Popular music Music of Japan

1 popular music

1.1 j-pop

1.1.1 idol music
1.1.2 dance , disco music


1.2 rock

1.2.1 punk rock / alternative


1.3 heavy metal

1.3.1 extreme metal


1.4 hip hop
1.5 electropop , club music
1.6 roots music
1.7 latin, reggae , ska music
1.8 noise music
1.9 theme music
1.10 game music

popular music
j-pop

j-pop, abbreviation japanese pop, loosely defined musical genre entered musical mainstream of japan in 1990s. modern j-pop has roots in 1960s pop , rock music, such beatles, led bands such happy end fusing rock japanese music. j-pop further defined japanese new wave bands such yellow magic orchestra , southern stars in late 1970s. eventually, j-pop replaced kayōkyoku ( lyric singing music , term japanese pop music 1920s 1980s) in japanese music scene. term coined japanese media distinguish japanese music foreign music.

idol music

momoiro clover z, ranked number 1 among female idol groups according 2013–2016 surveys in japan.

japanese idol musical artists significant part of music market, girl groups , boy bands regularly topping singles chart. these include boy band arashi, had best-selling singles of 2008 , 2009, , girl group akb48, have had best-selling singles each year since 2010.

since end of 2010s, more , more idol groups have emerged. high number of idol groups in japanese entertainment industry called idol sengoku jidai (アイドル戦国時代; lit. idol war age).

in 2014, 486,000 people attended momoiro clover z s live concerts, highest record female musicians in japan. momoiro clover z has been ranked popular female idol group 2013 2016.

smap japanese boy band, recognized. group created in 1988.

dance , disco music

in 1984, american musician michael jackson s album thriller became first album western artist sell on 1 million copies in japanese oricon charts history. style cited 1 of models japanese dance music, leading popularity of avex group , johnny & associates.

in 1990, avex trax began release super eurobeat series in japan. eurobeat in japan led popularity of group dance form para para. while avex s artists such every little thing , ayumi hamasaki became popular in 1990s, new names in late 1990s included hikaru utada , morning musume. hikaru utada s debut album, first love, went on highest-selling album in japan on 7 million copies sold, whereas ayumi hamasaki became japan s top selling female , solo artist, , morning musume remains 1 of well-known girl groups in japanese pop music industry.

rock

in 1960s, many japanese rock bands influenced western rock musicians such beatles, bob dylan, , rolling stones, along other appalachian folk music, psychedelic rock, mod , similar genres: phenomenon called group sounds (g.s.). john lennon of beatles later became 1 of popular western musicians in japan. group sounds genre of japanese rock music popular in mid late 1960s. after boom of group sounds, there several influential singer-songwriters. nobuyasu okabayashi first became recognized. wataru takada, inspired woody guthrie, became popular.. both influenced american folk music wrote japanese lyrics. takada used modern japanese poetry lyrics, while kazuki tomokawa made album using chuya nakahara s poems. tomobe masato, inspired bob dylan, wrote critically acclaimed lyrics. tigers popular group sounds band in era. later, of members of tigers, tempters , spiders formed first japanese supergroup pyg.

homegrown japanese folk rock had developed late 1960s. artists happy end considered have virtually developed genre. during 1970s, grew more popular. okinawan band champloose, along carol (led eikichi yazawa), rc succession , shinji harada famous , helped define genre s sound. beginning in late sixties, active in seventies, musicians mixing rock music american-style folk , pop elements, labelled folk japanese because of regular use of acoustic guitar. includes bands off course, tulip, alice (led shinji tanimura), kaguyahime, banban, garo , gedō. solo artists of same movement include yosui inoue, yuming, , iruka. later groups, kai band (led yoshihiro kai) , southern stars, attached same movement.

yellow magic orchestra in 2008

several japanese musicians began experimenting electronic rock in 1970s. notable internationally renowned isao tomita, 1972 album electric samurai: switched on rock featured electronic synthesizer renditions of contemporary rock , pop songs. other examples of electronic rock records include inoue yousui s folk rock , pop rock album ice world (1973) , osamu kitajima s progressive psychedelic rock album benzaiten (1974), both of involved contributions haruomi hosono, later started electronic music group yellow magic band (later known yellow magic orchestra) in 1977. influentially, 1970s spawned electronic music band yellow magic orchestra, led haruomi hosono.

