[2008] This Japanese artist = This English Artist
 

I was wondering who in the J-pop/K-pop/C-pop market would you say is similiar or the same to in the English market? For example...

Ayumi Hamasaki is the Japanese version of Madonna (without the controversy factor and with ayu being 1000x prettier)
MISIA is the Japanese version of Mariah Carey
Crystal Kay is the Japanese version of Janet Jackson (or at least she looks like her!)
I also think ZARD is sort of like a female, Japanese version of The Beatles. (I may be wrong, haven't listened to a lot of Beatles music and have only heard ZARD's greatest hits albums + one or two others)

Now list yours :D

I agree with two of yours so I chose those as well. I really don't think any of these are that much like the ones I compared them to, but I see definite similarities:

Hamasaki Ayumi- Madonna
Amuro Namie- No comparison (maybe Janet Jackson, but not really)
Koda Kumi- Dirrrty era Christina Aguilera or maybe even Fergie
MISIA- Mariah Carey (when she was good) or Celine Dion
Shiina Ringo- P!nk or Alanis Morissette
Salyu and/or KANA- Bjork
Tommy heavenly6- Avril Lavigne (although Tommy is infinitely better)
Yaida Hitomi- Dolores O'Riordan (from The Cranberries)

I always thought Namie's career and music reminded me a bit of Mariah's. They both started off with more pop stuff and had quite an innocent image, but they later got more and more heavily into hip-hop (though Mariah moreso) and also have done some suggestive songs in the past. They're also older ladies who still look better than girls 10 years younger than them.

Although they aren't completely similar, as Mariah has the huge voice and Namie's got the dance moves.

I think the most difficult person to compare would be Hikki. When she was first introduced in America a lot of people called her Japan's Britney Spears, but I definitely do not think that is an accurate label :laugh. Can you imagine Britney doing "Passion"? :no

I thought Lyrico would be the Japanese version of Mariah Carey, she certainly has a great range. I'm not sure about those whistle notes though.

Nana Katase = Kylie Minogue

Ayumi Hamasaki = Madonna
Koda Kumi = Britney Spears
Namie Amuro = Aaliyah
ACO = Bjork
Suzuki Ami = Kylie Minogue
Shiina Ringo = Alanis Morissette
Salyu = Sia
MISIA = Mariah Carey
Otsuka Ai = ????
Utada Hikaru = Utada :tipsy

Yeah she has a great voice. The only J-Pop atist I've ever heard do whistle notes is Stephanie, but from what I can tell they're not whistle notes in the way that MC does it (she actually blows air through her vocal cords or something).

Yeah I guess they've had similar careers. It's hard to do one like Namie, she's so different, First she comes out as dance, then she goes into more poppish tunes with sweet 19, then concentration 20 is more rockish sound and since then she's become hip-hop. While still having great dance moves but not the best voice. I don't know who that's like at all...

:laugh did they really? That's a horrible comparison :no Hikki can't dance at all, she can only sing, and she isn't crazy either. I don't know where they got that from. Her Exodus album was a little on the upbeat side.

I was having a hard time with her too but this is accurate! both work pretty well.

Anna Tsuchiya = P!NK

iunno they just seem like they're meant to be imo LOl.

^ Anna Tsuchiya = P!NK > For sure! Kaela Kimura too...

HIGH & Mighty Color - Paramore
Aya Kamiki - Avril Lavigne
Ken Hirai - Elton John (LOL)
Koda Kumi - Dirty Christina Aguilera
BoA - Cute Britney Spears
AI - Alicia Keys
BONNIE PINK - Colbie Caillat / Natasha Bedingfield
DOUBLE - Janet Jackson
Thelma Aoyama / Crystal Kay - Ashanti

^OMG I agree so hard about Thelma = ASHANTI. I never thought about it, but it makes total sense!

Well yeah considering they are the same artist... :laugh

^LOL! You know what I meant.

YUKI-Bjork

Their careers are so similar its effin scary.
Both were in rock bands. Both bands disbanded. Both singers went solo and made completely different music compared to their previous bands. Their's so many other similarities. It's weiiiirddd.

