Just because a celebrity is famous internationally doesn't mean the average American Jane or
Joe would recognize them.
From singers to Bollywood stars, these celebs are among the world's best at what they do,
even though you've probably never heard of them.
X Japan has been making heads bang across Asia since 1982.
The heavy metal glam band has sold more than 30 million albums and sold out the Tokyo Dome
a record 18 times, as of 2017.
Drummer and co-founder Yoshiki is so recognizable in Japan that he was honored with the first
Asian Icon Award in 2016.
X Japan has even performed at Madison Square Garden and found some critical success in
the States.
So why aren't you familiar with their work?
A documentary about the band, We Are X, played at both the Sundance and South by Southwest
film festivals.
And in 2018, they were invited to headline the Mojave stage at Coachella, becoming the
first Japanese band to play at the renowned music festival.
But unfortunately, a certain somebody named Beyoncé was performing at the exact same
time.
The veteran rockers took the bad timing in stride, with Yoshiki telling the Los Angeles
Times that the only downside was that they couldn't see Beyonce's show and she couldn't
see theirs.
You're pretty famous when you can go by only one name, which means that Colombian singer
Juanes must be pretty huge.
He was a member of the Latin rock band Ekhymosis from 1988 to 1999 before breaking free and
going solo in the late '90s.
In 2000, he released his debut album Fíjate Bien, which earned him three Latin Grammys.
Years later, he was holy rolling with the likes of Pope Francis at the 2016 World Meeting
of Families.
Juanes released his first song in English, "Goodbye for Now," in 2017, and yet, he's
still not a one-name wonder in the U.S.
But all that could change soon.
He performed on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in January 2019, so it feels like only a matter of time
before we'll all be joining his fan club.
Chances are you've seen Doutzen Kroes before.
The Dutch supermodel has strutted her stuff as a Victoria's Secret Angel, graced the cover
of countless magazines, and sold everything from Calvin Klein to Samsung.
She even has a wax likeness in Madame Tussauds Amsterdam.
While her name isn't as recognizable in the United States as Gigi Hadid or Kate Moss,
she's certainly made her mark on the rest of the world.
"Peanut butter or chocolate sprinkles?"
“Chocolate sprinkles on peanut butter.”
According to Forbes, Kroes was the world's 10th highest paid model in 2018, and she's
been using her good fortune to give back.
She collaborated with Tiffany and Co. for the "Knot on My Planet" campaign, which fights
elephant poaching.
And she's a global ambassador for Dance4Life, which seeks to educate kids about HIV and
AIDS.
The last thing South Korean singer-actress BoA resembles is the constricting snake of
the same name.
On the contrary, this tiny starlet has spread herself out and made music history internationally,
by putting out a successful mix of ballads, rock numbers, and dance tracks.
Alas, that success hasn't translated in equal measure Stateside, but there's still time.
BoA has been recording and performing since the age of 13.
In 2018, E! counted her among the "richest idols in K-Pop" with an estimated net worth
of $14 million.
She's aiming for longevity, citing veteran pop stars Madonna and Britney Spears as inspirations.
As K-Pop popularity continues to balloon, she's well aware that everything she creates
could potentially infiltrate the rest of the globe.
Bollywood star Akshay Kumar has become one of the most bankable stars in the entertainment
industry worldwide.
According to Forbes India, he raked in about $40.5 million in 2018.
So why doesn't his name ring a bell at the American box office?
Kumar's acted in more than 130 projects throughout his decades in the industry, including 2018's
2.0, which was among the most expensive and highest grossing movies in Bollywood history.
He's also become a renowned social justice warrior on the international stage, making
movies that shed light on important issues.
His desire to make a difference motivated his work in the 2018 film Pad Man, which depicts
the true story of a man who helped bring low-cost sanitary pads to Indian women.
"As we all know, the figures are 82% of Indian women…”
“Right.”
“... they don't know about pads."
In short, Kumar is a tour de force, and it may be only a matter of time before the United
States joins the party.
Fan Bingbing made her Hollywood breakthrough as Blink in 2014's X Men: Days of Future Past.
She had already been a household name in China since she was a teenager in the '90s, and
it looked she was well on her way to cementing her standing on the A-list in the United States
as well.
It seemed like nothing could stop her, not even a trade war with China, but then, it
all came to a screeching halt.
In 2018, Bingbing became the face of a massive scandal.
The Chinese government accused her of evading millions of dollars in taxes, while also warning
others in the TV and film industry "to come clean or face a similar fate."
And with that, Bingbing essentially disappeared.
The rumor mill went wild with stories about her allegedly seeking asylum or being controlled
by the government.
Roughly nine months later, in February 2019, she finally resurfaced on Facebook and Instagram
to wish everyone a Happy Chinese New Year.
But she offered no explanation for her shocking vanishing act.
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