in 1980s, boøwy inspired alternative rock bands shonen knife, pillows, , tama & little creatures more experimental bands such boredoms , mainstream bands such glay. in 1980, huruoma , ry cooder, american musician, collaborated on rock album shoukichi kina, driving force behind aforementioned okinawan band champloose. followed sandii & sunsetz, further mixed japanese , okinawan influences. during 1980s, japanese metal , rock bands gave birth movement known visual kei, represented during history bands x japan, buck-tick, luna sea, malice mizer , many others, of experienced national, , international success in latest years.

in 1990s, japanese rock musicians such b z, mr. children, glay, southern stars, l arc-en-ciel, tube, spitz, wands, t-bolan, judy , mary, asian kung–fu generation, field of view, deen, ulfuls, lindberg, sharam q, yellow monkey, brilliant green , dragon ash achieved great commercial success. b z #1 best selling act in japanese music since oricon started count., followed mr. children. in 1990s, pop songs used in films, anime, television advertisement , dramatic programming, becoming of best-selling forms of music in japan. rise of disposable pop has been linked popularity of karaoke, leading criticism consumerist: kazufumi miyazawa of boom said hate buy, listen, , throw away , sing @ karaoke bar mentality. of visual kei bands, luna sea, members toned down on-stage attire on-going success, successful, while malice mizer, la cryma christi, shazna, janne da arc, , fanatic crisis achieved commercial success in late 1990s.

green stage of fuji rock festival

the first fuji rock festival opened in 1997. rising sun rock festival opened in 1999. summer sonic festival , rock in japan festival opened in 2000. though rock scene in 2000s not strong, newer bands such bump of chicken, supercar, 1 ok rock, sambomaster, flow, orange range, remioromen, uverworld, radwimps , aqua timez, considered rock bands, have achieved success. orange range adopts hip hop. established bands b z, mr. children, glay, , l arc-en-ciel continue top charts, though b z , mr. children bands maintain high standards of sales along years.

japanese rock has vibrant underground rock scene, best known internationally noise rock bands such boredoms , melt banana, stoner rock bands such boris, psychedelic rock bands such acid mothers temple, , alternative acts such shonen knife (who championed in west kurt cobain), pizzicato 5 , pillows (who gained international attention in 1999 flcl soundtrack). more conventional indie rock artists such eastern youth, band apart , number girl have found success in japan, little recognition outside of home country. other notable international touring indie rock acts mono , nisennenmondai.

punk rock / alternative

early examples of punk rock in japan include ss, star club, stalin, inu, gaseneta, bomb factory, lizard (who produced stranglers) , friction (whose guitarist reck had played teenage jesus , jerks before returning tokyo) , blue hearts. punk scene immortalized on film sogo ishii, directed 1982 film burst city featuring cast of punk bands/musicians , filmed videos stalin. in 1980s, hardcore bands such gism, gauze, confuse, lip cream , systematic death began appearing, incorporating crossover elements. independent scene included diverse number of alternative/post-punk/new wave artists such aburadako, p-model, uchoten, auto-mod, buck-tick, guernica , yapoos (both of featured jun togawa), g-schmitt, totsuzen danball , jagatara, along noise/industrial bands such hijokaidan , hanatarashi.

ska-punk bands of late nineties extending in years 2000 include shakalabbits , 175r (pronounced inago rider ).

heavy metal

japan known being successful area metal bands touring around world , many live albums recorded in japan. notable examples judas priest s unleashed in east, iron maiden s maiden japan, deep purple s made in japan, michael schenker group s 1 night @ budokan , dream theater s live @ budokan.