^ Yeah I definitely agree with that one :yes

Yeah I do but it still made me laugh reading it :laugh

The only resemblance I can really find in any music/songwise (they don't sample those artists music though, just a little simillar in their styles) would be:

Yaida Hitomi (listen to "Mikansei No MELODY") and Alanis Morisette (Listen to "Hand In My Pocket"), since they really play their voices to a certain tone and have songs that sort of slightly resemble a mix of country + rock + pop

Mikansei No MELODY: http://youtube.com/watch?v=ICUKtw0F4Y0

HAND IN MY POCKET: http://youtube.com/watch?v=nLXULfN77TQ

And to some interesting extent:

Nana Katase (Listen to "TELEPATHY") and Kylie Minogue (listen to "Can't Get You Out Of My Head") with their electronic pop:

TELEPATHY : http://youtube.com/watch?v=LEUA9dxlHC0

Can't Get You Out Of My Head: http://youtube.com/watch?v=5uxjNEESomA



Oh, and Tommy Heavenly6 (Listen to "Ready?") and Avril Lavigne (Listen to Sk8er boi)!!


Ready? : http://youtube.com/watch?v=RA2NS2-pjxI

Sk8er Boi : http://youtube.com/watch?v=pULa7F1gWZM

Utada Hikaru = Aaliyah (or Utada like Northerner said)
Misono = Avril Laivgne
Namie Amuro = Chilli from TLC
Crystal Kay = Janet Jackson (How the hell did yall compare her to Ashanti? =/)
Koda Kumi = Christina Aguilera (image-wise.....Kuu's voice is complete **** compared to CA! =/)
Ayumi Hamasaki = Madonna
Suzuki Ami = Kylie Minogue (agrees with Northerner)
Shiina Ringo = Alanis Morissette (agrees with both Northerner and Bondingo said)
May J. = Rihanna
DOUBLE = Beyonce (D's music is closer tied to Beyonce then any other J-popper IMO)
Thelma Aoyama = Raven Symone (:tipsy :tipsy :tipsy) ...seriously tho, Leona Lewis
Otsuka Ai = Jewel


That's all i can think of! :P

I personally can't see much how ayumi =madonna. Other than just being QUEEN OF POP where they live, and being fashion slaves and trendsetters, I really don't see any resemblance in ayu and madonna...they're so different in basically everything, attitude, songs, lyrics. Specially, music wise, they're nothing alike. I'm a huge fan of both, and I dunno.... I had a pretty hard time trying to pick a Madonna song that would resemble ayu's style of singing for her to cover in the Madonna tribute album thread, because none seemed to suit ayu or vice versa at all :no

..I.. do not see that at all :laugh I haven't seen anyone that really compares to either of them, but definitely not that match for me. :laugh

I think it's hard to make comparisons because, it's not just about the music, or image, the culture is mixed in with all that too.
I definitely don't see the Ayu-Madonna comparison either. Sure, they're both fabulous, and have fans all over the world, but their music is really different, and Madonna's always been a lot riskier. Ayu always makes it look elegant, ya know? I guess you can compare artists by their fame and success, but I don't know if that's really something worth comparing :shrug People who don't know them will be looking for similarities in styles and music.. and that wont be there.

Yeah, you can pick several parameters for comparison, but in my opinion, some of them won't play much importance in the comparison. (I don't know who's the King of JPOP but I doubt he sounds or is anything like Michael Jackson, so saying he's the jpanese Michael Jackson just because he revolutionized japanese pop wouldn't make that much sense imo).
I'd make my comparisons following this parameter: If I had a friend who was obsessed for Madonna and wanted to listen to a simillar japanese artist, who would I recommend? I'd definitely not recommend ayu (I could recommend her, but not saying to him that there's this japanese artists that resembles Madonna), because I'm sure he wouldn't find much simillarity in both at all. I dunno...

I don't see how Ayu = Madoona too <_<. Unless this is being based ONLY on success. Even then it wouldn't really work cause Madonna debuted about 15 years before Ayu's debut.

Really? I thought the Aaliyah = Utada Hikaru one was great, they're pretty similar in their R&B works I think...

And this thread was inspired for exactly the reason you pointed out ImpactBreaker, a friend of mine asked me for Rihanna/Beyonce like Japanese artists and I got inspired to make a list of them. I did recommend someone who LOVES Madonna to Ayu, and they liked her a lot. When I was first checking Ayu out two years ago (first J-pop artist mind you) the title I got from her was "the Japanese Madonna" and it made me more interested in her, and I fell in love with J-pop from there. So you never know.

