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What is J-pop
J-pop(ジェイポップ) , standing for Japanese popular music、 is a form of popular music in Japan. Originally, the term J-pop was to categorize Western-style musicians in Japan. But in the 1990s the term started to cover other music genres, such as city pop, J-Euro, and J-punk. -
The Beginning: 1920s
Originally called ryukoka, the Taisho period is believed to be the starting point of Japanese popular music. Ryukoka was a music genre that focused around jazz and blues, influenced by Western music at the time. On top of the influenced genre, ryukoka incorporated instruments such as the harmonica, violin, and guitar, another Western influence. Even with such influence, melodies were usually written with the traditional Japanese pentatonic scale, and traditional Japanese instruments were used. -
The Start of a Modern Style: 1950s - 1990s
Starting in 1956 came Japanese rock and roll. A Japanese singer named Kazuya Kosaka had helped contribute to the start of the genre. Kosaka and the Wagon Masters, a country music group, had been inspired by the Elvis Presley song “Heartbreak Hotel” and created a rendition of the song. During this time performers were known to learn popular Western songs and translate them, the Japanese media had called this music “Rockabilly” -
The Start of a Modern Style: 1950s - 1990s PT2
During the 1970s came the emergence of electronic and rock music in Japan. At the time, rock music still wasn’t very mainstream at the time. Though it wasn’t until a band called Happy End had success with rock music by incorporating traditional Japanese music with it. From there was a lot more experimentation with music, that included electronic music and city pop. -
The Period of Change
A big part of Japanese culture is idol culture. Generally starting in the 1970s came idols, specifically female idols. Idols are people so sing, dance, and entertain people. At the time in the 1970s, there were popular female idols such as Saori Minami and Mari Amachi. Mari Amachi was actually one of the first people to be known as an “idol”. The Idol industry had continued to grow since the 70s and had actually peaked between 1997-1999. -
The Cultural Impact today
Today, J-pop is still very popular. Their idol industry is still very present, with groups such as AKB48, NiziU, and Momoiro Clover Z. It also shouldn’t be overlooked that J-pop is present in Anime. Anime is a medium that contains many different kinds of genres. Horror, slice of life, and mystery just to name a few. Anime also includes lots of music, J-pop specifically. -
The Conclusion
In conclusion, J-pop is a very popular cultural expression. Present in many other popular art forms. We can see how J-pop has been influenced by other countries, cultures, and social events. It’s clear that mass media is a big factor in J-pop and how popular it is today.