2020 has finally started – and it’s now time to look back on a successful year of J-Music. Here is my list of selections for you to check out, I tried to make it as diverse as I can so that you are able to find the sound that suits your taste. I will rank the song from my least to most favorite.
Happiness – Chao Chao
Happiness is a girl group under LDH; the group is consists of 2 vocalists and 5 performers. “Chao Chao“, their thirteenth single, was released on September 11, 2019. The song starts with a very catchy rap that is upbeat and it left a strong impression on me. The verses are slow and calm at first, building up in the pre-chorus which then leads to a catchy chorus. The song is a little bit messy but it is still very catchy. I personally don’t like Karen‘s rap but I think she did quite good in this song. In my opinion, they could make this song more interesting by adding some unexpected notes and instrumentals or just by making some small changes because throughout the song, I feel that it maintains the same tune and range, making it sound repetitive and predictable. It’s like the first half of the song was copied and pasted to the rest of it. Kind of lazy if you ask me, but well, most pop songs are like that. It’s a decent song but it needs a wow factor. They should also remove all of the chanting sounds in the background, it’s unnecessary.
Lyrics: 6/10
Vocals: 7.5/10
Music: 7.5/10
= 7/10
Airi Suzuki – Escape
Airi Suzuki is a former C-ute member who released her first single, “Escape“, in August 2019. Its producer is the same as the one for BoA‘s “Valenti“, “Listen To My Heart” and “Meri Kuri“. This song has both Namie Amuro and Koda Kumi (from the ’05s and ’06s) vibes to it. It starts with an acapella that showcases her voice and in my opinion, it is a very impressing opening. The song is very catchy, exciting, upbeat and has a nice Latin vibe to it. I don’t really fancy Airi‘s vocal tone, she has good technique but most of the time, her voice doesn’t work with the song. However, this song is actually more up to date than her past releases and her vocals work better here compared to some of the songs in her debut album, so I think it is a great improvement.
Lyrics: 6/10
Vocals: 9/10
Music: 8/10
= 7.6/10
FAKY – GIRLS GOTTA LIVE
FAKY is a a 5-member girl group that debuted in 2013 under Avex‘s record label, Rhythm Zone. Their name stands for “Five Ass Kicking Youngsters” or the combination of the two words, “fantastic” and “Tokyo”. In 2019, they created their own YouTube channel and released 3 brand new songs: “GIRLS GOTTA LIVE“, “Antidote” and “NEW AGE“. All three releases are really good and they all have different vibes. “GIRLS GOTTA LIVE” is a western pop song while “Antidote” is more of a Latin pop song and “NEW AGE” is heavily influenced by rock music with the sickest drop out of three. I like “GIRLS GOTTA LIVE” the most with its ’90s and ’00s vibe and I’m personally not a fan of songs with an instrumental chorus. “Antidote” might be a little bit more trendy but I find “GIRLS GOTTA LIVE” to be more fun to listen to.
Lyrics: 7/10
Vocals: 8/10
Music: 8/10
= 7.6/10
Da-iCE – Fake Me Out Fake Me Out
Da-iCE is a 5-member Japanese male vocal and idol dance group signed to Universal Music Japan‘s label, Universal Sigma. They are managed by Avex Management Inc. The group consists of 2 vocalists and 3 performers. In my opinion, their music has improved a lot over the past few years. I think this song really proves it, it is composed by Satoshi Fujiwara of Official Hige Dandism. I like how it is jazzy and a little different from their usual releases with a more mature vibe, less poppy than the typical sound idol groups do. The dance break part is good although I think it is a little out of place, but it’s also pretty cool.
Lyrics: 7/10
Vocals: 8.5/10
Music: 8/10
= 7.8/10
KIRINJI ft. YonYon – killer tune kills me
KIRINJI was formed in October 1996. They have released twelve original albums and eighteen singles to date and are still active. “killer tune kills me” was released on June 05, 2019. It features YonYon, a Korean DJ who works in Japan, and that’s why you can hear some Korean in the song. The bassline should be illegal, it’s just so good and it’s one of the reasons I like city pop songs. This song is city pop but I think it is also mixed with lo-fi hip hop and vaporware, it is very chill as well. The tune is nice, it really killed me and it is very suitable to listen to when you are driving at night.
Lyrics: 6/10
Vocals: 9/10
Music: 9/10
= 8/10
iri – Wonderland
iri is a Japanese pop and R&B singer-songwriter. This song is in her third album, “Shade“, that was released on March 6. She describes the album’s concept as being the shadow within her. “Wonderland” is a chill R&B song that has a positive vibe. There is actually nothing special about it, it’s just a very nice song with deep vocals. Her voice is very rare for Japanese female soloists and that’s why it stands out to me. I find that she has a similar vibe to early ’00s R&B singers like Utada and Crystal Kay but with a more mature tone. If you usually drive alone at night, you should put this in your playlist because I think this song gives off a good feeling at that moment.
Lyrics: 7/10
Vocals: 10/10
Music: 7/10
= 8/10
Scandal – Saishuheiki Kimi
Scandal was formed in August 2006 with four members — Haruna on vocals and rhythm guitar, Mami on lead guitar, Tomomi on bass guitar, and Rina on drums. On November 6, 2019, they released their third single under their own label, “her“. “Saishuheiki Kimi” is a digital single that was composed by the lead guitarist and vocalist, Mami Sasazaki. The song begins with a catchy riff just like their other song, “Masterpiece”, but it’s longer and more poppy. I really like the structure of the song although it’s kind of repetitive but it’s not boring and predictable. The instrumental parts that give off a futuristic vibe are interesting and I really like it. The auto-tune is unnecessary and I think it slightly drags the song down. In my opinion, this song was smartly created.
