BoA won’t rest until she takes over Asia

At the age of 17, BoA has it all ― fame and fortune. What else could she possibly want?
Let’s start with conquering Asia.
Korean pop singer BoA has been dominating the pop music scene in both Korea and Japan. She has been polishing her talent as an international entertainer since she was picked up by S.M. Entertainment in the fifth grade.
Now she’s moving toward regional domination. On Saturday, she received the Most Influential Artist in Asia award at the MTV Asia Awards in Singapore. BoA is the only Asian pop artist to receive the same award in two consecutive years.
This achievement is no real surprise, because she has long since taken over Japan, the biggest market in Asia, and Korea, which recently nominated her as the most popular artist. BoA debuted in Japan in 2001 and climbed to the top of the J-pop charts the year after with her fourth single, “Listen to My Heart,” becoming the first Korean artist to do so.
At the MTV awards ceremony, BoA said that after receiving such an important award, her shoulders are now heavy. BoA said she will grow into an artist who represents not only Korea and Japan, but all of Asia.
A reporter from a Japanese pop music magazine, J-Plus, said that BoA is on the level of Britney Spears. The magazine added that BoA is worthy of receiving an award as an artist who represents Asia.
With an estimated 150 million Asian viewers watching the MTV Asia Awards ceremony and BoA’s performance, it was an ideal way for the young pop singer to reach Asian countries that haven’t yet fallen for her.
At the MTV award ceremony, BoA sang the first verse of “Rock with You” in Korean and the second verse in Japanese. The band performing with BoA was made up of Koreans, but the dancers were Japanese.
Lee Soo-man, the man behind the BoA phenomenon and the founder of S.M. Entertainment, said that during a party for BoA, many entertainment agency representatives from various Asian countries showed a keen interest in the young Korean star.
BoA will be launching her Chinese invasion soon. Last December, BoA made her first appearance there during a joint concert featuring Chinese, Japanese and Korean pop artists. She plans to hold more concerts in China and expand her activities there.
This doesn’t mean she’ll be neglecting her fan base. She has concerts in five cities in Japan, starting in Saitama, next month. Tickets for her tour sold out instantly.
BoA will also be releasing a new album where she sings a duet with Verbal, lead vocal of the famous Japanese band m-flo.
Even if she hasn’t quite conquered Asia yet, she still has plenty of fans outside of Korea and Japan.
When she arrived at the Singapore airport, BoA was welcomed by hundreds of fans shouting her name. She later thanked the fans who recognized her on her first visit to the nation.

by Joo Jung-wan