Japanese Popular Music - Essay Example

Japanese Popular Music of the Subject Name of the Concerned Professor June 12, 2009 Japanese Popular Music J-Pop stands for the Japanese popular music that has today become a craze in the US, Asia, Europe and Australia. J-Pop happens to be an Asian musical genre that slowly evolved over a long period, meticulously and sometimes inadvertently incorporating elements from the Japanese folk tradition and the contemporary Western pop culture (Craig, 2000, p.97). One essential development that immensely contributed to the international popularity of J-Pop is the alleviation of the Japanese music industry from being an ignored local phenomenon to being a big influence that has a decisive say in the Japanese and international pop culture. With the digitalization of the global music business, the audience base of J-Pop has exponentially expanded with a dedicated following scattered all across the world. Tours by celebrated J-Pop bands like Softball, Glay and Suns Owl have become a regular feature in the pop culture of the nations neighboring Japan, be it South Korea, China, Taiwan or Thailand (Japanese Lifestyle 2009). Over the years, J-Pop has evolved from being an amorphous Japanese offshoot of the dominant Western, popular musical traditions to being a very contemporary and potent Asian musical genre that is imbued with immense cultural and financial possibilities. J-Pop is not a spontaneous or sporadic phenomenon, but a stable and durable aspect of Japanese pop culture, which is backed by a long history of amalgamation, adaptation, incorporation, imitation and experimentation with the local and Western musical forms. The two quintessential elements that constitute the very foundation of J-Pop are the evergreen and versatile Japanese folk and classical music. It is a known fact that the modern Japanese music industry was developed by some really talented musicians and singers, who though being naturally conversant with and affiliated to the ancient Japanese musical traditions, were really open minded towards the influences extended by the American, British and European artists. Hence, J-Pop is not steel jacketed or a rigidly monolithic entity, but a pliable and variegated concept that comprises of all the current genres of Western music that one can think of. Therefore, it is not a surprise that J-Pop is oft blamed of pirating beats and lyrics from the Western musical scene (Japanese Lifestyle, 2009). There is no denying the fact that the primary source of inspiration for J-Pop is Western pop music. However, it will be grossly simplistic to say that J-Pop is merely a pirated Japanese version of the original Western pop compositions. The motivation for the assimilation of American and British pop influences is enshrined within the history of modern Japan. As Japan became respective to the foreign ideas and influences in a post II World War scenario, it was natural and inevitable for its fledgling pop culture to be colored by the more virile Western music scene. Hence, this is a reality that most of the J-Pop artists look towards the West for new ideas and inspiration. Still, the real forte of J-Pop is its unique ability of subjecting the Western compositions to a distinctly local influence that alters them conspicuously, thereby giving them a very discernable Japanese pop flavor (Japanese Lifestyle, 2009). Thus, the Western audiences are though often able to identify the sources of motivation of some J-Pop compositions, still they simply could not resist appreciating the implicit uniqueness and ingenuity of J-Pop. In fact, it was J-Wave, a local FM radio station that christened this distinctly Western version of the Japanese pop music as J-Pop (Japanese Lifestyle, 2009). In Japan, the term J-Pop is used in a much broader and liberal context to make scope for all sort of Western musical genres like Country, Rock, Pop, Soul and Jazz. J-Pop owes its genesis to the patently American Jazz culture and music (Japanese Lifestyle, 2009). The American soldiers exposed the nascent Japanese pop scene to Jazz. Jazz gave J-Pop the freedom and versatility to adapt many traditional musical instruments, that were till now used only during solemn occasions to be played in the more contemporary compositions. Thus, jazz imbued J-Pop with its characteristic sporty, informal and vibrant spirit. Japan's surrender before the allied forces made possible an effervescent cultural scenario involving Asian and Western traditions. The inundation of the post World War Japan with the American soldiers forced the Japanese singers and musicians to adapt their compositions to a distinctly Western style to make them more palatable to their Western audience (Japanese Lifestyle, 2009). Besides, the American troops brought in a wave of diverse musical styles to Japan, which included Country music, Blues and Mambo (Japanese Lifestyle, 2009). Rock-and-roll was the most demanded musical flavor of the late 60s. The political and cultural environment in the US at this time was very conducive to make way for this new genre of music that was inherently rebellious, impulsive and aggressive. Hence, it was practical to expect that rock-and-roll will metamorphose to become an utterly popular musical form that was to define the preferences and attitudes of a whole new generation of audience. As already mentioned, J-Pop always had irrefutable and perpetual moorings in the Western pop scene, thus it took no time for the already seasoned and exposed J-Pop artists to embrace the rock-and-roll culture. By the late 60s, the rock-and-roll movement was at its peak in Japan, courtesy the efforts made by many influential J-Pop bands like Kosaka Kazuya (Japanese Lifestyle, 2009). The Japanese J-Pop artists humbly started by delivering the renditions of the compositions of the noteworthy Western players like Elvis Presley and the Beatles. With the passage of time, the Japanese influence began to seep into the emerging J-Pop compositions, thereby giving them a distinct standing of their own. Besides, this Japanese avatar of rock-and-roll was more acceptable to the local youth, as it gave them a sense of identity while stressing on the need for adapting to the altered political and economic circumstances in the post War Japan. During this rock-and-roll phase in the Japanese pop culture, many J-Pop artists made successful attempts at fusing the traditional Japanese music with the verve and appeal of rock-and-roll. Certainly, this period marks an important era in the history of J-Pop. There is no denying the fact that some J-Pop performers preferred to opt for short cuts by simply playing the verbatim translations of the popular American and British songs. However, with the