Previously my exposure to modern Japanese music was limited to Yoko Kanno, Hajime Mizoguchi and Shanti Snyder and that was mostly through anime. As a result when my Otaku tour guide asked me if I was into J-Pop, I replied no as I associated it with the high-pitched singing of adolescent girl groups (like AKB48). He pointed out at the time that modern J-Pop was essentially a Japanese version of Western R&B and Pop music. Unconvinced it wasn’t until my return home that I noticed that my Japanese SIM card had created internet bookmarks in my phone’s browser. It was mostly advertisements for Japanese stores and services. One of the adverts was for an old Namie Amuro song. Surprisingly it was pretty good and available in the US iTunes store so I downloaded it. Thus began my hunt for more Japanese music. This was aided by listening to J-Jams Radio which streams the latest Japanese Pop and R&B. This was like suddenly finding a treasure trove of artists I had never heard before.
Update: Unfortunately as of September 2017, J-Jams Radio is no more and it appears to be the last of the truly Japanese R&B channels. I have tried some alternatives such as AsiaDREAM and AsiaDREAM’s J Club channels however AsiaDREAM is more cutesy AKB48 stuff while J Club is heavily Japanese Hip Hop and Rap. I have started listening to Big B Radio which is a Korean POP channel so onward to new experiences.
Update 2: And just like that J-Jams Radio is back as of October 2017. Their website is still down but you can find them here – http://jjams.radio.net/ – or do a search for “J-Jams” on Shoutcast.
Update 3: And again sometime mid-April 2018 J-Jams has disappeared again. Back to Big B Radio and K-Pop. Time to write an article on K-Pop.
Update 4: Although J-Jams is most likely gone for good and I now lean more heavily into K-Pop via Pandora, Spotify has some Japanese R&B in some of their curated playlists. The J-Jams loss is unfortunate as some great new artists have arrived on the scene such as Ichi-Go and RiRi.
Nearly all of the J-Pop songs I have listened to have English phrases sung in them at some point whether in the title or part of the chorus. English is taught in junior high and highschool so most Japanese will have a basic understanding of English even if they can’t speak it fluently. J-Pop is heavily influenced by western music so it is seen as cool to include English in songs.
One problem with liking some of the songs was finding them online. Some of the more popular artists that have been around awhile will have their music available in the US iTunes store. Some songs were even difficult to find on YouTube or non-Japanese websites. While most of the songs are available in the Japanese iTunes store, accessing them requires either a Japanese credit card or Japanese iTunes gift card. This is where Japan Code Supply comes in. This is a little store in Akihabara, Tokyo where the staff go out and buy a bunch of iTunes gift cards locally, photograph the codes on the back of the cards and allow you to buy these cards on their website. They have easy payment via PayPal or credit card and after an initial validation via SMS, email a photo of your iTunes card to you. After the first purchase, you can receive the card almost immediately after payment.
Below I have included a sample of some of the songs currently in rotation in my J-Pop playlist.
HEAT_CZR
アリス (Want you more) feat. HI-D
This song is currently at the top of my list of favorite J-Pop songs. It comes from a compilation album Special Calling just released in December 2015 by producer/songwriter HI-D who raps near the end. The title of the song is written in Katakana and translates to Arisu or Alice in English in reference to Alice in Wonderland. HEAT_CZR’s songs tend to be eclectic at best but the song HI-D wrote for her on this album really shows off her vocals backed up by some sick beats. Since it is so new it can only be found in the Japanese iTunes store or on Japanese Amazon. You can listen to a sample on Japanese Amazon (with a helpful translation from Google Translate).
@djtomoko n Ucca-Laugh
Kiss Me
Love My Darling
Loving Proof
Another top favorite for me is the duo made up of @djtomoko – the beatmaker and singer Ucca-Laugh. Their music is a mix of laid back R&B and upbeat pop. Kiss Me and Love My Darling are from their latest album Turtle Steps released in June 2015. You can check out their other albums on their YouTube channel.
CREAM
54321
A more recent find is the duo made up of rapper/beatmaker Staxx T and singer/songwriter Minami. CREAM (a combination of CREAtive tEAM) orginally worked behind the scenes producing or writing songs for other Japanese artists. They came together on the YouTube channel CREAM VISION showcasing many covers of popular songs before being signed by a label as their own group. They describe their sound as “New J-Pop” – a combination of J-Pop, EDM and Hip Hop. Their latest album Change goes on sale February 2016.
