timotato wrote:
I'm going to be bold, blunt and impolite in saying what I suspect many of us feel already... TITO is never going to sell well in the US. It's not that it's bad, it's that it's *not Hikki!* She's not an R&B singer, she's a pop singer, arguably the best in the world. There's no way she can compete with Beyonce because Beyonce is a born-&-raised R&B singer. It's in her soul. But it's not in Hikki's soul and that was immediately clear to me the first time I heard TITO. I don't know if an R&B album was her idea or her record company's but it was a bad choice.

timotato wrote:
Interesting choice of words... "terrible condition".

All I can say is "I agree" and "of course!".

I've been reading all the posts on this blog about Hikki's disappearance, her cancellation of a tour, the surprise that TITO is not selling up to expectation, etc., and NONE OF IT surprises me.

I'm going to be bold, blunt and impolite in saying what I suspect many of us feel already... TITO is never going to sell well in the US. It's not that it's bad, it's that it's *not Hikki!* She's not an R&B singer, she's a pop singer, arguably the best in the world. There's no way she can compete with Beyonce because Beyonce is a born-&-raised R&B singer. It's in her soul. But it's not in Hikki's soul and that was immediately clear to me the first time I heard TITO. I don't know if an R&B album was her idea or her record company's but it was a bad choice.

I recently read an interview wherein she said "Me Muero" was her favorite song on TITO, which makes sense because it's not R&B. Even she's aware of this, whether she's conscious of it or not.

If she wants to do well in America she has to be authentic. She has to be true to herself. She's a pop star...a damn good one! Pop works here. Both Miley Cyrus and Lady Gaga have proved that. The only thing she needs to change is the attitude. In Japan things are more polite and respectful. Here it's all about full-on fun and unrestrained emotion. If she can do that she'll be on top of the charts in no time.

timotato wrote:
I understand what you are saying about POP being an acronym for "popular music". You are correct. What I meant by "pop" is something different than the broad, traditional definition of the word. Plus, I should have said 'hip hop' instead of 'R&B'. Forgive me for not making myself clear. That was my mistake.

I do not want to switch the point of this discussion to the topic of musical genre's, so I will define my usage of 'pop' as briefly as possible. Here we go...Listen carefully to currently popular black R&B and hiphop artists. Focus on the drum beat, the off-tempo beat, just before or after the beat. Listen to the intensity of the mix, how prominent the drum loudness is in relation to the other instruments. This style of mix works best when the melody of the song is sub-standard, or when the singer has real attitude, usually black attitude, or some level of anger.

Utada's songs have good melodies and are never angry or full of attitude. They have almost always been accompanied by full, smooth instrumentation, something that is missing in hiphop mixes. 'Me Muero' has this instrumentation so it sort of works. But the rest don't work. 'Apple & Cinnamon', 'This One', 'On & On', 'Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence' and 'Come Back To Me' all have exactly the same hiphop beat. Some slow, some fast, but ALL the same. And on all of the songs the drum is too loud and sharp for the melody and doesn't fit with the lyrics.

The mix on 'Taking My Money Back', and both 'Come Back To Me' dance mixes are a total joke. They don't fit the song intent and lyrics at all. Mixing a hiphop beat and dancehall synthesizers with a love song? Clearly this shows that the TITO's producer should be fired.

Pop music, in my definition, tends to me melodic, meaning that the accent is on the melody. It is about the song, not the beat. Pop songs tend to have pleasant instrumentation that flows with the song, not sharp technological noises that hiphop is known for. Pop usually is positive and uses major chords. It can be fast or slow, sad or happy. It is usually 4:4 time and has an infectuous hook or beat that makes you want to sing it in the car or shower. In the last 5 years I can only think of one hiphop song that stayed in my head...Beyonce's "Crazy In Love". Yet almost all of Utada's songs stay in my head. Miley Cyrus songs are pop. They are fun, youthful, song/melody oriented. Young people love this (The youth market tends to be Utada's market). Lady Gaga's songs are a bit more beat oriented but are a straight happy 4:4 beat, not hiphop, so they can be acceptable as pop and cross genres, while the hiphop beat only appeals to the hiphop market. Anyway, I hope you can see what I'm getting at.

As for the non-success of TITO, her producer/record company were wrong in thinking that a Japanese popstar can decide to make a hiphop CD that will outsell lifelong hiphop stars in their own market, especially songs that were not written with a hiphop attitude and style. Someone can't write love songs then throw a hiphop mix on them and expect them to sound authentic to fans of *real* hiphop, even if you are a superb songwriter like Utada. It's a recipe for disaster.

I think the record company now realizes this and has stopped promoting her so that it doesn't damage her image.
Clearly the record company believes in her because no other new artist would have the budget for all the media blitz and radio interviews that she had in the last few months. It's better if they wait until she has a product that is attractive to the US market before launching their promotional whirlwind next time. (Truthfully, I suspected that they didn't understand the US market when I heard Exodus, which was a departure for her toward the indie genre. Or was this her choice? Is she tired of pop? Is she feeling like pop is too youthful/immature for a grown woman? Who knows. BTW- Madonna & Bowie were still successful in pop at 50+, Utada.)

I believe that she's probably now at home or on a secluded beach having a well deserved sulk. This has to be very difficult for her. All her life everything she's done musically has been a huge success until now. And it must hurt even more considering that this is her true home market. Plus the lingering sadness from divorce, etc, etc, etc...

I say let her rest. Let her think about things. Let her heart settle. Let her find her musical self again, or find a production team and record company that knows how to capture her true spirit on disc.

I believe in her and I know you all do as well. I'll buy her CDs because they speak to my soul. I don't care if it's indie, or pop, or hiphop. Actually, drop the hiphop, Utada. It's not *you*.

Utada, if you read this and want to talk further, I live across the river in Newark. We'll meet up for a felafel or something.

timotato