Newer J-pop that kicks your butt?

[sxesven]

I'm sure many of us are big fans of the type of J-pop produced a lot in what in another thread was termed The Golden Age Of J-Pop (late 90s/early 00s). However, J-pop fortunately has not sat still and a lot of interesting artists have come out over the years with great material, some of course absolute huge superstars (Perfume and Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, to name just two that have also managed some overseas recognition).

Any particular favourites?

Some great artists and songs that post-date The Golden Age:





















Not to mention many great artists that are less poppy of course.

Any other recommendations?

[adantatu2]

Have you heard about NiziU ?
I like them because they remind me the style of E-girls.

[sxesven]

Nope, but will definitely check them out! Any specific recommendations?

[Taishaku]

I love Wednesday Campanella! And also the fact that the girls are in good terms and KOM_I passed the torch (or the mic lol) to Utaha.
Lately I've been listening to A LOT of city pop, and I've been able to discover some great songs like these ones by Momoko Kikuchi and her short-lived band RA MU:

[thinkingoutloud89]

nothing of that posted evokes any kind of feeling for me, and a lot of J-Pop in the recent years hasn't,
Out of the top of my head I only liked Kenshi Yonezu and Zuto Mayo.

[sxesven]

Originally Posted by Taishaku

I love Wednesday Campanella! And also the fact that the girls are in good terms and KOM_I passed the torch (or the mic lol) to Utaha.

Definitely, good vibes, just like the music! Himiko is suuuuuuuuuch a bop!

I haven't really explored city pop yet though I am sure there's some gems in there. I think some Yukihiro Takahashi material is also city pop or city pop-adjacent. He has some good stuff.

And yeah, I understand that not all (or no at all!) modern J-pop may appeal to everyone, as it can be a very different beast from the type of J-pop Ayu does or that most of us got into J-pop over. Most of the stuff I put in the opening post is much more hyperactive, with denpa or denpa-related material here and there, which I personally just can't help but have a huge soft spot for. Of course, there's hugely different material too. Some other stuff post-golden age of various sorts I've really enjoyed:


2009 already, damn! I remember JASMINE coming out, such insane aesthetics, and GOLD is a really excellent album (it has a magnificent ballad too, Dreamin', for those who love a good ballad).










(if you like this song you'll like the whole album, but it does get a bit same-ish - this is the highlight for me)


(J-pop goes K-pop)

And if you want to try slightly outside of the mainstream:


(this song always reminds me a bit of fra-foa)


(saw her live in Rotterdam just before the pandemic, was SO good!)


(suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuch a brilliant band, seeing them live in a few months!)

[voltron]

There really aren't any contemporary artists that I like across the board, despite there having been songs here and there that I enjoy. I just can't help but find it all to feel a little...soulless? So much of the music just strikes me as generic, and sometimes like the artists don't even really care about making music that much (this isn't just JPOP, this is a lot of more contemporary music to me).

That said, I have liked a bunch by Beverly. She's really talented overall, it's just a matter of some of her songs being more interesting than others.

My favorite by her is "尊い" - she has the styling of Ariana Grande, with the bored "I don't care if you like this" attitude of Namie Amuro. LOL.


She also did a great cover of globe's "Faces Places" from the 90's & New Revival project.


Her new song "one vision" is a little cheesy, but a nice track. It's a TK track, so it's no wonder I like it (he's problematic AF, but he can make a good song).

[adantatu2]

Originally Posted by sxesven

Nope, but will definitely check them out! Any specific recommendations?

I love "Chopstick" and "ASOBO" at the moment

[sxesven]

Nice, thanks, I will definitely check these out!

[*Petit*]

Thank you for starting this thread. I also have problems finding artists that I like across the board. I do like some babymetal songs though and try to keep up to date with their releases. I can understand why it's polarizing music though, some of the songs are basically novelty songs. I usually like fun novelty songs so it's not a problem for me.

Originally Posted by voltron

There really aren't any contemporary artists that I like across the board, despite there having been songs here and there that I enjoy. I just can't help but find it all to feel a little...soulless? So much of the music just strikes me as generic, and sometimes like the artists don't even really care about making music that much (this isn't just JPOP, this is a lot of more contemporary music to me).

That said, I have liked a bunch by Beverly. She's really talented overall, it's just a matter of some of her songs being more interesting than others.

I love one vision! Thanks for sharing!

[sxesven]

NiziU is very nice! It feels a bit like a J-answer to K-pop, too (early Red Velvet vibes, bit of things like cignature?), but very nice in any case. Good rec!

[adantatu2]

^I'm glad you like it