JPOP:Why do you think that there is a lack of interest in male artist amogst international fans?

[Owatari]

It's a bit of a trend I noticed especially when it comes to male soloist or really any male act that isn't in a band (this includes boybands/idols). Daichi Muira and Ken Hirai are probably the only two I see get mentioned (as far as soloist) if anything you could probably throw in Fukuyama Masaharu and Motohiro Hata, but otherwise that's it.

[Myth]

Pre-order Eric Fukusaki's second single today!

 

 

http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/HKCN-50435

[Owatari]

Pre-order Eric Fukusaki's second single today!

 

 

http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/HKCN-50435

 

Shameless.

[DocumentaLy]

I was actually talking about male soloists today with somebody...

 

A lot of people who are into pop music are into female acts only. There are some who will venture into male acts, but only poppy ones. In Japan, the poppy male acts are pretty much all in idol groups. You do get some soloists from those groups, but they're never all that big to the point where they outshine their group, like a Justin Timberlake v. N Sync.

 

If anything, I think Japan is a very rockist society and pop music is seen as a female thing. Looking at most male soloists, they pretty much are in a band mode. The most succesful ones definitely are. R&B is basically dead in Japan and even at its height, it was still more of a female thing.

[DocumentaLy]

Pre-order Eric Fukusaki's second single today!

 

 

http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/HKCN-50435

 

This is what I mean actually. People are more likely to take him seriously since he has a guitar. If he was dancing around stage, he wouldn't be taken as seriously.

[whitedove]

My current favourite male soloist is Takahashi Yu. He writes pop rock but they're catchy stuff.

 

 

 

 

 

Takahashi reminds me of Saito Kazuyoshi at first, but now he has distinguished himself. Of course, Saito is also a favourite of mine.

 

 

 

I also like Hoshino Gen.

 

And yes, I don't care much for dancing boys and men, which is why my choice for idol groups or LDH is pretty limited.

[DocumentaLy]

My current favourite male soloist is Takahashi Yu. He writes pop rock but they're catchy stuff.

 

 

 

 

 

Takahashi reminds me of Saito Kazuyoshi at first, but now he has distinguished himself. Of course, Saito is also a favourite of mine.

 

 

 

I also like Hoshino Gen.

 

And yes, I don't care much for dancing boys and men, which is why my choice for idol groups or LDH is pretty limited.

 

Ohh, I forgot about Gen!

[Midna]

Don't like majority of their tones. Too nasal.

[Thebluecapricorn]

Maybe it's because it's harder to find Jpop male groups stuff on Youtube compared to what it is to find Jpop female groups. I don't know what I can say for male soloists though. 

Or maybe it's not their style (well, for me it is why I'm not into a lot of Jpop male groups and male soloists) .

[Sorrow Air]

If anything, I think Japan is a very rockist society and pop music is seen as a female thing. Looking at most male soloists, they pretty much are in a band mode. The most succesful ones definitely are. R&B is basically dead in Japan and even at its height, it was still more of a female thing.

 

 

Now I think about it, the few male artists I like are actually lead singers in a band or at least a duo.

 

To think I always thought male rock artist have more appeal on me than male pop artist because it just happen that way.

[mochichan]

I remember Matsushita Yuya got some buzz in the past tho bc he's cute and people like his singing + DRRR Ed song but you don't hear about him these days.

 

And just google and now he's in a boy group...wtf....... i liked his musicoverdose album *sigh*

[DocumentaLy]

I remember Matsushita Yuya got some buzz in the past tho bc he's cute and people like his singing + DRRR Ed song but you don't hear about him these days.

 

And just google and now he's in a boy group...wtf....... i liked his musicoverdose album *sigh*

 

Yuya did get attention, but he was doing a style of music that just isn't on trend in Japan. He's still trying, but nobody really cares.

[Thebluecapricorn]

I remember Matsushita Yuya got some buzz in the past tho bc he's cute and people like his singing + DRRR Ed song but you don't hear about him these days.

 

And just google and now he's in a boy group...wtf....... i liked his musicoverdose album *sigh*

I planned to mention Gackt and him and that he's more a Black Butler thing, but I don't think he was popular enough to be mentioned and I wrote something else indstead.

Btw he was my first J-crush ever

[Sana Muñequita Linda]

Don't like majority of their tones. Too nasal.

 

 

Maybe it's because it's harder to find Jpop male groups stuff on Youtube compared to what it is to find Jpop female groups. I don't know what I can say for male soloists though. 

Or maybe it's not their style (well, for me it is why I'm not into a lot of Jpop male groups and male soloists) .

 

 

Now I think about it, the few male artists I like are actually lead singers in a band or at least a duo.

 

To think I always thought male rock artist have more appeal on me than male pop artist because it just happen that way.

[whitedove]

Ohh, I forgot about Gen!

Gen (and T.M.Revolution) will the guests on KanJAM on Aug 23rd. Their interviews should be interesting.

