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Kayōkyoku
is a Japanese pop music genre, which became a base of modern J-pop. ''The Japan Times'' described ''kayōkyoku'' as "standard Japanese pop" or " Shōwa-era pop". ''Kayōkyoku'' represents a blend of Western and Japanese musical scales. Music in this genre is extremely varied as a result. ''Kayōkyoku'' in the narrower and more practical sense, however, excludes J-pop and ''enka''. Unlike "J-pop" singers such as Southern All Stars' Keisuke Kuwata, the singers of the ''kayōkyoku'' genre do not use stylized pronunciations based on the English language, but prefer traditional Japanese. There are exceptions, such as in singer Momoe Yamaguchi's song "Rock 'n' Roll Widow". Unlike ''enka'', ''kayōkyoku'' is also not based on emotional displays of effort while singing. Famous ''kayōkyoku'' artists include Kyu Sakamoto, The Peanuts, The Tigers, Candies, Pink Lady, Seiko Matsuda, Junko Sakurada, The Checkers and Onyanko Club. Characteristics Kayokyoku music has simple melodies ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
J-pop
J-pop ( ja, ジェイポップ, ''jeipoppu''; often stylized as J-POP; an abbreviated form of "Japanese popular music"), natively also known simply as , is the name for a form of popular music that entered the musical mainstream of Japan in the 1990s. Modern J-pop has its roots in traditional music of Japan, and significantly in 1960s pop and rock music. J-pop replaced '' kayōkyoku'' ("Lyric Singing Music", a term for Japanese popular music from the 1920s to the 1980s) in the Japanese music scene. J-rock bands such as Happy End fused the Beatles and Beach Boys-style rock with Japanese music in the 1960s1970s. J-country had popularity during the international popularity of Westerns in the 1960s1970s as well, and it still has appeal due to the work of musicians like Charlie Nagatani and venues including Little Texas, Tokyo. J-rap became mainstream with producer Nujabes and his work on ''Samurai Champloo'', Japanese pop culture is often seen with anime in hip hop. Other tre ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ryūkōka
is a Japanese musical genre. The term originally denoted any kind of "popular music" in Japanese, and is the sinic reading of ''hayariuta'', used for commercial music of Edo Period. Therefore, ''imayō'', which was promoted by Emperor Go-Shirakawa in the Heian period, was a kind of ''ryūkōka''. Today, however, ''ryūkōka'' refers specifically to Japanese popular music from the late 1920s through the early 1960s. Some of the roots of ''ryūkōka'' were developed from Western classical music. ''Ryūkōka'' ultimately split into two genres: ''enka'' and ''poppusu''. Unlike ''enka'', archetypal ''ryūkōka'' songs did not use the ''kobushi'' method of singing. ''Ryūkōka'' used legato. Bin Uehara and Yoshio Tabata are considered to be among the founders of the modern style of ''kobushi'' singing. Many composers and singers of ''ryūkōka'' went on to earn official distinctions; Ichiro Fujiyama and composers Masao Koga and Ryoichi Hattori received the People's Honour Award in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Enka
is a Japanese music genre considered to resemble traditional Japanese music stylistically. Modern ''enka'', however, is a relatively recent musical form, which adopts a more traditional musical style in its vocalism than '' ryūkōka'' music, popular during the prewar years. Modern ''enka'', as developed in the postwar era, is a form of sentimental ballad music. Some of the first modern ''enka'' singers were Hachiro Kasuga, Michiya Mihashi, and Hideo Murata. The revival of ''enka'' in its modern form is said to date from 1969, when Keiko Fuji made her debut. The most famous male ''enka'' singers are Shinichi Mori and Kiyoshi Hikawa. Etymology The term ''enka'' was first used to refer to political texts set to music which were sung and distributed by opposition activists belonging to the Freedom and People's Rights Movement during the Meiji period (1868–1912) as a means of bypassing government curbs on speeches of political dissent – and in this sense the word is d ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Southern All Stars