It's hard to find an exactly same artist, the closest I came to one as Misia = Mariah Carey because of both their ranges and styles of music (Pop/Hip-hop) but even they are very different. You don't see Misia running around topless in her videos and you don't see Mariah not performing on TV shows ever (in fact that's all she did for the first couple years of her career) but I still think they are very similar.

I just can't think of anyone at all for Hikki. She's done the R&B thing like Aaliyah, experimental music like Bjork, and electronic/dance like Britney or Madonna. She's also got this boyish thing that almost reminds me of rocker chicks like Karen O and PJ Harvey. She's got so many different facets of different artists, maybe that's why I love her so :D

As far as Madonna / Ayumi comparisons... I don't see it at all. I know they're both the Queens in their respective countries (although that's becoming debated for both), their careers are soooooooooooooooooo different. Madonna has more in common with Kuu in my opinion.

I don't know if I see the Misia = Mariah comparisons. Misia has absolutely no soul in her voice, although she has a great set of pipes. I don't see her as hypersexual and Mariah, either, and she doesn't have the hip-hop chick status that Mariah does. Her success isn't that impressive, IMO, either, whereas Mimi is the best selling female artist in the US in the past 25 years.

While I know the artists don't match up, I think the Ayumi/Utada rivalry has a lot of similarities to the Mariah/Madonna rivalry. Two ladies battling for the crown!

...you guys really can't see the comparison? O_O (:bchuck) IMO, their styles, fashion sense, music, etc. is just alike. Heck, they both were huge release maniacs when they were heading toward their peaks. They both do huge tours and rack in tons of cash. How can u guys not see that?! XD


:laugh C'mon are u guys serious about this too?! XD Please, just please don't tell me that Addicted To You and Are That Somebody didn't have nothing in common? :lmfao *needs so screencaps so badly* Not only that, but they both sported the baggy jeans and pullovers. Their vocal range was the same as well as they music style. *cough* *Is just so surprise by yall comments especially Triple D's comments* :laugh


Well...we all know who won the rivalry between Hikki and Ayu....:innocent

^ Wait, why did you quote me? I thought your comparison was very good :yes To add to yours, keep in mind Timbaland who has produced some of Utada's music also produced Aaliyah's.

No soul? :thud Have you listened to her mini-album "The Glory Day"? That is the exact definition of soul IMO. She has got compliments and has dueted with another queen of soul too (Erykah Badu). And I think she's a very sucessful artist, 30th best seller in Japan (top 5 or 10 for females), while Mariah being 16th best selling in the US (3rd for a female). No doubt Mariah has a more impressive resume because she has worldwide fame, especially in Japan when she is top international artist by far. But music-wise and voice-wise I think they are very similar.

I don't really have any comparison of any artists because I usually don't take the time to compare artists, only find artists that have similar styles if I like the music.

I don't listen to Madonna, but I can say that I wouldn't consider AYU to be her Japanese version. One reason for that is because I like AYU and I would willingly listen to any artist that sounds like her but not Madonna, because I do not like Madonna. I also wouldn't consider Crystal Kay to be Janet Jackson because her stuff is way too popish sometimes. Maybe her older stuff but the ALL YOURS album and her most recent single sound nothing like Janet, well, at least of what I have heard of her.

I will make just one comparison I guess:

JAMOSA: Mary J. Blige

These reasons still aren't enough for me to think they're alike. Madonna has always been inclined for the dance type of pop, and has often been trying what's latest on the dancefloors. She also takes more risks on her careeer, working with completely different composers and trying different music styles: If you listen to Erotica and Bedtime Stories, you'll notice that, since she tries some RnB sounds and other different stuff. Songs like secret and Human Nature aren't anything ayu has ever tried. Also, Madonna seems to like controversial themes: interrracial relationships, sexual freedom, abortion, and even relates to religiosity in a rather controversial way, causing a lot of debates towards her actions. Her lyrics usually are centered towards things about American culture, taboos, and sometimes a few things about her personal life, like her relationship with her father but those personal things are usually restricted to her more personal albums (Like A Prayer, American Life, etc..)

