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Originally Posted by SunshineSlayer
^ But I think what some people here are trying to say is that even without Utada, it still would have happened anyways. The groundwork had already been laid. Also, whose to say that if Mai Kuraki's first album had been released ahead of Utada's, that it wouldn't be Mai who gets the credit for bringing R&B to Japan? Hikki is a big deal no doubt and influential too. But I've never thought that she should get sole credit like she usually does for this type of music.
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Mai Kuraki ENTIRE marketing scheme was HEAVILY based on Utada Hikaru. Not just her musical style but basically everything else: they were promoted in the exact same way, Giza Studios tried to recreate minimally what Universal did to promote Utada Hikaru. So I don't think Mai Kuraki is a good example for what you're trying to say.
And besides, it would probably happen at some point. But it was happening extremely slowly before Utada. After Utada, R&B influences were everywhere in record time. So I do think she deserve credits (and yes, there was Misia who was BEFORE Utada Hikaru and she also deserves credit. But Utada Hikaru IS the biggest example of a successful R&B-inspired act considering she has like three of the best-selling Japanese albums of all time, etc so I don't think it's a stretch to consider her the most influential artist of the decade).
Quote:
Originally Posted by Aisha_Angel
Wow...Not that I'm trying to hate on Hikki or anything, but I just don't find her to be all that influential of an artist. Especially after 2006...After that year all three of the big J-pop divas (Ayu, Mika & Hikki) got kinda meh in musical releases.
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Flavor of Life and Prisoner of Love, which were released after 2006, were MUCH MUCH MUCH bigger than ANYTHING Ayu/Mika have done in YEARS. And Utada Hikaru sales are extremely consistent and are still remarkably high.