, also known by the abbreviations and SAS, are a Japanese rock band that first formed in 1974. The band is composed of Keisuke Kuwata (lead vocals and guitars), Yuko Hara (vocals and keyboards), Kazuyuki Sekiguchi (bass), Hiroshi Matsuda (drums) and Hideyuki "Kegani" Nozawa (percussion). In addition to the present lineup, former guitarist Takashi Omori had worked in the band until 2001.''Chikyu Ongaku Library: Southern All Stars enewed Edition', Edited by Amuse Inc., Tokyo FM Publishing, After the contract with Victor Entertainment, the band released their top-ten charting debut single "Katte ni Sindbad" in 1978. Since then, Southern has been one of the best-selling music groups in the past 30 years of Japan, selling more than 47 million albums and singles in Japan alone. They have had over 40 top-ten hit singles and 16 number-one albums on the Japan's Oricon Charts as of 2008. Their 1998 compilation ''Umi no Yeah!!'' has sold more than 3.3 million copies and beca ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Onyanko Club
was a large all-girl Japanese pop idol group in the 1980s. Some members of the group participated in spin-off groups, such as Nyangilas, Ushiroyubi Sasaregumi and Ushirogami Hikaretai. Many of the latter two groups' songs were used as theme songs of the popular 80s anime series ''High School! Kimengumi'' and ''Tsuide ni Tonchinkan''. Several big-name idols stemmed from the group; one of the best known being Shizuka Kudo. The group was produced by Hiroshi Ishida and Kazuji Kasai, both of whom were producers of Fuji TV's show ''Yūyake Nyan Nyan.'' History 1985 The group made its television debut on the first episode of Fuji TV's daily live television variety show on 1 April 1985. The show was aired from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday. In the beginning, the group consisted of nine high school girls and two high school graduates, namely Sayuri Kokusho (number 8) and Satomi Fukunaga (number 11). They were selected from participants in two special episodes of Fuji TV's ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Junko Sakurada
is a Japanese singer and actress. She was part of a music trio in 1973, which included Momoe Yamaguchi and Masako Mori. Sakurada then became successful in a solo music career, with 18 top ten singles in the 1970s. Her acting career ran from 1973 to 1993. She received multiple awards for her acting roles, including the Hochi Film Award, Award of the Japanese Academy, Kinema Junpo Award, and Mainichi Film Concours. Following her marriage, in a Blessing ceremony of the Unification Church in 1992, she retired from performing. In 2013, Junko Sakurada made a comeback. Biography Sakurada was born in 1958. She is a singer and actress. In 1973, she was part of "a hit female trio", which also included musicians Momoe Yamaguchi and Masako Mori. The music trio became popular as part of the television program ''Producing the Stars'' ('' Star Tanjō!''); they were known as "The Trio of Third-Year Junior High School Students" ("Hana no Chu 3 Trio"). According to ''Japan Pop!: Insid ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Seiko Matsuda
, known professionally as , is a Japanese pop singer and songwriter, known for being one of the most popular Japanese idols of the 1980s. Since then, she is still actively releasing new singles and albums, doing annual summer concert tours, winter dinner shows, high-profile TV commercials and movies, and makes frequent TV appearances and radio broadcasts. Due to her popularity in the 1980s and her long career, she has been dubbed the "Eternal Idol" by the Japanese media. In January 2011, the Japanese music television program Music Station listed her as the 2nd best-selling idol of all time in Japan, with 29,510,000 records sold. She placed right behind pop group SMAP and ahead of Akina Nakamori, her biggest rival from the 1980s, who was listed in third place. In 2016, however, Ian Martin of ''The Japan Times'' compared her output unfavorably with that of Hikaru Utada, describing Matsuda as "first and foremost an idol rather than an artist. Her legacy is best expressed in single ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pink Lady (duo)
are a Japanese female pop music duo of the late 1970s and early 1980s, featuring Mie (Mitsuyo Nemoto, born March 9, 1958) and Keiko Masuda (formerly Kei, born September 2, 1957). In Japan, they are remembered for a run of pop-chart hits from roughly 1976 to 1979, but in the United States, they are best known for their short-lived 1980 NBC TV variety show '' Pink Lady'', later released on DVD under the title ''Pink Lady and Jeff.'' Pink Lady is one of only two Japanese artists to have reached the ''Billboard'' Top 40, hitting No. 37 with the single " Kiss in the Dark"; the other was Kyu Sakamoto with the original Japanese-language version of " Sukiyaki". They are also the first Japanese act ever to have performed in Seoul, South Korea, in November 1980. In June 1979, ''Billboard'' stated the duo had sales of over 72 million in Japan, and stated in September 1980 that Pink Lady's singles had grossed over 40 million, their album releases over 25 million, and their TV appeara ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Candies (group)
