Make Believe Mailer 93: Be Here Now (The Borders Are Open, After All)
Olivia Rodrigo Reminds Of How To Make It In The Japanese Market
For about 30 seconds, I thought the rumors of Olivia Rodrigo appearing on Japanese national broadcaster NHK’s New Year’s Eve bonanza Kohaku Uta Gassen were ridiculous. Why would one of the biggest Western pop stars — one daily sports paper Sponichi itself referred to as “the next Taylor Swift” — waste her time waiting to do one song for the at-home audiences still tuning in to a show annually generating “will Kohaku finally die?” essays. What, is Ryan Seacrest productions not shelling out for their Times Square hullabaloos?
Then I remembered it was only a few weeks ago Rodrigo appeared on morning TV show Day Day to perform her hit “Vampire,” and then goof around with the show hosts. “You know what…Kohaku might not be a bad move for her…”
Her AM performance came as part of a recent trip to Tokyo by Rodrigo, which fit in plenty of promotion alongside ramen dinners. She held events where fans could see and hear from her, stopped by radio stations for interviews, hung out with oddball talents with a heavy internet presence, and launched a pop-up experience called the “GUTS Gallery” fans could stop by.
Her presence goes beyond just her trip — the aforementioned “Vampire” serves as the theme song for a new drama (airing on hulu alongside network TV). That’s a smart move, but it was Rodrigo’s in-person blitz of PR that made me realize her and the team around her are serious about making the young artist a superstar in the second-largest music market in the world. Coupled with heavy promotion of her latest album GUTS at this year’s Summer Sonic music festival — itself a hint that she’s prepping actual live shows in the country sometime next year, in conjunction with organizer Creativeman — it’s a statement of intent.
One that’s especially thrilling coming from her, as one of the bigger stories in Japanese entertainment in the past decade has been the vanishing presence of Western artists in the country’s mainstream musical landscape. This year, though, Rodrigo and others are showing how to actually make it in the nation.
Scatman John appearing on ‘90s TV show about impersonating singers, to surprise Scatman impersonator
Post World War II, foreign artists have always been a huge draw in Japan, crystalized by the mania for The Beatles playing Budokan in 1966 or, like, anytime Tacoma surf-rock instrumentalists The Ventures toured the nation. Heading out here to perform was vital, but so was getting your music — or yourself — on screen as home TV became a staple of Japanese households in the 1960s. To this day, the best-selling single by a Western artist in the country is Daniel Boone’s 1976 (in Japan) offering “Beautiful Sunday,” which sold over two million copies by serving as the theme for a daily news show and eventually being covered by one of said program’s hosts.
Being in front of the most people has always been the way to reach a Japanese audience…and the country gravitates to TV. Let’s take a non-musical example to underline this…in the West, celebrities appearing in Japanese commercials long served as an easy punchline. Yet the truth is…it worked, whether you were Sammy Davis Jr., Arnold Schwarzenegger, or Pee-wee Herman, landing on the airwaves (or equivalent medium…movies, mostly) was the perfect way to make a greater introduction. Musical acts willing to come over and appear on TV while also performing live shows…a complimentary key for artists…could enjoy success in pre-internet times. Whether you were Mariah Carey or Scatman John1, getting on broadcast television could be a huge boost for your career2.
This held well until the early 2010s, with no shortage of shows for Western talent to appear on if they wanted to sell themselves to Japanese audiences. Artists appeared on music programs like Music Station or popped into morning news programs to sing a song / grant an interview. The group SMAP hosted SMAP X SMAP, half cooking show and half performance display that offered everyone from Will Smith to LMFAO the chance to shine on the Japanese stage. If you craved a large audience here, all you had to do was be on the place people tuned in.
For a long time, Western artists were ever-present on the Oricon Charts, whether they were established names or novelties. Yet in the 2010s, overall sales for most Western acts slipped dramatically, and only shrunk further as the decade wore on. What happened? Well, the way artists promoted changed.
For better or for worse, the 2010s were defined by virality and the internet. YouTube, subscription streaming services and eventually short-form video platforms like TikTok made it, in theory, easier to reach anyone without having to physically see them. Except a lot of these platforms…Spotify, specifically…didn’t come to the country until 2016, at which point a whole generation of Western superstars were focused more on the digital front. A handful kept coming…more on them in a bit…but many others didn’t. The only way for a Japanese fan to see Drake is to…fly to North America, and I guess hope he picks up the ticket back.
