Your interest in the Japanese pop music scene

[Kacku]

Originally Posted by Chiharo

I don't have this problem because there's still so many artists, even older ones, that I want to listen to. And I'm actually overwhelmed all the time by how many aritsts' discographies there are to go through. This is not even considering the artists that I already like and who release something new. As for new releases, it's true that lately they've been somewhat dull, but it still all depends. For example Miliyah Kato released a mind blowing album this year.

In general I just ignore the artists whose music I don't like (stuff like idol groups) and focus on interesting artists. Because really, there are so many - some of them with huge discographies. So there is no way I that I (at least for now) feel Jpop "bores" me. After all it's always been 90% of what I listen to and my interest in it never faded somehow through all these 10 years. Because as I said, there are always tons of artists to discover, old or new.

For example just this year I started discovering Jpop oldies likes Miyuki Nakajima, Akina Nakamori and Seiko Matsuda. As well as others, and just those few have huge discographies that I don't even know I'll manage to listen to all. Especially as there are STILL newer artists whose music I've wanted to give a chance to but never could because of just how much Jpop there is to listen to.

So to me - Jpop actually still feels really refreshing to listen to because of all the differences in genres it can have, and really it's just huge. So even if I don't like new releases by my favorite artists - oh well, there's still tons of other stuff I can listen to anyway which I will like.

Originally Posted by Corvina

I have the same sentiments as Chiharo.
JPop is still the genre I listen to most. That never changed.
I mean, the whole Japanese music scene doesn't only consist out of the popular acts, you can still discover so much more, old and new stuff.
The veteran artists I love are still active, there are some interesting new acts worth checking out (even if you maybe have to look a bit closer to find them) and there are still so much older acts I have to check out. The whole JPop scene alone is so huge, how could it get boring for me?

Agreed with both of you so much. The J-Pop scene is huge once you go past Oricon and the big names of the past, and there's a lot of good music out there. And like Chiharo mentioned, there's so much to discover in the past decades as well (I've dabbled in Miyuki Nakashima and Yumi Matsutoya's music, need to try some more Akina Nakamori, and there's still so much more interesting stuff: Toshi Kubota has been on my mind ever since I heard the original LA LA LA LOVE SONG, and I've barely scratched the surface of Shibuya-kei). I'm also constantly overwhelmed by all the stuff I have and want to try, there never seems to be enough time for everything interesting, and new releases and acts just keep on coming.

I've been following J-Pop for about 7-8 years now and I think nowadays I'm consuming even more J-Pop than I used to in the past. Some artists I've followed have dropped off the face of Earth (MiChi, JASMINE, alan, Angela Aki, practically every act under I've Sound...) and others have become so uninteresting to me that I can barely bother to check their new releases (Ikimonogakari, Maon Kurosaki, miwa is getting dangerously close), but there's always something new out there to fill the void. Even this past year, I've discovered many new and old acts I've liked a lot (Kou Shibasaki, KIRA, NakamuraEmi, CICADA), reconnected with some I didn't pay much attention to in the past (Galileo Galilei, CLAZZIQUAI PROJECT, Shishido Kavka), and kept loving my old favourites. My lists of favourite albums, singles and songs from the past year look very different than the ones from 2015, so J-Pop definitely hasn't gone stale for me.

Sorry, this became needlessly detailed, haha. But the bottom line is, as Corvina put it: The whole JPop scene alone is so huge, how could it get boring for me? I still feel like J-Pop has a lot to offer and am always looking forward to trying new artists.

All of this said, I do also have some frustrations with the scene, especially with the charts and what gets mainstream attention and sells (I'm so bitter about Crystal Kay having to churn out one boring ballad after the other to stay safe and pander to the mainstream; more VIVID, less mid-tempo string ballads, pleeeeease). But every scene has its problems, and I still get lots of enjoyable music out of Japan, so I'm a pretty happy fan most of the time.

[Yoake]

I agree with Chiharo, Corvina and Kachu. The Jpop world is very huge and diversified.
There are a lot of old singers we don't know because they were hidden by the popularity of some singers.
And it's the same with this era. Drop Oricon chart and try to search elsewhere. There are a lot of little music labels who produce interesting artists with different styles and even experimental styles. Those will never be included in the official and big charts or will never perform at a big TV show.
There are also singers who made mainstream songs to earn some money to create more experimental songs by themselves. Annabel is one of them. Her anisongs are very generic but her self-produce singles are unique.
And if you don't have time to search on Internet don't hesitate to check the new artist thread or the old school Jpop thread.

[Corvina]

Something fitting to the topic:
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/.../#.WGDsihx95E4

[Yooku]

I started listen to jpop in 2004 and I'm still into japanese music but it's not "my everything" like it used to be when jpop as a genre was still new to me.

I think it's normal that people's taste in music is changing and there might be some big changes in life that might affect as well (like getting job or having a baby for example).

Also some jpop stars that I used to listen are now middle-aged and they don't release new material very often.

My personal experience is that if you have such a feeling try to stay open-minded and give a chance to some new artists. Don't listen something compulsively: you're not a bad fan if you don't like every release. Let's remember that music is supposed to bring joy and comfort.

And speaking of AHS or any other forum I think this kind of discussion platform is getting old, when people are able to communicate more quickly and easily using apps like WhatsApp and facebook. In agreement with members of one finnish forum, we decided to set up a group on facebook. In that way, we are trying to revive the discussion.