Jenny-fa

Asian pop star BoA seems to be pulling out all the stops on her latest, self-titled album BoA, an English language release planned to hit the U.S. on Tuesday, March 17, 2009. And yes, you read that right. The Korean sweetheart, BoA, 22, beloved by South Koreans, Japanese, some Chinese, and multitudes of Asians abroad, is finally setting her eyes on the distant shores of the United States.

To be honest, when I first heard the news, I thought it was a huge joke. BoA and her producers might not want to hear this, but artists of Asian heritage are virtually unknown within the U.S. music industry, particularly within the realm of popular music. Case in point: remember Hikaru Utada's Exodus album, released in the States under the moniker of Utada? (I've nearly forgotten it myself, even though I've listened to the thing.) Unfortunately, Americans don't take kindly to Asian faces, and the style of Asian artists (perceived as foreign, unfamiliar, and unenticingly undersexed and schoolgirl-innocent) tend to alienate many in the mainstream, where raunchiness and bling are more in line with American tastes. And even if BoA did somehow make her ambition a reality, I predicted only marginal success, namely among the cadres of already established Asian freaks in North America, with nary a dent in the overall market (and the other 95% of society, who actually spend their time productively).

Seeing and sampling the below U.S. single, however, changed some things.

Preview of "I Did It for Love" by BoA, BoA (2009)

WHOA. HOLY FUCKING CRAP. Is that catchy and well-written music I hear? Who is this mature, sexy, and attractively dressed young woman? Skin-tight black leather, even? And a sweet, sweet (in the "awesome" and "AWESOME" sense of the word) appearance by Sean Garrett, most known for his R&B work with Usher?

Is that really BoA?

Yes, the Wikipedia page and press releases proclaim. And to clarify, "sexy" and "mature" weren't even adjectives that I'd ever associated with BoA, let alone the vast majority of Asian artists… except for maybe Namie Amuro ("WANT ME, WANT ME," anyone?).

"Eat You Up" by BoA, BoA (2009)

In addition, if your minds weren't already blown apart (like the poor windows in the above video), BoA seems to be getting attention. "I Did It for Love" was featured on IMEEM's "Single of the Second" playlist recently, "Eat You Up" charted as high as no. 8 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play, and other signs abound that show that at least some Americans are interested.

Personally, my perspective has changed. Even if BoA fails to make it big in the States, I think the American music industry will take notice, and that more people will know her, even non-Asians, and those who have never been exposed to Asian artists. Shall we count the ways?

• Updated image. BoA's beauty is front and center on all the promotional photos and music videos, and she's finally started acting like a 22-year-old… that is, no more dallying around with this cute, innocent Asian façade. More dancing, and fewer "I love yous." Not to mention the black leather. Me likey so far.
• Western-friendly name. People overlook this all the time, but many Americans are turned off by foreign-sounding names. "BoA" is short, memorable, accessible, and most importantly, pronounceable. Another reason I predict a BoA win.
• Better music. Her collaboration with American artists has seen a marked improvement in songwriting — finally, catchy tunes that doesn't demean listeners with all that romantic ballad trash! And the dance pop ambience is a nice touch. I personally enjoy dance pop. The more electronic, the better.
• Good English. I suspect BoA has undergone additional English language training, as her pronunciation has improved considerably. I even found myself singing along to "Eat You Up."
• Broader appeal. And of course, I must cite the black leather and synchronized dance moves again. The Americanization of her music opens up new territory — think about it! BoA could go international, and not just be the obsession of deluded, pop-obsessed Asians living overseas.

Hikaru Utada, coincidentally, is planning her next U.S. release (cornily titled This Is the One) around the same time (digitally on March 24, physical copy on May 12). In my opinion, "Come Back to Me" blows. As for Utada's commercial success, I remain extremely skeptical that it really will be "the one."

In conclusion, if BoA keeps up the level of maturity, sexiness, musical appeal and English perfection in each track of BoA that can be seen in her two lead singles so far (American producers sure can do wonders), there's no reason that I can see that BoA can't make a name for herself in the United States. Being a newcomer and foreigner, of course, some wariness must be expected, but I anticipate good things. Much better things than that crap from her Asian career. And hopefully some more black leather.

For those of you interested, check out BoA's new U.S. Web site — beautiful design, I must say.

And this concludes your musical update from Jenny-fa, your savant for everything musically tasteful.

Note: By the way, I posted the Korean version of "Eat You Up," rather than the U.S. version planned for American audiences. I never thought I'd say this, but the Korean one is… aesthetically superior.