South Korean pop star BoA sets sights on U.S.
 

Source: JapanToday

Thursday 11th September, 07:00 AM JST

SEOUL —

South Korean singer BoA plans to soon release her first album in the U.S. featuring the single “Eat You Up.”

The pop diva said Wednesday that her Japan debut in 2001 taught her that successful adaptation to a new market makes all the difference.

“Perfect localization is the most important thing,” she said at a press conference to announce the new recording.

BoA debuted as a singer in South Korea in 2000 at age 13 before crossing over to Japan, the world’s second-largest music market.

Now she’s going for the world’s biggest market.

Her first album in America will be released online through iTunes and MySpace on Oct 7 and in stores on Nov 11.

Besides her native Korean, BoA speaks Japanese, advanced English and beginning-level Chinese. She has won a wide following in South Korea, Japan, China and Southeast Asia.

“Now it is time that a star of Asia can become a star of world,” Lee Soo-man, the head of her record label, said at the press conference.

Lee described the Western market as ripe, since many music lovers were exposed to Asian culture while watching the recent Beijing Olympics.

More discussion here: http://www.tokyo-nights.org/forum/f1...t-plans-39039/

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Well I really do hope BoA sees success over here! Come on, PROMOTION is KEY!

To bad the song she plans to debut with sucks =/

Well.. This should be interesting the very least.

i was really iffy about this at first, but then when i heard the song and saw the video previews i'm really excited~ good luck to her!

we will see how she can conquer us market

hmm not a fan of eat you up~ but curious as to how she'll turn out!

I don't really like "eat you up". I think she should take a more mature approach instead of just another pop star...

I think even Ayu's english is better than BoA's O_o based on the CNN TalkAsia interviews

I'm still skeptical of her success - Japan and the US are very different markets, in my opinion - but I wish her the best. I've seen plenty of hyped Asian-to-American artists in the past.

I'm still hoping she owns successful there

i've heard she had broken her arm?! but the plan is still continuing...

I wish her good luck!
It's a brave step but she's an talented and successful artist so...why not?

Same here if she can do it more power to her, I think that she can, but she might have a little bit of trouble at first.

Single in November, Album in 09

I wish her the best of luck, I hope she does well I do want her to succeed in US market. I've been a fan of BoA for a few years, I like her music and I hope she does well in whatever she attempts. However if you look at it realistically, I don't mean to offend anyone but honestly I don't think the song is very good, the sound is ok but its not the best I've seen from her, and her English still isn't very good from what I'm hearing from the preview. I sort of feel sorry for her I really don't think it is going to do all too well in the US.

This is clearly going to flop. Eat You Up seems ****** and if people hear it on the radio they're probably just going to laugh and not take her seriously. Someone just needs to be honest to her and tell her her English sucks and is nowhere near ready for a fluent English audience. :/

I'm sorry but Ayu's speech was so rehearsed. O_o She was try'n to force out words that she didn't even know how to pronouce. Ayu's english is poor and is tramped by BoA's english.

Why r u being so negative? :irked You told us 97097970 times that it sucks. No it doesn't. It's hip 'n kewl. :heart

Please don't jinx her austin. I need at least one asian chic to break thru the America market. :weep

I really think she has potential to do really well. The song very well could be a success here on some level. I think her chances are much better than Utada's if there's good promotion and airplay. I'm just so excited. The song kicks ass and I just can't wait to see if people actually like it here.

hmm.. I'll be interested so see if she can be a hit there. hahaz. But somehow, I don't think the song 'Eat You Up' is for her. it's not quite her style. I do think she shld be in the Asia market. not so fast to the US!

oh well..

Is there a group set up to buy her single when it comes out? I'm making my boyfriend buy the single on iTunes when it comes out...in fact, I may just make all my friends do it. And if they really relent, I'll just pay them to do it, because I really want to BoA to have success here, regardless if people like the song or not, because if she flops with this song, her company might jump ship...

So let's let her have the opportunity to make it here. <3 EVERYONE BUY IT WHEN IT COMES OUT!!

I do too. Everyone does. But I do not think it will be BoA.

Im a long-time fan so I still wish her the best of luck

It's not like, it's the fist time you all heard about her debuting in the U.S, so I dont understand, what some of you guys mean by, it's too soon.... Why would you jinx her ? oh, and another point to make, just because she has an accent, doesnt mean she'll be a flop. I mean there is so much crap, that people call great music in the US, that sells like crazy. I'm pretty sure alot of people will actually LIKE her when they give her a chance, and listen to her. So plz stop being so negative! you guys are her fans and are suppose to support her... not judge her when you dont even know what the outcome is yet!

