DocumentaLy 6,033 Posted June 11, 2015 Share Posted June 11, 2015 She's easily the biggest female soloist to debut in the past few years. But for some reason, she has a small international fanbase. Why didn't the fans of the older female soloists from the turn of the century make the jump? And also, Kyary Pamyu Pamyu has a larger fanbase internationally, but she doesn't sell as much as Kana. I've seen some international fans place Kyary in the lineage of Ayu, Utada, Namie, and Kuu, but really it would be Kana as opposed to Kyary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimchi 19,921 Posted June 11, 2015 Share Posted June 11, 2015 Most international fans who check for Japan now a days care for cute gimmicky stuff more than anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UNIQ 5,546 Posted June 11, 2015 Share Posted June 11, 2015 Kana doesn't have that Harajuku kawaii image that appeals to the international crowd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson 94 Posted June 11, 2015 Share Posted June 11, 2015 She's easily the biggest female soloist to debut in the past few years. But for some reason, she has a small international fanbase. Why didn't the fans of the older female soloists from the turn of the century make the jump? And also, Kyary Pamyu Pamyu has a larger fanbase internationally, but she doesn't sell as much as Kana. I've seen some international fans place Kyary in the lineage of Ayu, Utada, Namie, and Kuu, but really it would be Kana as opposed to Kyary. Neither of them deserve to be placed with them. Any who Kana is a nice girl but she's a bit basic. She's almost like the Japanese Taylor Swift in a way who isn't a considered a ""diva"" like Britney, Beyonce, Madonna, etc but very successful for her girl next door/normal image. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShiinaMikan 41 Posted June 11, 2015 Share Posted June 11, 2015 She doesn't appeal to weaboos. Pop singers who do (Kyary, Babymetal) get the most attention. And also, Kyary Pamyu Pamyu has a larger fanbase internationally, but she doesn't sell as much as Kana. Kyary was designed to have international appeal by exploiting weird Japan imagery, and she was promoted internationally. In contrast, SMEJ pretty much pretends the world outside of Japan doesn't exist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dopamine 4,805 Posted June 11, 2015 Share Posted June 11, 2015 I'm not really much into Jpop anymore, but when I was I really liked Kana and didn't have clue who Kyary was. I think it's just that Kana is not eye-catching enough. She doesn't have crazy concepts and her music last I checked was pretty girly and mellow. She has some songs that everybody can like, but the ratio of those to the ones that people pass on is disproportionate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guitargeekette 5,960 Posted June 11, 2015 Share Posted June 11, 2015 Most international fans who check for Japan now a days care for cute gimmicky stuff more than anything. this unfortunately. If people want "normal" they say they can get that on whatever music scene they're into already, so they go to other music scenes for more gimmicky stuff or more "unusual" stuff. idk Neither of them deserve to be placed with them. Any who Kana is a nice girl but she's a bit basic. She's almost like the Japanese Taylor Swift in a way who isn't a considered a ""diva"" like Britney, Beyonce, Madonna, etc but very successful for her girl next door/normal image. Kana's voice is nice so that makes her a bit more than basic I think. Having a nice cool image isn't a bad thing, but like I said earlier...the Japanese dig it. It's their scene after all. Outsiders who are looking for something more cooky aren't gonna leave the "normal" local stuff for "normal" foreign stuff. _____________________ I remember thinking that she woulda been Namie huge among i-fans after Aitakute Aitakute...it didn't happen tho. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocumentaLy 6,033 Posted June 11, 2015 Author Share Posted June 11, 2015 Most international fans who check for Japan now a days care for cute gimmicky stuff more than anything. When did it become like this? Kana doesn't have that Harajuku kawaii image that appeals to the international crowd. But it wasn't always like this. None of the older singers I mentioned had any of this. Neither of them deserve to be placed with them. Any who Kana is a nice girl but she's a bit basic. She's almost like the Japanese Taylor Swift in a way who isn't a considered a ""diva"" like Britney, Beyonce, Madonna, etc but very successful for her girl next door/normal image. The thing is though is that divadom is basically a dead thing in the West as well. Beyonce is like the last of her kind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UNIQ 5,546 Posted June 11, 2015 Share Posted June 11, 2015 When did it become like this? But it wasn't always like this. None of the older singers I mentioned had any of this. Call it a phase. Just look at Babymetal. J-Rock/Metal has been around but no one really went crazy over it. Put three cute little girls in the mix and westerners are all over it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sergel 3,568 Posted June 11, 2015 Share Posted June 11, 2015 Kana seems more mellow than those other singers who mentioned. You've mentioned it yourself in how she doesn't try to break boundaries the same way other Jpop queens have. I really like her, but it wasn't nearly as quickly as I came to like Koda Kumi, Ayu, or Utada. It took a few songs to get into her. I mean I loved Best Friend (first song I heard of hers) but it didn't make me stan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocumentaLy 6,033 Posted June 11, 2015 Author