Why Mexico? Why Alizee?

[Junkmale]

I've been reading a few posts lately about what we, as a fan forum, and as individuals can do to raise the profile of Alizee especially in the USA. Or worldwide for those of us not in the USA.
It got me to thinking.
We all know that 'our girl' should be a worldwide megastar. But the fact is that she isn't.
Why then is she so popular in Mexico? What did she do in Mexico that she didn't do in e.g. Argentina or Brazil or anywhere else in South/Latin America?
Was she promoted in a different way? Was there something in particular that made Mexicans like an obscure French singer?
Was it simply 'La Isla Bonita'?
If that is true then why Alizee? Why not Lorie for example? Lorie has also 'played the Latin American card' with songs like 'Sur un air Latino' has she not? And there are a lot of similarities between what Lorie does and what Alizee does? So why did Mexico pick one over the other?
My point is that if we can pin down the reasons for her popularity in Mexico then the conditions for that popularity could, in theory, be replicated in the USA or anywhere else for that matter.
Any thoughts anyone?

[Alex]

Well each year I go to Mexico City, last summer I was very surprised how weeks and even few months later she had visited and left her CD and singles were still on the top 10 charts in stores! after being released a year ago or so. However I've been doing research on the web in how this success came upon, and it seems that Alizee hit everywhere, all media to be specific: newspapers, magazines, Tv stations, Radio Stations, Music Stores a true phenomenon. All this of the result of the fans, all the publicity they have done and kept on insisting radio stations to play her music and voting for her. And up to this date TV stations still do segments talking about her showing a year later she still famous.
Im also subscribed in the Alizee World fan club and each week and month more and more fans from South America are appearing( Argentina, Colombia, Venezuela, CHile, Peru, and more!) The thing that really helped her success in Mexico was her carisma and way of being she is so true and not like any other fake POP star.
Here are some videos of some publicity they have done and TV segments tehy are doing of her:




TV Segments
(Alizee imitation)
(beutifulest nose)

[Junkmale]

This is what i can't understand Alex.
Did someone, somewhere, management, whatever make a concious decision to target Mexico for overdrive promotion?
If so, why Mexico?
As we know from this forum alone she has fans from all over the world. Was there a significant ammount of fan interest in Mexico to warrant that sort of promotion?
If i was a manager or promoter (and no offence intended to any of our Mexican members), 'cracking' the Mexican market wouldn't be top of the list of my priorities. USA, yes. Japan, yes. UK,yes. But Mexico..........

[jung_adore_ALIZEE]

Originally Posted by Junkmale

Why not Lorie for example?

probably because she is already quite popular in France

[Alex]

Well let me tell you this the thing about Central Mexico is that they are more opened to listen to new music coming from around the world. So having heard her music more and more fans started to come out. No proffesional producer, or management was intended to work on her publicity in Mexico. She herself has said in interviews that she was surprised and had no idea how popular she was in Mexico and Latin America, so she decided to add Mexico as part of her tour.
The surprising thing is how fans alone made such accomplishment without the help of any proffesional management. This shows us that "Why not next the United States"

[edgar93]

Originally Posted by Junkmale

Why then is she so popular in Mexico? What did she do in Mexico that she didn't do in e.g. Argentina or Brazil or anywhere else in South/Latin America?
Was she promoted in a different way? Was there something in particular that made Mexicans like an obscure French singer?
Was it simply 'La Isla Bonita'?
If that is true then why Alizee? So why did Mexico pick one over the other?

Any thoughts anyone?

It's not about Alizée, Junkmale, it's about us, the mexican fans.
We the mexican guys are kind of different to other fans (or people, speaking generally), I think we are warmer and more open to new things. Our top songs lists are not always the same, there something from everything. I've been there in Mexico and here in Canada, and I can tell you, the difference is very noticeable.
Even Alizée has said it, we are different, (and I think she meant annoying ).

But after all, we are not so different. We both like Alizée's music, we both are attracted by her sensuality and beauty, we both go crazy when we are at an Alizée concert.

JEAM and LIB just happened to be popular in Mexico, by being played in clubs or in the web. I don't think any of Lorie's songs ever had the same story.

[Ben]

Originally Posted by edgar93

It's not about Alizée, Junkmale, it's about us, the mexican fans.

Yeah. Though I think it's thanks to your media as well. That they were willing to listen to fan demand and play her stuff. Here it could be harder.

There's the language barrier (Mexico, and most countries for that matter, are more used to songs in another language - English!), stricter copyright laws and other legal issues (stations may not have the rights, or be unwilling to check if they do), and the media just being more closed-minded in general.

But yes, Alizée and her team followed her popularity to Mexico, they didn't create it. So likewise it will be up to us, not them, if we want to attempt the same thing here. She may help once the ball's rolling, but we'll have to start it.

[edgar93]

Originally Posted by Ben

stricter copyright laws and other legal issues (stations may not have the rights, or be unwilling to check if they do), and the media just being more closed-minded in general.
So likewise it will be up to us, not them, if we want to attempt the same thing here. She may help once the ball's rolling, but we'll have to start it.

I think that's a very important point Ben, wether the media of a whole nation is open minded or not.
Personally I think it's almost impossible to change a nation/country's mind. :/
I'm not saying we can't try.