On the other hand, ayu is nothing like that. ayu has done dance pop and trance stuff, but they're really different from what Madonna has experienced with. ayu experiments more with rock than Madonna does. When ayu uses themes like religion, she puts them in a rather classy non-controversial way. ayu does some type of music that have a lot of that unique JPOP feel in its root, something Madonna doesn't. ayu is a little more conservative on her careeer, and try to stick with her usual composers. ayu's lyrics are centered on love and affection and her relationship with the people she lives with, and her personal conflicts.

I have almost the entire Madonna discogrphy in actual physical albums (the only album from her i don't own is the EVITA soundtrack, but it's not like it will make a huge difference) and I own almost all of ayu music in mp3s, and I have to say their music are totally different. I listen to both for totally different reasons and moods. There's not a single ayu song I can relate to Madonna and not a single Madonna song I can relate to ayu in terms of resemblances.

On top of that, their vocals are nothing alike. and the lyrics, I don't even need to go there.

Well I've listened to a few of her songs and I think their voices are just nothing alike. She's got a great technical voice but she doesn't really sing in the soulful R&B way that Mariah does. Her technique sounds more like Celine Dion's, although her music is somewhat Mariah-ish. As far as sales go, she's got a very impressive track record, but I don't know if she's very big still today. I think the difference is that Mariah was on top in 1990, and she's still fresh and hot, even to young kids, today. MC's still setting records and she just had her biggest single ever 3 years ago.

Mariah is also so into hip-hop and sexiness, which Misia is definitely not.

Not hating on Misia at all, she's a fantastic artist in her own right but I don't know if I think she's really comparable to Mimi.

Oh haha I know you aren't hating, though I have always thought they are similar. I think MISIA does have a more technical voice yes, though Mariah has gotten comments for that too, especially in her early career (when I think they were most similar vocally wise).

And yes you are right, Misia isn't big anymore like she used to be, her single sales are just not there and her albums do pretty well but not compared to her running mates for all-time best selling female (Namie, Utada, ZARD, Ayu) who came out about when she did or even before. and MC is still doing very well. But if I were to refer a Mariah Carey fan to someone it'd definitely be Misia, because vocally she's there with Mariah IMO and her music and trends are very similar. Misia has her ballads just like Mariah, and she also has some dancey tunes and pop/hip-hop ones. They both love to use those whistle notes too and both aren't very good dancers :P

JE boys=NSYNC/Backstreet Boys
Shiina Ringa=Flyleaf
Do As Infinity=Andrew Bird (haha!)/maybe the Shins
Koda Kumi=Willa Ford :P
Hirai Ken=that guy from 98 degrees Nick Lan...something

Haha, agreed on all points. The only weird thing is that I am a huge huge huge MC stan, but I only like Misia a little bit. Still respect her a great deal though, she's a true icon.

Where is KarenPang? I don't know if she'll be happy that you're comparing Ken to Nick Lachey :laugh

Hey, Hey! Nick Lachey is a good singer and absolutely gorgeous on top of it! XD

Ok, so to be honest, I couldn't think of anyone that's really similar to Ken. There aren't a lot of male American solo artists out there. :/ Could have been worse. I could have said he was like Justin Timberlake. XD

...Which in a good way, he kinda is now that I think about it.

*ducks*

[[I hate Justin Timberlake]]

Recently, Namie Amuro's music has reminded me of Rihanna's music. I'd also definitely compare Ayumi Hamasaki to Madonna, and Koda Kumi to a whole slew of R&B artists who have a tendency to flaunt their bodies.

Me too :D I have all her albums, singles, and even unrelease tracks. I didn't think I'd love anyone more than her but Misia is getting close, haha. But still, she'll always be my favorite artist.

:laugh I love you for that comment.

EDIT: Oh I thought of another.

A.I. = Mary J Blige

Anyone else see that one?

ami suzuki = kylie
ayu - madonna
tohoshinki = backstreetboy

Ami Suzuki - Cascada
Antic Cafe - Tokio Hotel
X-Japan - KISS
Ayu - Madonna
Younha - Rihanna
Aya Kamiki - Avril Lavigne

Ayumi Hamasaki - MADONNA
Yuna Ito - Celine Dion
Koda Kumi - Fergie
Utada Hikaru - Dido/Bjork
AAA - S Club 7 (ahaha. just my opinion)
Kokia - Enya
TVXQ - Westlife

cant think more... LOL

I don't agree with the Shiina Ringo = Alanis Morisette one. Imo, the closest possible comparison would be Shiina = Kate Bush. The way they both make such amazing and "out there" music, switching styles and really doing something special. Another, much more decent comparison would be Shiina = Fiona Apple (but that one's a no brainer).

