While I sometimes struggle with female idol groups (I am obviously not the target demographic) I, as I have mentioned many times, love with an undying passion a good female solo artist. Particularly one that has worked her ass off to get where she is and isn’t afraid to be who she is regardless of the standards set by the industry and culture she’s in. There’s something about breaking down boundaries to do your craft that just makes me proud to be a lady. I use the term lady loosely as I don’t fit many of the lady like standards. I don’t even try.
Anda, from the time she was very young, wanted to be a singer, but because of her ‘unique’ facial structure (ummmmm, because stunning is a bad thing?) was told over and over that she wouldn’t be able to make it in the industry. Girl kept trying. She eventually entered the Performing Arts Department at Sungkyunkwan University and signed with Trophy Entertainment. She debuted with the name Anadamiro and had some solid releases. She came back in 2015 under the label Emperor Entertainment with the shortened name Anda. She has been likened to both Lady Gaga and Fiona Apple for her style, sound, and willingness to push accepted boundaries. While she hasn’t achieved super stardom by any means, she big enough that little old me found her half a world away…so that’s saying something.
Her 2015 release Touch is a prime example of the boundaries being pushed. The video is an obvious depiction of female relationships. And if I’m reading it correctly, these relationships are both emotional and physical. I’m reading it correctly. The mix of symbolism (lilies in a lot of Asian cultures symbolize lesbians) and blatant imagery are really hard to misread. This is a lesbian centered video and she, as you can imagine, got some push back. It’s a really good song. It’s a beautiful video. Girl can sing and dance respectably and she looks good doing it…even with that horribly ‘unique’ face. Sigh. I would like a little more unique in my face if that’s what it looks like.
Anda, Touch
3 Comments
Thanks for the introduction! Holy cow…She is stunning and very talented. I enjoyed ‘touch’. I will check out some more of her music.
If I ever make it out west we can all make a video dancing in the kitchen…hehe
Ummmmmm…..YES. Make it out west and I will make a dance party happen…if it happens to get recorded, it will be glorious.
Thanks for this! I watched this video when it first came out, but recently I wanted to watch it again, and I couldn’t remember who it was. Perfect timing!