[Jess]

Originally Posted by Junkmale

I've been reading a few posts lately about what we, as a fan forum, and as individuals can do to raise the profile of Alizee especially in the USA. Or worldwide for those of us not in the USA.
It got me to thinking.
We all know that 'our girl' should be a worldwide megastar. But the fact is that she isn't.
Why then is she so popular in Mexico? What did she do in Mexico that she didn't do in e.g. Argentina or Brazil or anywhere else in South/Latin America?
Was she promoted in a different way? Was there something in particular that made Mexicans like an obscure French singer?
Was it simply 'La Isla Bonita'?
If that is true then why Alizee? Why not Lorie for example? Lorie has also 'played the Latin American card' with songs like 'Sur un air Latino' has she not? And there are a lot of similarities between what Lorie does and what Alizee does? So why did Mexico pick one over the other?
My point is that if we can pin down the reasons for her popularity in Mexico then the conditions for that popularity could, in theory, be replicated in the USA or anywhere else for that matter.
Any thoughts anyone?

Well, here's what I saw happened, but someone correct me if I'm wrong. During the time that we we're all introduced to Alizée, for the most part I'm referring to the old fans. When her videos we're still fresh on youtube and other video sites, as has been described by some of the Mexican fans. Her fans in Mexico did some serious promotion themselves. They requested and demanded her music be played at clubs and radio stations, all this prior to her return. They even posted on wiki that all her singles had been number ones in Mexico, I saw this in wiki for almost a year even few months before her new album came out.

Needless to say they we're so enthusiastic about it, that Alizée's team saw this as well as a lot of publicity that had been made of her during her absence. If you remember when she first came back the second video we saw of her was when she had a gathering with some of her old fans in France and they showed her looking at Mexican magazines towards the end. Like I said in another forum, her Mexican deal was no accident it was all planned.

Alizée's team saw the potential, they put it to the test and the result was very favorable. The only small problem I saw was that because Alizée was promoted with all her old performances (obviously this was all the Mexican had at the time), some where expecting to see her the same way. Something we need to keep in mind when we promote her.

Originally Posted by Ben

Yeah. Though I think it's thanks to your media as well. That they were willing to listen to fan demand and play her stuff. Here it could be harder.

There's the language barrier (Mexico, and most countries for that matter, are more used to songs in another language - English!), stricter copyright laws and other legal issues (stations may not have the rights, or be unwilling to check if they do), and the media just being more closed-minded in general.

But yes, Alizée and her team followed her popularity to Mexico, they didn't create it. So likewise it will be up to us, not them, if we want to attempt the same thing here. She may help once the ball's rolling, but we'll have to start it.

You're right in your assessment Ben, radio stations here will not promote anything that's not recent so we couldn't have done the same as the Mexicans did prior to "Psychedelices", and there's that language difference as well.

Originally Posted by edgar93

I think that's a very important point Ben, wether the media of a whole nation is open minded or not.
Personally I think it's almost impossible to change a nation/country's mind. :/
I'm not saying we can't try.

Edgar you have very good points, but to be on the positive side USA has a big percentage of mixed nationalities now a days. I don't know what the percentage is but we could find out if it makes anyone feel better...

[Ben]

Originally Posted by edgar93

I think that's a very important point Ben, wether the media of a whole nation is open minded or not.
Personally I think it's almost impossible to change a nation/country's mind. :/
I'm not saying we can't try.

Yeah correct me if I'm wrong Edgar, but I get the impression that if 100 people emailed a Mexican station about a new foreign song, they'd at least check it out? Here well first you'd need like 10 times that number, and even then they still might ignore you because it's French.

Heh sorry, not trying to be a downer or discourage us from trying. Just saying it's going to be hard. There are artists who take the risk and put themselves out here, like Yelle (a French singer who recently had a US tour), for whom it's paid off... but it doesn't seem Alizée's like that.

Originally Posted by Junkmale

When you look at it that way, it's an incredible story really.

'French singer makes it big in Mexico'

You couldn't make it up.

Perhaps, though in a way it's a music industry cliche. I was talking about Spinal Tap during yesterday's podcast recording, and the end of that film (spoiler warning for those who haven't seen it!) sees the ailing band revived when one of their old singles suddenly (and inexplicably) hits the Japanese top 10!

Originally Posted by Jess

Well, here's what I saw happened, but someone correct me if I'm wrong. During the time that we we're all introduced to Alizée, for the most part I'm referring to the old fans. When her videos we're still fresh on youtube and other video sites, as has been described by some of the Mexican fans. Her fans in Mexico did some serious promotion themselves. They requested and demanded her music be played at clubs and radio stations, all this prior to her return. They even posted on wiki that all her singles had been number ones in Mexico, I saw this in wiki for almost a year even few months before her new album came out.

Needless to say they we're so enthusiastic about it, that Alizée's team saw this as well as a lot of publicity that had been made of her during her absence. If you remember when she first came back the second video we saw of her was when she had a gathering with some of her old fans in France and they showed her looking at Mexican magazines towards the end. Like I said in another forum, her Mexican deal was no accident it was all planned.

Alizée's team saw the potential, they put it to the test and the result was very favorable. The only small problem I saw was that because Alizée was promoted with all her old performances (obviously this was all the Mexican had at the time), some where expecting to see her the same way. Something we need to keep in mind when we promote her.

That sounds about right as far as I know, Jess. Just a point to add: one group that first noticed Alizée's rising popularity in Mexico was her old record label, Universal. They put out both the "Tout Alizée" compilation and a domestic edition of "En Concert" before her return in 2007. How well those sold was probably another factor that alerted team Alizée to what was happening south of the border.