J-Pop

About the J-Pop genre

The roots of J-pop trace back to the 1960s, when Western artists like The Beatles began influencing Japanese musicians and audiences. This imported energy combined with local songwriting traditions to create something distinct from kayōkyoku, the term used for Japanese pop music that had held sway since the 1920s. By the 1990s, J-pop had fully established itself as the dominant force in Japan's popular music landscape.

The Japanese media coined the term J-pop specifically to separate Japanese popular music from foreign imports in record stores and radio programming. What began as a marketing distinction evolved into a genuine category that encompasses most Japanese popular music produced since the 1990s. The genre's foundation in Western pop structures combined with local production sensibilities and language created a sound that remains distinctly Japanese while remaining commercially accessible internationally.