EMI MARIA
In This City Fulfilled
I Love You
Mr.ALIEN
Merry Go Round
EMI MARIA is a Japanese Papua New Guinean R&B artist. After a number of collaborations she has released a handful of albums in the last few years. She employs a very consistent smooth R&B style in her songs.
AISHA
Ai Ni Ikuyo
Addicted…
AISHA (pronounced eye-sha) is another relatively young R&B artist. Her songs match her powerful vocals with strong R&B beats and a hint of Caribbean flavor. Her father is an American professional trombonist who toured with Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson while her mother was a singer in Japan. Ai Ni Ikuyo (roughly translates to “Go to Love”) and Addicted… are from her latest album Pink Diamond released in November 2015. Pink Diamond also includes the soca backed Make Love for a little something different (listen on Amazon). You can hear some of her excellent covers/mashups on her SoundCloud channel.
KYOtaro
Tower feat. Erie
Supasta
KYOtaro is a young up-and-coming R&B and soul artist. His smooth sound is enhanced with his duet with jazzy singer Erie in the song Tower.
Mirei Toyama
I Wanna NO (Tachytelic Bass Remix)
I Wanna No feat. SHUN
Hysteric Girl (T.O.M. Remix)
Mirei is a phenom singer/dancer who was the only Asian member and featured soloist for Vy Higginsen and Cissy Houston’s “Gospel for Teens” choir. She went on to perform at the Apollo Theater at age thirteen and the BET Experience two years later. Now signed to a label and with a few albums under her belt definitely someone to look out for.
Yumi Shizukusa
I Don’t Love You
Still Love you
All My Life
Yumi’s songs have a smooth jazzy sound. I Don’t Love You is currently one of my favorites. Still Love You and All My Life are from her latest album Blue released in July 2015.
KIRA
Nadeshiko (Soul Remix) feat. Minmi
While this is not her normal style KIRA teams up with Japanese Soca Queen Minmi for this reggae backed pumping tune Nadeshiko (Japanese for Pink).
AZU
Suga Suga Co. TAKANORI from LL BROTHERS
I Love You Too feat. MIKU a.k.a tomboy
A veteran of the J-Pop scene, AZU has been performing since she was sixteen before being discovered by Hip Hop artist SEAMO in 2005.
Namie Amuro
Baby Don’t Cry
Namie Amuro is a veteran of the J-Pop scene, one of the original Ganguro girls and at her height referred to as the “Queen of J-Pop”. She has been active in the music industry since 1992 selling over 35 million albums.
EXILE ATSUSHI
Be Brave feat. AI
Upside Down
EXILE ATSUSHI is the lead singer of the Japanese boy band EXILE (formerly called J Soul Brothers). He collaborates with the powerful vocals of Ai in the inspirational song Be Brave.
ikki Hatanaka
Baby, Baby, Honey
ikki Hatanaka is an up-and-coming R&B artist. Baby, Baby, Honey is a song from the April 2015 release of his debut album Almighty.
SOULHEAD
I’m in love
SOULHEAD is an R&B group consisting of sisters Yoshika and Tsugumi.
MARIN
One More Dream
One More Dream is a song from MARIN’s 2013 album Unchained.
Kana Nishino
Love Is all We Need
Love Is All We Need (Mr.Fuji Edit)
Kana Nishino is a J-Pop singer who gained popularity through her song Style being featured as the ending song on the anime series SOUL EATER. The heavily brass backed Love Is All We Need is from her 2014 album with Love. Remixer Natsu Fuji (Mr.Fuji) slows down the song and adds in a heavier bass line for a solid remix.
Jenny Branch
Chopsticks!! feat. MIKU a.k.a tomboy
Jenny Branch is a Japanese artist who grew up in California and Canada before moving back to Tokyo at nineteen. Chopsticks!! is a whimsical J-Pop tune featuring female rapper MIKU a.k.a. tomboy.
jyA-Me
Crazy About You
jyA-Me (pronounced like Yummy) is a J-Pop artist with a decided urban EDM style to many of her songs.
DEEP
Superstar
DEEP is a four member boy band formerly called COLOR. DEEP like many of the J-Pop boy bands seem to follow the Boyz II Men template. You can hear a sample on Japanese Amazon.
