Well it's a music thread not a movie thread, so it would be better to put that point there.

Also you haven't answered the point about the influence of African-American music in US and UK music culture. This is an issue about musicology and how musical cultures interface. Traditional Asian musics ( and there are a number, you haven't been very specific) work off different tonal scales than don't necessarily easily interface with Western tonal and folk music. That's partly why African American influences are much stronger than Asian music.

Modern J-Pop and K-Pop are largely western influenced music and are over manufactured for many western tastes.

There are other very strong conservative forces in some Asian cultures that have mediated against public display particularly in relation to women, especially in the past. There are a myriad of reasons which explain the lack of Asian success in US and UK pop music but racism is too simple a proposition.

No but some of the greatest Rock songs ever recorded have a Eastern Influence.

Kashmir by Led Zeppelin.

Paint It Black and Mothers Little Helper by The Rolling Stones

Norweigian Wood, Love To You, Within Without You, The Inner Light by The Beatles (George Harrison mainly)

There are many other pop/rock songs that have eastern influences. Lots of bands love the time sequences and the sound of the music.

Lack of Asians in Pop Music?? Just outright ignoring K-Pop and Jpop genres there? I think your observation is just down to the fact that the style of "Pop" is very different between the East and West, in the East, they seem to take pride of keeping it fast, energetic and then also mixing up the genres through one song, for example, the (ironically titled) Mr. Simple by Super Junior, can you imagine many Western Pop artists doing something like that for ONE song? That's at least 3 songs worth of content in there.

I always thought Freddie was white, and I am sure most people thought the same. The fact he felt the need to change his name from "Farrokh Bulsara" to "Freddie Mercury" reinforces my point.

He was born in Zanzibar in 1946. Maybe these days he would have stayed with his birth name. Though he used the name Fred to anglasise his name. The Mercury aspect came from his make believe world of Rhye.

Mercury the winged messanger from Seven Seas. This featured a lot in his early albums, I don't think he did it just because he was Asian after all David Jones became David Bowie.

You do bring up an interesting argument, however Asian classical music HAS influenced western music, and not to mention that not all Asian classical music is the same.

North Indian Classical Music has a much softer romantic sound, similar to Pachelbels 'Canon in D', which was a less common style of music for its time. Only in the past century had it started to become a staple for a lot of music today (softer melody).

Abi demonstrates this in raga at 1:17 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMlscAuxSvI

Japanese traditional music I will admit is incredibly different to Western music. I am not very articulate with the language of music, so feel free to correct any inaccuracies I make.

The success of western music is more to do with business, and the monopoly of the western empire.

The reason I brought up Hollywood was because it reflects the attitudes people and the entertainment industry have towards Asians. It is not too difficult to believe that this could translate to the music industry...

I was referring more to Western Pop, and western born Asians failing to reach any type of musical success.

K-Pop is beginning to gain a larger western fanbase with the help of the internet and Psy (Gangnam Style). It is not too hard to imagine a song like this being a success in the West if it was in English and with a few minor adjustments.

Well this was prominent in the early-mid 20th century, with the help of Ravi Shankar. There were subtle cross-overs from south asia too with Nusrat Fateh, who performed or influenced several rock stars. Madonna took Asian influence in the late 90s too...After 9/11, some of that started to change

I dont recall much of East Asian music being referenced in pop music. Which brings the point that its as simple as a trigger (Ravi Shankar) to popularize a genre or "ethnicity". Asians seem to be ignored in the industry so far, with people not willing to take the risk

I also dont believe it should have to come down to Asian music crossing over to the western market in order to take in Asian artists.

Could I ask also that why are the only successful Asian (half Asian) artists in the industry people who dont look Asian? Bit odd..

Neyo
Freddie Mercury
Bruno Mars
Nicki Minaj

Finally listened to it. It's bland as shite and sounds about 20 years old.

We have an event in a park in west London called the London Mela, which is a celebration of British Asian culture. To my embarrassment I've never been, but even at home couple of miles away I could hear the sound system and the music mostly sounded like modern Western r'n'b.