japanese heavy metal bands started emerging in late 1970s, pioneered bands bow wow, formed in 1975 guitarist kyoji yamamoto, , loudness, formed in 1981 guitarist akira takasaki. although there existed other contemporary bands, earthshaker, anthem , 44 magnum, debut albums released around mid eighties when metal bands started getting major exposure. first oversease live performances bow wow in 1978 in hong kong , @ montreux jazz festival in switzerland, played @ reading festival in england in 1982. in 1983, loudness toured united states , europe, , started focusing more on international career. in 1985, first japanese metal act signed major label in united states. albums thunder in east , lightning strikes, released in 1985 , 1986, peaked @ number 74 (while number 4 in homeland oricon chart), , number 64 in billboard 200 charts respectively. till end of eighties 2 other bands, ezo , dead end, got albums released in united states. in eighties few bands had female members, all-female band show-ya fronted keiko terada, , terra rosa kazue akao on vocals. in september 1989, show-ya s album outerlimits released, reached number 3 in oricon album chart. heavy metal bands reached peak in late 1980s , many disbanded until mid-1990s.

concert of pioneer of visual kei, x japan @ hong kong in 2009 after 2007 reunion.

in 1982, of first japanese glam metal bands formed, seikima-ii kabuki-inspired makeup, , x japan pioneered japanese movement known visual kei, , became best-selling metal band. in 1985, seikima-ii s album seikima-ii - akuma ga kitarite heavy metal released , although reached number 48 on oricon album chart, exceeded 100,000 in sales, first time japanese metal band. albums charted regularly in top ten until mid 1990s. in april 1989, x japan s second album blue blood released , went number 6, , after 108 weeks on charts sold 712,000 copies. third , best-selling album jelaousy released in july 1991; topped charts , sold 1.11 million copies. there released more 2 number 1 studio albums, art of life , dahlia, singles compilation x singles, selling more half million, , since formation had thirteenth top 5 singles, disbanding in 1997.

japanese metal came global attention in 2014 international success of kawaii metal band babymetal. brought through viral youtube hits gimme chocolate!! successful international live shows including uk s sonisphere festival 2014 , canada s heavy montrÉal alongside likes of metallica , slayer. babymetal opening act 5 of lady gaga s concerts in artrave: artpop ball 2014 tour. babymetal won numerous awards including kerrang! s spirit of independence award , metal hammer s breakthrough band award. in 2016 due begin world tour @ london s wembley arena before concluding in japan band s debut performance in tokyo dome.

extreme metal

japanese extreme metal bands formed in wake of american , european wave, didn t bigger exposure until 1990s, , overseas genre treated underground form of music in japan. first thrash metal bands formed in 1980s, united, music incorporates death metal elements, , outrage. united s first international performance took place in los angeles @ metal festival foundations forum in september 1995 , had few albums released in north america. formed in mid 1980s, doom played gig in united states in october 1988 @ cbgb, , active until 2000 when disbanded.

the first bands play black metal music sabbat, still active, , bellzlleb, active until 1990s. notable act sigh.

doom metal has gained audience in japan. 2 best-known japanese doom metal acts church of misery , boris, both of whom have gained considerable popularity outside country.

hip hop

hip-hop newer form of music on japanese music scene. many felt trend pass. however, genre has lasted many years , still thriving. in fact, rappers in japan did not achieve success of hip-hop artists in other countries until late 1980s. due music world s belief japanese sentences not capable of forming rhyming effect contained in american rappers songs. there certain, well-defined structure music industry called pyramid structure of music scene . ian condry notes, viewing music scene in terms of pyramid provides more nuanced understanding of how interpret significance of different levels , kinds of success. levels follows (from lowest highest): fans , potential artists, performing artists, recording artists (indies), major label artists, , mega-hit stars. these different levels can seen @ genba, or nightclub. different families of rappers perform on stage. family collection of rap groups headed 1 of more famous tokyo acts, include number of proteges. important because key understanding stylistic differences between groups. hip-hop fans in audience ones in control of night club. judges determine winners in rap battles on stage. example of can seen battle between rap artists dabo (a major label artist) , kan (an indie artist). kan challenged dabo battle on stage while dabo mid-performance. important part of night clubs displayed @ time. showed openness of scene , fluidity of boundaries in clubs.

