How Did You Discover J-Pop? + Your Favorite Artists Now?

[elite]

Utada, Ayu, and Namie were all shown to me by the same friend. All three of them are probably the best that pop music has to offer in Japan for me but I don't like everything they have done.

Utada's albums are all great after First Love (except for Exodus). I only really started to like Ayu with My Story. Everything before that is really just hit and miss with me. Her first two albums are nearly impossible to listen to. I only like Namie starting with the release of Style. All of her music before that is just really not that good to me.

Other than those three all the other artists I've discovered have been through my own searches.