Last year (2023) Patrick St. Michel (Patrick St. Michel) Columnist for The Japan Times He wrote an article analyzing the Japanese music industry on his website. www.japantimes.co.jp which has been told before www.gqthailand.com/culture/music/article/2023-look-like-for-j-pop
which Patrick summarizes at the end of the article: The future of Japanese music looks bright. When there are many changes happen Both in terms of the work work process and channels for presenting work
This year (2024) this columnist Come back and analyze the situation in the Japanese music industry again. And it’s still as interesting as ever. Especially continuing what people in the Japanese music industry started last year.
He started by saying After introducing himself to music lovers around the world This year, new blood J-Pop artists like Yoasobi, who rose to fame with the hit song “Idol” along with other Japanese artists. that made its name through streaming services around the world Each shows new opportunities. For myself and the Japanese pop music industry When traveling to meet fans around the world, whether at music festivals like Coachella or as an opening act for big artists. which will increase new opportunities Give yourself together
Yoasobi, a band that rose to stardom with the hit song “Idol”
Since the 2010s, overseas music fans have been paying more attention to the Japanese music industry. Especially in the past year From the year-end report of Luminate Company. It was revealed that J-Pop music sales had increased significantly from before. But artists did not take advantage of the new opportunities. Recently discovered carelessly And there are many movements in the international market that are already taking shape. The domestic market is also growing. Both in terms of music and business, it is expected that this year there will be changes to the J-Pop music industry at every level.
One thing that can be confirmed is that The Japanese music industry is in the focus of the world music industry. The fact that Japanese artists are receiving attention from major music festivals or world famous artists to be a part of their work and performances
Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival takes place two weekends in April. This is an event where music fans around the world are eagerly waiting for the announcement of the artist names at the event. that if you can’t go see it with your own eyes You can still watch via live broadcast. This year there are 3 Japanese artists on stage: Yoasobi, Hatsune Miku and Atarashi Gacko! (Atarashii Gakko!), the most since the first Coachella in 1999, where there were three Japanese artists: Cornelius, Cibbo Matto, and Fantastic Plastic Machine. (Fantastic Plastic Machine) But this is just one concrete example. that shows the branching of the Japanese music industry into the world music industry Because there are many more. An example that can be said This year has been a busy year for artists from the Land of the Rising Sun to tour.
Singer Ado tours Asia, Europe, and North America in February. It was very successful. Tickets for concerts are sold out in many places, and rock bands King Gnu and Zutomayo will be performing abroad for the first time. By performing in East Asia
Many J-Pop artists have acted as opening act for major Western artists, such as Otoboke Beaver, an all-female rock band. They opened for Red Hot Chili Peppers for two shows in June, and bassist Flea is their biggest fan. A few months later, the three-piece band Lamp, one of the Japanese artists whose songs are currently the most streamed, will tour North America with singer-songwriter Mitski on a tour that will include additional dates for the latter.
The Otoboke Beaver girls are the opening act for Red Hot Chili Peppers.
This year’s music shows signs of being new. Because the new year has passed for less than a month. Japan already has an explosion of hits, with “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” by hip-hop/pop duo Creepy Nuts serving as the anime series’ opening theme song. Mashle: Magic and Muscles Soars to number 1 on Japan’s streaming music charts. and went on to be on Spotify’s hit song charts around the world Including debuting at number 2 on the Global Viral 50 chart.
How successful are songs from anime called anison? Just doing it in the country is not easy. with foreign countries as well Needless to say, what makes “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” stand out is the rhythm that goes with the melody, which Creepy Nuts takes from the style of American dance music known as Jersey Club. Club) to use both the sound of the music that hits hard. It comes from the combination of the sound of the bass drum and the use of samples. Then add the sound of the chair rubbing against the floor. that is like the signature of this type of music which is like paying homage to this type of music
In addition to being the first J-Pop hit of 2024, “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” also introduced Jersey Club music to a wider audience in Japan. But more importantly, This song makes Anison It is no longer music that is separate from mainstream J-pop music. It became a mainstream event. Or at least part of the mainstream.
South Korean artists are also interested in this music market. Through artists like aespa and TXT (TXT – Tomorrow in their songs If you listen carefully Anison is a musically diverse work. It has a touch of hip-hop, funk and electronic. Among the musical styles in various approaches, if “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” passes by, you can believe that There should be something more unexpected. Follow along again this year.
Serani Poji, a band from 1999 that has become popular again through the TikTok app.
