UA

FROM- MUSIC NEWS ASIA

The recent success of UA (pronounced ooah) seems to confirm the widely held belief that the music buying public in Japan expect a little bit more these days. Tired of packaged "talent" (some would say talentless) idol stars, qualities such as a good voice, strong songs, and meaningful, even poetic, lyrics , all count in today's music market. UA's five singles thus far, and her debut album "11" possess all these qualities in abundance. It was a tough choice for UA , (which means "flower" and "kill" in Swahili) which artistic career to follow. A graduate of design college, she also went to film school, while all the time singing at jazz bars in Osaka.

Fortunately, she was spotted by staff from JVC Victor one evening, who after listening to her demo tape, decided then and there to sign her up. Her first three singles and mini-album, while not exactly setting the world alight, received favourable critical acclaim and substantial airplay, but it was wasn't until the fourth single "Jonetsu" (passion) that all her early promise was fulfilled. The single reached number one in most FM radio charts, and HMV, Tower and Virgin all placed her number one in their singles charts. Her success in terms of sales, has mainly come from her suitablity to FM radio. Cool and hip on the one hand, melodic and tuneful on the other, and with a soulful voice that floats and drifts effortlessly over the top. Not to say that JVC have let the promotion take care of itself. UA is, according to her recording company, their number one priority artist. Posters, billboards, and some tie-up TV commercial campaigns have all added their weight.

Whereas most top artists in Japan, let their record company get on with the marketing, UA has been careful to keep control over her packaging and image. It's her ideas and input that have made her singles and album covers some of the most striking of recent years. She has also chosen carefully the musicians she's worked with. These include some of the most talented producers and songwriters in the land, such as Hiroshi Fujiwara and Hirofumi Asamoto who composed Jonetsu. The album was partly recorded in London and New York, where she worked with aspiring musical partners Jeremy Shaw and Simon Richmond.

Although yet to be launched in the rest of Asia, Shanghai TV recently profiled her as the number one artist in Tokyo's trendy HMV Harajuku store. JVC's extensive research in other Asian countries, has indicated strongly that UA's music can compete with anything in terms of songs and production. The main request has been for her to sing in English, something that is currently being considered. If she can do that successfully, who knows, after Asia, she might be ready to take on the rest of the world.