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Jul 8, 2021 · J-pop, or Japanese pop, is an eclectic genre of music from Japan that dates back to the 1950s.
- What Is J-Pop?
- The Earliest Days: Jazz and Ryuukouka
- True Origins: Kayoukyoku
- Developing A Voice: New Music and City Pop
- The Golden Era: Rise of The Female Idol
- An Economic Power: Being and Tetsuya Komuro
- Return of The Idols: Women vs. Johnny's
- The Urbanization of J-Pop: Hip-Hop and R&B
J-pop, as Japanese pop music is affectionately called both in and outside of Japan, is the mainstream form of music in Japan and has a large cult following all over the world. While J-pop gained its name and status as recently as the 1990s, it gained its first footholds in the 1960s and can even be traced back to the pre-war era in Japanese history...
Modern Japanese popular music can be traced as far back as the Taisho Period (1912–26), when Western instruments such as strings and harmonica became popular to use in musical performances. During this time Western jazz and blues also saw a rise in popularity throughout Japan, and modern composers began to infuse Western jazz elements into their wo...
Although once used interchangeably with ryuukouka, kayoukyoku (lit. "Lyrical singing music") officially refers to the fusion of Japanese compositions with Western elements, and is what's considered the true origin of modern J-pop. During the 60s kayoukyoku ruled alongside the more traditional style of enka, with artists embracing the "rockabilly" (...
Although "folk" music saw underground popularity during the '60s, most of the songs were either covers of Western hits or held simple universal messages. Beginning in the early '70s, however, trends turned towards personalizing and complicating folk music and the dominating era of the singer-songwriter was born. Singer-songwriter Yosui Inoue set an...
Women saw a surge in popularity beginning in the '70s with the likes of Momoe Yamaguchi and the colorful duo Pink Lady. During this time a shift occurred in kayoukyoku, with Yamaguchi becoming one of the first artists to ever use a special type of pronunciation that was akin to English in her songs. While still considered a kayoukyoku artist, this ...
The 1990s marked a huge turning point in Japanese popular music. Not only did the term "J-pop" come into play, but J-pop in general became an economic superpower as Japan moved up to claim the honor of having the second-largest music industry in the world (second only to the USA). This was accomplished with clever marketing techniques, most notably...
The success of Komuro's female solo artists paved the way for an idol "resurgence" in the late '90s, although not every successful female solo artist during this time period is considered an "idol". Perhaps the most notable of which is singer-songwriter Hikaru Utada (daughter of enka legend Keiko Fujii), whose American-raised sensibilities lead her...
Artists such as Zeebra and DOUBLE had been performing Japanese flavored hip-hop since the 90s, but it wasn't until the 21st century that the sound really took off as a legitimate sub-genre of J-pop. Utada's perchance for American-based R&B in her earlier music seems to have played a big part in popularizing R&B in Japan, although many other artists...
J-pop, an abbreviation for Japanese pop is a loosely defined musical genre that entered the musical mainstream of Japan in the 1990s. J-pop has its roots in 1960s pop and rock music, such as the Beatles, which 70s rock bands fused rock with Japanese music. [21]
Discover the fascinating history and cultural significance of Japanese J-Pop through the lens of three iconic artists: Hikaru Utada, Namie Amuro, and Arashi.
Dec 28, 2023 · The global phenomenon of Japanese popular music, shortened to J-pop, has been enjoyed by fans across the world for decades. J-pop experienced a massive surge in popularity during the 2010s, which led to the genre becoming increasingly diverse.
J-pop ( Japanese: ジェーポップ, Hepburn: jēpoppu; often stylized in all caps; an abbreviated form of " Japanese popular music "), natively also known simply as pops (ポップス, poppusu), is the name for a form of popular music that entered the musical mainstream of Japan in the 1990s. Modern J-pop has its roots in traditional music of ...
Feb 28, 2022 · Let’s learn about the history of Japanese pop music in depth. The Initial Days: Jazz & Ryuukouka (1920s-50s) Modern Japanese pop music existed for a long period from 1912 to 1926 when Western music instruments such as harmonica and strings were popular for musical performances.
