J-Pop is high-voltage and incredibly diverse Japanese pop music
Although overshadowed by the rise of K-pop in recent years, this formidable genre of music is the commercial engine of the Japanese music industry
If you haven’t heard this unique Japanese contemporary music, grab your Air Pods and Spotify account to check out 10 of J-Pop’s biggest artists, outlined below
If you want to immerse yourself in the cultural force that is J-Pop, the ten artists are some of the best sellers in the music genre
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Hikaru Utada (@kuma_power)
NameHikaru UtadaDate of Birth (Age)1/19/83 (40)NationalityJapanese-AmericanLabel(s)/ManagementEMI Music JapanMercuryVirginEpicIslandNo albums11 studio albums3 compilation albums11 video albumsAlbum sales 50 millionWebsitewwwutadahikarujp/en/news/Social mediawwwinstagramcom/kuma_power/
Hikaru Utada, who usually goes by the name Utada, is one of the biggest artists in J-Pop
Japanese-American by birth and born in the US in the 1980s, Utada has become one of Japan’s most influential artists
Utada has over 24 albums to his credit and is known for Japanese hits like,
His 1999 debut album First Love, which was released when he was just 15 years old, is the best-selling album of all time in Japan
View this post on Instagram A post shared by ayumi hamasaki (@ayou)
NameAyumi Hamasaki Date of Birth (Age) 2/10/78 (44)NationalityJapaneseLabel(s)/AdministrationNippon ColumbiaAvex TraxNo albums18 studio albums5 compilation albums26 remix albums4 live albumsAlbum sales 60 millionSite weavexjp/ayu/Social mediawwwinstagramcom/ayou/?hl=en
Ayumi Hamasaki is a J-Pop powerhouse who is still riding high after three decades in the game!
Raised by a single mother in Fukuoka under humble circumstances, Hamasaki became an artist who generated up to 40% of her record label’s gross revenue
Ayumi’s influence goes beyond music
The ‘Empress of J-Pop’ has influenced fashion trends and popular culture in Asia and continues to dominate the industry
Ayumi Hamasaki Net Worth
Some of her biggest hits include:
Hamasaki’s achievements in J-Pop include having 10 albums to the top of the Oricon Albums Chart in Japan and having at least 2 singles to the top of the charts every year since 2010
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Chris Hart – クリス・ハート (@chrishart_official)
NameChris HartDate of Birth (Age)8/25/84 (38)NationalityJapanese (pre-US)Label(s)/AdministrationUniversal SigmaNo albums8 studio albumsAlbum sales 1 million+Websiteumjlnkto/ChrisHartSocial mediawwwfacebookcom/heartsongjapan/
Chris Hart is an American who was born and raised in Palo Alto, California
After learning about the Japanese people, language, and culture, he decided that he wanted to live in Japan
He majored in music and Japanese and immigrated, becoming a Japanese citizen in 2017
While starting out in Japan, Hart continued his musical career by contributing vocals to J-Rock bands and writing lyrics in Japanese
In 2012, Hart caught the attention of record producers and was signed
His best known and debut single ‘I LOVE YOU’ ranked at number 7 on the weekly charts in 2014
His best-selling album HEART SONG sold more than 250,000 copies
Best Japanese Albums
11 Incredible Japanese Music Artists
View this post on Instagram A post shared by AKB48 (@akb48)
NameAKB48No of members 72 active members, 10 members in training, 4 graduated membersNationalityJapanese Record label/managementDefstarYouUniversal Music JapanBe Cool!/KingGold Avex Stone MusicGenie MusicGalaxyNo albums9 studio albums32 stage albumsAlbum sales 6 millionWebsitehttps://wwwakb48cojp/Social mediawwwinstagramcom/akb48/
AKB48 is Japan’s biggest J-Pop group in more ways than one
This live performance girl band, named after the Akihabara area of Tokyo where they perform, consists of over seventy members who perform and record live
The lineup of this J-Pop girl group rotates constantly with new women auditioning and training to join, and older women “graduating” out of the band
Notable members of AKB48 include Sakura Miyawaki, Yūko Ōshima, and Mayu Watanabe
With prolific performance comes prolific sales, and the group has sold more than 60 million copies of their 41 albums
Hits include:
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Gén Hoshino 星野源 (@iamgenhoshino)
NameGen HoshinoDate of Birth (Age)1/28/81 (42)NationalityJapanese Label(s)/ManagementSpeedstar Records Daisyworld DiscsNo albums5 studio albums5 video albumsAlbum sales 850,000Websitewwwhoshinogencom/en/Social Mediawwwinstagramcom/iamgenhoshino/
