[article] She rocks and shocks

[nmskalmn]

THIS thorny rose wants to 'bloom most beautifully'.

This is how Japanese rock chick Anna Tsuchiya described herself to J-entonline.com, a popular J-pop website.

And what an apt description.

At 23, Anna is arguably one of the most exotic rock icons in Japan, complete with mixed parentage - her father is Russian-American and her mum, Japanese.

But the pretty one is no wallflower.

Shooting to fame in 2004 playing a prickly, foul-mouthed rocker in the critically-acclaimed movie Kamikaze Girls, the brazen young rebel seems to court controversy.

She said once: 'Even after the shoot, I was acting like (my character) at home and my mum was mad at me, saying 'Mind your language!' '

Her image is starkly different from the typical cutesy idols in Japan.

Like a true rock babe, she debuted as one half of the indie band Spin Aqua in 2002 before going solo in 2005, Anna lines her eyes with kohl and struts in punk Lolita outfits.

Said the former teen model in an interview with The Japan Times: 'Being an idol is tough - you're trying to create an image... that will be pleasing (to others), but from the very beginning, I hated to make cute faces and create an image.

'So when I was a model, I would make strange faces and act weird. Music is the same - I wanted people to see me as I really am.'

Punk-rock is her style.

She cites Queen and Aerosmith as her influences, and her self-penned lyrics scream of anger, pain and hatred. She also sets out to tease in her choice of titles, like the album Strip Me? and the single Slap That Naughty Body.

Her desire to be different has translated into unconventional roles that she portrays well onscreen.

In the epic movie Sakuran, she plays an oiran, or high-class prostitute, living in the Edo era before geishas came along.

Even in real life, Anna conjures the image of an attitude rocker who does as she pleases.

She first shocked her fans with a shotgun wedding to a model in 2004, and then pulled another shocker by divorcing him last year. They have a 2 1/2-year-old son, Sky.

This edgy side of her has grabbed plenty of eyeballs, not just in Japan but in Europe too.

In France, where she performed at an anime expo last year after singing the theme song Rose for the popular anime Nana, she was called the 'Japanese Madonna'.

And now, Anna has announced plans to go global.

Last Saturday, she embarked on a 12-city tour by performing first at an anime expo in Los Angeles. Hers is dubbed 'the first world tour by a Japanese female singer', spanning countries like the US, Korea, Taiwan and Japan.

But this claim has raised a few doubtful eyebrows in the industry, as she is only performing a handful of songs at music festivals or events and not staging full-scale concerts.

As if to back her 'going global' claim, Anna will also release her new greatest hits album tomorrow in a record 42 countries. But is she really ready to go international when she 'can't even speak English'?

Anna studied English in school and she writes most of her lyrics in English. But, when asked by J-entonline.com if she plans to star in a Hollywood film, she replied with a laugh: 'Oh sure, if I can speak English.'

In a separate interview with The Japan Times, she mentioned hearing that one can easily learn English in two or three months while living in theUS.

'So when the time is right, I'm off to Hollywood,' she said.

As for being compared to Madonna, she is 'happy' but has 'no desire' to be compared to anyone.

'Madonna works hard to stay beautiful, but I prefer the natural look, so I won't try to make a pretty face or dress up.'

Then, why is she posing like a pink-haired, doe-eyed doll for her new single, Bubble Trip/Sweet Sweet Song?

Is she finally pandering to the masses, or are her thorns hidden somewhere? We will know when the single is released on 1 Aug.

http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/show/st...134801,00.html