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DENNIS: Let’s talk
about your magazine, “Cha Cha Charming”.
How did you come up with the idea to start a magazine?
SHEILA: All
my life I've been extremely passionate and obsessive about music.
When I hear of a great new band or song, I have to share my enthusiasm
with all those around me. So it was only natural that I would
search for an outlet that would allow me to spread the word about
all the music I loved. At the time I began my first fanzine, "Plume,"
I was really hooked into the underground fanzine 'zine, where
lots of young kids were producing their own magazines. So it seemed
fairly normal that I too would start my own magazine.
DENNIS: Was it an expensive process?
SHEILA: It's definitely an expensive
process, which is why I can only put out one issue per year.
DENNIS:
When you created the magazine what were the goals that you were
trying to accomplish with the magazine?
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SHEILA:
I never really had any goals with “Plume” or "Cha Cha
Charming." I feel that publishing a music magazine is something
I need to do. It's my creative outlet. Maybe my only goal is to turn
people onto music that they have never heard of. That is really the
biggest thrill for me!
DENNIS:
If you had the opportunity to interview someone for Cha Cha Charming,who
would that be?
SHEILA: I've always wanted to interview Shina Ringo. She is such
a unique talent and the most original Japanese female artist. Also, Bonnie Pink.
Her imagery, lyrics, and persona really fascinate me. I tried
to get an interview with her a few months ago, but her record company
said she was very sick and had cancelled all her tours, etc. A few days
later the news came out that she was pregnant!
DENNIS: I saw your magazine at Tower
Records, is the magazine distributed nationally?
SHEILA: I don't have
enough positive things to say about Tower Records. "Cha Cha
Charming" is available at Tower Records stores in Singapore, Mexico,
Japan, Taiwan, etc, etc.
DENNIS: What is the biggest thing you
learned from the business of having a magazine publication?
SHEILA: You can't even
imagine how much I've learned going through the processes of producing
"Plume" and "Cha Cha Charming." And I think that
I've really learned everything the hard way. Because I'm so adamant
about producing my magazines on my own, I've really had to sacrifice
a lot. If I had people writing, designing, selling ad space, etc, I
could be out there promoting my magazine, getting better distribution,
answering all those emails, etc. But because I like to do everything
myself, I can only take "Cha Cha Charming" so far. So what
have I learned? If I want my magazine to grow and flourish, it's time
to stop being a control freak and find others to help me.
DENNIS: What are your plans for Cha Cha
Charming in the near future?
SHEILA: I'm graduating from NYU next year, so once I find a job
I'm not sure I'll have the time to produce "Cha Cha..." anymore.
But I really love my magazine, so I hope that I'll be able to continue
it on some level. I've
even considered moving it to the web. But we'll see... However...there
will be at least two more issues in the next year or two.
DENNIS: What attracts
you to Japanese music or entertainment?
SHEILA: I
was initially attracted to the unbelievable amount of hooks and melodies
that can be heard in most Japanese pop music. The first songs I heard
were Puffy's "Kore ga watashi no ikiru michi" and Lindberg's
"Green Eyed Monster." You can't even imagine how excited I was
to hear such quality songwriting and original melodies. At the time
those songs came out, American music had reached its worst state and I
had had enough of all the mainstream and indie pop that seemed to value
image over songwriting. Of course, Japan suffers from the same image
problems in music, I just didn't realize it when I first discovered
Japanese pop.
Regarding Japanese entertainment, it's only about the music for me. I
never got into Japanese dramas and anime.
DENNIS: What was your family or friends
reaction when they caught you listening to Japanese music?
SHEILA: My brother would get really angry when I would play Judy and
Mary in the car. He can't stand Yuki's shrill voice. But other than
that, my family and friends have always been aware of my eclectic and
constantly shifting musical tastes, so my interest in J-pop didn't come
as a huge surprise. What surprised them more was my decision to start
seriously learning the Japanese language. My dad said "I speak
fluent German, and your mom speaks fluent Persian, yet you decide to
learn Japanese?!" It just didn't make sense to anyone that I would
learn a language that I wasn't connected to in any way. But now that
I've committed to it for 3 years, they think it's pretty cool!
DENNIS: Is Japanese
music something you share with many people or something special for
you that you want to keep it to yourself and a few other people?
SHEILA: I definitely like to share Japanese music with
everyone. I only get bothered when the music becomes ultra-trendy, and
you get a lot of people who dig Japanese music just `cause it's cutting
edge or because they think anything from Japanese is automatically cool.
I think that really defeats the purpose.
DENNIS: Do you think the Japanese music
companies are marketing their Japanese artists in the US the right way?
What do you think needs to be improved?
SHEILA: I really could
go on and on about this topic, because I don't think the Japanese record
companies have ANY idea how to market their artists in the U.S. You
would think that the record companies would look at the past failures of
artists like Seiko Matsuda, Dreams Come True, Pink Lady, etc, etc, and
realize that there's something really wrong. Even with Puffy, I think
Sony made a HUGE mistake in releasing "SPIKE" in the U.S. It
did badly in Japan, and I don't think it sold too well in the states.
"SPIKE" is a really mediocre album that is just not capable of
bringing Puffy a significant American fanbase. I saw hundreds of
mistakes made with Puffy's American promotion.
| So what needs to be improved? I think the main
problem is that the Japanese record companies are not willing to
collaborate with Americans in the process of breaking a Japanese
artist into the American market. If I wanted to market a product
in Japan, I would never ask Americans for advice, or bring my
entire American marketing team to sell my product in Japan,
because they wouldn't have a clue as to how to interact and work
with the Japanese (seeing as our cultures are so vastly
different). So my advice to the Japanese record companies is to
give most of the control to the American record companies.