[ShiinaMikan]

I think this can be summarized with a few reasons.

 

Johnnys and Associates is a dominant force in male pop. They don't get much international attention because they're not intended to. This has a spillover effect into international interest in male pop singers who aren't idols.

 

Most of the soloists who achieved legendary levels of popularity in Japan in the 90s and 2000s are women. They're uncoincidentally the soloists who get a lot of international attention.

 

Soloists who have a notable image tend to attract international attention. Most male soloists aren't known for that. Gakt is an exception.

[choa501]

I wanna know the answer to this question as well. Being a fan of Japanese male soloists is lonely and frustrating... I know a handful of people who like Shimizu Shota, Daichi Miura and Kaname Kawabata but trying to find int'l fans of Yamashita Tatsuro, Illion, Domoto Tsuyoshi or Naotaro Moriyama is almost impossible.

 

My best guess as to why this happens is that int'l fans got into J-Pop when female soloists were the it thing so that's all they care about or like Documentaly said, they're only interested in hearing hip-hop/r&b influenced music and they want someone relatively young and hot singing and dancing those songs. This would explain why you can go on AsianJunkie and Omona and see lots of people stanning Namie and saying she's the only worthy act in Japan as opposed to say Shiina Ringo or Takeuchi Mariya.

[Midna]

 

I wanna know the answer to this question as well. Being a fan of Japanese male soloists is lonely and frustrating... I know a handful of people who like Shimizu Shota, Daichi Miura and Kaname Kawabata but trying to find int'l fans of Yamashita Tatsuro, Illion, Domoto Tsuyoshi or Naotaro Moriyama is almost impossible.

 

My best guess as to why this happens is that int'l fans got into J-Pop when female soloists were the it thing so that's all they care about or like Documentaly said, they're only interested in hearing hip-hop/r&b influenced music and they want someone relatively young and hot singing and dancing those songs. This would explain why you can go on AsianJunkie and Omona and see lots of people stanning Namie and saying she's the only worthy act in Japan as opposed to say Shiina Ringo or Takeuchi Mariya.

 

 

 

imo, i see a lot of people stanning Shiina Ringo too

[DocumentaLy]

 

I wanna know the answer to this question as well. Being a fan of Japanese male soloists is lonely and frustrating... I know a handful of people who like Shimizu Shota, Daichi Miura and Kaname Kawabata but trying to find int'l fans of Yamashita Tatsuro, Illion, Domoto Tsuyoshi or Naotaro Moriyama is almost impossible.

 

My best guess as to why this happens is that int'l fans got into J-Pop when female soloists were the it thing so that's all they care about or like Documentaly said, they're only interested in hearing hip-hop/r&b influenced music and they want someone relatively young and hot singing and dancing those songs. This would explain why you can go on AsianJunkie and Omona and see lots of people stanning Namie and saying she's the only worthy act in Japan as opposed to say Shiina Ringo or Takeuchi Mariya.

 

 

A lot of international JPop fans are disconnected from the reality of the music scene. I would say that the people here are among the most connected. Like we're not living in a world that is centered around Ayu / Kuu / Utada / Namie because we know that half of that group is pretty much over now and that there is more exciting music out there than them. A lot of people didn't move on with the times and they're just stuck now. They don't know anything that is going on. They expect Ayu to still get #1 albums and they're shocked when acts like DREAMS COME TRUE, miwa, and Masaharu Fukuyama do better than her, in part because they have no clue who these people are, even though they are all more relevant currently than Ayu.

 

Also, a lot of people want a certain sound and image from Japan that isn't really popular in Japan anymore. They want divas, when divas are pretty much passe now. They want "bops" when Japan isn't really about that now either.

 

But speaking of Tats: http://daily.redbullmusicacademy.com/2014/12/tatsuro-yamashita-feature

[DocumentaLy]

imo, i see a lot of people stanning Shiina Ringo too

 

There are a lot of Ringo fans, but it's not like on a Ayu / Kuu / Namie / Utada level. Maybe if she poppier music and danced it would be different? The funny is though is that she's in the middle of those acts as far as current success goes. She's doing way better than Ayu or Kuu.

[Midna]

There are a lot of Ringo fans, but it's not like on a Ayu / Kuu / Namie / Utada level. Maybe if she poppier music and danced it would be different? The funny is though is that she's in the middle of those acts as far as current success goes. She's doing way better than Ayu or Kuu.

 

i also think it's her voice too. Compared to the other three, it's not as easy to listen to.

[choa501]

imo, i see a lot of people stanning Shiina Ringo too

 

Oh yeah I know, but in my personal experience Namie is more appealing than her. Among my J-Pop and K-Pop friends she's a favorite because she's got Americanized music that's easy to listen to, she can dance and looks like a fairy so she's got the perfect package but Shiina, in comparison, tends to get mixed responses and generally speaking she seems to appeal more to my older friends than those in their teens.

