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Reuters: Japanese pop star rings up record mobile sales
Thelma's label may describe her as a typically "polite and humble" Japanese pop artist, but the 20-year-old singer is now officially a sales sensation and cultural phenomenon. With Universal Music Japan (UMJ) suggesting that she may have broken mobile music sales records with her second single, Soba ni iru ne, the singer -- full name Thelma Aoyama -- has been catapulted to fashion icon status. In Japan, a legion of wannabes known as "Thelmars" imitate her look: She often wears large white headphones and carries a sizable tote bag. There are no plans at present to introduce Thelma to markets beyond Southeast Asia. Her latest hit track features Japanese rapper SoulJa, who sang the 2007 hit Koko ni iru yo, which Soba ni iru ne is a response to. Thelma also appeared on the original track. UMJ says Soba ni iru ne has sold 3.4 million master ringtones, two million full-track downloads and 1.6 million ringback tones, putting it at No. 1 for three months on the Recording Industry Association of Japan's (RIAJ) monthly digital download charts. UMJ says the CD single has sold 550,000 copies since its Jan. 23 release...more...
This blogger mentions how her current single is not selling so well, however.