Share Posted June 11, 2015 Call it a phase. Just look at Babymetal. J-Rock/Metal has been around but no one really went crazy over it. Put three cute little girls in the mix and westerners are all over it. Mmm, I don't know about nobody being on JRock seeing as how acts have played Madison Square Garden. But I do look at this as just a phase in international fandom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandilinn 7,814 Posted June 11, 2015 Share Posted June 11, 2015 I really don't know. Could be because she isn't doing uptempo dance songs like Namie/Kuu, and isn't like YUI/miwa/etc. She also doesn't have that "weird" appeal that Kyary does to some foreigners, and she isn't always bright and colorful, which would appeal to K-Pop fans. Kana is kind of in the middle of everything. She does sweet-sounding pop songs (they leaned more towards R&B/urban in the old days, of course), with a few uptempo songs thrown in there for good measure. She's had some pretty nice music videos, but she doesn't really dance, and they're more girly and detailed rather than bright, colorful, or weird. I've also had people tell me they don't like her voice. Either it's too plain or it's too high-pitched for them. It's really too bad. People are missing out with her older material. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocumentaLy 6,033 Posted June 11, 2015 Author Share Posted June 11, 2015 I really don't know. Could be because she isn't doing uptempo dance songs like Namie/Kuu, and isn't like YUI/miwa/etc. She also doesn't have that "weird" appeal that Kyary does to some foreigners, and she isn't always bright and colorful, which would appeal to K-Pop fans. Kana is kind of in the middle of everything. She does sweet-sounding pop songs (they leaned more towards R&B/urban in the old days, of course), with a few uptempo songs thrown in there for good measure. She's had some pretty nice music videos, but she doesn't really dance, and they're more girly and detailed rather than bright, colorful, or weird. I've also had people tell me they don't like her voice. Either it's too plain or it's too high-pitched for them. It's really too bad. People are missing out with her older material. You know, someone just popped in my head: aiko. Is she the new aiko? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NATE 516 Posted June 11, 2015 Share Posted June 11, 2015 2000s and after International fans didn't really know Namie either until they were forced to pay attention to her when she began to eclipse Ayu and Kuu. It always used to be that she was that girl that was big before Ayu was big. That's how people used to talk about Namie like "Oh yeah, I know of her, she used to be huge." Pop fans have a tendency to need to be told what's worth listening to (even if they don't admit it). Kana like Namie at the time, didn't have the impact on Oricon to make people pay attention to her. Kana afterall is a digital queen which less people are willing to pay attention to. She never sold a million CDs and never broke any Oricon records. No #1 singles either, I believe. The Oricon chart is what many J-pop fans use to gauge what they should be listening to hence why you get people who automatically pay attention to the likes of Arashi and AKB48. Kana's physical sales never gave her bandwagon appeal. The other things people are saying about her and her image being a factor aren't wrong either. But you can convince a lot of people to find something they'd like about a performer if the hype was there. That's my take on it anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandilinn 7,814 Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 You know, someone just popped in my head: aiko. Is she the new aiko? A more modern and contemporary version of aiko? Maybe. I never did understand Japan's love for her, but it might very well be similar to the reasons they love Kana. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UNIQ 5,546 Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 Mmm, I don't know about nobody being on JRock seeing as how acts have played Madison Square Garden. But I do look at this as just a phase in international fandom. Bands like L'Arc and visual kei bands like The Gazette definitely had their time in the spotlight so I'm not saying weren't popular, it's just that they just didn't go viral like BM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sorrow Air 29 Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 Exposure? Marketing? I mean, I wouldn't have noticed her if AKB48 members didn't sing and dance to "Darling" in UTAGE. People don't look for new artist most of the time, they need to be introduced, or accidentally stumble on one of said artist's song. That is true for me most of the time. Be it western or eastern artist If it weren't for Doraemon Movie, I would never have noticed Bump of Chicken. (I believe it was 2012) If it weren't for downloadable audio screen saver for PSP, I would've never noticed Otsuka Ai. (Planetarium) If it weren't for Sora no Woto anime, I would've never noticed Kalafina. Quite frankly, I wouldn't even care about Hamasaki Ayumi if I didn't accidentally hear "Naturally" off my father's MP3 playlist. She can be selling several millions records and topping oricon chart for all I care, if I'm not exposed to her, I don't care about her at all. Also, I don't think sales got too much to do with it I didn't notice AKB48 because of them topping chart, rather it's by accident from hearing "River" and reading it's lyrics. *Also Shyvana or League of Legend dance is River, which also helps. I know Vocaloid for a while, but for me to really be "introduced" into it, I had to hear "tell your world" before I realize how good it can be and start hunting for vocaloid music. