The best thing about combing the back-alleys of pop culture vacuums for new or obscure pop gems is the high probability of stumbling onto something in a foreign language. And if the last couple years of quitegoodness in pop have taught us anything, it's that having pronounceable names or understandable lyrics in the realm of pop music is no longer relevant (Yelle, anyone?). But a catchy hook and smart melodies have no become more crucial than ever. And none of these should be of any issue to Utada Hikaru. Utada, as she's known Stateside, is one of the reigning queens of Japanese pop, always poised to crossover, but almost always obstructed by record label incompetence (Hi Island!). She's such an understated pop presence that you wouldn't know by looking at her or these days, even catching one of her music videos, that she's maintained a decades-long foothold in Japanese pop as storied as Madonna's but as relevant as Beyoncé's. But unlike either of them, she's not one for choreographed dance routines (fans of club-friendly J-Pop need only consult Namie Amuro.) She places more importance on actual singing than showmanship. And we thank her for doing so.
Utada has covered Green Day, collaborated with Ne-Yo and pursued an American career rather leisurely. A bit of a J-Pop prodigy, Utada posseses the dubious talent of securing hit single after hit single without fail in Japan. Having contented herself with this fact, she's trying a second stab at American superstardom. What she did last time: she pushed the envelope, mixed genres and enlisted Timbaland long before Nelly Furtado laid her eyes on the words "Promiscuous Girl" for the first time. But somehow, all of these elements were just too much and Exodus failed to set the charts alight. What she's doing differently now: Simplifying. At least for the lead single. "Come Back to Me" is a sparkling pop-soul hybrid that dials down the experimentalism.
Sadly the song goes for radio adds within the next couple weeks and with such little fanfare behind it (really Island? What on Earth are you fellas doing over there?) , Utada would be wise to capitalize on the same kind of blogosphere love that propelled MGMT and Robyn to great pop heights.
Rohin Guha is a Brooklyn-based writer whose idea of a good time includes kim chi and draft beers. He is a blogger for BlackBook Magazine.
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