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English and identity in East Asian popular music

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 February 2013

Phil Benson
Phil Benson*
Affiliation:
English Department, Hong Kong Institute of Education, 10 Lo Ping Road, Tai Po, New Territories, Hong Kong E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

Linguistic diversity poses a significant but not insuperable obstacle to transnational flows of popular music in East Asia. This paper reviews strategies that are used to overcome language barriers, especially the use of English by mainstream artists. Although this strategy has met with some success, it can be problematic in that it involves the negotiation of new artist identities with audiences. This negotiation of identities is illustrated by an analysis of YouTube comments on two English-language music videos by established Asian-language singers – Tata Young's ‘Sexy, Naughty, Bitchy’ and Utada Hikaru's ‘Easy Breezy’, which indicates that language, ethnic and gender identities are all problematised when these singers choose to sing in English.

Type
Articles
Information
Popular Music , Volume 32 , Issue 1: East Asian popular music and its (dis)contents , January 2013 , pp. 23 - 33
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2013

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Discography

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Cubic U, Precious. EMI Music, 10668. 1998Google Scholar
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