Visual Kei + J-Rock in America

[UAShenlong]

Do you think that Visual Kei and J-Rock will ever get big in America?

Discuss.

 

[Aiko Valentine]

Americans don't like listening to music that isn't in English. Plus if there's an accent then it's apparently not really English. I have foreign friends who have accents and speak English almost fluently but people still tell them to learn it and refuse to listen to them.

 

[katinka]

My mother has commented before about not liking songs because she had no idea what they were saying, and my friends all think the Japanese are weird. My one friend said everything they have sucks, and then told me it was just a stereotype she'd heard. Idiotic? Just a little.

Then again... t.A.T.u was once really big here, even though they're Russian. Of course, they did act like lesbians for publicity... They released a new album here in the states a few months ago, but I don't think many people took notice.

But, really... I don't think it will ever become something big here. America just sucks. The end.

 

[Akurei]

Americans don't like listening to music that isn't in English.

While I'm sure a lot of Americans actually do listen to non-English speaking music, I have to agree. I've had instances where even the most open-minded people have just chewed me out, saying "Turn that off. I don't like listening to stuff I can't understand."

And I agree with the language thing, too. A lot of the time, I speak Mandarin on the phone, and my closer friends don't really think much of it. But when there's other people around, it's "weird" I guess, and I clearly remember having a girl come up to me and say, "Hi, this is America. We speak English here."

Yeah. Well.

I don't know. It'd be interesting to see it here in the US, but I don't think it'd ever get big.

 

[boi de memoire]

big.. yet not too big, massive... but for the masses

whatever xD

I'd vote for a YESNO option

 

[nintendods]

It will become an underground style if some american bands start pulling it off right. But it wont be big. But it could be a new scene if goth kids in america had talent.

 

[holylampposts]

I voted no. mainly because we americans are too pompous and self rightous to think anything other than english is worth our time. What sucks even more, though, is that you can't subscribe to fool's mate in america. i'd sure love that. but back to the topic. yeah. my Pre-Calculus teacher lets us listen to music in her class. occasionally i'll put on a Japanese CD, usually Nocturnal Opera, merveilles, Two-Mix or just some mix a friend gave me. right from the first note they have serious riots against it, so...i don't think visual kei or any Japanese artists will make it big in america.... america just sucks.

 

[Edgey]

I'd say no, if anything it'll end up as a brief trend like the latin pop craze.

 

[haetae]

i highly doubt it...
people here either make fun of it or disrespect it
just, jrock isn't their type of music...

it's not for everyone and everyone likes their own genre of music

 

[MorganIvy]

I kinda doubt it. Like Aiko Valentine first said, American's don't like non-english music, at least not the majority..
And I hope it doesn't get big! You seen, if it gets big in the US it'll be big all over the world, if it's big all over the world it's trendy, if it's trendy the artists will start selling out to gather even more fans and the music will lose quality...
It all seems like an awfull scenario to me.

 

[Dix Infernal]

Wish: Yes
Reality: Hell no
My Message to the rest of the US:

To restate everything that everyone else said; Americans as a whole are a closed minded, ignorant race of people. Despite our supposed internationality and our alleged 'melting pot' society, we're all a bunch of nativist assholes who won't accept anything that isn't Western/English.
Also, yeah, the language barrier is insurmountable. The closest thing to 'foreign' music on the radio is a few bits of Spanish sprinkled throughout song lyrics... often sung by people that don't even speak the language. The number one reason why none of the people I know will listen to jrock is because they can't understand the lyrics, are too lazy to look them up, and far too ignorant to listen to the music and feel the message is sends. Music is universal, and doesn't need a language to be transfered on, but the average American cannot comprehend that.

So... yeah. Everyone on the board (American or no) is an exception- whether or not you know Japanese, you can look past that and still enjoy the music. That makes everyone on this board pretty damn cool if you ask me.

 

[Haku]

It saddens me to say NO; it'lld never get popular. If anything, it COULD just be a flash on the pan... but it possible could turn into an underground thing.

Music in a foreign language is usually not mainstream, only because the main language is English, and english is practically the world's main language... =_=

Though, I really wouldn't be happy if I was proved wrong anyways; I really don't want newbie little elitists claiming to know everything about Jrock... IE, the Instant fangirl, premade and pre-fabricated.

