Tata Young is an incredibly popular, incredibly talented Thai singer who’s spent almost twenty years dominating her homeland. In her spare time, she also enjoys trying to break into the North America market to no avail (oh hay, Hikki and BoA). Thanks to a tip from my BFF JJS at It’s The Money Shot!, I’ve learned that Tata’s trying all over again this year. Perhaps a third time’s a charm?
I was first introduced to Tata in 2006 during my then-beginning-to-wane obsession with all things J and K-Pop. Stumbling upon a little ditty called “Sexy Naughty Bitchy,” a ‘female empowerment’ number of sorts that managed to work its way up the Japanese Oricon Top 10 (the equivalent of the Billboard Charts), I knew I’d found what I was looking for. Yes, the song is as good-bad as the title implies and yes, you can sing along to it with the help of karaoke.
Then came Temperature Rising later that year, a deeply underappreciated and slightly misguided English attempt to break into North American turf for the second time in her career. The album was truly a lot of fun, and still merits play today, including gems like “Back Outta This,” “Uh Oh,” and “Zoom,” (which was later covered by Disney bot Ashley Tisdale). Of course, the greatest of the bunch was the lead single “El-Nin-YO!”, which was sort of like a Holly Valance-meets-Hilary Duff crossover track. I mean sure, Tata was chastised for her newfound image (as evidenced within the somewhat racy strip-off-and-spray-down concept behind the video) but isn’t that just what we love here in America?! INJUSTICE.
Coming forward to 2009, I’ve discovered that Tata is set to release her third English studio album, Ready For Love, which shares the name of the lead track off of the record. It’s a little awkward, and I still don’t see her going anywhere with this, but it’s not bad. In fact, it’s kind of like a track I’d want Whitney Houston to launch with for the comeback.
Look, I don’t really give a shit what works. All I know is that the fucking Wonder Girls cannot be the first Asian act to break the American market. CANNOT. BE.
Click below to hear more from Tata Young.