The first to have concerts in France were mainly Visual Key bands, for really small concerts, it started 3 years ago and I seriously don't remember their name (they had concerts in Paris, but also in other towns in France, like Aix-en-Provence (where I used to live, it's in the South-East of France, and that's how I heard it)). After that we had more known Visual Key bands giving concerts in Paris, but the real pionner of JPop in France was Kokia, whom I'm a HUGE fan of (when I've learned she was about to come to France, I fell on my knees.. seriously. She's not even that famous in Japan, so how the hell would I ever hoped she would come one day in France!), it was last year in Paris, in a small concert room for 450 persons... and all the seats were sold out in only two weeks XD~ (all of Kokia staff were surprised they even sold tickets, but to sold ALL the tickets, they wouldn't believe it). And she gave a wonderful concert, which was the first real JPop concert in France. 2 days after that, I had the huge chance to see her again at the Midem of Cannes (because I tried my luck with her manager who was a really nice woman, when I was waiting in the line, and she gave me and my friend two invitations for her private concert), which is like the "Festival de Cannes" but for music, so you have only professionals and journalists. So we were the only two fans in the crowd for her (I also saw Rin' and Rie Fu), she even recognized us *0* Out of that, I talked with some journalists (because we had uchiwas and all and they were really curious, so we did lots of Kokia advertising XDDD), and apparently, it was only since last year (which was, at this time 2005) that Japanese music started to interest intertional business people, because this midem had like, the whole crowd filled with Japanese businessmen, meaning, starting 2006, Japanese music really started, financialy, and busenessly talking, to be exported. And that was quite true, because right after that, there were, in France at least, two Japanese labels created for publishing Japanese music in France (I think it's "Wasabi" and the other one I don't remember), so far they are only selling like soundtracks and really good JPop, like Kokia, and Arai Akino (like, I don't think they will ever sell Ayumi Hamasaki stuff, my poor Ayu), and that's how, in the middle of last year, Kokia was labeled in France (and Spain). Her new album was released last November in France and Spain BEFORE JAPAN! And she gave us another concert, last January, this time at a bigger place: Le Bataclan (which is REALLY famous in Prestigious in Paris), their was 1100 persons, the room was all crowded, it was wonderful ;^; As for the other artists, we also had Kaggeru, they even made their goodbye-last-and-ultimate concert just before they disbanded... in Paris/Le Bataclan @_x (I mean.... they have more fans in Japan... but they said goodbye... in Paris!). We also had Arai Akino two months after the first Kokia concert, she also gave one in Germany. I know we had others less known Japanese artists which I don't remember the name, but they were all produced in concert by Paris Visual Prod.
Err... that's a lot of talking here ^0^;;;; But I'm all excited because as I know all of this, I know that IF THEY WANT TO (and if damn-Johnny-the-devil WANTS TO), Arashi can come to France, we have EVERYTHING they need: labels blablabalbalbalablabalbal etc... and the fans XD~ (that's mainly what I said to Sho in my last email XD )
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After that we had more known Visual Key bands giving concerts in Paris, but the real pionner of JPop in France was Kokia, whom I'm a HUGE fan of (when I've learned she was about to come to France, I fell on my knees.. seriously. She's not even that famous in Japan, so how the hell would I ever hoped she would come one day in France!), it was last year in Paris, in a small concert room for 450 persons... and all the seats were sold out in only two weeks XD~ (all of Kokia staff were surprised they even sold tickets, but to sold ALL the tickets, they wouldn't believe it).
And she gave a wonderful concert, which was the first real JPop concert in France. 2 days after that, I had the huge chance to see her again at the Midem of Cannes (because I tried my luck with her manager who was a really nice woman, when I was waiting in the line, and she gave me and my friend two invitations for her private concert), which is like the "Festival de Cannes" but for music, so you have only professionals and journalists. So we were the only two fans in the crowd for her (I also saw Rin' and Rie Fu), she even recognized us *0* Out of that, I talked with some journalists (because we had uchiwas and all and they were really curious, so we did lots of Kokia advertising XDDD), and apparently, it was only since last year (which was, at this time 2005) that Japanese music started to interest intertional business people, because this midem had like, the whole crowd filled with Japanese businessmen, meaning, starting 2006, Japanese music really started, financialy, and busenessly talking, to be exported. And that was quite true, because right after that, there were, in France at least, two Japanese labels created for publishing Japanese music in France (I think it's "Wasabi" and the other one I don't remember), so far they are only selling like soundtracks and really good JPop, like Kokia, and Arai Akino (like, I don't think they will ever sell Ayumi Hamasaki stuff, my poor Ayu), and that's how, in the middle of last year, Kokia was labeled in France (and Spain). Her new album was released last November in France and Spain BEFORE JAPAN! And she gave us another concert, last January, this time at a bigger place: Le Bataclan (which is REALLY famous in Prestigious in Paris), their was 1100 persons, the room was all crowded, it was wonderful ;^;
As for the other artists, we also had Kaggeru, they even made their goodbye-last-and-ultimate concert just before they disbanded... in Paris/Le Bataclan @_x (I mean.... they have more fans in Japan... but they said goodbye... in Paris!). We also had Arai Akino two months after the first Kokia concert, she also gave one in Germany.
I know we had others less known Japanese artists which I don't remember the name, but they were all produced in concert by Paris Visual Prod.
Err... that's a lot of talking here ^0^;;;; But I'm all excited because as I know all of this, I know that IF THEY WANT TO (and if damn-Johnny-the-devil WANTS TO), Arashi can come to France, we have EVERYTHING they need: labels blablabalbalbalablabalbal etc... and the fans XD~ (that's mainly what I said to Sho in my last email XD )
OMG I talked too much, must go to work now XD