I am glad not everyone thinks it will flop ^^

It took a while but I really like Eat You Up.
I'm happy she picked Bloodshy & Avant to work with, their stuff is amazing. XD I hope they do some electro-pop stuff with Hikki. : D

Also.. don't people remember Coco Lee as someone who successfully broke into the english market?

Do i wait till November or buy the digital??? Which will help sales and success?? :D

I don't know about Australia, Canada, and the UK, but Coco Lee didn't successfully break into the American market. And that's a whole different ball game. Nobody has any idea who she is here, and those who do will only know her as "that girl who sang that song at the Oscars from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon".

BoA is attempting something quite different, much more mainstream.

I wish BoA some luck... She'll need it! That and to speak some more fluent english! :P

I've posted previews on two forums with really only western music fans, and I've had nothing but negative responses.

Oh, I didn't know BoA was planing to come to the U.S. well I really hope she can do well here. I'm not too sure about the song..I really like the chorus, but the rest sounds kind of robotic. But I know that I will definately buy it when it comes out, so I hope they do a good job of promoting it so a lot people will know about it!!

Please....:roflmao Post a link to one of the sites that you are talk'n about. I need proof that this forum likes urban music and stuff like that....and not just rock and crap like that. I just got to read the reactions. XD

Yeah what evolusean said is pretty correct (or atleast in my opinion is). I mean, I only really knew her as "that girl who was featured in Yoo Seung Jun's 'Can't Wait' song.

I like a lot of different kinds of music! Even rap! Though rap of recent years have been garbage, Tupac forever :P

Has anyone else been able to get through the verses without getting into a fit of giggles? :/

I feel as if there are two views on this topic: those that think she will be successful and those who do not. As I said before, I support her decision yet I will not bite my tongue and say this will be an easy task to accomplish. Not to put myself in a box, but I know few people in my age demographic who would accept Bor, for quite a few reasons. One being that some Americans are bigots, which is why allowing forgeiners here is still an issue. Second, so much popular American music is highly sexualized and those who do become new fans of Boa, would not understand why an artist who used to sing ballads, I think, is attempting to put out music that you would dance to in a club; if they listened to her previous music. Now I am all for her becoming an influencial Asian artist her in America and I think she can be successful, but it will take some time and she will need to be ready to fight her way to the top. In other words, she will have numerous barriers to overcome her slight accent, which many will make fun of, the fact that many will believe she is trying to Americanize herself in order to fit in, or the stereotype of the submissive Asian woman, some will say she is fake because she does not sing ballads all the time and hence she is just another fake artist. My attempt is not to anger anyone or make them believe that I am a pessistmistic freak who does not believe in the good of anyone, nor an individual who is trying to lump Americans into a negative stereotype. What I am trying to do is state that I do support her and respect her because she is trying to break a barrier here in America and even though it may sound like I am bashing her I think she may be able to do it.

I like her but common... she will flop so hardly there...

It really is a shame. "Eat You Up" is horrible. The song relies on being fierce but hardly attains the level it wants to achieve, the lyrics need work and so does the accent on appetite. No I'm not a BoA but I'm not bashing either. Just because I find this debut song sucks doesn't mean I'm negative and not hoping for her success. I am, because she has a higher chance than other artists to break through.

This is indeed very exciting! :D

Thanks for sharing!

http://board.idinamenzel.com/
http://tales.namco.com/forums/index.php

I don't know if you can view as a guest, and because it's you, I don't really care enough to check

ALRIGHT!!! BOA ENGRISH!!!!

Her debuting in the States is going to be interesting with the failed attempt of Bi/Rain and the uncertainty with Se7en even though he claims his album is out in December. I wish her all the best with this. However, I have this feeling she's going to make it but be a one hit wonder.

its catchy though. it's not that bad. There are worse singles out in the Us now.

we must wait, may be a good opportunity to open the market in America for the j-pop and k-pop or another failed attempt as Utada Hikaru :)

I am looking forward to the 'asian invasion'. I don't think boa's single is horrible, I wasn't sure it was right at first (still feel its a little odd) but, I cannot help but find it catchy.... seriously it's not great but I keep thinking about it lol :P I don't want to talk this down because this is seriously so good for the asian community, since it's very hard for asians to really make it big (really big!!) in america. (Their (boa and se7en) dancing alone should be able to outshine those in america seriously) I wish boa, se7en (first single isn't bad, it sounds like something you would hear in a club) and utada great luck!