was a Japanese idol trio formed in 1973, their first single being . Candies was composed of three girls: (), (), and (. Songwriters included Michio Yamagami, Kōichi Morita, Yūsuke Hoguchi, and Kazuya Senka. The group was popular among young Japanese people. History Biography The Candies had eight top 10 songs: , , , , , , , and . They were a representative idol group of Japan in the 1970s along with Pink Lady. In 1977, at the height of their popularity, they dropped out of the music business with the famous phrase of Their farewell concert was held at the Korakuen Stadium on April 4, 1978. A few years after leaving the industry, Ran and Sue came back as actresses. Miki returned to singing, but quit shortly after getting married. In 2008, there were plans for a Candies reunion tour to celebrate 35 years since their debut and 30 years since their epic farewell concert. The tour never came about, mainly due to Sue's acting schedule and Miki's desire to remain out of th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kyu Sakamoto
was a Japanese singer and actor. He was best known outside Japan for his international hit song "Ue o Muite Arukō" (known as "Sukiyaki" in English-speaking markets), which was sung in Japanese and sold over 13 million copies. It reached number one in the United States ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in June 1963, making Sakamoto the first Asian recording artist to have a number one song on the chart. He was also the first Japanese artist to have a number one single on the Australian singles chart. Sakamoto was killed on 12 August 1985 in the crash of Japan Air Lines Flight 123, along with 519 others on board the flight. Life and career Early years: 1941–1949 Childhood in Kawasaki and Kasama Sakamoto was born on 10 December 1941, in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, to Hiroshi Sakamoto, a cargo tender officer, and his second wife, Iku. He was the youngest of his father's nine children, which is why he was nicknamed , meaning "lil nine". Kyū is also an alternate reading of the ''ka ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Momoe Yamaguchi
, known by her maiden name , is a Japanese former singer, actress, and idol whose career lasted from 1972 to 1980. Often simply referred to by her given name "Momoe," Yamaguchi is one of the most successful singers in Japanese music, releasing 32 singles, including three number one hits, and 21 studio albums. She also starred in 15 feature films and several television serial dramas. At age 21, Yamaguchi retired at the height of her popularity to marry her frequent costar, Tomokazu Miura; she has never performed or made a public appearance since. Therefore, she is called a legendary idol in Japan. Biography Early life and career Momoe Yamaguchi was born on 17 January 1959 at Tokyo Metropolitan Hiroo Hospital in Ebisu, Shibuya, Tokyo. Not long afterwards she was left in the care of her maternal grandparents. At around four, she returned to her parents and the family then moved to Yokohama. Her father, a medical doctor who was married to another woman with children, was never ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Keisuke Kuwata
is a Japanese multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, and frontman for the Southern All Stars, as well of his own solo band, the Kuwata band. He has also done a significant amount of scoring music for films. He went to Aoyama Gakuin University. In 2010, Southern All Stars was ranked No. 1, and Kuwata's solo band, the Kuwata Band, ranked No. 12 on HMV Japan's list of the top 100 musicians in Japan. Kuwata has worked as a record producer, a movie director, has recorded albums as bandleader of his own band, the Kuwata Band, and has worked on projects scoring music to film. Biographical information Keisuke Kuwata was born February 26, 1956, and raised in Chigasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. Kuwata's wife, Yuko Hara, is also a member of the Southern All Stars. She is a vocalist and plays keyboards. The two met while in college, where they were in the same circle of musicians. They married in 1982, after the success of the band's single Chako no Kaiganmonogatari, and invi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
