournal.com]

Asians in the West have really never been really welcomed, unless as action stars. Music even less so. It's already extremely difficult for home-grown Asian talents to make it, because the Western audience is predominated African American and White. Asians are still seen under the old light of orientalism--as foreign. Look how difficult it is for Chinese, Korean and Japanese American actors to make it in Hollywod--it's near impossible. This is why you have Asian Americans like Amber and Nicole, Jaebum, Tiffany, Wang Leehom, Edison Chen all going over to their native lands to work, even though they were born and bred in North America. Because if you want to work in entertainment, you're either white or black.

Asians are still discriminated against, but not for necessarily the colour of our skin, but because in another country, far, far away, there's a lot of us, and as such we are still viewed as foreigners. We are seen as belonging somewhere else, and it's hard for people to see an Asian person as truly "American" or "Canadian".

[needsm0retime.livejournal.com]

IA. This comment reminds me of a study I had to read for a class that basically said Americans (white, blacks, and even Asians) unconsciously viewed Europeans as more American than Asian Americans...its a sad truth. We're not exactly hated on but not truly welcomed either.

[steeele.livejournal.com]

Nothing happens overnight. I'm not sure why people were thinking the Wonder Girls were gonna blow up right away in the first place. Everyone immediately deemed them nobodies, and made it seem like they've made no progress. They've appeared on two national tv shows, made it on the billboard chart (however low they placed, it's still something), and toured with the most famous boy band in the US right now. Baby steps guys...

[cookie-nut.livejournal.com]

Pretty much THIS. People need to realize that success here is never immediate, even for native artists. Dues must be paid for the most part, and even the "legendary" artists had to start at the bottom. There are no exceptions.

[dorakyura.livejournal.com]

I don't think it's even the language thing. If you're a female American pop star you can basically either be a Disney/Nickelodeon star and tolerate that 90% of your fans are 10 years younger than you, or you can be a Brittany Spears/Christina Aguilara/Pussycat Dolls whore type. There's not a lot of room for the middle ground where most Kpop girl groups fall.

[czarny.livejournal.com]

*Britney
*Aguilera

[onthethruway01.livejournal.com]

When my great grandparents came to the US, they didn't speak the language. They struggled and learned English because they needed to. I never knew them but I have the greatest respect for them. I feel sorry for the Asian groups. English is not easy. I agree that groups like CN Blue and FT Island may have a better chance because of their ability to play instruments. Unfortunately, there is also a strong stereotype against Asians and other minority groups. Korean America actor Sung Kang is a great guy who, along with many others is always working to help Asian Americans and other minorities. My best wishes to anyone from any country who tries to make it here. I love my country, but the streets are not paved with gold. It's rough for all of us.

[cookie-nut.livejournal.com]

But as others have said, it's not JUST the language barrier or stereotypes. Take artists like Ritchie Valens (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ritchie_Valens) who had a hit song which was completely in Spanish (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jp6j5HJ-Cok) back in the White-Is-Right 1950s. It's not always about language or ethnic backgrounds. Being a white American isn't a guarantee you'll make it here either. Some people would like to think it's an advantage, but at the end of the day, it really isn't.

Patience, timing, and hard work are all key. You can only blame so much on being an outsider.

here come the typos...

[curls975.livejournal.com]

more than anything else i think some of the things limiting non-western born artists, be it in film or music, is whether or not they wish to keep their country as their base or the US.

the level of sex, edge, etc required from most western artists is frowned upon by most outside of the west, from my knowledge of Asian culture. the fact that GD is being questioned with the possibility of going to jail over standing in front of a fully dressed woman on a upright bed and SUGGESTING sexual themes is a clue as to how far apart our "moral" limits are.

if they really wanted to make it big here and last for a long time they would be expected to perform as women not girls. the disney shtick only lasts for so long before you become Raven, still on disney tryin to act like she isnt damn near 25 playing a highschooler.

sex sells here. and not the watered down SNSD version. i'm talking Hyun-A crotch poppin in all her glory sex.

things that throw k-netizens into a tizzy are run of the mill here. we like seeing who is dating who. we want our stars to hook up so we can foam at the mouth over the break up. we love are coked out lindsay and vagina flashing britney. nipple slips are just a way to get your name out there. drug abuse is televised and written off as part of being a rockstar. we could give a fuck about what some random netizen has to say or the fans really, so many just do what they want short of killing somebody.... oh wait... that doesnt stop them either. as long as what your selling is hot it will pretty much sell.

so if they are gonna play the game it needs to be played in the west i doubt they will be able to return to Korea as the same ol WGs. loved as the nations little sisters.

even more so since they are women, and we all know how fair and understanding they are towards women in the media in Korea :D