Japanese Soul

(The following article appeared in these publications:
San Francisco Chronicle
Press Democrat
Asian American Press
Courier News
Chronicle Telegram
Champion
Daily Journal)

Asian Soul? Japanese star tries to break into U.S. music scene
By MALCOLM FOSTER
Associated Press Writer

NEW YORK (AP) Toshi Kubota was 10 and growing up in rural Japan when he first saw Stevie Wonder on television. Captivated by the music's rhythm, melodies and American flavor, Kubota decided he would grow up to become a singer of soul music.
Never mind that the genre barely existed in Japan in the 1970s.

Kubota, who taught himself music and English by crooning along with Marvin Gaye and Earth, Wind & Fire, went on to become a pioneer of rhythm and blues in Japan, surging to stardom with albums like "Such a Funky Thang" and "The Baddest." Since 1986, he's sold 11 million albums and remains enormously popular in Japan.

But all along, his dream has been to make it in America _ something no Japanese pop musician has achieved, although composer Ryuichi Sakamoto and saxophonist Sadao Watanabe have had some success.

So six years ago, Kubota moved to New York, determined to break into the U.S. market. "I needed to sing in the environment that produced Stevie Wonder," he said during a recent interview in his East Village studio. It hasn't been easy. While he is starting to get some attention among musicians with the summer release of his second U.S. album, "Nothing But Your Love," he's still barely known in the mainstream.

Kubota has several strikes against him. He's an Asian in a genre dominated by blacks; for many, the image of a Japanese with an afro singing soul is jarring. And for any foreigner, breaking into the U.S. music industry is tough _ but particularly in something as homegrown as soul.

"There's the thinking here that, 'We do it better than anyone else,'" says OJ Lima, special projects editor at Vibe magazine. "People don't equate soul music with an Asian name at all."

Non-American, non-black soul artists who have had hits in the United States are rare. George Michael, whose music could be classified as soul, Lisa Stansfield and Rick Astley _ all British _ are among the few who have managed that feat.

Kubota's first U.S. album, "Sunshine, Moonlight," released in 1995, fared decently. Sony Music Entertainment's Columbia Records shipped 30,000 copies to stores _ not bad for a debut album by a foreigner, but clearly not a rousing success. His second and latest effort, "Nothing But Your Love," put out by Sony's Epic division, is his most sophisticated album yet, even if it isn't terribly original. Kubota wrote or co-wrote the music for all but two of the 13 tracks, which range from upbeat dance songs to ballads. He sings in English throughout.

To boost his credibility, Kubota got several respected American soul artists to collaborate with him on the album. Angie Stone sings along on one track and helped write a couple others. Hip-hop group The Roots produced two songs, and Raphael Saadiq, from groups Lucy Pearl and Tony Toni Tone, produced two others. Rapper Pras, from Refugee Camp, makes an appearance.

These musicians seem impressed with Kubota, who is in his mid-30s. (Wanting to retain a youthful image, he declined to reveal his age.) "He's authentic and talented," says ?uestlove, co-founder of The Roots. "I can't work with people who aren't authentic." "He has a lot more soul than a lot of the people I grew up with," says Stone, who's known Kubota for more than two years. "He's as close to soul as one can get."

"Nothing But Your Love" has already sold half a million copies in Japan, but Kubota's managers will be happy if it breaks 100,000 in the United States.

His American odyssey is made easier by the fact that Kubota has strong backing from Sony. The label has been trying to introduce Japanese singers to the United States. Ten years ago, it was pop singer Seiko Matsuda. Now it's Kubota.

"We're committed to introducing to the U.S. market our artists from Japan as well as the rest of the world," said Akira Takayasu, a spokesman for Sony Music Entertainment (Japan).

Getting radio stations to play Kubota's music is one of the biggest challenges. So far, New York's three major R&B stations _ WBLS, Kiss FM and Hot 97 _ haven't paid him much attention. Epic plans to start promoting Kubota's music to major radio stations in January. But first, to generate buzz, his managers have provided dance mixes of his music to disc jockeys in big city clubs.

Kubota has had better success getting publicity on Web sites and on the Black Entertainment Television network, which has shown his videos.

He recently wrapped up a tour of four cities _ Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington and New York _ where he performed in packed clubs. In the past, U.S. audiences would initially give him a cool reception, but on this trip, he said, "the people responded to me immediately."

The presence of a Japanese soul singer has stirred up questions among R&B fans about traditional links between race and music.

After ?uestlove introduced Kubota on a popular hip-hop Web site, online participants vigorously debated whether it was even appropriate for non-blacks to perform soul music. Some questioned whether Kubota was trying to mimic U.S. musicians for commercial gain, while others argued that the genre was for anyone with talent and appreciation for its heritage.

Sparking further controversy is Kubota's "black look" _ he often sports an afro or dreadlocks. Kubota says his hairdo isn't a marketing ploy; he just likes black style.

"My hairstyle is just fashion," he says. "When I had dreadlocks, I wanted them because it was a passion of mine."

Kubota is enamored with America, particularly black American culture. Much about Japanese culture bores him, he says, and there's no discernible Japanese influence in his music.

He prefers the diversity and energy of New York. One of his favorite activities is just walking around his neighborhood in Soho.

"In one block, I can see 50 different cultures," he says. That's a dramatic difference from where he grew up, in the farmlands of Shizuoka prefecture, where his parents still run a grocery store not far from Mt. Fuji.

Kubota does have firsthand experience with racial divisions and prejudices in the United States. He perceives "a clear barrier" in the music world because of his race. But he's not put out by it. After all, he says, many Japanese, particularly the older generation, have prejudices of their own about blacks.

In fact, Kubota sees himself as a rare link between two cultures that have limited understanding of each other and little historical contact.

"My final goal is to get rid of the barriers that exist between cultures and stereotypes, through my music," he says.

Such ideals are often reflected in Kubota's lyrics or album titles, like his latest Japanese release, "As One," which came out in September. A song on that album, "Polyrhythm" _ which Fuji Television used as the theme music for its coverage of the Sydney Olympics _ contains the words: "Different lives have come together to give birth to one polyphonic rhythm."

Kubota is able to continue his American endeavor because of his immense popularity in Japan. He recently kicked off his first tour in Japan in four years, with 32 concerts scheduled over three months. Three concerts in Tokyo sold out within 24 hours, so organizers added two more, which also sold out immediately.

But Kubota doesn't plan to move back to Japan any time soon. "Even if he has to put out 30 albums, he's going to stay here until he makes it," says longtime friend Joi Cardwell, a singer-songwriter who sang background vocals on his latest album. "He's not going to quit until he reaches that dream."

Toshi Kubota's Web site: http://www.toshikubota.com
Sony Music's Web site: http://www.sonymusic.com