So much meanness here! Jeeze! Anyway, the WonderGirls, (shut up, I -do- like them somewhat, just like I like ShinHwa and H.O.T. and BoA) and a lot of the other KPop performers have, to me, a very clear late 90s/earlier 2000s American Bubblegum Pop sound. I am happy for their success, but I have a small feeling that the JoBros might have helped boost their potential. If anything, BoA should've def. cracked the Hot 100 charts with Eat You Up. And the fact that WG did it - no matter what the circumstances are, should be a reason for Asians and Asian artists to be excited. It means the door is opening a bit more for others to succeed.

Besides, Hikki got to perform on Good Morning America, and there have been tidbits about her on both VH1 and MTV (there was a snippet on her when "Can You Keep A Secret?" came out, and a "You Hear It First" for Exodus), not to mention her article in TIME Magazine, and also, I believe, her picture on the cover of a later issue?

The thing with Utada, though, is that while she says her music is more R&B this time around, it just doesn't have that sound to me. Nor does it have any kind of "mainstream radio" flavor to it. I almost wish she would just make an English version of one of her Japanese albums and release it here. Anyway, Utada also said that this album was experimental, as was Exodus. So. Yeah.

And yes, her being asian does have something to do with it, sadly. It isn't just asian artists who have difficulty breaking into the mainstream here. Hispanic/Latinos are still pretty low under the radar as well. Not as much as asians, maybe, but they are. 2009 was the first year that a reggaeton artist was nominated for an award and performed at the MTV VMAs (Wisin y Yandel). But that doesn't mean that those guys are suddenly household names here among white people. Bleh. You guys get my drift. It sucks, but it's the truth.

(Edited that a little bit up there, sorry)