# Why no Asian Rock Stars? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 6, 2002, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-asian-rock-stars/117667 "2002-07-06T19:26:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Mr.Duality](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.duality/32/4098_2.png) [@Mr.Duality](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Duality)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2002, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-asian-rock-stars/117667/21 "2002-07-07T15:56:48Z")
The Eraserheads are a very talented group from the Philippines. Most of their stuff is English-language. Some of their work is available via the filesharing services (Kazaa etc.). ---
**Author:** ![gex\_gex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/94ad74/32.png) [@gex\_gex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gex_gex)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2002, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-asian-rock-stars/117667/22 "2002-07-07T16:31:40Z")
> [@](#): > > _originally posted by burnt toast_ > How about Quan from Regurgitator? > > He was also in Happyland with that other woman from that other band… yeesh I’m only 16 and my memory’s shot. janet english from spiderbait, dude. but she ain’t asian. quan is, though. cibo matto fucken rock, **grendel72**! ---
**Author:** ![The\_Punkyova](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@The\_Punkyova](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Punkyova)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2002, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-asian-rock-stars/117667/23 "2002-07-07T18:08:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by medstar \* > \*\*Have you all forgotten about Pink Lady? They only happened to have a cutting edge, expensively produced show on American TV only about, say twenty years ago. The show was called, not surprisingly, Pink Lady and Jeff. Hey, I was kidding. \*\* Actually, I enjoyed the show! The crowd scene audition! The jokes about Johnny Carson’s guest hosts! Mi and Kei singing in what I think was phonetic English! And my favorite spot was when they would show clips from their Japanese conccerts, where the crowd was simply going wild and the girls were totally inaudable. I was probably the one loyal viewer, and very dissappointed it was cancelled. Thanks, **Medstar** , you’ve brought back happy childhood memories. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2002, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-asian-rock-stars/117667/24 "2002-07-07T18:35:34Z")
Well, I don’t know if I’d call if him a “star,” but a Japanese musician named Tetsu Yamauchi played bass for the Faces for several years after Ronnie Lane’s departure, and was Rod Stewart’s bass player for a long time after that. ---
**Author:** ![mouthbreather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a698b9/32.png) [@mouthbreather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mouthbreather)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2002, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-asian-rock-stars/117667/25 "2002-07-08T02:26:09Z")
While hardly a rock star, [Sooyoung Park](http://www.dma.be/p/ultra/1996/seam.htm) has gained some notariety in the indie rawk world with his bands **Seam** and before that, **Bitch Magnet**. ---
**Author:** ![Fred](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/db5fbb/32.png) [@Fred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fred)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2002, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-asian-rock-stars/117667/26 "2002-07-08T02:58:09Z")
David Usher is half-Asian. He’s the lead singer of Moist and recently put out a solo album. He’s fairly popular/well known in Canada, but I can’t speak as to his American success. Have you guys heard of him? ---
**Author:** ![donkeyoatey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47c2d/32.png) [@donkeyoatey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/donkeyoatey)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2002, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-asian-rock-stars/117667/27 "2002-07-08T03:48:52Z")
25 replies and no mention of the biggest Asian rock star ever? [The Asian Prince](http://www.geocities.com/asianprince213/)😃 ---
**Author:** ![zoomphy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ec9cab/32.png) [@zoomphy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoomphy)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2002, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-asian-rock-stars/117667/28 "2002-07-08T05:45:58Z")
He’s not much of a star anymore…and he sings country, not rock…but Neil McCoy is of Filipino descent. So is Enrique Iglesias ( [http://fsufsa.tripod.com/famous\_pinoys.htm](http://fsufsa.tripod.com/famous_pinoys.htm) ). K. ---
**Author:** ![G.Nome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c89c15/32.png) [@G.Nome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/G.Nome)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2002, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-asian-rock-stars/117667/29 "2002-07-08T06:34:34Z")
Bic Runga is a singer songwriter who is Chinese but sounds 101% Western because she is, in fact, a New Zealander. She has put out at least 4 or 5 world class songs and some artists have built international careers on fewer. I’m going to do a thread one day called “How much does accent matter?” because in my mind, at least, it is a strong determinant of how a person will be perceived. A good way to demonstrate this would be to view Hollywood movies in which Bruce Willis, Matt Dillion and Tom Cruise had their voices dubbed with a range of accents. > **[BIC RUNGA](http://bicrunga.com/)** > > Since the release of her first single Drive in 1996 – a top ten hit when she was just twenty – Bic has been awarded almost every musical honour in New Zealand, including the prestigious APRA Silver Scroll songwriting award. Bic has won the most Tuis... ---