 

[D]

Also.
The general audience is usually teenagers.
And if I am correct, isn't the average teenager a completely homophobic person? (I speak for the majority, I know alot of you aren't)
Regardless if the song is the greatest thing they had ever heard, they were dresses so it's "gay".

 

[Sumire_hitsugi]

No.

I don't think VK can be appealing to a wide audience and accepted here in the US; unlike those "cookie-cutter" pop stars the media abuses so much here.
And big hair and crazy clothes aren't "in" because we don't live in the awesome '80's anymore. :-*

 

[katinka]

Also.
The general audience is usually teenagers.
And if I am correct, isn't the average teenager a completely homophobic person? (I speak for the majority, I know alot of you aren't)
Regardless if the song is the greatest thing they had ever heard, they were dresses so it's "gay".

Not to mention the fanservice :?

 

[Dix Infernal]

Also.
The general audience is usually teenagers.
And if I am correct, isn't the average teenager a completely homophobic person? (I speak for the majority, I know alot of you aren't)
Regardless if the song is the greatest thing they had ever heard, they were dresses so it's "gay".

Yes and no. They call each other/bad things 'gay' as an insult, but they're insulted if someone says they're homophobic, even if in reality they are... I think it's because they don't want to be associated with the old generation which is notorious for its rabid homophobia. Dorks. They do get freaked by the crossdressing though... but that's mostly guys who five minutes earlier say that Mana's hot stuff and they want to screw her.... they're just upset that he's a him.

Most people I know are cool with it though. It's a mentality of 'as long as they don't make a move on me, I'm okay with it.' The true rare breed are people like me that are all gung-ho about it and get in arguements with teachers over GLBT rights... fascist cow.

But you're also forgetting the yaoi/shounen-ai/slash fans. Most of them are women, and a great deal of them are part of the teenage population. They live for gay sex. Hence the OmG tEh VaNiLlA fans. )

 

[Haku]

Agreed; my cousin's like that... especially with emo boys. She's pretty punk/mainstream, but she's Okay with boys kissing/making out. Infact, she lives for that... but, She absolutely hates the way Jrockers dress. Malice Mizer, M10M, Gazette even current DeG.

For North Americans, it'll probably be too much of a culture shock, they'll go into a heart attack with the information that people like that exist...

 

[UAShenlong]

Americans don't like listening to music that isn't in English.

Quite alot of people like Rammstein.

 

[Elec]

To restate everything that everyone else said; Americans as a whole are a closed minded, ignorant race of people.

I'm going to say that I take offense to that. I wouldn't even go this far. This is a gross, gross overgeneralization, whether you're American or not.

Despite our supposed internationality and our alleged 'melting pot' society, we're all a bunch of nativist assholes who won't accept anything that isn't Western/English.

This is true, regarding our policies as of late. I see this changing in the next couple of decades, however.

Also, yeah, the language barrier is insurmountable. The closest thing to 'foreign' music on the radio is a few bits of Spanish sprinkled throughout song lyrics... often sung by people that don't even speak the language.

So Shakira doesn't speak Spanish? News to me! Oh, and there's seriously a tremendous shitload of Spanish-language programming in the US. Press the 'scan' button on a car radio sometime; I guarantee that you'll hear 5 stations. At least.

Music is universal, and doesn't need a language to be transfered on, but the average American cannot comprehend that.

Or they don't like the music? I swear; every time I hear this argument they fail to consider taste.

 

[Aiko Valentine]

Americans don't like listening to music that isn't in English.

Quite alot of people like Rammstein.

From what I remember they had one popular song, and after a few months nobody played it anymore (and I think it was re-sung in English). I don't know anyone here who likes them anymore.

TaTu was only popular because they were two hot girls going at each other. That's one reason stuff like Girls Gone Wild is popular, guys just want to see hot girls going at each other. :?

Maybe with a little luck and some payola Dir en grey could get on MTV, but in general I think most people would look at them and laugh. Most of the kids in my high school refused to talk to me because I liked "that Japanese rock shit" and they didn't even bother to give it a chance. Even now people look at me like I have three heads when I'm listening to music in a language I don't understand.