 

 

A lot of international JPop fans are disconnected from the reality of the music scene. I would say that the people here are among the most connected. Like we're not living in a world that is centered around Ayu / Kuu / Utada / Namie because we know that half of that group is pretty much over now and that there is more exciting music out there than them. A lot of people didn't move on with the times and they're just stuck now. They don't know anything that is going on. They expect Ayu to still get #1 albums and they're shocked when acts like DREAMS COME TRUE, miwa, and Masaharu Fukuyama do better than her, in part because they have no clue who these people are, even though they are all more relevant currently than Ayu.

 

Also, a lot of people want a certain sound and image from Japan that isn't really popular in Japan anymore. They want divas, when divas are pretty much passe now. They want "bops" when Japan isn't really about that now either.

 

But speaking of Tats: http://daily.redbullmusicacademy.com/2014/12/tatsuro-yamashita-feature

 

I see where you're coming from and I agree. Before I found 1H I would go on AJ sometimes and it always annoyed me that whenever they covered J-Pop they only talked about Utada, Namie, Shiina, Ayu or Koda. As you said, it feels like they're forever stuck in the past and if there's one thing that frustrates me as a J-Pop fan is to see older fans shitting on the entire scene and saying there's nothing worth listening to anymore or that Japanese musicians are not catching up with the current trends when I see them producing stuff that is on par with what other great international producers are releasing.

 

And thanks for sharing that article! I love how they described his music because that's exactly how I feel about it. It's simple and some melodies make me think I've heard them a thousand times before but his voice, while gentle, takes me high and low. It's like the perfect combination just like the writer said.

[Ryusenkai]

Oh yeah I know, but in my personal experience Namie is more appealing than her. Among my J-Pop and K-Pop friends she's a favorite because she's got Americanized music that's easy to listen to, she can dance and looks like a fairy so she's got the perfect package but Shiina, in comparison, tends to get mixed responses and generally speaking she seems to appeal more to my older friends than those in their teens.

 

 

 

I see where you're coming from and I agree. Before I found 1H I would go on AJ sometimes and it always annoyed me that whenever they covered J-Pop they only talked about Utada, Namie, Shiina, Ayu or Koda. As you said, it feels like they're forever stuck in the past and if there's one thing that frustrates me as a J-Pop fan is to see older fans shitting on the entire scene and saying there's nothing worth listening to anymore or that Japanese musicians are not catching up with the current trends when I see them producing stuff that is on par with what other great international producers are releasing.

 

And thanks for sharing that article! I love how they described his music because that's exactly how I feel about it. It's simple and some melodies make me think I've heard them a thousand times before but his voice, while gentle, takes me high and low. It's like the perfect combination just like the writer said.

 

Tatsuro is one of the artists that I'd like to see have a degree of recognition among the international community most (and he kind of does among certain funk and soul circles), since what he does is really special in a lot of ways.  What's 'unique' isn't necessarily his compositions so much as his delivery and execution, which are so very often sublime.  He's probably my favorite Japanese soloist bar none, and I can't recommend a lot of his releases enough to people who have even a passing interest in the genres he dabbles in.  And his voice... yeah, there's really nothing else like it.

[Midna]

A lot of international JPop fans are disconnected from the reality of the music scene. I would say that the people here are among the most connected. Like we're not living in a world that is centered around Ayu / Kuu / Utada / Namie because we know that half of that group is pretty much over now and that there is more exciting music out there than them. A lot of people didn't move on with the times and they're just stuck now. They don't know anything that is going on. They expect Ayu to still get #1 albums and they're shocked when acts like DREAMS COME TRUE, miwa, and Masaharu Fukuyama do better than her, in part because they have no clue who these people are, even though they are all more relevant currently than Ayu.

 

Also, a lot of people want a certain sound and image from Japan that isn't really popular in Japan anymore. They want divas, when divas are pretty much passe now. They want "bops" when Japan isn't really about that now either.

 

But speaking of Tats: http://daily.redbullmusicacademy.com/2014/12/tatsuro-yamashita-feature

 

This always surprises me...

[choa501]

Tatsuro is one of the artists that I'd like to see have a degree of recognition among the international community most (and he kind of does among certain funk and soul circles), since what he does is really special in a lot of ways.  What's 'unique' isn't necessarily his compositions so much as his delivery and execution, which are so very often sublime.  He's probably my favorite Japanese soloist bar none, and I can't recommend a lot of his releases enough to people who have even a passing interest in the genres he dabbles in.  And his voice... yeah, there's really nothing else like it.

 

I didn't know how to put into words what I feel when I hear his music but you explained it beautifully.

You know, my dad once told me that to him listening to Tatsuro is like listening to old MPB in the sense that there's these soothing melodies accompanied by intimate and sophisticated vocals. He's not a powerhouse doing crazy acrobatics to wow you but his soft vocals are just as powerful and enticing and once you start listening to him you develop an addiction and can't get enough of him.