If that's the music of the young British Asians in London then maybe there isn't enough interest in pop to motivate them to be pop stars. One possibility, and I know this is stereotyping, but how many young Asians pick up a guitar and learn to play the chords for all the classic songs, the way white kids do?

I do remember years ago at my son's school Battle of the Bands, one of the bands was a duo of Asian girls who played punk rock on guitar and drums. But I think they were unusual.

Bruno Mars and Nicki Minaj are not Asian or half Asian
If Asian people made good modern popular music they would be successful. But they would in general need to lose the accent. It's just not what we in the West like in our music. Not racist, but fact.

Wikipedia says Bruno Mars' mother is from the Philippines. Nicki Minaj's father is half Indo-Trinidadian, which is maybe a bit too far removed from actually being of Asian origin.

I think it mainly comes down to the majority of people like to be able to sing along to songs so choose to listen to artists who sing in their own language. We in the UK aren’t very good (as a nation) of speaking 2nd languages whilst a lot of other nations are pretty good English as a 2nd language speakers. We see a lot of UK/US bands making it in France/Germany/Japan etc but the reverse does not happen very often – a few breakout songs and a few success stories like Rammstein.

A few years ago I wouldn’t dream I would be listening to a lot of Japanese bands but they are all I have been listening to lately.

I am talking about Asian-America/British singers that sing English

Its bland and boring like the majority of pop songs, and that was the type of music that was popular. It just so happens that its those who are Asian but dont look it who succeed. It must be because those who actually LOOK Asian have some biological deficit in making good music or being musically talented (Sarcasm)

Why are you all forgetting that Asians are also born in Western countries with no accent? Oh and Bruno/Nicki are half Asians. Would they be successful if they looked Asian?? Hmmm... unlikely. It just so happens the only successful Asians DONT look Asian.

Here are more singers who are half Asian (but dont look it).

Norah Jones
Enrique Iglesias
Vanessa Hudgens
Darren Criss

Norah Jones doesn't look Asian? She doesn't not look Asian either.

But since she isn't really as a pop star, doesn't she really illustrate something else, which is that Asian musicians are often successful in other genres, rather than pop? Norah Jones has worked in jazz and alt. country so maybe Asian musicians tend to be more attracted to genres which require more talent, knowledge and study to achieve success. Again I realise I'm perpetuating a stereotype but the fact is that there are many highly respected Asian musicians in genres like classical and jazz.

After all, it's the same music industry that releases pop hits and classical masterworks.

I don't like those you compare to the ones I mentioned either. It's nothing to do with racism. I like what I like, and I don't like what I don't like.

If an Asian band produced music like Pink Floyd, I'd be pleased to hear them. In fact, I'd be delighted to hear a white English band that produced that quality.

Three of them are American and one is Spanish, very little is Asian about them in looks, upbringing or, of course, the music they have produced.

Nicole Scherzinger might be a better example, she is American of course but is of Filipino/Hawaiian descent and looks Asian. She has been successful as a musican and has collaborated with A R Rahman for 'Slumdog Millionaire' on what was Asian-influenced music. The vast majority of her music is, of course, pop and R&B. You might ask why there aren't more like her?

Having thought about it, you do bring up a valid point. East Asians are definitely more prominent in the classical music genre. Asians in general are also fairly successful in the niche "relaxation" genre. However it is clear that plenty of Asians do enter the pop music industry (whether they're part Asian or full), but it tends to be non-Asian looking Asians that make it. Norah Jones never looked very Indian to me, it never even crossed my mind before I found out

It honestly could be a coincidence, but I find it odd.

Its not about their upbringing. I am not saying their music has to be Asian influenced, I am just pointing out that its most often non-Asian looking Asians that make it.

Nicole could perhaps pass off as some sort of Asian, though its not too clear either.

What do you mean by "it is clear that plenty of Asians do enter the pop music industry"?

Do you mean that a lot of Asians have record contracts, release songs, but aren't successful?

J-pop, K-pop are huge, they just don't tend to export that well..

I actually love both genres, but my knowledge is very limited. Effectively, I just follow some playlists on Spotify..

How does non-Asian music perform in Asia?