The 4th Official Thread of Olivia Lufkin~TRINKA TRINKA~

[KarenPang]

apparently OLIVIA will be performing this coming Fri at the 2 hours MUSIC STATION special , maybe she will do Rain ?

1st week sales of Trinka Trinka

76 **1,747 OLIVIA

argh this's terrible T_T

It wasn't able to match up to The Cloudy Dreamer which peaked at no.15 overall in the 1st week

[LEOyumi]

^
I don't think it's that bad... I mean, 76 isn't good anyway, but not doing well like TCD was not a surprise, because at that time she was being more in the spotlight because of NANA.. There seems to have no promotion at all for this one ._.'

[Melon Panda]

Why doesn't she do more promotion? Is it her (and her introversion) or is it her label? I'm sure Rain could be a big hit given enough spotlight. Hopefully her performance on Friday will boost sales.

[HonMaru]

From the interviews I've read it seems like she really doesn't like promoting things. Back in '06 when olivialufkinonline did a small interview with her on "a little pain", they asked her "Are you planning any TV performances?" and she replied "Hopefully not."

And I agree that the sales are kind of expected from her limited promotion. It's such a pity though because "Trinka Trinka" is such a good album. Oh well, I did my part by buying 2 copies of her album.

Sometimes I'd wish she'd just leave Avex / Japan and make music for Western audiences like her sister. I'm not saying she doesn't have a fanbase in Japan, but I think more people over in the UK, U.S, and Canada would appreciate, connect, and understand the type of music she does. #76? Even with low promotion that's just freakin' insane.

[XFER]

76!! All the good artists chart poorly nowadays

And to me, Trinka Trinka is so much better (SO MUCH) than The Cloudy Dreamer

[KarenPang]

is there any reason/s why she's so reductant to promote her material via performance shows ?

[Bad Wolf]

I think she has an anxiety about it, or perhaps a lack of confidence? I remember reading that one of the items she said (a few years back) that she kept with her was a Japanese phrase book which I personally found odd/interesting as she's clearly bilingual and, as far as I can tell, fluent. Maybe she lacks confidence not only in performing but in her ability to communicate and "connect" to the crowd? It sounds strange, saying that a musician or an artist has stage fright because you almost expect them to be the opposite but OLIVIA always struck me as a very reserved, shy and sort of closed-off young woman who may completely dread the idea of performing even though she creates music that so many people listen to.

[KarenPang]

^

now that you have mention it you do make a good point there . My younger sister was commenting that OLIVIA's Japanese dictation's not as good as her Eng command

maybe she's the type who just wants to get her music heard & that she feels she doesn't need any type of promo to reach out to the masses as well

[HonMaru]

I wouldn't exactly call Olivia fluent. She clearly sounds like a "Gaijin" when speaking in Japanese and she still writes her lyrics first in English and has someone else translate them in Japanese. In fact in her interview at PMX she said when she's mad she can't express her anger correctly in Japanese, which makes her come off as shy or "cute".

I quickly made this today. This is what the CD+DVD cover of Trinka Trinka should have looked like:

[Bad Wolf]

^ which is why I said "as far as I can tell" when I mentioned her fluency, implying that it was only my opinion and pure speculation.

Nice job on the cover!

[HonMaru]

Okay. I wasn't trying to be an a-hole or anything.

And thanks

[Bad Wolf]

I didn't think you were! Oh, I'm sorry if I sounded defensive, I was just elaborating a little more.

BTW, your location - does that have to do with Jacqueline Carey?


Also btw: I'm definitely going to use that cover art as the album artwork for Trinka Trinka in iTunes now D:

[HonMaru]

Oh...my...God. You rock!

No one has ever figured that out in all the forums I post in. I guess they don't read Jacqueline Carey, who is a genius by the way. Phedre FTW!!!

Oh and no need to apologize. It's hard to discern if someone's serious or not for me; cause you can't tell sometimes on the internet if someone's mad? S'cool.
And your using my pic on your iTunes? Awesome! I think it would have been a better cover. Olivia should have gotten me to do her covers

[Celaphorce]

Well she did do a-nation once and I only watched the dress me up performance, the crowd wasn't enthusiastic cause I think they could tell she was nervous, it seems to me like the more nervous she is, the worse her vocals are when performing, she did superb in the lives that came with TCD's DVD.

[Bad Wolf]

Originally Posted by HonMaru

Oh...my...God. You rock!

No one has ever figured that out in all the forums I post in. I guess they don't read Jacqueline Carey, who is a genius by the way. Phedre FTW!!!