electropop , club music

electronic pop music in japan became successful commodity technopop craze of late 1970s , 1980s., beginning yellow magic orchestra , solo albums of ryuichi sakamoto , haruomi hosono in 1978 before hitting popularity in 1979 , 1980. influenced disco, impressionistic , 20th century classical composition, jazz/fusion pop, new wave , technopop artists such kraftwerk , telex, these artists commercial yet uncompromising. ryuichi sakamoto claims me, making pop music not compromise because enjoy doing . artists fall under banner of technopop in japan loose in west, new wave bands such p-model , plastics fall under category alongside symphonic techno arrangements of yellow magic orchestra. popularity of music meant many popular artists of 1970s known acoustic music turned techno production, such taeko onuki , akiko yano, , idol producers began employing electronic arrangements new singers in 1980s. in 1990s, denki groove , capsule formed , have been mainstays of japanese electronica scene. today, newer artists such polysics pay explicit homage era of japanese popular (and in cases underground or difficult obtain) music. capsule s yasutaka nakata has been involved behind scenes of popular electropop acts perfume , kyary pamyu pamyu, both of have had success domestically , internationally; kyary in particular has been dubbed kawaii harajuku ambassador visibility internationally.

roots music

in late 1980s, roots bands shang shang typhoon , boom became popular. okinawan roots bands nenes , kina commercially , critically successful. led second wave of okinawan music, led sudden success of rinken band. new wave of bands followed, including comebacks of champluse , kina, led kikusuimaru kawachiya; similar kawachi ondo tadamaru sakuragawa s goshu ondo.

latin, reggae , ska music

other forms of music indonesia, jamaica , elsewhere assimilated. african soukous , latin music, orquesta de la luz (オルケスタ・デ・ラ・ルス), popular jamaican reggae , ska, exemplified mice teeth, mute beat, la-ppisch, home grown , ska flames, determinations, , tokyo ska paradise orchestra.

noise music

another recognized music form japan noise music. noise country called japanoise. prominent representative masami akita project merzbow.

theme music

theme music composed films, anime (anison (アニソン)), tokusatsu, , japanese television dramas considered separate music genre. while musicians , bands genres of japanese popular music have recorded songs , scores japanese television , film, there several prominent musical artists , groups have spent of musical careers performing theme songs , composing soundtracks visual media. such artists include masato shimon (current holder of world record successful single in japan oyoge! taiyaki-kun ), ichirou mizuki, of members of jam project, akira kushida, isao sasaki, , mitsuko horie. notable composers of japanese theme music include joe hisaishi, michiru oshima, yoko kanno, toshihiko sahashi, yuki kajiura, kōtarō nakagawa, , yuki hayashi.

game music

when first electronic games sold, had rudimentary sound chips produce music. technology advanced, quality of sound , music these game machines produce increased dramatically. first game take credit music xevious, noteworthy (at time) constructed stories. though many games have had beautiful music accompany gameplay, 1 of important games in history of video game music dragon quest. koichi sugiyama, composer known music various anime , tv shows, including cyborg 009 , feature film of godzilla vs. biollante, got involved in project out of pure curiosity , proved games can have serious soundtracks. until involvement, music , sounds neglected in development of video games , programmers little musical knowledge forced write soundtracks well. undaunted technological limits, sugiyama worked 8 part polyphony create soundtrack not tire player despite hours , hours of gameplay.

another well-known author of video game music nobuo uematsu. uematsu s earlier compositions game series, final fantasy, on famicom (nintendo entertainment system in america), being arranged full orchestral score. in 2003, took rock-based tunes original midi format , created black mages.

yasunori mitsuda composer of music such games xenogears, xenosaga episode i, chrono cross, , chrono trigger.

koji kondo, sound manager nintendo, prominent on japanese game music scene. best known zelda , mario themes.

jun senoue known composing music sonic hedgehog. main guitarist of crush 40, known creating theme songs sonic adventure, sonic adventure 2, sonic heroes, shadow hedgehog, , sonic , black knight, providing music other sonic games.

motoi sakuraba well-known video game composer. known composing tales of series, dark souls, eternal sonata, star ocean, valkyrie profile, golden sun, , baten kaitos games, numerous mario sports games.

yuzo koshiro noted work games, having composed electronic music-influenced soundtracks games revenge of shinobi , streets of rage series.

the techno/trance music production group ve sound has made name first making themes eroge computer games, , breaking anime scene composing themes them. unlike others, group able find fans in other parts of world through eroge , anime themes.

today, game soundtracks sold on cd, on digitally on websites such itunes. famous singers hikaru utada, nana mizuki , boa sing songs games well, , seen way singers make names themselves.