From William Hung to Paul Kim

Why does it always have to be about race? Trying to demystify the conspicuous absence of Asians from the platinum pop star ranks, Navarro looks to industry moguls and recent case studies like American Idol. But without much success.

"People in the music industry, including some executives, have no ready explanation, but Asian-American artists and scholars argue that the racial stereotypes that hobble them as a group - the image of the studious geek, the perception that someone who looks Asian must be a foreigner - clash with the coolness and born-in-the-USA authenticity required for American pop stardom."

I don't know how old these scholars are, or whether they've ever been to California, or whether they've checked out Pier 1 or junior miss clothing lines lately, or the date of choice among white males ages 18-35, but the geeky stereotype seems to be waning, at least within the segment of the population that patronizes the 'pop' page in the itunes music store. The geek factor probably doesn't do all the work of explaining the glut of Asians on the billboard charts. The scholars forget the stereotypes born of the obligatory karaoke scene in any movie featuring an Asian character whether a blockbuster or strait-to-dvd and from music videos that trickle in through various media from that side of the world. I also think Asians have a very different 'tonal quality' (thank you Paula) than mainstream pop artists. The big mystery may not be a racial issue, per se, but rather a mismatch of the Asian pop sound to what Americans have grown to expect in that genre. Pop in America is power ballads, cross-over rock or country, loud, in your face, belt it out 'till we can't really tell if you're singing or yelling so make sure you get some vibrato in there. I don't think I've seen an Asian singer do this - quite to the contrary, they usually have a soft, wispy sound that is 'foreign' to American pop fans.

"The roster tilts heavily toward mixed-race Asians whose looks are racially ambiguous..."

I'd say this is true across the race board. Unless you're a white female blond-haired, blue-eyed pixy, or a british version of Johnny Depp, purebreads seem to be disfavored in showbiz. Exotic is in.

Taboos can be broken by pop artists, make no mistake. Take Chavez's story. Just don't look for it to happen in the US anytime soon where we have a whole genre for taboo called "alternative."