Normally, when I push play on my iPod, the voices that begin to sing, wail their heavily layered ballads in English. Recently, I haven't been able to escape the melodic pulls of J-Pop artists. This genre is no new thing; a Japanese twist on the styles and culture of American pop music. It has launched many groups who's screaming fans mile into packed stadiums to dance to the lip synced, sometimes cartoonish, cries of their teen idols! My entrapment and obsession with this music, that is so foreign but yet close to home with me, annoys those around me sometimes. I'll agree that the song quality isn't often able to be described with the word "bearable", but I do have fun.
About a year or two ago, I became interested in Asian pop music. This came with the discovery of K-Pop, the South Korean answer to J-Pop. Although K-Pop artists gain more exposure in America, partially because of the worldwide success of Psy's big single "Gangnam Style" and also because of the more Americanization in K-Pop songs, they're able to have success. You may be wondering what it is that made me go from liking K-Pop to now only listening to J-Pop. To be totally honest, I've noticed a slight quality change in the overall sound of J-Pop; it's just so much better than K-pop. The Japanese language rolls off the tongue more easily and in more pleasing ways than Korean does. Thus, the pop and dance songs which are meant to be sang in the first place, can at least gain an attempt by their consumers at singing along. This is immensely important in pop music, no matter what language.
Here are the artists I just can get enough of in the J-Pop world. I'll also include some supa kawaii songs you should check out by them:
Kyary Pamyu Pamyu
- Pon Pon Pon
- Tsukema Tsukeru
- Ninjare bang bang
- Candy Candy
- Fashion Monster
Perfume
- Fake it
- Night Flight
- Polyrythm
- Love the world
Namie Amuro
- Body feels exit
- Chase the chance
- You're my sunshine
