That's a surprise! I love it.

Utada clearly isn't happy with Sony Music Japan on YouTube, looks like we weren't alone after all. No wonder why when Utada moved to Sony, we were concerned about Utada's YouTube status because of how protectionist SMEJ really is...this isn't helping the effort for spreading Japanese music widespread. :no

It could either be 1) Japanese copyright laws and/or 2) YouTube Red terms that SMEJ still hasn't fully complied (outside Vevo)?

Check out Two Weeks!

From anyone on this forum, I thought you’d know her. Check it out.

Water Me turned me into an FKA Twigs fan instantly.:yes
Utada probably would enjoy an eccentric artist like her.

I'm happy for you, and I'mma let you finish, but I just want to say that Bjork has been birthing these girls like FKA Twigs since the 80s. Like one after another, Sevdaliza, FKA Twigs, even Azealia Banks and that Dawn Richards chick from Danity Kane. They've all tried it. I'm still waiting to see any one of them do something memorable with it.

But anyway, back to Utada, who we all never really forget about, right? :D

Eh, as much as I like Bjork, I'm more of a fan of FKA Twigs and her style of music.

Azealia Banks is awful though.

Not a fan of any of those girls...but I'm not surprised Hikki knows FKA Twigs!

Of course! No one can replace Bjork. Her music is a gift to humanity to me.:laugh
She most likely is an inspiration to all creative and avant garde females in music.

it's like we can't be a fan of a new artist! there's always someone to come and say "hey, nice that you like that artist, but did you know this one's better and did it first?" like, get a grip lol

I feel like when you say that you just discrediting all these girls. It's not a nice thing to do.

I very much don't get why FKA twigs or Sevdaliza and the likes are so popular these days with youngsters lmao

And I don't even get why Bjork is popular... Kinda? In a niche? Haha (although I respect all of them. Just don't get their music)

But Utada herself said she likes Bjork (or at least compared herself to Bjork), so wouldn't be surprise that she likes those who make similar music to her. As long as her music doesn't sound like their music, I'm happy haha

Bjork is overrated caterwauling over ambient formless nonsense imo. But I don't know why she's even in this thread.

I'd be fascinated to hear a collab between Utada and FKA twigs. More-so a writing collab, not their vocals together.

What do you consider to be a youngster?

It's catchy music that's different from a typical mainstream sound. It's not for everybody, but that's what makes the world interesting. Different taste :)

^late adolescents and people in their early/mid-twenties. I myself am in my mid-twenties.. Kinda haha (27 does still count as mid-twenties? Haha), but my boyfriend and most of his friends, who are 21~23 do enjoy this kind of music. And my roommates also like her/their music. It doesn't appeal to me musically nor lyrically. Rina Sawayama, on the other hand, does appeal to me (at least musically, as her lyrics are sometimes too down for me to like. I confess I don't enjoy sad lyrics and being negative towards life or relationships in general).

I am 27 y.o., too old to be telling people what to listen to or not listen to, but they make me wonder what's the real appeal since I just want to turn off whatever media they're on haha but I do respect what you (or anyone, really) like to listen to, cause I've heard all my life jpop is boring and stuff haha

Bjork being the most recognizable and eldest avant garde pop singer does not make her the paradigm.

And as for something memorable, see what twigs has done for black non-conformist identity.

I love Bjork too though.

I'm 33 years old, so not a youngster. People have different reasons for why they like what they like. You may not understand that and it's ok. Rina's music is hit or miss for me, but I definitely appreciate what she does.

I feel like you both need to get a grip on differing opinions. There are lots of people here who think mandopop isn't all that great, and I'm not running around like, "WHY CAN'T I JUST LIKE SOMETHING WITHOUT PEOPLE PUTTING IT DOWN?!" Calm yo bits. FKA Twigs isn't going to be dropped by their label just because some random white guy in Arizona called her a layman's Bjork.

I think FKA Twigs and Sevdaliza and others are so popular because they're very similar in the watered down repetitiveness of most of hip hop music these days, but they're not making hip hop music. So, people think, "Oh, this is the new 'edgy'." And sure, FKA and Sevdaliza have pretty music videos, but it's the same random hodge-podge of themes and imagery common to mainstream pop, except that Sevdaliza's feet are actually hooves or FKA's looks like a statue. There's never any real depth or story behind it, it just "looks cool".

Like, what's the point of FKA Twigs naming her first album LP1? Why did Sevdaliza name her album ISON? When you're trying to claim the "avant garde", you have to have a story behind the decisions. And your story can't be "I listened to Bjork a lot", which every. single. one. of. these. artists. has. said. They're a couple degrees away from being like Willow and Jaden Smith, two people who have done so little work to be going around calling themselves "icons" or "artists". Where is FKA Twigs' years and years and years of learning the ins and outs of producing a record and manipulating sounds? What's the point of the next outfit she's wearing in a music video? The reason I say Bjork is birthing these girls is because Bjork has the story behind these decisions, and the intense amount of hard work to prove it, all the way back to Debut.

And I'd love to say that these guys are true artists, but there is always someone with the actual talent behind them. For FKA Twigs, it's Arca... for Sevdaliza, it's Mucky. And there was a point at the beginning of Bjork's career where she knew Debut and Post weren't enough to establish her identity as a musician. That's when Homogenic came around, with its insane theme of "organic techno", like "the kind of techno music nature would make".

