J-pop

J-pop is popular music in Japan. J-pop is a short name for Japanese pop, which means popular music or songs in Japan. Sometimes the word kayōkyoku (歌謡曲) is used for older Japanese popular music. The term ‘J-pop' was coined in the 1990s. From around the 1940s until recently, J-pop has been influenced (affected) by Western popular music and culture. The music has changed over time, and J-pop nowadays sounds different from older J-pop. This kind of music is common in Japan and it is often played by young and old music groups.

History

There are many songwriters and singer-songwriters who have been important in Japanese pop music. Such musicians include:

• Kyōhei Tsutsumi (筒美京平) - He was a well-known songwriter in Japan for a long period of time. He was a pianist and also known as Jack Diamond, born on May 28, 1940 in Tokyo. He made many hits such as "Blue Light Yokohama" (ブルー・ライト・ヨコハマ), "Mata Au Hi Made" (また逢う日まで), "Watashi no Kare wa Hidari-kiki" (わたしの彼は左きき), Sentimental (センチメンタル) and so on. He was awarded for his works with an official Medal of Honor (Purple Ribbon) from the Japanese government in 2003.

• Yumi Matsutoya - Yumi Matsutoya, also known as Yuming, Yumi Arai or Karuho Kureta, is considered by many the "mother" of modern-day J-pop. She has been one of the most successful Japanese singer-songwriters of the twentieth century in the world of pop music. Almost half of her albums reached number one on the Japanese Oricon charts, and all of her albums reached the top 10 since her first album, Hikōki-gumo in 1973. She has sold over 37,800,000 copies of albums and singles. "NO SIDE" was made from a rugby game "Ooita Maiduru vs Tennri high school".

Related pages

• List of J-pop artists