The “Go To” Gal

If you haven’t heard by now, Maki Goto has signed with Avex, home of Kumi Koda, BoA, Exile, Ayumi Hamasaki, and many more.

I know there are going to be naysayers, those who feel she will become too much like Kumi. I honestly can’t say I’m bothered either way really. Kumi is sexy, and mud and dirt-y album covers to the contrary, we know Maki knows How to Use Sexy, so she could definitely pull off that style. Somehow though, I don’t think that’s what she’ll try for. UFA was nudging (some would say pushing rather insistently) her in that direction, and word on the ‘net, for what it’s worth, says that that is one of the main reasons she left UFA in the first place.

My prediction (and I’m no psychic, I leave that to my brother, who has quite uncanny powers of prediction) is that under her new management, she’ll become a cross between Aya Matsuura and Celine Dion, with a tiny bit of Kumi thrown in. Aya for her “most successful H!P solo act” vibe, Dion for a hint of elegance, and Kumi because sex sells, duh.

Personally, despite her relatively uninteresting recent collaboration with Fergie, I’d like to see Kumi and Maki do a song and PV together. Yes, it might be disappointing, but at least we could daydream for just a minute what a two-person Third Gen of Morning Musume might have been like…

At any rate, best of luck to Maki as she embarks on her new career with Avex and Rhythm Zone.