**Author:** ![zephonith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@zephonith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zephonith)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2002, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-asian-rock-stars/117667/30 "2002-07-08T08:23:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by G. Nome \* > \*\*Bic Runga is a singer songwriter who is Chinese \*\* Actually, she’s half Chinese and half Maori (indigenous race of New Zealand) Her sister Boh Runga also a singer in a band called Stellar\* The Linkin Park guys. Joseph Hahn. Mike Shinoda? Probably, since it’s a Japanese last name. I can’t tell anymore and I honestly don’t think about it when I listen to any musician. I think the problem of just coming out and saying “Why aren’t there any asian rock stars” is that many are half asian and don’t see any reason to make it an issue. Like one site says Michelle Branch is half asian. I don’t know whether thats true or not, but I can’t tell and I never would have guessed. ---
**Author:** ![TwistofFate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@TwistofFate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwistofFate)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2002, 10:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-asian-rock-stars/117667/31 "2002-07-08T10:11:15Z")
The Guitarist from Sum 41, Cornershop, Tindjer Singh, Cornelius, the bassist from Feeder, Jina the lead singer from Racecar… there is a lot out there. ---
**Author:** ![refusal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ac91a4/32.png) [@refusal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/refusal)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2002, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-asian-rock-stars/117667/32 "2002-07-08T11:10:39Z")
Yoko Ono. Fun-da-mental (which had numerous spin-offs). Ian Brown’s guitarist Aziz Ibrahim. ---
**Author:** ![TwistofFate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@TwistofFate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwistofFate)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2002, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-asian-rock-stars/117667/33 "2002-07-08T12:20:03Z")
Aziz Ibrahim was also John Squire’s replacement. ---
**Author:** ![Tsubaki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@Tsubaki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tsubaki)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2002, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-asian-rock-stars/117667/34 "2002-07-09T00:31:01Z")
Towa Tei. ---
**Author:** ![Geek\_Mecha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecae2f/32.png) [@Geek\_Mecha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geek_Mecha)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2002, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-asian-rock-stars/117667/35 "2002-07-09T00:40:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Tsubaki \* > **What about Seiko? 😃** She had a duet with NKOTB’s Donnie Wahlberg. I remember her. ---
**Author:** ![Reverend](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ac8455/32.png) [@Reverend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reverend)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2002, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-asian-rock-stars/117667/36 "2002-07-09T02:22:10Z")
DJ Krush ---
**Author:** ![Mudshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Mudshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mudshark)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2002, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-asian-rock-stars/117667/37 "2002-07-09T05:19:02Z")
Well, there was Yoko Ono… ---
**Author:** ![kawliga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ea666f/32.png) [@kawliga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kawliga)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2002, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-asian-rock-stars/117667/38 "2002-07-09T07:27:34Z")
Eddie and Alex van Halen are half Indonesian. ---
**Author:** ![dangergene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@dangergene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangergene)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2002, 10:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-asian-rock-stars/117667/39 "2002-07-09T10:31:14Z")
Ryuchi Sakamoto anyone? ---
**Author:** ![Obvious\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Obvious\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Obvious_Guy)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2002, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-asian-rock-stars/117667/40 "2002-07-09T10:53:29Z")
I seem to recall the singer for Sneaker Pimps was asian. Too bad they have disapeared from the music scene. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-asian-rock-stars/117667.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-asian-rock-stars/117667.md?page=3)