Even social media and anime is an important medium that helps introduce Japanese music to the world. But the opportunity for the people behind the creation of the surprise hit, the artist, to meet fans Or do something that goes further than that. It will be beneficial in promoting the country’s musical success as well.
while Japanese artists traveled abroad Western artists who have had success in the Land of the Rising Sun I’m looking for a way to come back to my old area with different methods.
Bruno Mars is one of the few American pop artists who still maintains a status. “Superstar” in Japan after K-Pop sweeps out Western music and instead became the most successful non-Japanese music here. Opened several concerts in Tokyo. Dome in January The tickets are completely sold out. You don’t have to do anything super special for your fans, but you won’t perform in a simple way like recording all your hit songs. Mars chose to play classic J-pop songs. to create satisfaction (and surprising surprises) for Tokyo Dome viewers and Japanese netizens. Especially picking up the hit song from 2011 by AKB48 (AKB48) “Heavy Rotation” to play. Who knows? Will the nostalgia for the past from the 2010s be this strong? Mars also goes further with his off-stage play. Showing his interest in Japanese culture (known as Weeb) in full, thanks to his thank you video, he spreads around the Japanese capital like the character Naruto (Naruto) from the anime.
Bruno Mars with every sold-out performance at Tokyo Dome
Mars’ method is an extreme act that few pop stars would want to take. But it shows that What must Western artists do to regain their place in the Japanese music market? Perhaps the work seems more possible. It probably belongs to Olivia Rodrigo, a rising young American artist. She came to Japan last fall (2023) to introduce herself to Japanese listeners and of course… see the city. She appeared on morning TV to sing. Held a fan meeting in Tokyo. Rodrigo’s team takes things one step further. By giving Japanese drama series Black Familia: The Shindo’s Revenge “Vampire,” her No. 1 song on Billboards Hot 100, was used as the theme song.
Even though it is an ancient method that foreign artists often use for marketing in Japan But so far it’s still a good method. One reason why Western artists have struggled more in the Japanese music market since the 2010s is that they don’t understand how Japanese media works. that even listeners can access music online Or accidentally found it on Tiktok But being a guest on the show Pakinka (Variety) or singing on the morning news program The work can be disseminated to a much larger group of listeners. Until the old days The days of producing artists like SMAP with SMAPxSMAP are over, but television still plays a key role in their penetration into Japan.
The return of foreign artists to market in Japan this year It is expected that there will be more effort to make an impact with television appearances. Including using local pop culture like Mars does.
In addition to western artists trying to come back and reclaim their space in the Japanese music business, Japanese music from the past came back into the music market again which helps create good diversity Both in terms of music and listeners. By the people who are probably most excited about this. Probably music fans who grew up in the 1990s when various signs showed that Shibuya-kei music (Shibuya-kei – music that was born in the Shibuya area) that the jazz, pop, and electro-pop music genres that flourished during their time are experiencing a resurgence.
Olivia Rodrigo, who invaded Japan using traditional but effective methods.
Behind the algorithms of streaming services Make Music City Pop achieved worldwide success in the late 2010s, causing people to start asking: When will Bape’s clothes, sampling old songs become It feels like another discovery for young people in this era to come back, but in the end they didn’t. Except for Shibuya Kei music.
When the 1999 trio Serani Poji was discovered, TikTok users picked up on the band’s 2002 songs “pipo pipo” and “where is smiley.” used, causing both songs to gain attention on a different level than before, with “where is smiley” even reaching the top of Billboard’s Top TikTok chart in the United States. Some people may see this as just a trend that might happen. But the reason for looking beyond that is Working from the band’s agency They uploaded a special version of the song to YouTube. made the band’s album available to listen to on streaming services around the world They also adapted the song to suit the tastes of Gen Z (Gen Z) by making a sped up version of the song “pipo pipo”.
It’s possible to fall in love with old Japanese pop songs that sound bright and have a nostalgic feel to them. But the reason why city pop, which was a mix of 1970s music, funk, disco and ’80s fusion, made a resurgence in the late 2010s is that labels and artists responded to it. Responding to the popularity that had arisen which was not expected before And making the song more accessible and timely, Serani Poji’s team did the same with Shibuya Kei artists who gained attention after that. To the fans who are eager to know Get to know artists and music easily
The current worldwide fascination with Japanese music There is no limit to the scope or direction of music. One listener might line up to buy a ticket to see Ado perform. But I opened it to watch anime. Freezing: Beyond Journey’s End and listen to Shibuya music Kei can feel at ease. And that makes Japanese music poised to be heard all over the world in 2024.
refer: SOURCE 1