That said, no matter what the comparison, Shiina's in a league of her own, and any person we compare her to will only pale in comparison.

Hamasaki Ayumi - Madonna
Koda Kumi - Christina Aguilera or Britney Spears
Suzuki Ami - Kylie Minogue
Aya Kamiki - Avril Lavigne
Tohoshinki - Backstreet Boys
MISIA - Mariah Carey
Ito Yuna - Celin Dion
Amuro Namie - Janet Jackson

Haha, I wasn't really referring to their music, but their big fangirl base and their dance moves and poppy music and stuff. XD

Most of the western artists mentioned are also part of the japanese scene so I think this is a little absurd. f.ex. mariah carey is super popular in japan , maybe even more so than many other places.

That TELEPATHY song is a little TOO similar to kylie's song though. WOW. Definetly inspired.

LOL have you also noticed avex is too cheap and you can notice the same red sofa used in the "Greatful days" PV in that TELEPATHY PV? :laugh (an AHS member pointed that out a few years ago LOL)

Yes Mariah Carey is popular there and many other places but I don't understand how that's absurd...they release their English music there, it's not like they record Japanese music just for Japan.

As much of a BSB fan as I was when I was young, that is a total insult to Arashi. :no

:laugh

They have songs that make you feel good!! Just like :):):), BSB and NSync are just a bunch of guys singing about the one girl. ¬¬

OLIVIA = Tori Amos/PJ Harvey!!

^As a former Toriphile, I think that might be quite accurate!

Former?? why? Tori is still kicking ass today! :D

^I know, I just kinda fell off the wagon after The Beekeeper. It sucks because I probably spent hundreds and hundreds of dollars on all her singles, albums, collections and DVDs :cry I still buy her albums out of habit every time they come out though.

i always thought that Namie reminded me of J-lo. Especially comparing Cant Sleep Cant Eat I'm Sick to Get Right

^I was about to point that out. XD

The Grace (their japanese music) kinda reminds me of Danity Kane.

Koda Kumi - Britney Spears / Christina Aguilera / Fergie
Namie Amuro - Jennifer Lopez
Anna Tsuchiya - Gwen Stefani
AI - Missy Elliott
Se7en - Usher

I COMPLETELY AGREE! I thought I was the only person who thought this! Especially when she raps in Namie's Uh Uh vid, AI and Missy both sing and rap so i'd say its pretty accurate.

I think Crystal Kay=Amerie or Aaliyah
Tommy Heavenly6=Avril Lavigne

lol the only comparison I can make is:

YUI: Avril Lavigne XD

They are SO similar lol ~ I thought it was pretty obvious XD

^I think Tommy February 6 is more like Avril than YUI... YUI reminds me of like Michelle Branch or something.

Yeah I do think YUI is sort of like Avril except YUI doesn't have the brat/kiddish factor in her music. Like I could never see YUI doing anything like "Girlfriend". Avril can be a little immature sometimes. I'd agree more with Michelle Branch.

Tommy February 6 is definitely like Avril.

Ayumi Hamasaki - Madonna (duh)
AAA - A*Teens
Aikawa Nanase - Cyndi Lauper
Aoi Teshima - Enya
Ayaka Hirahara - Celine Dion
Berryz Koubou - Celopatra
Biyuuden - Dreamgirls
BoA - Christina Agulera
Chihiro Onitsuka - Amy Grant
Do As Infinity - The Carpenters
GLAY - The Beetles (when talking about GLAY's "unity roots & family away" album)
globe - The Cranberries (their old stuff, both artists)
Koda Kumi - Brittney Spears
Mika Nakashima - Josh Groban (sex switch)
Namie Amuro - Rihanna
T.M. Revolution - Michael Jackson (of course Michael is much better though)
Utada Hikaru - Santogold
YUKI - Bjork
Zwei - Heart

^^ Do you seriously think BoA = Christina....? I'd doubt that! :P

I agree with you whole-heartedly. I think the comparison resides only in how Madonna seems to have a lot of "staying" power in an industry that seems garnered for quick careers and times in the spotlight - but then again Madonna solidified most of that by being really controversial and Ayu kind of just relied on the music alone lol.

