[Chibi-Chan]

Originally Posted by EndOfTheWorld

I think about this ALL the time.
I got serious about Jpop in 2007 and it's been a massive part of my life ever since. Even Though Ayu is one of my favorite artists ever, it was hitomi that made me fall in love with Jpop. I found her by randomly clicking on one of her music videos on Youtube. Then I searched more and more for her and was so blown away. I thought the music was so creative and different from American music.

From then on I discovered Visual Kei music as well, and also other artists like BoA, Rie fu, Utada, Crystal Kay, and many many more. I can't list them all, just quick examples. I also became OBSESSED with all things Yasutaka Nakata. Perfume, Capsule, Meg, Am Suzuki, etc. I was so crazy about the late 2000's electro/pop scene in Japan. I don't want to make this too long so I am trying to summarise because I could go on and on about my Jpop story and the many artists I love.

But you are not alone in your feelings on modern Jpop. Things have changed. I feel that it just isn't as good as it was in the 90's and 2000's. For me that is the best time for Japanese music. With the golden age being 1998-2002 roughly. I think the reason that many people feel this way is because we are getting older. Our generation has passed. In the 90's and for the most part the 2000's there was a demand for REAL artists and bands. The 80's was about Idol pop: Seiko Matsuda, Akina Nakamori etc. The 90's saw an increase in acts that had more input in their music. Just like Ayu, she has been writing her own lyrics since her debut and has done some composing/producing. Utada is similar. I feel those two were the peak of this craze of artists who sang but also worked on the music and just had more creative input in their artistry. It also continued into the 2000's but once this decade(2010's) came in full swing, things changed.

Now Jpop is all about Idols again. Both solo and groups. Male acts are now a minority as well. And of course Vocaloids are also popular. So many of the biggest names today do not have input in their music(them being idols). Kyary PamyuPamyu, Babymetal, AKB48, Hatsune Miku, etc. While I do enjoy everything I just mentioned, it is not the same as say Gackt, Ayu, Garnet Crow, Globe, TM Revolution, Mika Nakashima, Hitomi Yaida, Bonnie Pink, so many artists that just make creative, meaningful music that can have such an impact on you that it can change your life. Name one song by Kyary PamyuPamyu that touched your soul, made you cry, changed you, gave you an experience. Sure her music is so much fun and interesting thanks to Yasutaka Nakata mostly. But what big recent artist makes music that touches you, stands the test of time, sucks you in wanting to know more about them. Not all music needs to be so deep and meaningful of course! Not what I am saying. But I feel at this point, Japan has almost none of that. Besides older artists that are still active or have faded away into the underground.

Perhaps Jpop will return to how it was. Maybe the tables will turn and people will go back to wanting artists like the ones we know. I think one of the biggest reasons that Ayu is suffering from declining sales is because of what I have talked about previously. She makes music that the young generation just isn't interested in. They make up most of the market so her sales are low. Yes there has been other factors like Ayu's inconsistency the past few years and asian media giving her a negative image, as well as fans themselves and asians on social media. But a big reason is that the current mainstream just isn't interested in this kind of high concept music. They want pretty dancing girls like AKB48 and Harajuku fashion like Kyary. I guess everything but the actual music.

It is sad and disappointing but we should not let it bother us too much! Just keep following the acts you love. At this point Ayu is like our secret. When I ask people who have an interest in Japan or Jpop if they like Ayumi Hamasaki, they have no idea. They are too busy with their weaboo music. They don't know anything about the history of Jpop or about artists that make high concept music and videos and tours. They just don't care about those kinds of artists. So as for the future of Jpop? We don't know. Things will change eventually, just like all trends. That we do know. But we don't know if the next trend will be a demand for true artists.

Thanks for reading.

I have actually nothing to add here. =) Jpop isn't dead or something, it's just that what's trendy right now are idol groups which haven't much in common with the solo artists or rock bands of the 90's and early 00's. So there isn't much interesting stuff for people who came to love old school jpop.
I started listening to jpop in late 2002 and loved to discocer all those artists but I have stopped caring about new acts in the late 00's. But a lot of my favourite bands and solo artists are still active, so it's ok.