10 months review - the next step for KAT-TUN (imo)
Almost 10 months have passed since the last time I've wrote my opinion on the future of KAT-TUN.
Since that time, KAT-TUN has done a lot of things with the main focus of deepening the relationship they have with hyphen: mini album, countdown concert, new year fan meeting, new single, album, and concert tour, also the new challenge of being the new MC for SCP, not-so-regular travelling variety show, and also the individual jobs they have.
I believe all of these are good significant solid steps for the future of KAT-TUN.
How do an artist achieve greater fame anyway? Not superficial temporary one, but solid and more permanent type.
Consistent quality works, more exposures especially in popular mass media, and uniqueness aka something valuable that hasn't or rarely been offered before. All three must come together. But most importantly the artist has to be ready to deal with the price of fame. This is actually the biggest challenge to long lasting fame.
Here I like to talk more about the uniqueness. At first I thought that image is something that is set up by an artist to be projected to the public and public will just accept it as it is. But in fact image is discovered and solidified by the public. Artist can put their image "hypothesis" to the market but ultimately it is the public/the market that decide what image they have on the artist. So in a way it is a two-way communication.
As a fan of KAT-TUN (although I am still reluctant to call myself as hyphen), my selfish wish is for them to be kept out of limelight just enough; meaning I don't want them to achieve the national level popularity such as SMAP, Arashi, Exile, Momoclo, Kanjani 8, 48 group, etc, but I want people to know them enough as a good performer. I want people to always consider them in the line up whenever there's a live music show because without them the show will seem kind of lacking. But maybe that's pushing it too much. At least I want their presence to increase the quality of any music show or any variety show that they are in. I think at least that is something that is achievable for KAT-TUN. In terms of sales, I don't want them to sell outrageous numbers of CDs or albums, but I do want their sales to increase by 100-200% and I want them to be more famous internationally aka in countries outside of Japan, because I maintain my belief that in terms of music, KAT-TUN has the most potential to achieve international fame compared to other boyband in Johnny's, maybe even in Japan, even if this is only my wishful thinking.
I don't want them to achieve the fame of Kpop boybands, because personally I kinda hate that kind of fame, although this is only me thinking with bias toward Kpop fame.
I want KAT-TUN to have more songs that are embedded with Japan's culture and value. Something that touch people deep within, instead of only for having fun or increasing tension temporarily.
I know that they can do this because they have experiences with customized live performances. I think it will be good if they can perform all over places within Japan and outside of Japan as a kind of troupe from Japan.
I personally like their current touch of adult flavor, but I think it will be even better for KAT-TUN and their fame if they balance them out with their wild flavor. I think it will be hard to achieve as it involves the combination of adult's elegance and wildness. Because KAT-TUN is mild in comparison to Tokio's wildness, and they are not as elegant/as smooth as Arashi. They also have their competitions from Hey Say Jump, Kis-my-ft2, Exile younger tribes, etc. But KAT-TUN also have their strong members. Strong members that are capable of delivering elegance and wildness at the same time and to conjure up performance that hasn't or rarely been offered before.
The most important thing is that this have to be projected first and foremost in their songs. Their main songs should be songs that are on the edge of (giri giri de) Johnny's songs type. I think a rock ballad for their next song will be a good opening song for the next act of KAT-TUN.
p.s: My personal wish is a song composed by The Alfee's Takamizawa-san.
Since that time, KAT-TUN has done a lot of things with the main focus of deepening the relationship they have with hyphen: mini album, countdown concert, new year fan meeting, new single, album, and concert tour, also the new challenge of being the new MC for SCP, not-so-regular travelling variety show, and also the individual jobs they have.
I believe all of these are good significant solid steps for the future of KAT-TUN.
How do an artist achieve greater fame anyway? Not superficial temporary one, but solid and more permanent type.
Consistent quality works, more exposures especially in popular mass media, and uniqueness aka something valuable that hasn't or rarely been offered before. All three must come together. But most importantly the artist has to be ready to deal with the price of fame. This is actually the biggest challenge to long lasting fame.
Here I like to talk more about the uniqueness. At first I thought that image is something that is set up by an artist to be projected to the public and public will just accept it as it is. But in fact image is discovered and solidified by the public. Artist can put their image "hypothesis" to the market but ultimately it is the public/the market that decide what image they have on the artist. So in a way it is a two-way communication.
As a fan of KAT-TUN (although I am still reluctant to call myself as hyphen), my selfish wish is for them to be kept out of limelight just enough; meaning I don't want them to achieve the national level popularity such as SMAP, Arashi, Exile, Momoclo, Kanjani 8, 48 group, etc, but I want people to know them enough as a good performer. I want people to always consider them in the line up whenever there's a live music show because without them the show will seem kind of lacking. But maybe that's pushing it too much. At least I want their presence to increase the quality of any music show or any variety show that they are in. I think at least that is something that is achievable for KAT-TUN. In terms of sales, I don't want them to sell outrageous numbers of CDs or albums, but I do want their sales to increase by 100-200% and I want them to be more famous internationally aka in countries outside of Japan, because I maintain my belief that in terms of music, KAT-TUN has the most potential to achieve international fame compared to other boyband in Johnny's, maybe even in Japan, even if this is only my wishful thinking.
I don't want them to achieve the fame of Kpop boybands, because personally I kinda hate that kind of fame, although this is only me thinking with bias toward Kpop fame.
I want KAT-TUN to have more songs that are embedded with Japan's culture and value. Something that touch people deep within, instead of only for having fun or increasing tension temporarily.
I know that they can do this because they have experiences with customized live performances. I think it will be good if they can perform all over places within Japan and outside of Japan as a kind of troupe from Japan.
I personally like their current touch of adult flavor, but I think it will be even better for KAT-TUN and their fame if they balance them out with their wild flavor. I think it will be hard to achieve as it involves the combination of adult's elegance and wildness. Because KAT-TUN is mild in comparison to Tokio's wildness, and they are not as elegant/as smooth as Arashi. They also have their competitions from Hey Say Jump, Kis-my-ft2, Exile younger tribes, etc. But KAT-TUN also have their strong members. Strong members that are capable of delivering elegance and wildness at the same time and to conjure up performance that hasn't or rarely been offered before.
The most important thing is that this have to be projected first and foremost in their songs. Their main songs should be songs that are on the edge of (giri giri de) Johnny's songs type. I think a rock ballad for their next song will be a good opening song for the next act of KAT-TUN.
p.s: My personal wish is a song composed by The Alfee's Takamizawa-san.