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Q: Why do so many outdated Western bands try to make come backs in China?
I'm sometimes shocked when I see some 80's or 90's band that everyone's forgotten about suddenly annoucing an Asia tour. Not to diss them but I though Roxette had long retired, same with Westlife. Why do they choose China of all places? And why can't they just fade out with dignity instead of trying to squeeze into the same tight leather pants they wore 20 years ago?
12 years 8 weeks ago in Arts & Entertainment - China
According to Wikipedia: Westlife are an Irish boy band established on 3 July 1998.
You just made me feel like the oldest person in the universe. Just the other day, I realized that some of the younger twenty-somethings I work with were born after Nevermind. (the album not the poster). I guess I'm pretty much just waiting for god here.
Anyway, people follow the money and for some reason east Asians think that foreign pop music is like a fine wine.
A lot of Chinese love old Western music, even the younger crowd. A lot of my female students love Westlife, which I'd never heard of until I came to China. Asia is the only place where those old bands will not only be remembered, but loved. That's why they'll have a successful Asia tour when the rest of the world doesn't care.
icerock:
yes, whatever old bands or new bands. as long as they have beautiful song. we like ithem. for bands or singers it is also a good chance for them to expand their market in unfamiliar country.
Music travels, but takes time. Pop makes its way across countries, so Westlife/Backstreet Boys/Vengaboys trickled in through that particular period of 90s when people were acquiring music player and satellite dishes, and foreign channels were being allowed in. If you can relate - Just like there is not much of a used car market here - because a majority of families have cars for the first time.. notice who you'll find almost all cars on the roads in a very new condition, hardly any beat up old stationwagons, similarly when the population turned to western music for the first time, they found Black Eyed Peas and such.. Roxette or other 80s bands are here because since they've been around for a long time, so their cult hits managed to survive, and the news of their fame finally reached here.
Another reason from a marketing point of view is to generate a buzz much easily... heard the phrase "Big in Japan"? The West looks at East with the same eye for exotic as the East looks at West for the ridiculous.. a Snoop Dogg concert at Purdue University campus would have 1000 people attending and talking about it on Twitter.. but 10000 people for instance attending Ricky Martin or Sean Kingston in India immediately carries a lot of weight for the media.
yes.i am 80's of chinese.
westlift and backstreetboy are very popular at that time.most of 80's loved them very much.we grow up by those western bands' accompany.
job opportunities, money talks every where you take it.
