ABSTRACT
Asian popular music undoubtedly covers the broadest array of sounds we will encounter in our excursion of popular world music. Though Asia has more than half the world’s population, few musicians from this vast geographic expanse have achieved notoriety in the Western world. The twenty-first century, however, may well see an explosion of Asian pop stars on the international music scene, as the world’s economic balance leans increasingly on Asian markets. As prospering populations fuel the music business in these arenas, the media machine, which now includes the Internet, will bring greater visibility to promising artists from the farthest reaches of the globe. Presently, however, the internationally recognized artists are typically those who perform classical or folk music rather than music that could be regarded as “popular.” Some find themselves in demand in “world fusion” performances, whereas others are able to tour independently throughout the world with only their own musical interests in mind.
