BoA - Bring on America!

This is a long, long time coming. A moment for which I have been waiting a long, long time. BoA is pushing for the US Market.

BoA. Who is she? I've written about her on TamaRant before, so I'll sum it up by saying she's the biggest female pop star in all of Asia. Fluent in Korean, Japanese and English she preforms in all three. However, for the most part she's been shy about pushing the English speaking world - until now!

Market Watch is reporting that early 2009 BoA's debut English album is to be released.

If the whole thing is anything like her new single "Eat You Up," released late October, BoA will do in America what she's been able to accomplish in Asia.
To get the ball rolling, BoA will preform from Japan during the YouTube Live event and is planning (smartly) on leading with the new song.

After hearing it, watching it, and seeing some of the promotional photography supporting the single, I do have some concerns. BoA, don't let America eat you up.

The new song is catchy. Brittney Spears catchy. That's the problem. The thing I've always respected BoA for is being one above Brittney in every possible way. BoA can actually sing. Amazingly well. I've already wrote about the BoA vs. Brittney in the past, but bottom line is that I don't think this new single really represents BoA. It's being marketed as a dance mix. It's computerized and over produced. It doesn't highlight what makes BoA - BoA.

I like it. But it's not nearly as good as "Lose Your Mind"

While I don't think BoA will have a problem in the US market, I do think her marketing people and the planners are going to miss the mark a bit. People unfamiliar with her will see her as a Brittney copy - and she is not. Her US promo photos also seem to be leaning more towards the slutty. I've always liked that BoA dresses tastefully. Hollywood will try to vamp her up and she'll loose the innocent quality that makes her so lovable.

I detest Brittney because, to me, her only talent is sex. Can Brittney sing without music or without autotune? Can she sing and dance? Without lipping it? We all know the answer to that is "no." However Brittney makes herself, and a lot of other people, lots of money by selling the image that she's the girl-next-door on overdrive.

That's not BoA. It's not BoA partly because she's from a part of the world where the cultural perceptions of "sexy" is more akin to modesty.

I'm excited for what she's going to do next - but I really hope she's not looking to Brittney as the guide. Brittney's recent comeback will not last, while BoA has the talent to be timeless.

I sincerely hope BoA sticks to her roots.


What do you guys think? Leave it in comments!