With millions of fans all over the world, you’ve probably heard of J-Pop and its superstar artists by now. The genre has been taking Japan by storm since the nineties and you may have even heard some J-Pop hits in movies, TV shows and video games. So what exactly does J-Pop mean? And which artists should you be listening to? We’ve got the lowdown on everything you need to know about the wacky world of J-Pop.
What is J-Pop?
Japanese pop music, or J-Pop, is one of the most popular music genres in Japan. Although it started to gain popularity in the 1960s, it hit the mainstream in the 1990s and today it has millions of fans all over the world. Think Beyonce, Ariana Grande and Drake are big? The superstars of J-Pop are just as revered in Japan and the biggest bands and stars are pop culture icons. They set the trends on everything, from music to fashion and makeup. And while it’s called ‘pop’ music, you can’t really put it into one musical box. Some bands do have that boppy pop sound, but you can hear everything from soulful ballads to metal to funky R&B. So how did it all begin?
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How did J-Pop start?
J-Pop is no passing trend. In fact, it can be traced all the way back to the popular jazz music of the early Shōwa period from 1926 to the end of World War II in 1945. The music style used instruments that were previously only used in military marches and classical music. The genre also introduced “OngakuKissa”, trendy cafés where people could enjoy live jazz music. After the war put a pause on jazz music, it returned in a big way and 1952 became renowned as the “Year of the Jazz Boom” in Japan.
Next up was the rock-n-roll mania in Japan which kicked off in 1956 and peaked in 1959, when a popular movie featured Japanese rock-n-roll bands. After that, several artists started to merge traditional Japanese pop music with rock-n-roll. Other artists were influenced by Western music covered popular American songs, which gave rise to “cover pop”. Throughout the 70s and 80s, Japanese pop music began to boom and by the 1990s, J-Pop was the word on everybody’s lips. Two decades later, and the love for J-Pop artists has continued to spread all over the world.
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Why J-Pop is unique to Japan… And not to be confused with K-Pop
You may have heard of K-Pop (Korean pop) but if you’re thinking the two genres are similar, think again! From the music to the style and marketing, K-Pop and J-Pop are completely different genres.
Sound
While K-Pop music is more mainstream and familiar to Western pop fans, J-Pop is more obscure, with unusual key changes and high-pitched vocals. However, it’s still considered mainstream music, and whatever you’re into, you’re sure to find a J-Pop band you love.
Image
A pop group’s image is just as important as their image, and J-Pop and K-Pop differ here too. In Japan, it’s all about being “kawaii” (cute) and whether you’re a sweet girl group like AKB48 or a metal band like Babymetal, cuteness is always key. Meanwhile, K-Pop stars are edgier and cooler, with a bigger emphasis on sex appeal.
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Marketing
Since Japan has a population of almost 130 million people – over twice the size of South Korea – they don’t need to market to outside audiences. That means most J-Pop artists don’t tour internationally or cater to fans in any languages other than Japanese. And although J-Pop is musically diverse, the genre isn’t really influenced by outside audiences or music scenes.
As a result, most J-Pop stars don’t garner the international hype of their K-Pop counterparts, who are more like the cool cousin of American pop. K-Pop markets to international audiences and is more accessible on streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music, while many K-Pop stars also collaborate with US artists to help bring K-Pop to the world.
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Guide to J-Pop artists
Ready to dive into the world of J-Pop? Don’t get overwhelmed by the countless artists and musical styles! To help you get started, here are some of the biggest stars in J-Pop, from the nineties ’till now.
Arashi
This wildly popular boy band formed in 1999 and their pop hits just haven’t stopped coming. They released a compilation album of their top hits in 2019 and it became the best-selling album in the world at the time. They even beat out Taylor Swift and K-Pop giant BTS! Although they did announce their retirement at the end of 2020, new fans still have two decades worth of music to dive into.
Ayumi Hamasaki
Ayumi Hamasaki burst onto the scene in 1998 and quickly attracted an adoring fan base with her self-written music and trendy style. 30 albums and a biopic TV drama later, and Ayumi has cemented herself as one of J-Pop’s biggest stars.
Hikaru Utada
After releasing her debut album ‘First Love’ in 1999, Hikaru Utada quickly became one of the biggest names in J-Pop. Her music is inspired by Western pop and R&B, and she still holds the record for the highest-selling album in Japan for First Love.
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Babymetal
Want to get into metal music? Babymetal may be the J-Pop band for you. They hit the scene in 2010, bringing a unique blend of kawaii style and metal music, and since then they’ve gained international superstardom.
GACKT
You might have already heard music by Gakuto Oshiro, known as GACKT. His music has been used for dozens of TV shows, video games and anime shows, and he’s been doing it since the early 1990s. While he’s known for his rock music, he can sing all different styles, so you’re sure to find some surprises.
Kyary Pamyu Pamyu
Kyary Pamyu Pamyu is the queen of kawaii, Harajuku style and is Japan’s undisputed pop princess right now. Her sound and image is cotton candy sweet and she’s toured all over the world for the last decade.
Official髭男dism (Official HIGE DANdism)
This pop band is one of the hottest J-Pop acts in Japan right now. Their 2019 single “Pretender” had racked up 300 million streams on Apple Music only one year after its release. Then, their 2019 debut studio album Traveler shot straight to number one on the Japan Albums Chart. Be sure to check them out.
Kenshi Yonezu
This incredible singer-songwriter debuted in 2009 under the stage name Hachi, before switching to his own name in 2012. He wrote the song “Lemon”, which is now the most-viewed Japanese music video on YouTube with over 610 million views. It’s even the theme song for the Japanese TV drama “Unnatural”.
Who are your favourite J-Pop artists? Let us know in the comments below!