TOKYO – 23-year-old J-pop artist Ito Koharu was recently surprised to learn that her debut album ハッピー・ミルク・キス・キス (HAPPY MILK KISS KISS) has debuted at #1 on Canadian charts, despite a lukewarm reception in her native Japan.
“I am so grateful to all my new fans in Canada,” said Ito in a statement posted to social media. “I am very confused, but mostly I am very grateful. My manager has told me all about “poutine”, the popular french fry dish enjoyed by Canadians, and I hope to visit your beautiful country very soon and eat this disgusting meal with you.”
Western artists have experienced sudden, unexplained surges in popularity in Japanese markets for decades, but this is believed to be the first time a Japanese artist has experienced the same phenomenon. Canadian fans of Ito Koharu can offer little explanation for her sudden popularity.
“I don’t know, there’s just something about her that speaks to me,” said 38-year-old Braden Fournier. “She’s got that one song with the chorus that goes like ‘baby baby Issho ni iru to, watashi no kodoku wa doko ka e kiesatte shimau’ and I have no clue what that means, but I feel like she really gets what it’s like to be a blue-collar worker in Timmins, Ontario on the cusp of middle-age.”
Pop sensation Avril Lavigne publicly congratulated Ito for her overseas success in a recent interview. Lavigne, a Canadian artist from Napanee, Ontario, has enjoyed unexpected success in Japanese markets during the latter half of her career.
“I am so happy for Ito Koharu, her album is amazing,” said Lavigne, speaking to JapanUp! magazine. “But also if she wants to switch places with me, I would totally be down for that. Please let me come back and sing in Canada. I am 41 years old, I don’t want to dance around in tutus singing about Hello Kitty anymore. I will sing Sk8r Boi until my nose bleeds. I will make tour stops in Saskatoon and Thunder Bay. I will marry a member of Simple Plan. Please.”
The management team for Ito Koharu have begun promoting the singer’s next album, LOVE LOVE (FROZEN TIM HORTONS COFFEE BEVERAGE), which is expected to cater to her Canadian audience, and planning for a Canadian tour, which has already sold out three shows at Rogers Stadium.
