Jpop, an abbreviation for Japanese pop, was first coined by a Japanese radio station, J-WAVE. While it first merely differentiated classical and folk genres from new stars, the Jpop category has now outgrown itself. In Japan today, punk, rock, rap, and an eclectic array of mainstream stars can all fall under the Jpop category. A distinctive strain within Jpop is undoubtedly the unique, international flavor of several top female vocalists such as Utada Hikaru, Crystal Kay, MISIA, and Namie Amuro. Their public images are notably distinctive from other popular artists and their music is considered R&B, gospel, or hip-hop esque (though an American listener may disagree). Practically any Westerner who comes to Japan or studies it is intrigued by these artists in particular, but left at a loss as to how to understand them.

Utada Hikaru

Bio: Born in New York City, Utada Hikaru is the only child of sophisticated Japanese musical heavyweights. Her mother is a former top Japanese vocalist and her father a top music producer. In fact, it was her father that produced most of her albums. Hikaru or “Hikki” (her nickname) debuted at age 16 with the album First Love in 1999 that was a gigantic hit with the album’s title single (First Love). The song was a surprisingly mature and honest love ballad that is still a popular choice in karaoke clubs today across Japan. The album’s enormous popularity as well as her general commercial success caused Utada to become ranked on Japan’s highest tax payers list. Unlike most pop artists in any country, she writes all the lyrics to her songs (including her first album) as well as being part of the production process. Superbly bi-lingual, her English lyrics always make sense (in contrast to the popularity of random English phrases in Jpop that do not). Utada was never considered cute, sexy, or flashy, from her debut to today, she is distinctive for her relatively average looks, down-to-earth personality, and intelligence (she was after all accepted to America’s Columbia University). Utada’s songs when performed live or in videos never incorporate dance choreography or sultry moves. She is simply known for rather serious ballads and her unique singing that ranges from very low to very high, but is by no means a trained vocalist. Her voice comes across as someone’s exceptional, but simply natural singing ability and is never full-fledged belting out.

The Inside Scoop: Her American album, Exodus, is a very disappointing creation. Her lyrics’ power and integrity drop many levels, whether it’s due to an affinity for writing in Japanese, poor producing, or a lack of effort is unknown. Utada had actually gotten producers from America before this, for example on her second album Distance, a track was produced by the hip-hop label Dark Angel. Utada has somewhat faded from the public eye after she moved to America to attend Columbia University. At school students heard the Japanese Britney Spears was in attendance, a comparison that is an apt correlation to convey her status and fame, but certainly misleading in relation to her style. The comparison drifted into media, and the international edition of TIMES magazine also dubbed her this. Utada ultimately left Columbia her freshman year, married a Japanese photographer 10 years her senior, and also underwent operation for ovarian cysts. Despite her tumultuous personal life and unmatched success since her debut, Utada is still undeniably one of the top three Jpop stars in Japan. Her music continues to gross as much as, if not more, than pop stars who are far more active and present in the Japanese music scene.