I also think that, in the case of people like Kelela, they're seen in such positive light because they're being political. That's such an easy to bone to throw at an audience too. Talk about culture, racism, misogyny, and oppression. It's not until you get to get to records like Bjork's Utopia where you're sitting there going, "It would have been SO EASY for Bjork to have done a political, angry album, but nearly every damn song is about hope, outlook, forgiveness, healing and progress." There's a lot of reasons Bjork's albums make so many top releases of the year lists and these other girls are just being compared to each other.

Like, get. your. story. together. people. When FKA Twigs shows the work, I'll really look for a reason to appreciate it. But if there's radio silence on the why -- and like, with Water Me, the lyrics are so repetitive and vague and I can't stop thinking how easy it is for me to replace the word "Water" with "Pee On" and suddenly the song is an ode to some Fifty Shades of Grey nonsense -- I just can't sit here and think, "Oh, lots of people like this artist, therefore they must be good." No, lots of people like Amy Schumer, and it certainly hasn't improved her I-let-a-cab-driver-finger-me "comedy" routines yet.

Yeah, it's definitely interesting compared to the next rap song that isn't featuring Nicki Minaj, Remy Ma, or Cardi B. But compared to people like Ani DiFranco, Tori Amos, Sun Kil Moon, even the odd Coldplay track, this stuff is just so topical. These people aren't reaching far enough into themselves, or putting in enough hours at the studio, or working with different people to expand their understanding and development of their identities. Relative to FKA Twigs, at 6 years into Bjork's career, she had released Debut, Post, and Homogenic, and been on tour twice, and released Telegram, and worked with Nellee Hooper, Tricky, Brodsky Quartet, Graham Massey, Mark Bell, and Guy Sigsworth. Six years into Bjork's career, she was doing 80% of the work on her releases, compared to the very small amount of work she did on Debut. There's a noticeable evolution of talent, skill, and push to establish her sound and her message.

And none of these other artists are remotely close to even dropping a producer and working with someone who will help teach them, shape their sound, and shape their approach to performing. You just can't walk out of your bedroom, and walk on stage in a space suit with your breasts hanging out and expect people to ooh and awe. People aren't going to rise from the dead to be at your concert because you want someone to water you. No one thinks hooves are the coolest thing since Stilettos. And NONE of it makes ANY sense. None of it. I have no clue why any of them are doing any of the things they are doing. They can't even explain it. Sevdaliza literally just tells interviewers that she's going to "just keep doing [her] thing". Like, COME ON girl, why are there mannequins in That Other Girl?! What is the point of your face being made of glass in that PV? The dots aren't connecting here!

Anyway, Bjork is not some paradigm. But she is an actual artist in this arena, one that every one of these girls have cited as an influence, and she's consistently evolved year over year in her career. Her lyrics are extremely complex, they're rarely if ever repetitive and when they are there's a damn good reason for it (like All is Full of Love's reiterations being her insisting over and over that love exists in everything). I don't know why FKA wants someone to pour water on her, or what that will even do about her being so expensive that someone won't fuck her. I'm just missing the point!

Bjork is just someone who has done the work and demonstrated it time and time again. And she is surely not the only one. I mean, I've been a huge fan of Tori Amos for a long time, and you can easily hear how little effort she is putting in on her last few records. And it's disturbing. But the point is that I'm not hearing the talent I hear in other artists. And when you've been around for six years, like as with FKA, and you literally make no more sense today than you did in 2011, somebody's not actually putting in the work there. Maybe she'll come back with something breathtaking. But this stuff kind of reminds me of artists like Daniel Powter and Michelle Branch, whom everyone was touting as the next big things and they got dropped off at the curb a long, long time ago, and no one's really heard from either of them.

Anyway, rough opinions, and you are free to like as you see fit, but I'm on the fence with them all. I do, however, love just about everything Utada touches because she's noticeably evolved so much. Utada's fans don't actually set unreasonable expectations for Utada either. Just like MIKA NAKASHIMA's fans don't expect her to be singing Opera. And I think that also has a huge impact on taste and likeability. Like, there's a reason Halsey is universally loathed. Her fans think she's a Beatle, and she does too, and everyone else has yet to hear her sing more than one note for an entire song. (Also, she's horrible with the cultural appropriation. I can't stand how much Halsey rips off black artists and then has the nerve to laugh at Iggy Azalea's downfall... like, chick, your alternative album cover is you with a grill and a big ass gold chain like you're Migos. Bah, Halicia!)

Edit: And even worse about Halsey, she always just somehow seems to be a survivor of every situation. Bullying? Happened to her. Domestic Abuse? Happened to her. Sexual assault? Happened to her. Transphobia? Happened to her because she's like non-binary and stuff. It's like oppression bingo to her. She's so desperate to be seen as a survivor by other people that I'm just waiting for next January to roll around and hear her going, "As a woman of color, I've been deeply traumatized by racism toward me too!" And you know, her fans will actually be like, "OH MY GOD, YOU'RE SO BRAVE." Because that's Halsey. Just an example. lol

And I totally don't mean this to hurt feelings. Just my opinions.

^It’s unfortunate you can’t see that POC crashing into a white-dominated world is courageous and ground-breaking to begin with.

To say the least.

Ok we get it, you like Bjork lol