Raw Japan
Slices of Japanese business, politics and life
Boyle-san’s got tarento
Struggling musicians have long made dubious claims about being “big in Japan” in a bid to compensate for weak record sales at home.
But Susan Boyle, the 48-year-old who swept to fame in Britain and the U.S. after an appearance on reality TV, looks to be genuinely on the cusp of becoming a household name in the suburbs of Nagoya, Osaka and Tokyo.
The Scot’s ascent to stardom in the land of cutesy J-pop and traditional enka was given a big boost when she played a key part in the country’s New Year’s Eve celebrations.
Boyle appeared to wow the audience with her trademark rendition of “I Dreamed a Dream” from “Les Miserables” on NHK’s ”Kouhaku Uta Gassen“, a men versus women singing competition that the state broadcaster has shown on the night of Dec. 31 for 60 years.
