[Interviewer asks: "Will you be attending the Birdies this year?"]


Of course. I try to attend every year, even though the Birdies does not take much outside of English music into consideration. I can't necessarily blame them, I may be the Queen of J-Pop, but our pop is not as popular because not many outside of Japan are fluent.


[Interviewer asks: "But with the limited exposure, do you feel singled out because you are not an English-language performer?"]


No. I read recently that members from an overseas band, The Voyd (?), felt that the Birdies were fake or all about popularity; I know from personal experience that very few questionable releases make the nomination list, and maybe one has won an award. The Birdies Board of Judges take their job seriously, and a lot of time and effort is put into digging out the needles in the haystack. For someone to question that? I think it's a poor attempt at generating publicity by defaming something more important than the Grammy's.

In my long career, I've released over 20 albums, 70 singles, and sold over 200 million albums worldwide. I won not one Birdie in my career. I knew coming back, with my primary focus on J-Pop and starting from scratch, that if I wanted to win a Birdie, I'd have to join the pop starlets overseas. I didn't, and not one person refers to me as anything less than the Queen of J-Pop.


[Interviewer asks: "Do you feel bands like The Voyd are crying for attention?"]


No, I just think that The Voyd is more concerned about establishing themselves as a legend. Sometimes, trying too hard can actually impair a band's success. I've watched many artists, including Sasha Fierce and even GirlSpice!, come in and focus so hard on being a legend that they lose touch with the community and subsequently lose respect and recognition.

I thank God that artists like Stephanie Fierce and groups like GirlSpice! turned themselves around. There's a true legend in every musician, and it comes with patience and will come effortlessly.