I don't really think there IS a Western counterpart for Ayu in any other regards besides how she's stayed around (and still in the public focus) for so long *shrug*

I'd agree with Kuu being paired off with Christina Aguilera during the "Dirrty" era, but she doesn't seem to be amping up that aspect of her style these days, so it's hard to really say. I'm not well versed in modern US pop acts (because I really don't care about them lmao).

Namie DOES seem to fit Beyonce, though.

... And I still think Angela Aki is Japan's Fiona Apple D:

I've always found Namie to be a kind of mix of Mariah Carey, Janet Jackson and Aaliyah. Mariah because they both transitioned from Pop to R&B. Janet because they both are well known in the industry for their dancing. Aaliyah because I think that the slick and smooth dance movements of the two are just so similar.

namie amuro - jennifer lopez or beyonce
ayu - evanescence!!!!!! its just that ayu is a bit more dolly and less gothic ^.^

BACK-ON = Linkin' Park. ^^

Ayumi=Madonna
Namie Amuro=Paris Hilton
Utada Hikaru=Utada
Koda Kumi=Britney Spears

you made me lol.

I agree on all of yours besides Namie and Paris. :dead2

Utada = Mariah Carey
Koda Kumi - Christina Aguilera
Ai otsuka - Ashley Tisdale

YUI = Avril Lavigne

Lol, Paris Hilton shouldn't even be considered an artist

Anyway, I agree that AYU-MADONNA aren't similar music-wise, but both are trendsetters, put on the best shows, elaborate PV's and covers and so on

Namie Amuro-Mariah Carey
They both made their comebacks in 2005. And They've both been around since the early 90's. Both Mariah and Namie's careers flopped majorly however they came back and indeed had a new urban feel to their music. Plus Mariah alwasy has that blonde hair as does Namie with her warm brunette colored hair.
BoA-Lady GaGa or Ciara or BoA
BoA is talented in the dance department and also has a good voice on her. Ciara like BoA is real flashy/stylish. She can dance and sing as well.
Utada Hikaru-Utada
self explanatory
AI-Eve
both keep it gangsta XD j/k
Koda Kumi-Fergie/Britney Spears
Koda is a confident singer making music she likes and made up her own style(ero-kawaii) instead of being a replica of the many jpop female singer in the industry. Fergie too did her own thing following her own rules and style which made both Koda Kumi and Fergie so popular.
Ai Otsuka-Hannah Montana
Both cute singers whose target audience is children.
Misia-Jennifer Hudson
They both have super strong voices that gives you goose bumps. Music is soothing and refreshing.
Mika Nakashima-John Legend (sex change)
Very mature style in their music.

There is only one B and it's Beyonce and I'm not even going to start with Ayumi and Madonna. :P

Ayumi - Madonna
staying power, trendsetters, they both go against a lot of taboos (even if a lot of ayu stuff don't looks too bold in western eyes, a lot of things she did in her career are very complicated in japanese culture), the concerts, they both are top performers and they both releases music they like instead of what is hot at the moment.

Koda - Fergie
The sexy, little clothing, girl having fun based image (and don't start with the "koda is not like that anymore", I watched Taboo PV xD)

Namie - J-lo
R&B/Hip Hop dancing divas

BoA - Britney
Comercial pop princess with dancing oriented performaces

Hikki - Bjork?
But Utada's sound is much more comercial and less experiemental... So, I don't really now if they are anything alike... I don't really think that there is someone else like Utada in pop industry...

Ai Otsuka - Gwen Stefani?
They both sells using weirdness (clothing, pvs, concepts), childish image (don't need to explain Otsuka... but gwen is aways with some fairytale thing, pirate, circus, etc.), but trying to have fresh music

I agree about the Madonna comparison, but too many times Ayu is compared to Britney, and they have nothing in common. Not music, style, personality or anything. The popularity maybe yeah, but I think Ayu's popularity in Japan is more like Madonna's.

I'd compare Koda Kumi to Rihanna, maybe? Only with Kuu having a better voice. But their music style is similar, and their styles have a lot in common too. Though I don't like Rihanna that much. :D

Ayumi Hamasaki = cannot be compared
MISIA = Celine Dion ?
Alan = can be compared to..Mariah ? i don't know x.x
Otsuka Ai = ______
Namie Amuro = Britney Spears?
Koda Kumi = Christina Aguilera

Come to think of it, is that any American female singers who can sing and dance simultaneously for 2 hours non-stop like Namie, who can't seen to get tired and never goes off-key?

