Girl Next Door Debuts... It's not the talk about my neighborhood who gonna debut as a singer, but 'Girl Next Door' is the new group from avex trax, which consists of one 22 year-old vocal girl from Osaka, Chisa, and two other 29 year-old guitarist and keyboardist.
Some news shows and news papers are introducing the 'miracle' this group showed even before their official debut in September. The preview of their debut song, 'Guzen no kakuritsu(偶然の確率)' has already been available at some music related Websites such as Yahoo music, and this preview made a record of 2 million views in 2 months. And at a mobile phone Website, 'Mobage-town', this song got #1 on daily charts.
(article and picture from Sanspo)
http://www.sanspo.com/geino/news/080717/gnj0807170435016-n1.htm (official site)(
volume warning)
http://girlnextdoor.jp/index.html--
... Although these news claim that
'all generations from teenagers to 40s are talking about this group fanatically!!', honestly speaking, I
hadn't heard of 'Girl Next Door' until this morning. But this is the Japanese mass media's style. and the way avex loves very much. So I won't have to think about my aging too much.
In fact, it looks avex is really desperate to promote this group. This Girl Next Door is positioned as a part of the 20th memorial project of the company, and its president 'Max' Matsuura Masto produces this group by himself. According to Matsuura, it is after 5 years that he joins to the project himself from the selection and arrange of the songs. (
his blog)
But will this group becomes the next big star?
I don't think so. When I listened to the preview first, the first thing occurred to my mind was:
'The ghost from 90s.' As Max Matsuura admits, its the origin(ganso, 元祖) of avex sounds, Euro beat. And It's sure the vocal girl is not attractive sexually and objectively, just like Koda Kumi. I can't imagine the person who love this sound and this group in 2008 although there are such a lot of new and attractive J-POPs like Greeeen or Perfume or Maximum Hormone.
The title of their debut single 'Guzen no Kakuritsu' can be translated as 'probability of happening' literary, or 'probability of miracle' freely from the context.
As Max Matsuura says, this song may be new to high school students who were still babies or not hadn't been born during the first Euro beat boom in 90s. And just like some European coutries are crazy about v-kei sounds in Japanese 90s, the sound of this group may become popular in these countries with some anime tie-ups.
But my conclusion is that the probability that they can sell as many as its preview's download counts is less than 0.0005%.
--
I'm not sure why avex who has a lot of young of talented singers and musicians dare to promote this new group of boring old-fashioned music in 2008. But when we look at thi sgroup as the 20th anniversary memorial band, this group becomes highly suggestive.
Not only Euro-beat sound which reminded me of
Every Little Thing 10 years ago, as you can see from the clip, there is the influence from eroticism of Hamasaki or Koda, or indirect quotation from Britteny or Aguilera. So, musically and visually, this group is the combination of the 90s and 00s.
And the career the vocal girl, Chisa, is very interesting. Just like Mochida Kaori from ELT or Hamsaki Ayumi used to be, she was a minor, or underground idol who belonged to a group named
MA-KISS.http://wc2007.info/dance/index.htmlhttp://ameblo.jp/ma-kiss/entry-10032895037.htmlFind a hopeful girls from a minor idols, and makes her a star... this is also the avex's traditional strategy.
So, Max Matsuura may be just trying to look back his glorious 20 year history with this group. The old human beings become, the more foundy they think of the past. This group may be just his reminisce, then we shouldn't put a word in.
Hey !
Long time since my last visit !
How are you ?
I come to Japan on Sunday. Too bad all the groups we both listened disbanded !
Byee
Long time no see!
Yeah, It's so sad all the groups have already disbanded, lol, but I think you can refer to my past reviews and see the traces of them(For example LaQua, Shibuya O-WEST, etc.) Enjoy your stay, anyway.
This group definitely has that 90s sound to them, but I don't see why it couldn't be popular again. Just look at how popular the ZARD singles have been recently.
There aren't very many mainstream acts making new music like that these days, so maybe people will welcome GND.
The girl seems cute enough, anyway...
honestly i love the song. this is one of the reasons why i like avex too. the song also reminds me of day after tomorrow, if u remember this group hehe... even the unit compostion? misono with two older guitarist/pianist guys. well dat also resembled ELT from their earlier days lol
and did u also know that there's a reality show in America titled "The Girls Next Door"?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Girls_Next_Door
i thought i was in for idol music when i checked out their HP, but it seems i was mistaken from the group name lol
and hi bene!
But this is the Japanese mass media's style. and the way avex loves very much.
reminds me to million-dolar-group, Coconut Musume, lol.
Sorry for my long absense again. Summer heat in Japan kills my Hit Point and motivation for my blogging recently. I'll restart from today.
:Kuno & Thea
Oh, now at least GND has has two oversea fans here lol.
I found the Karaoke of GND's song has already been available in some shops, so I could realize how avex is desperate to promote this group, but I still think GND will end up as the dream(DRM, or Dream) or AAA version 3. I don't say it won't produce any hits, but I don't think this group will become the group as popular as avex is expecting.
:anonymous
Personally, I don't the catch phrase for Coconuts musume, but that's sure Japanese media (or media in the world) loves that kind of style.
I remember the video game which had been promoted with the phrase '100 million people cried!!' even before its release.