Gen Hoshino is a male J-Pop singer-songwriter who began his career as a lead guitarist and marimba player in the J-Rock band Sakerock, where he played marimba and guitar
He then pursued a solo career and has released ten albums so far
Gen Hoshino’s successful albums include:
View this post on Instagram A post shared by 三代目 J SOUL BROTHERS 公式アカウント (@jsb3_7official)
NameSandaime J Soul BrothersNo of members Seven members:NaotoRyuji ImaichiHiroomi TosakaKenjiro YamashidaTakanori IwataNaoki KobayashiELLYNationalityJapaneseTag(s)/managementRhythm ZoneLDHNo albums8 studio albums2 compilation albumsAlbum sales 1115 millionWebsitejsoulbjp/Social mediawwwinstagramcom/jsb3_7official/
Sandaime J Soul Brothers is one of the biggest J-Pop boy bands in Japan
The group’s commercial success was sealed in 2014 with the release of the award-winning single RYUSEI The subsequent studio album Planet Seven sold over 871,000 copies in Japan
The group is in its mid-thirties and starting families, but shows no signs of slowing down
Their latest album Best Brothers was released in 2021
NameAimer Date of Birth (Age)7/9/90 (32)NationalityJapanese Label(s)/managementSACRA MUSICNo albums8 studio albums3 compilation albums3 mini-albumsAlbum sales 300,000Websitewwwaimer-webjp/Social mediatwittercom/Aimer_and_staff
Aimer is a J-Pop artist who is well known for providing voices for popular anime shows
Although he rarely shows his face or performs live, he has had six best-selling studio albums with over 300,000 album sales to date
Aimer was raised in a musical family and plays piano and guitar
Amer’s greatest hits include:
penny rain
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Fujii Kaze 藤井風 (@fujiikaze)
Name Fujii Kaze Date of Birth (Age) 14/6/97 (25) Nationality Japanese Label(s)/Management Universal Sigma HEHN Records No albums2 studio albums2 cover albums5 EPsAlbum sales 765 millionWebsiteFujii-kazelnkto/graceSocial mediawwwinstagramcom/fujiikaze/
Japanese singer-songwriter Fujii Kaze is a rising J-Pop star who has been playing music since he was 12 years old
Fuljii was discovered on YouTube, where covers of his western hits earned his channel more than 30 million views
Help Ever Hurt Never, their first album was released in 2020 and reached number one on the Billboard Japan Hot Albums chart
Since then, he has released another three albums and is believed to have sold over 7 million to date
Many of the themes in his music and videos have covered religious concepts such as grace, which some J-Pop fans have found unusual
Fujii Kaze’s hits include:
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ai (AI) (@officialai)
NameAi Carina Uemura Date of Birth (Age)2/11/81 (41)NationalityJapanese-AmericanLabel(s)/ManagementRCADef Jam JapanUniversal SigmaIslandEMI Music JapanNo Albums12 Studio Albums1 Live Albums7 Compilation Albums10 Video Albums4 EPsAlbum Sales 5 Million+Websiteaimusictv/Social Mediawwwinstagramcom/officialai/
Ai Carina Uemura, known as Ai (NOT artificial intelligence), is a J-Pop singer and dancer who performs in a more R&B style
She is a Japanese American and was raised in Japan since she was four years old
Her music career began with a short-lived membership in the Japanese girl group SX4
She later became a dancer for artists including Janet Jackson and Mary J Blige
She signed with BMG in 2000 and only achieved commercial success after her third album Ai in 2004
AI’s J-Pop hits include:
Name Toshinobu Kubota Date of Birth (Age) 7/24/62 (60) Nationality Japanese Label(s)/Management Sony Music Entertainment Japan Mastersix Foundation No albums20 studio albumsAlbum sales 6 million+Websitewwwsonymusiccojp/Music/Info/kubota/
Toshinobu “Toshi” Kubota is the granddaddy of J-Pop and at 60 years old with a career spanning 4 decades, he’s still going strong!
Kubota is not only an award-winning solo artist, but he is also one of the biggest songwriters in J-Pop, having written hits for singers like Misia and Kyōko Koizumi
His musical style and his repertoire span R&B, funk, soul, and pop
Toshinobu Kubota classics include:
La La La Love Song
La La La Love Song
love the rain
candy rain
Despite being pop music, J-Pop draws from and interprets so many other music genres that there will always be a crowd-pleasing J-Pop hit
This music is so intertwined with Japanese culture that you will see its influence in Japanese cinema, fashion, games, and even food
So if you want to immerse yourself in Japanese culture, give J-Pop a try!
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