Tae

I've had this song stuck in my head all day.  It's just so catchy! 

 

ETA: I don't know why the official video cuts the song in half. Here's a link to a full version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGHi1Zfsngo&feature=related

I am completely and totally addicted to JPOP.  Well, really, I'm kind of just addicted to music in general, regardless of language or country of origin (as indicated by my love of Eurovision).  American music, however, went through a phase (which I'm not sure has ended) where it was just too angry or depressed for me... so I listened to a lot of Japanese stuff instead.  If they're angry, I don't know about it... and they certainly sound upbeat!

My extensive collection of Japanese CDs aside, however, JPOP does suffer from an over-abundance of high-pitched, thin, nasal voices. Rich, full voices -- and altos -- are rare.  Hikaru Utada has been a favorite for years at least in part because her voice is powerful, not reedy.

So when I get a new favorite -- someone who breaks the traditional mold -- I like to share.

Currently, I have two new loves -- one a group, one a solo act -- who are all over my play list.

First is Ri-Sa.J.  It's a group of three female singers, who I found by trying to discover if Tifa can sing.  (Her Japanese voice actress shares the romanization of her name with one of them.)  Here is a clip (the bulk of the song, actually) of their single, 'Why U...'



The second is singer Beni.  I linked a video on my facebook page months ago, but I've recently found two more songs by her that I just adore.  Here's one of them, 'Yura Yura':  (Others faves are 'Koi Kogarete' and 'Gimme Gimme'.)

Cloud is giving me issues and it's sending me to the 'net for distractions.  Yesterday I looked up Eurovision 2010 to see what new tunes came out of it.  (Here in America, we don't seem to get a lot of European music, which is sad as there's so much great stuff out there...)

And I found the winner.  My first thought on first listen was that my husband would really like it.  He likes Lily Allen and Bjork and Ane Brun and other voices that I have teasingly lumped together under the description "drunken little girls singing'.  (No offense intended.  They're all just a bit... thin and piping, and sort of... wander.  Gah!  Anyone else know what I mean?)  Whereas the only songs I like by said artists are all throwbacks to an older style of music.  

Hmmm....

In any event, the winning song -- Satellite as performed by Lena -- has several things in common with these other vocalists I know he likes.  Her voice has that little-girl quality to it, for starters, and her accent is exaggerated (as per Lily Allen and Bjork -- as a side note, this is actually a bit strange, as accent disappears when singing.   Maybe it's an effect of their 'singing' verging more on talking in places?  Or because they're not native English speakers, so there's more accent to overcome?  That doesn't explain Lily Allen, though...)

Um...where was I?

So I played it for him when he came home.  (He liked it a lot.) 

And I found that it was growing on me with repetition.  I think part of it is that she looks like she's having so much fun in the video -- which is just her singing and bopping around -- and it's infectious. 

So here it is for you to listen and see what you think.  I'm also linking a little thing she did about her accent -- which, whether you like the winning song or not, the little accent ditty is great -- because she has apparently received a lot of flack for it.  (It definitely has some quirks, but I'm starting to think that's what makes the song particularly unique.)