Shukan Gendai puts out their overall Top 50 Japanese singer list for 2015

[Mandilinn]

About the magazine the ranking is published in:

 

 

Shukan Gendai is a general interest weekly magazine published by the largest publishing house in Japan, Kodansha. The magazine covers entertainment news as well as hard news such as interviews with the Prime Minister of Japan and other VIPs in the political and financial world. It also contains essays and opinions by well-known authors in serial form. For a time the magazine only attracted men in their 40s-60s, but recently women in their 20s-30s are reading the magazine.

 

 

 

Top 10

 

1. Keisuke Kuwata (Southern All Stars / Age: 58)

"Itoshi no Eri" / "Shiroi Koibitotachi"

[97 Points]

 

2. Nakajima Miyuki (Age: 62)

"Jidai" / "Fight!" / "Sarafune" / "Mugi no Uta"

[96 Points]
 

3. Yamashita Tatsurou (Age: 61)

"Christmas Eve" / "Bokura no Natsu no Yume"

[93 Points]
 

4. Oda Kazumasa (Age: 67)

"Sayonara" / "Love Story wa Totsuzen ni"

[92 Points]

 

5. Inoue Yousui (Age: 66)

"Kasa ga nai" / "Shounen Jidai" / "Yume no Naka e"

[91 Points]

 

6. Itsuki Hiroshi (Age: 66)

"Yokohama Tasogare" / "Yoake no Blues"

[89 Points]

 

7. Sawada Kenji (Age: 66)

"Toki No Sugiyuku Mama Ni" / "Katte ni Shiyagare"

[88 Points]

 

8. Mayako Harumi (Age: 66)

"Suki ni Natta Hito" / "Kita no Yado kara"

[87 Points]

 

9. Ishikawa Sayuri (Age: 56)

"Tsugaru Kaikyo Fuyu-geshiki" / "Amagi-goe"

[85 Points]

 

10. Tamaki Kouji  (Age: 56)

"Kanashimi ni Sayonara" / "Wine Red no Kokoro"

[84 Points]

 

11~20

 

 

11. Kazutoshi Sakurai (Mr. Children / Age: 44)

[82 Points]

 

12. Akina Nakamori (Age: 49)

[81 Points]

 

13. Matsutoya Yumi (Age: 60) / Fuyumi Sakamoto (Age: 47) 

[79 Points]

 

15. Inaba Hiroshi (B'z / Age: 50) 

[78 points]

 

16. Akira Fuse (Age: 67) 

[77 points]

 

17. Miwa Yoshida (DREAMS COME TRUE / Age: 49) 

[76 Points]

 

18. Mariko Takahashi (Age: 65) 

[75 points]

 

19. Shiina Ringo (Age: 36) 

[74 points]

 

20. Seiko Matsuda (Age: 52) 

[72 points]

 

 

21~30

 

 

21. Kiyoe Yoshioka (Ikimonogakari / Age: 30) 

[71 Points]

 

22. Toshinobu Kubota (Age: 52)

[69 Points]

 

23. Namie Amuro (Age: 37)

[68 Points]

 

24. Kiyoshi Maekawa (Age: 66) / Kazuyoshi Saito (Age: 48) 

[67 Points]

 

26. Masashi Sada (Age: 62) 

[65 points]

 

27. Saori Yuki (Age: 66) 

[64 points]

 

28. Miwa Akihiro (Age: 79) 

[63 points]

 

29. Shinji Tanimura (Age: 66) 

[61 points]

 

30. Yazawa Eikichi (Age: 65) / Hitoto Yo (Age: 38) 

[60 points]

 

 

32~40

 

32. Suzuki Masayuki (Age: 58) / Ayaka (Age: 27)

[59 Points]

 

34. Mariya Takeuchi (Age: 59) 

[57 points]

 

35. Kana Nishino (Age: 25)

[55 Points]

 

36. aiko (Age: 39)

[53 Points]

 

37. Moriyama Naotarou (Age: 38) / Go Hiromi (Age: 59)

[51 Points]

 

38. Hikawa Kiyoshi (Age: 37)

[48 Points]

 