advent of the radio and TV broadcasts, such J-Pop imitators faded into oblivion as the Japanese audience got a direct access to the original Western performers. The rock-and-roll era had a twofold impact on the J-Pop movement. On the one side, it encouraged the Japanese performers to assimilate the salient features of the American pop culture into the fold of J-Pop, while on the other side it discouraged cheap and facile imitations of more popular western songs and compositions. The advent of 70s shuttled J-Pop movement into an arena of enhanced complexity, both in terms of themes and compositions. Until now, the J-Pop artists were busy with their greenhorn attempts at getting used to the western themes and notes in their local improvisations. However, the 70s saw the J-Pop artists getting more confident and suave. The J-Pop compositions of the 70s evolved from being simple songs performed in the backdrop of minimal musical accoutrements to much complex compositions that were diversified not only in terms of orchestral inputs, but also in the range of themes, which varied from love to social activism (Japanese Lifestyle, 2009). It was during this era that big cities like Osaka and Tokyo became the centers of a thriving and pulsating J-Pop culture. By the late 80s, the J-Pop movement graduated from being an upcoming cultural trend to being a well-entrenched musical genre that was all set to be commercially exploited in the Asian markets. The J-Pop artists had by now become more professional in the way they handled and responded to the music markets and trends. Finally they had come out of the awesome shadows of the Western pop performers, to have a distinct identity of their own, which commanded an appreciable fan following. This coming of age of the professional J-Pop is aptly symbolized by the roaring success of the bands like Chage & Aska, who not only ruled the popularity charts in the 80s and the 90s, but also gave some memorable and trend setting hits (Japanese Lifestyle, 2009). Such J-Pop bands were to set the course for the J-Pop performers of the future. By now, J-Pop had all the baggage and paraphernalia that accompanies a commercially viable art form, be it the mega releases, massive and all sold concerts, popular bands and big money. It was during this era that J-Pop finally severed itself from being an insignificant Japanese appendage of the Western pop movement to being a full-bodied and independent, Asian cultural phenomenon. The 90s saw the influx of techno influences in J-Pop. It also ushered in an era of ultra popular and best selling female J-Pop bands like SPEED and Morning Musume (Japanese Lifestyle, 2009). In the 21st century, J-Pop is immensely being influenced by hip-hop, a trend that has given a completely new direction to the J-Pop movement. It goes without saying that TV still rules the Japanese music market and is no doubt the most exploited media as far as the merchandizing and marketing of J-Pop is concerned. It is a known fact that more then 90 percent of the hit J-Pop songs are prompted in the Japanese market via TV performances, live shows and TV ads (Schwartz, 2008, p.24). Despite the influx of mobile platforms and digital media, TV is still the most powerful media, so far as the unveiling and marketing of J-Pop is involved. With the digitization of the TV, this trend is expected to become even stronger in the times to come. According to Schwartz, "major recording artists in Japan are generally subsumed under a genre called J-Pop and are produced, promoted and released by an alliance of artist management companies and major labels that work closely with TV broadcasts and producers, plus multinational Japanese conglomerates consumer brands. The close ties among management companies, TV programs, ad agencies and labels ensure that all of them have a vested interest in promoting artists (2008, p.24)." In the given context, many popular TV programs like TBS' "Utaban", TV Asahi's "Music Station" and Fuji TV's "Hey Hey Hey Music Champ" command an influence over a large audience and play a pivotal role in the popularization and marketing of J-Pop (Schwartz, 2008, p.24). Just a decade ago, a majority of the J-Pop artists looked towards Western markets to realize their ambition of becoming an overseas success (McClure, 2000, p.53). Despite enjoying a close cultural affinity with the neighboring Asian countries, the J-Pop artists were reluctant to foray into the Asian climes owing to fears of large-scale piracy (McClure, 2000, p.53). Yet, it is a fact that a majority of the Asian masses being unable to identify with Western songs and compositions are more receptive and open to J-Pop. Things are fast changing and Japanese music companies are responding to this propitious opportunity by resorting to aggressive marketing in Asian countries. At present, Taiwan, Hong Kong and South Korea happen to be some of the largest markets of J-Pop outside Japan (McClure, 2000, p.53). The advent of the internet has further added to the international appeal of J-Pop. With the works of celebrated J-Pop artists available on online retail stores, the musical side of the Japanese popular culture is expected to be further globalized. As J-Pop is getting international, even Western audience are succumbing to its appeal, as it is really ease to respond to the essence of J-Pop compositions even if one does not understand the lyrics (Billboard, 2000). J-Pop happens to be an essentially Asian music genre that reluctantly began as an outcome of the political and cultural constraints, limitations and opportunities that faced the post War Japan. An aesthetic trend, which started with an urge to appeal to the taste of the victorious Western audience, very soon ended up having a distinct identity of its own. All that was needed was a cosmopolitan platform and astute marketing possibilities that were facilitated by the TV and the internet. Today J-Pop is an art form whose sway is destined to proceed beyond Asian markets to win the loyalty and fan following of the Western masses. Total Words: 2,075 = 8 pages +75 words References Craig, J. Timothy (2000). Japan Pop!: Inside the World of Japanese Poplar Culture. New York: M.E.Sharpe. J-POP. Japanese Lifestyle. Retrieved June 14, 2009, from http://www.japaneselifestyle .com.au/culture/j-pop.html J-POP History. Japanese Lifestyle. Retrieved June 14, 2009, from http://www.japanese Lifestyle.com.au/j-pop_history.html J-Pop's International Appeal (2000). Billboard. Vol. 112. No. 27, p.46-46. McClure, Steve (2000). Sun Worshipping: Japan's Once-Reluctant Neighbor's now Devour J-Pop. Billboard. Vol. 112. No. 34, p.53-53. Schwartz, Rob (2008). TV Still Rules Japan. Billboard. Vol. 120, No. 39, p.24-24. Read More