Dear editor,
Korean pop singer BoA has announced that she is to debut in the U.S. market in October. Another Korean pop singer, ``Bi" did the same as well a little over two year ago.
As the U.S. is the No. 1 music industry market in the world, what is there to be for Asian pop stars making it big in the U.S.?
Well, BoA answered it by saying, ``Perfect localization is the most important thing" in a press conference. But is it easy for an Asian singer to localize in a Westerner's mentality and culture?
The U.S. is a melting pot full of several races and cultures, even a huge Korean-American community, but still, the country still faces several social issues regarding racial and ethnic tensions.
Take a look at the current presidential election regarding Barack Obama. Even though he is an American, his ethnic background is always being brought up.
What about the Asian-American population? Would there be a following for BoA in the Asian-American community? Probably a higher following in the Korean-American population, but then would this be more of a niche market for BoA then really making it big? When ``Bi" had his concerts in New York, the majority of his audience was Asian.
But as BoA says, ``Perfect localization is the most important thing," she must realize that not only in the U.S., but in Western countries, Korea is still not well known. The localization of Korean food is still not developed yet.
While Chinese food dominates the current U.S. Asian food scene, it's the localization of Chinese food for Westerners. Korea still faces a dilemma where it represents itself culturally in Western countries.
Even though we are beginning to see some Asian faces on the small screen, these are mainly Asian-Americans, rather then Asians from Asia. The way to be politically correct is a must in present mainstream American society.
For BoA, best of luck to ``Bring on America."
Britney Jones