Actually, Namie goes off-key quite a lot while dancing... as you can see in most TV lives and fan-recordings of her tours...

actually, i dunno what off-key means...

to me off-key means that it sounded horribly out of tune like ayumi CDL 2007-2008

but namie never sounded out-of-tune or whatever when she's dancing cuz her live vocal is more deeper and rough than her recording vocal... so she sounded like she's having a sore throat.

YUI = Taylor Swift *mega nodding*
BoA = Ciara!
AI = missy elliot + beyonce COMBINED!!! WHOOOO!!!!~

Koda Kumi = Fergie maybe?
Tujiko Noriko = Bjork
BoA = Ciara or someone similar to her? I donno.

That's all I can think of now.

WOW I can't believe you would even think about comparing alan to mariah D: ~! I'm sorry but this is where I think alan is getting TOO overrated now X_X This is just my opnion but I'm sure many people would agree, Alan is easily replacable by the many people who sing her genre, while mariah carey cannot be replaced. Mariah Carey isn't comparable to any jpop singers : ) Her vocals are just superior. I know people will say this is an opinion but she can cover 8 octaves if I'm not mistakened? So yeah you might think she's not superior but generally i think most people would agree.

But on the other hand I totally agree that Ai isn't comparable... at least I definitely can't think of anyone like her o.O She's very different XD And I can so see kuu being fergie. They're like sisters to me LMAO but i like fergie's voice better.

that means that namie goes off tune when dancing sometimes... not in dvd, where the sound is edited, but I was listening to some fan-recordings of BF tour and she sounded the same she sounds on tv...

^ If you were paying attention, she was sick during that recording. Watch SO CRAZY tour if you don't believe what UH+ is saying. Sure Namie can go off-tune, but no one has perfect performances. Concerts are where it really counts and she can surely show what she's made of on account of pretty much everyone who's been to a BF concert date.

Lol, Namie's been compared to so many artists... "a younger version of Madonna", from Patricia Field "The Japanese Beyonce" from JONTE... I would also put Janet Jackson and Aaliyah on the list too. I was watching the music videos from my "Rome Must Die" DVD and came to this revelation. It's like Namie channels Aaliyah somehow. I think this mixture of artists would define her the best, as you can't just define her with any one American artist. Plus, she's one of the most skilled performers in the world. I wouldn't compare her to any one American artist, I would put her alongside them.

You can also see elements of Madonna in Ayu too. An ex-Megadeath star compared her with Alanis Morisette (back during the days of My Story).

Koda Kumi = Christina Aguilera, particularly Dirty-era Aguilera when Kumi was her least-dressed. :P You can clearly see the influence that Aguilera held too. I guess Britney Spears would be another, but then again, ANYONE can perform better than her.

thanks for acknowledging mariah! :love

np : ) ! I feel that a lot of people do not realize Mariah's true potential because they do not listen to her old music : ( ~! She is truly an amazing singer, but because she's famous for using that amazing range and power, her voice is weakening now T_T!

I went to BF live and she sounded exactly like what she sounded in DVDs.... even she's sick...

dont mistake Namie with Ayumi dear

Every live dvd has its sound edited, this not an "ayumi" thing, this is a "recorded concert dvd" thing, and they do this so the concert can sounds and looks perfect =) Please don't you or UHPlus try to bash ayu to offend me, 'cause I know at what she is good or bad live... =) I'm not bashing Namie, I'm just saying that she doesn't sing perfectly while dancing (sometimes standing too), and this is not bashing, I am a Namie fan myself...

Ayumi Hamasaki - Madonna ?
BoA - Ciara or early britney
Koda Kumi - Fergie
Namie Amuro - Janet Jackson
Mika Nakashima - Bjork
Anna Tsuchiya - Pink
Utada Hikaru - Aaliyah (without the moves)
Crystal Kay - Amerie
Ai - Missy Elliot
alan - ???

I can't speak for myself but on account from people who have been to Namie's concerts, she sounds the same as she does on DVD. I know the concerts are edited to mix up the best performances of each song (I think?) but I don't think it goes as far as what you're saying.