Because American music execs can sell a Japanese artist in the
states way better than the Japanese can. And vice versa. A good
example of this American/ Japanese collaboration would be
Pizzicato Five, probably the most successful Japanese music
export to date. They were on Matador Records, an American label
and they had both American and Japanese managers. An ideal
collaboration that brought them great success! |
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DENNIS: What challenges
do you see that Japanese artists will face when releasing an album in
the US?
SHEILA: The language is of course the main challenge, but Pizzicato
Five and Cornelius' success proved that there are thousands of Americans
who really appreciate music sung in different languages. I also think
it's crucial that the artist release a record that fits in to the American
music market. Dreams Come True was a disaster because their music sounds
really dated. It might
have fit in 20 years ago, but certainly not today. That's why I thought
Puffy would be the perfect group to market in the states because their
sound was so fresh, yet their melodies captured the best of the American
sixties pop era but I'm talking about Puffy's older material, not their
latest stuff.
Dealing with the American music press is also a
big challenge, because I found that a few of the artists I've
interviewed really had difficulty expressing themselves, or gave really
bland answers. It's important that these artists come over to America
for awhile, and learn the ways of the American culture, so they can sell
themselves better during interviews and live appearances.
DENNIS:
Do you think MP3's ultimately hurt the sales for Japanese artists outside
of Japan?
SHEILA: I
think MP3's can only help the sales for Japanese artists outside
Japan.MP3's make music accessible worldwide, and they have been key in
turning people onto music they never heard before. Unless you're a
serious Japanese pop fan, you're not going shell out $35.00 for an
artist you've never heard before. But if you enjoy say the five or six
MP3's you have by Utada Hikaru, chances are you'll buy her record. MP3's
only encourage people to check out new artists. The only negative aspect
for both the artists and record companies is that MP3' allow the public
to filter through the crap. No longer can record companies rely on hype
and money to sell a mediocre record. MP3's have created smarter and more
selective music consumers.
DENNIS:
What part of Japan do you enjoy visiting and what is the biggest memory
of being in Japan that sticks in your mind?
SHEILA: Kyoto was definitely the highlight of my trip to
Japan. It was the only place where I could get a clear picture of what
Japan was like before the West stepped in. The old city, Gion, is just
breathtaking. I remember walking past a hair salon in Gion where I saw
about five or six geishas getting their hair done. It was almost
surreal.
The memory that sticks in my
mind the most was when I showed up late for my interview with Japanese
pop singer/ model, Chocolat. This might sound like a silly memory, but
the whole ordeal turned out to be such a disaster that it really has
become quite memorable. To make a long story short, it was my first
opportunity to interview a Japanese artist, and I was really determined
to make the whole interview run smoothly. Unfortunately, everything that
could have possibly gone wrong, did go wrong. We showed up 45 minutes
late for the interview. After
walking 1/2 hour in the wrong direction under the unbearably hot sun and
by the time we found the place, we looked like we had just stepped out
of the shower. The combination of the heat and anxiety made me totally
incapable of doing a proper interview. Talk about making a terrible
first impression.
DENNIS:
Let's get to know more about Sheila B. outside of the magazine business.
When you are not working, what do you like doing in your free time?
SHEILA: Karaoke,
drinking wine, making mix tapes, writing emails, hanging out with my
boyfriend, practicing kanji, playing Nintendo, relaxing, and watching
lots and lots of movies. I've
been a serious film fan for most of my life.
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DENNIS:
What makes you happy and what makes you sad and upset?
SHEILA: All of
the activities I mentioned above definitely bring me a lot of
happiness. I find that my happiest moments are when I'm spending
time with my family and friends - eating good food, drinking
wine, and talking.
What makes me upset? Well,
during the past year I spent a great deal of time (the time that
I should've been working on my magazine!) learning about
politics and the current state of the world. I read a lot of
books on the Palestinian/ Israeli situation, the U.S./ British
bombing of Iraq, racism in Japan, police brutality, and many
other crucial current issues. It's quite overwhelming to read of
the injustices that occur everyday, and sometimes the anger and
sadness just take me over- to the point where I wonder how I can
publish a magazine about entertainment, when there are so many
more important issues that need to be addressed. But then I
realize that it's important to do what I love, and to also be
aware of what's going on in the world. I'm trying to give
something back to the world.
Even though it's on a very small and individual level. |
DENNIS:
Where do you see yourself five years from now?
SHEILA: Since
I've been in school forever - transferring from school to school, and
constantly switching majors, I really can't wait to have an
"official" job! I hope I'll be working at a place where I can
use both my knowledge of music and Japanese. I don't know what kind of
job that will be, but it would be great if I can do something with
Japanese artists in America. I don't really want to live in Japan, since
I like being in a place that's home to so many different cultures. But I
also don't want to live in New York City, since the garbage trucks
banging around at 4 am are really taking a toll on me!
DENNIS: What final words do you have for fans of Japanese music
and readers of Cha Cha Charming (or people who are now interested in
your magazine)?
SHEILA: If any of you are interested in reading a book on the topic
of "creating more time to enjoy your life," there's a great
book out there called "Timeshifting" by Stephan Rechtschaffen.
It's an easy and enjoyable read. For
those of you who want to know more about "Cha Cha Charming,"
please follow the link to my site: http://www.chachacharming.com.
Thank you for reading.
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