Filling the void in the 2010s? K-pop, which shoved American pop out of the international limelight in Japan and still holds a healthy edge over Western efforts today. It’s not that artists from nearby South Korea took advantage of their closeness to perform and promote frequently…though, they absolutely did. Rather, they built deeper connections with Japanese fans, whether by holding special galleries where they showed off their outfits, fan meetings or even taking part in Japanese entertainment in a way most Western acts would never commit too. Many Korean outfits have hosted or appeared on NHK’s Korean-leaning program3, including an extended hosting job by GOT7. Recently, groups like aespa and TXT (below) are offering up original songs as the opening or ending themes of anime series.
They are going the extra step to connect with Japanese fans, something many artists in the digital-first “here ya go, have a YouTube video and Spotify link!” aren’t willing to commit too. They don’t need to…Drake is doing just fine…but there’s still an audience here waiting, if you engage with them.
For decades, the stereotype was about a band being “big in Japan,” referring to their status of relative ho-humness at home but somehow becoming superstars in the Eastern Asian country. Now, it’s flipped…rappers like Lil Nas X or Lil Pump4 share clips of nobody knowing who they are in Japan, creating a new meme. It’s hyperbole of course…but also, not totally.
Rodrigo’s recent visit did everything it needed to in order for her to build a foundation here — she appeared on TV, managed a way to be a weekly presence over the airwaves, offered up a special “experience” and met fans5. Even though Western names were not as visible in the 2010s, a few reminded how this strategy can still work. Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber among others found ways to appear on shows, including ones where they ended up juggling. One Direction adapted to the Japanese market and launched a fanclub — a first, for them, but common for almost all major acts in the country — in 2013 en route to becoming beloved by a generation here. Carly Rae Jepsen worked overtime to stay big in Japan even as the rest of the world kinda drifted away from her after “Call Me Maybe.” She hung out with Rola, danced with Momoiro Clover Z at the MTV Japan Music Video Awards6, appearing in Japanese commercials, and spoke in Japanese on variety programs.
Maybe people would recognize Lil Nas X more if he went on TV and ate dried scallop snacks (Carly Rae Jepsen’s verdict: “It’s good!”)
It’s not just about being a big ol’ goofball alongside various news announcers and J-pop artists, though. It’s a sign of commitment to the Japanese audience, something that can always be hard for an artist with so much more to do7, but which can pay off. Take the ultimate 21st century stress test — Japan after the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, and the situation at Fukushima Daiichi power plant. The nuclear part of that scared off people from Japan for months and actually remains a source of scares / convenient propaganda for many. Back then though, dozens upon dozens of artists cancelled shows over radiation fears, some of whom kind of limited their careers in the process.
The artists who did come during those fraught times, though? Absolutely beloved. Cyndi Lauper could be a saint. If Lady Gaga decided to never perform anywhere but Japan from here on out…she’d be fine, because she went the extra mile in 2011 to not just entertain but educate the world about the country’s safeness post earthquake. That was a special situation of course, but there’s a lesson within about the importance of actually being in the country, something the streaming era can’t replicate.
I’d guess with the borders now fully open and tours once again taking place across the country, you’ll see more of the top-level Western acts with serious interest in Japan follow the time-tested path Rodrigo has taken. Whatever changes in music distribution or access over the years, being active in the Japanese market…even if it means putting on giant cat gloves…can serve you well.
Written by Patrick St. Michel (patrickstmichel@gmail.com)
Twitter — @mbmelodies
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If you’ve ever wanted to see Scatman John talking about SPEED, this is the clip for you.
Though it could also be a detriment if you bucked the system…see the time Russian pop phenomenons t.a.t.u refused to perform on Music Station, arguably the most infamous moment in the show’s history, and one that for a little bit at least hurt their career. Though hey, even they do Snickers’ commercials now.
Kinda the perfect example of a Scatman-like novelty hit-having artist for the 2010s…should have found a way to get on Music Station and sing the praises of Perfume or something!
She’s not the only artist to have done this recently, though this being her real first step into the market felt a bit different than…Måneskin might actually be the 2020 pace setters on this front, having appeared on various Japanese news shows to perform and collaborating with an anime. And people fucking love them here.
I can not find video of this, but was at the 2013 event for MTV 81 and saw this live! Believe me! Thankfully, a fine journalistic outlet backs me up on this because The Daily Mail somehow wrote about this too, referring to the group as “Momo Kuro” and incorrectly reporting that the MTV Video Music Awards Japan were held in China (they meant “Chiba” but hit the worst possible key by mistake. “V” is right there!).
Great example of this…Lana Del Rey, who cancelled multiple “Japan debut” shows around the time of her first album, due to “exhaustion” and what seems like other opportunities. She turned out alright of course…but she’s a non-entity here.
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