TheMan
Member
Actually wasn't jpop gaining traction 10-15 years ago? Somehow, in the US, it seems to have fallen by the wayside in favor of kpop
J-pop is where it's at. don't understand why k-pop took off more.
My problem with K-pop and why i think K-pop is bad for humanity (K-pop causal listener since 2013)
March Climber
Member
It was, to the point where people like Gackt was kind of a known name amongst anime and gaming fans.
I personally think part of the issue with J-Pop was that a lot of music felt like it is being made to fit anime specifically. When I think of J-pop, I think of songs like these (and these are all recent):
Nothing wrong with these songs, and some are even catchy and cute, but at the same time you could hear it perfectly fit an anime outro or intro, and some of them feel a bit safe in that J-pop/J-rock way.
K-pop didn't quite feel this way. Instead it felt like they would try to match the highest highs of western pop and break that worldwide barrier, to which they managed to succeed with a few groups, example:
I always find it to be a breath of fresh air with J-pop when an artist goes outside of the usual J-pop comfort zone, as this song blew up with over 500m listens:
In the end though I think that there is an issue with all music industries worldwide and they are all extremely exploitative towards musicians and especially boy bands/girl bands. Most people don't have any empathy for these people/artists because they simply see the fame and think 'what could be better?' but we've seen and read too many screwed up stories to know that it is never that cut and dry.
DeafTourette
Perpetually Offended
This is the group I was talking about. Like I said, they have an old-school feel in their music
Jinzo Prime
Member
Okay, I have to admit that made me smile, they nailed the early 2000's vibe.
kevboard
Member
I must admit the off-shoot version of this stuff, the "babymetal" or WTF you call that genre is actually kinda cool.
YMMV but for me the contrast of the squeaky little girl japanese(?) lyrics with the metal sounds and cookie monster parts is pretty entertaining. If they ever get Macross/Robotech off the ground I hope they put Minmay into a band like this
this is Jpop derived, VERY DIFFERENT.
Jpop has mostly rock and metal influences. electric guitars being common.
there are pure Jpop songs with literal guitar solos in them for example, like the opening for Steins;Gate
Kpop is mostly influenced by American pop and hiphop.
so they aren't really comparable even tho, with both having roots in pop music, there's some overlap.
the reason Babymetal's style works is because they mix Jpop, which already had metal influences, and mixes it with proper metal.
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Cyberpunkd
Member
They are both thrash. It's an industry catering to simps.
J-pop is where it's at. don't understand why k-pop took off more.
March Climber
Member
That literally isn't true though. An easy example two posts above yours the song sounds like 2000s R&B. Korean musicians have definitely experimented more with different sounds and genres.
Every country out there will always have a generic section of music, there's 8 billion of us so of course it will happen.
Power Pro
Member
Maybe, but Perfume, and other music that I enjoy are some of the few things that can still make me happy.