Music connects: J-pop


We like to joke about Polish disco polo music, considering it as the most kitschy and rural music style. But what's about Japanese music? 

We've thought that there must be something at least as funny and danceable as our national disco polo. Something which everyone listens to but nobody likes to admit it. Something really special for its country and its people. We asked our Japanese friends and got to know about J-pop, which connects many different kinds of music styles and creates an explosive mixture of modern Japanese culture. 

J-pop music is an integral part of Japanese culture. The term was invented to by the Japanese media to distinguish J-pop from foreign kinds of music. It is listened by everyone and it is used almost everywhere: in ads, shops, TV programmes, computer games and in anime (which is Japanese kind of 2D animations and it is similar to cartoons). Due to the fact that there is very fast rotation of songs on the hit lists, it is very hard for musicians to shine on a stage for longer period of time. Popularity of this type of music in Japan is similar to Polish hype on American or British songs. The origin of modern J-pop is said to be Japanese-language rock music inspired by for example The Beatles songs. J-pop uses a special kind of pronunciation, which is similar to English and it makes it somehow more understandable for non-Japanese listeners even if they do not know any words in Japanese.

There are some subcultures based on j-pop music for example Harajuku. The “kind” of J-pop that Harajuku artists creates is known for their childish manners, weird dance moves and pastel colors. The most popular Harajuku singer is Kyary Pamyu Pamyu – Japanese fashon model. She made her musical debiut in 2011 and gained international popularity with her debut single “PONPONPON”, known by some Western celebrities such as Ariana Grande and Katy Perry.


The age of Japanese j-pop artists is very balanced. Most of the young people listen to young artists songs, and older people like artists of their age. 


These singers are the most popular: 


1. Yonezu Kenshi(米津玄師)



Yonezu Kenshi is really popular among young people. He is 27 years old and his song called “Lemon” is ranked first on Karaoke ranking.
The lyrics are basically about the feeling for someone who does not exist any longer. Lemon is used as a metaphor in it. “I can’t get the bitter smell of lemon out of my heart". This song has been popular cause it was easy for everyone to sympathize with. 

You can listen to this song here→ https://youtu.be/SX_ViT4Ra7k

2. Yabai T-shirt Yasan. 



They are the young music group, and their songs are high ranked on karaoke too. 

The most popular song is あつまれ！パーティーピーポー(literally means “Let’s get together, party people”). The song is about party animals. 

You can listen to this song here→https://youtu.be/J5oytYDMWHA


From the older ones there is: 

1. Mr. Children 



They are one of the best selling artists of Japan and one of the most successful Japanese rock artists. They have sold over 50 milion records. Their popular song is Namonaki Uta. 


You can listen to their song here→https://youtu.be/2MNL2mU8pBE


We can always see these artists on ranking as well: 


It's nothing suprising that Japanese teenagers pour in their concerts. This music is really catchy and everyone will find something for himself, from rock to pop. Moreover, you can have a lot of fun to listening them with your friends. It's not like disco polo and it would be tremendously difficult to compare these two. So what we can say to conclude? Probably j-pop as well as disco polo would work out perfectly on dance parties, but which of them is cooler? You just have to check it out.


Ksenia, Gosia and Magda

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