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kinjiki 1,999 Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 Her discography is garbage, even the Ayu-lite stuff using the same composers/arrangers that Ayu bought to fame. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocumentaLy 6,033 Posted June 12, 2015 Author Share Posted June 12, 2015 2000s and after International fans didn't really know Namie either until they were forced to pay attention to her when she began to eclipse Ayu and Kuu. It always used to be that she was that girl that was big before Ayu was big. That's how people used to talk about Namie like "Oh yeah, I know of her, she used to be huge." Pop fans have a tendency to need to be told what's worth listening to (even if they don't admit it). Kana like Namie at the time, didn't have the impact on Oricon to make people pay attention to her. Kana afterall is a digital queen which less people are willing to pay attention to. She never sold a million CDs and never broke any Oricon records. No #1 singles either, I believe. The Oricon chart is what many J-pop fans use to gauge what they should be listening to hence why you get people who automatically pay attention to the likes of Arashi and AKB48. Kana's physical sales never gave her bandwagon appeal. The other things people are saying about her and her image being a factor aren't wrong either. But you can convince a lot of people to find something they'd like about a performer if the hype was there. That's my take on it anyway. The thing is though is that the hype is there, in Japan at least. But then again there is often a disconnect between international fans and Japan. A more modern and contemporary version of aiko? Maybe. I never did understand Japan's love for her, but it might very well be similar to the reasons they love Kana. Yeah, that's what I was thinking of. Bands like L'Arc and visual kei bands like The Gazette definitely had their time in the spotlight so I'm not saying weren't popular, it's just that they just didn't go viral like BM. But what is more important? Going viral or playing arenas? Exposure? Marketing? I mean, I wouldn't have noticed her if AKB48 members didn't sing and dance to "Darling" in UTAGE. People don't look for new artist most of the time, they need to be introduced, or accidentally stumble on one of said artist's song. That is true for me most of the time. Be it western or eastern artist If it weren't for Doraemon Movie, I would never have noticed Bump of Chicken. (I believe it was 2012) If it weren't for downloadable audio screen saver for PSP, I would've never noticed Otsuka Ai. If it weren't for Sora no Woto anime, I would've never noticed Kalafina. The thing is though is that the exposure and marketing are there in Japan. I mean if you're watching UTAGE, you're in enough to know who Kana is. I'm more of a digger. Like once I found out how to do things for myself, I started finding things on my own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimchi 19,921 Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 When did it become like this? Probably around the time Kyary debuted. Like most of my friends who pay a little attention to japan outside of anime only care about Kyary, Baby Metal, and Harajuku shit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sorrow Air 29 Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 I'm more of a digger. Like once I found out how to do things for myself, I started finding things on my own. Then wouldn't you be the anomaly instead? Why aren't you more like us? be normal man. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocumentaLy 6,033 Posted June 12, 2015 Author Share Posted June 12, 2015 Probably around the time Kyary debuted. Like most of my friends who pay a little attention to japan outside of anime only care about Kyary, Baby Metal, and Harajuku shit. That's one thing too... There are people who are into Japanese music who don't care about anime at all, and vice versa. So to lump all these people in together is kinda odd. A lot of the acts I listen to have no connection to that world. For me, it came solely as an extension of my listening to foreign music. Then wouldn't you be the anomaly instead? Why aren't you more like us? be normal man. No, because I know several people like that here and on other sites. Actually it's easier than ever to be a digger. Just do on Natalie, subscribe to a few YouTube channels, and visit some download sites and listen to random stuff, and pow, you're a digger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NATE 516 Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 The thing is though is that the hype is there, in Japan at least. But then again there is often a disconnect between international fans and Japan. I think both of us know how big that disconnect between what Japan likes and what international fans like can be. Despite it being so much easier to access material from Japan, you still find a large group of J-pop fans that are out of step with the Japanese market. Personally, I've always sort of known about Kana but never felt her hype really transcended into anything international fans would care about. For a long time, I only thought of her as that girl who sings cellphone ballads. She may simply be someone that doesn't translate well like someone you mentioned earlier, aiko. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midna 2,032 Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 idc this song is a gem <3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NATE 516 Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 idc this song is a gem <3 The only Kana CD I own. Love this song. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.