40. Shinichi Mori (Age: 67) / Yoshi Ikuzo (Age: 62)

[47 points]

 

42~50

 

 

42. Utada Hikaru (Age: 31)

[45 Points]

 

43. Ken Hirai (Age: 42)

[43 Points]

 

44. Matsuyama Chiharu (Age: 59) 

[42 Points]
 

45. Moriyama Ryoko (Age: 66) 

[40 Points]
 

46. ATSUSHI (EXILE / Age: 34)

[37 Points]

 

47. Iwasaki Hiromi (Age: 56) 

[36 Points]

 

48. Nagabuchi Tsuyoshi (Age: 58) 

[32 Points]

 

49. Fukuyama Masaharu (Age: 45)

[29 Points]
 

50.  Hosokawa Takashi (Age: 64) 

[28 Points]

 

 

Some things to note: The reasoning for choosing a certain singer seems to vary. There's comments for all singers, but I didn't translate them as it would take far too long. If you can't read Japanese and you're curious about a specific singer, just ask for a certain comment and I'll translate it for you.  The list seems to be the same every year, with one or two changes depending on things that go on, but it's never really been posted before and I thought it was pretty interesting.

 

So, which choices do you agree or disagree with? Which singers do you think are missing from the list and which ones shouldn't have been added on at all? Whose score is far too high and which ones didn't get a good enough score? Discuss, but keep it civil. This is not a bashing thread. 

[Ron Swanson]

I thought Ayu would rank in this hm

[Seultoria]

I thought Ayu would rank in this hm

 

Come on, she made herself go deaf.

[Crimson]

I don't really get why Namie is here since she's more a performer similar to J.Lo, Britney, etc rather than a vocalist. Both her and Utada are simply here due to their admiration IMO rather than their vocal abilities. Another one that doesn't really belong is Kana. Otherwise I'm happy to see Akina place well. 

[Mandilinn]

I don't really get why Namie is here since she's more a performer similar to J.Lo, Britney, etc rather than a vocalist. Both her and Utada are simply here due to their admiration IMO rather than their vocal abilities. Another one that doesn't really belong is Kana. Otherwise I'm happy to see Akina place well. 

 

This list isn't all about vocal abilities. There's several reasons given for each singer in the top 10, but they just picked one for each singer after that, and they aren't always about vocals. In the small box below Namie's name, they compared her to Toshinobu Kubota in terms of influence and impact (saying she "changed the rhythm of the Japanese"). Utada's comment was about "First Love", and etc. Akina's comment wasn't about vocal ability, either.

[lepidoptery]

I get that it can take time to build up a career and a reputation, but only 2 ppl who are even in their 20s, ouch.

[Krunchii]

Kana Nishino at 35...? Higher than Utada Hikaru? Ken Hirai? Masaharu Fukuyama? Atsushi? I wouldn't even rank her higher than aiko. I guess culturally Namie is/was impactful as a performer so I have no problem with her on the list. I don't really find Kana that impactful? She's a bit too bland and while her music is catchy and her style is cute, I don't find her really groundbreaking or anything, just something trendy.

[Crimson]

This list isn't all about vocal abilities. There's several reasons given for each singer in the top 10, but they just picked one for each singer after that, and they aren't always about vocals. In the small box below Namie's name, they compared her to Toshinobu Kubota in terms of influence and impact (saying she "changed the rhythm of the Japanese"). Utada's comment was about "First Love", and etc. Akina's comment wasn't about vocal ability, either.

 

Ahh. I thought the list was more about actual talent and vocal ability rather than focusing on "impact and influence." Makes sense. 

[DocumentaLy]

Ringo = top act under 40

 

I thought Ayu would rank in this hm

 

 

I don't think Ayu would make any good list now.

 

I don't really get why Namie is here since she's more a performer similar to J.Lo, Britney, etc rather than a vocalist. Both her and Utada are simply here due to their admiration IMO rather than their vocal abilities. Another one that doesn't really belong is Kana. Otherwise I'm happy to see Akina place well. 

 

Kana being there totally makes sense. She's is the top female soloist of her era.

 

Utada being there makes sense too. She's left such a legacy.