Oh and no need to apologize. It's hard to discern if someone's serious or not for me; cause you can't tell sometimes on the internet if someone's mad? S'cool.
And your using my pic on your iTunes? Awesome! I think it would have been a better cover. Olivia should have gotten me to do her covers

I adore Jacqueline Carey~. Totally serious right now but Phedre is something of a hero to me, haha.

You should "accidentally" message her on Myspace with your art and see if she says anything

[Melon Panda]

It's too bad she has stage fright, but I suppose as long as she keeps producing good music it's fine. Hopefully her record label won't drop her for low sales. I wonder if her stage fright would lessen if she appeared publicly more and had more practice/experience with crowds? I use to have the same problem, but it more or less disappeared for me the more I interacted with others.

She's lived in Japan a long time, hasn't she? I'm surprised she isn't near fluent. Doesn't she use Japanese on a daily basis? Even if she has an American accent, she still ought to be able to speak somewhat well.

I think the thing about her singing in Japan is that Japan allows her more freedom with her music. A lot of artists test songs by releasing them in Japan first. In America, her record label might push her to do more mainstream music, which she clearly isn't aiming for.

[Bad Wolf]

It depends on the label, though. If she was marketed as a pop act then she would absolutely be pressured to create things that lack her 'touch' or actual compassion, but I think if she signed with a label that wasn't so strict or allowed their artists a certain amount of free reign I can't see it being a problem, you know? The one example that comes to mind immediately is the band The Dresden Dolls. They've recently announced an indefinite hiatus -- frightening news for me, a hu~ge fan -- as the pianist/singer is doing her solo project and the drummer has been hopping around between his own personal projects. Their label used to be one the pianist had of her own (8ft Records) but they've since moved to a more "mainstream" label that seems to have done good and bad for them. The good is that (it seems) they haven't dropped them or pressured them to release albums to meet certain deadlines. Their last "legitimate" record (as in a record of relatively new material and not B-sides and covers) came out about two and a half years ago now. Their last release this year was a B-side compilation album, and then the announcement of their hiatus. The bad is that they were worked to the effin' bone touring all over the US and over major continents of the world to promote their album and themselves, and that must be exhausting.

Just my two cents, but I think if OLIVIA ever came States-side and she found the right label for her she may not be pushed to do anything besides what she feels comfortable doing, plus she could just go around to small venues (bars, little clubs and all that) in a few cities to "get her feet wet" as far as performing live goes.

I really do feel that Trinka Trinka is a solid record that could sell very well here in the US. She's sort of "eclectic," you know? She's different, a refreshing burst of music and style in an otherwise stagnant and droll market.

[Huaka]

It seems to me that Olivia has no problems understanding Japanese since she doesn't have any problem doing interviews and what not on her own. I'm guessing that during her random periods of long break, in which she moved to America, she didn't use it at all or very sparingly if she did so. Her Japanese sounds more like it's from disuse rather than being unable to speak it. I'm guessing during her upbringing she was more exposed to English rather than Japanese. I think she mentioned that somewhere.

I think it's more of the case that when someone puts you on the spot in interviews/tv spots you get nervous and have a harder time communicating in another language. Because I definitely have this problem, but in a casual setting without someone's focus on me, I don't do the hesitative, drawing for words that she does.

I, personally, don't want Olivia to try for the American market. I find her voice very pleasant when she sings in Japanese, even if it's not properly pronounced. I don't think she would have as much leeway with her creative freedom to the songs she likes as Avex gives her. Also, they probably wouldn't be as patient considering the long time it takes her to put out new material.

[Bad Wolf]

Again, though, that would depend on the record label and the contract they offer her. Her current label is incredibly generous and lenient with her not only with the gaps between her releases but the fact that her second album, The Lost Lolli, was entirely in English and marketed to a Japanese market. It seems like a really bold move, you know? I can't imagine many other artists being allowed that kind of freedom and I'm glad she has it.

She could just do what Dir en grey did and find a US label to put out her music as-is (as in no translating* or changing of the songs to make it more "accessible" to the US listeners) . Her songs are a mixture of English and Japanese which is a lovely combination, I think. The blend of the two languages in her songs is really interesting to me especially since many other Japanese artists attempt an English blend and fail on an epic scale.



*I'm aware that Uroboros's US release is going to have two songs with English choruses, but this isn't their first US release so I can't see that as them being pressured, more like a choice of the band. At least it isn't another Rammstein "Du Hast" = "You Hate" debacle x_x;

[Melon Panda]

I don't speak Japanese, so I can't tell if her pronunciation is off. It all sounds lovely to me.

I wonder if she feels isolated in Japan? Did she choose to make music in Japan or did her management think she'd sell more records there?