^Its interesting as some of you have pointed out that Utada is from New York, so does she REALLY count as an Asian,and even more insularly, a true Japanese pop phenomenon given she doesn't even hold citizenship there anymore? Even more, if or when she does break it big in the U.S., is she technically a real'crossover' or foreign act to make the acheivement?

The answers to both are an emphatic though slightly debatable YES. She is after all ethnically/racially Japanese, although American-born and at least partially raised, with flawless English speech to boot. She relinquished her dual citizenship in favor of American for reasons we don't know, but either way, she has repeatedly stated how alienated she can feel by both cultures and communities often time when living in the former or latter (I think that's one reason it seems like Koda Kumi, Ayu, Namie,and other 'nationally and ethically' pure bred Japanese singers sometimes are more embraced than she is, @ least on the fronts of fashion, award shows,and the publicity like by some circles). Regardless, her most successful music, English or Japanese, in terms of physical sales thus far all happened when she was in her teens and DID have dual citizenship, so whenever she gets back around to doing her 'global music' again, as she call it, it'll be fun and interesting to point out to people that never heard her before then that she was never truly 'J-pop' nor any other classification in the first place; I think she wouldn't have it any other way!