If you haven’t heard Far East Movement’s single “Like a G6” yet, the chances are that you don’t go clubbing and you don’t watch youtube. Many people have heard of “Like a G6,” but what many people don’t know is that it is an Asian-American group. Far East Movement is composed of four Asian-American members: Prohgress and J-Splif, who are of Korean Americans, Kev Nish, who is Japanese/Chinese American, and DJ Virman, who is Filipino American. “Like a G6” hit number one on Billboard Hot 100 Chart and on iTunes in October, 2010, and Far East Movement became the first Asian-American group to be at the top of the Billboard chart.
I think it is rather sad and that Far East Movement is the only Asian-American group to ever hit #1 on Billboard. Many top Asian singers, such as Boa, try to succeed in the American music industry, but they have not been so successful. I think it is due to cultural crashes and lack of sexuality in music videos. Far East Movement knew how to market their album: sexuality and Youtube. Far East Movement, because they are Asian-Americans, knew about American culture and portrayed party life with sexual content in their music video. This grabbed people’s attention and the music video on youtube hit over million hits.
I am not saying people show use sexual content to sell music; all I am saying is that to market successfully, one needs to know about the culture they are targeting.
I really hope that more Asian or Asian-American groups can succeed in American music industry and many more will hit #1 on Billboard. Props to Far East Movement for setting a great example for others.