Lyrics: 9/10
Vocals: 7/10
Music: 9//10
= 8.3/10
Keyakizaka46 – Kuroi Hitsuji
Keyakizaka46 was created on August 21, 2015, becoming Nogizaka46’s first sister group under the Sakamichi Series. “Kuroi Hitsuji” is the only single they released last year, it’s a masterpiece from its lyrics, music video, music and performance. The song is about problems in society, how people out of the norm are isolated, how people blindly follow the majority and how they all have the same color that they can’t be differentiated from one another in the view of a “black sheep” (the literal meaning of “Kuroi Hitsuji“). The piano at the beginning of the song is very impressive and I like the way the song uses surround sound, I think it adds a nice vibe to it. The piano continues and goes up a little before dropping for the bass to kick in. The song turns from a poetic and orchestratic vibe to a soft rock sound and then back to a dramatic one at the chorus and the bridge. This is something that the band Gesu no Kiwami Otome would do but with a more idol vibe. The part from 3:19 to 3:40 is a nice break leading to the final chorus, a good way to bring more emotion to it. If you noticed, the song starts with a heavy piano that makes you feel anxious, but it ends with a light piano tune. The violin and guitar melodies sound more relaxed and cheerful; the sadness is still there but it is not the same kind exuded by the piano at the beginning. It could be that in the end, the “black sheep” finally decided to move on and live their life despite their differences with society, and I think that’s a nice touch to the song.
Lyrics: 10/10
Vocals: 6/10
Music: 9/10
= 8.3/10
Genie High ft. AiNA THE END – Fuben Na Kawaige
Genie High was formed in 2018. The band has 5 members: Ikkyu Nakajima of the band Tricot handles vocals, comedian Kazutoyo Koyabu sits on the drums, TV personality Kukki is the bassist,Takashi Niigaki takes charge of the piano and Enon Kawatani, singer-songwriter of Gesu no Kiwami Otome and indigo la End. They have been constantly releasing hits ever since their debut. “Katame De Ijyou Ni Koishiteru” is their biggest hit and it follows a formula Kawatani uses a lot with Gesu No Kiwami Otome. It’s a rock number with splashes of jazz featuring sudden shifts in time signatures, capped off by swift vocal delivery that at one point swings into spoken words. My favorite song from them in 2019 is “Fuben Na Kawaige” which features AiNA THE END (BiSH). The song formula is sightly different from their other songs. It is more rock, less jazzy and has a darker vibe compared to their past releases. I really like how the song starts with the piano and slowly builds up. The part is used 2 more times in the song, one in between the first chorus and the second verse and the other at the end. I think it connects the song very well. In my opinion, this song is also similar to “Kuroi Hitsuji” and both are really good. They have good bassline and piano melodies. I love AiNA‘s voice, it’s just so good and I think their voices fit well together.
Vocals: 9/10
Music: 9/10
= 9/10
King Gnu – Hakujitsu
King Gnu was formed in 2015 as Srv.Vinci, they were renamed to King Gnu in 2017. The band consists of four members: Tsuneta Daiki (vocalist & keyboardist), Iguchi Satoru (vocalist & guitarist), Seki Yu (drummer & sampler) and Arai Kazuki (bassist). In January 2019, they made their major debut under Ariola Japan, and released the hit song “Hakujitsu“, which ranked fourth in the year-end chart of Billboard Japan and has more than 3 million downloads. It is a mixture of rock and pop and I believe that it has some hip-hop influences as well. It popped up on my YouTube recommendations for a long time but I ignored it till one day when I was bored and wanted to find something new. On the first listen, it was an okay song but everything changed when I listened to it again. The song starts off beautifully, I like the groove of the drum beats, it’s very unique! At 0:45, the bass and synthesizer kicks in and the beat of the drums improved a lot more, it made the vibe of the song change from an emotional/soft start to a groovier and more upbeat song. It’s an unexpected change as I thought it would be a ballad or at least less groovy. I love the bridge, the vocals make it very emotional. Both singers did a great job, their voices mix well together and it’s really interesting to hear. I also like the way they produced Tsuneta Daiki‘s vocals! They used multiple layers and recordings of his voice, they mixed them very well but it makes their live performance less impressive to me as all these effects are removed, so his voice is really different from the studio version. I really love the melody of the song and even though I ignored it at first, it’s now one of my favorite songs of the year. It was well-produced and it is really interesting to listen to songs like this nowadays. I strongly recommend it but if you don’t like too much falsetto, you might not like this song.
Lyrics: 10/10
Vocals: 9/10
Music: 9/10
= 9.3/10
As someone who has been listening to Japanese music for 7 years, I personally think that 2019 is a successful year for Japanese music. The narrative has officially changed in the music scene, it’s not heavily dominated by idols anymore like in the late 2000s and early 2010s. There are many new good artists and songs in 2019, some of them have made it big while some are slowly getting more recognition. I also think it’s because streaming has finally become a thing in Japan, it’s not heavily based on physical sales anymore so artists finally have a place to showcase their talent and songs. All ten of my selections are different from each other. If you are into western pop or modern pop songs, I think you would like FAKY, Airi Suzuki and Happiness. If you like R&B, city pop and chill songs, then you might enjoy KIRINJI and iri. If you are into rock, jazz and groovy songs, then King Gnu, Scandal, Keyakizaka46, Da-iCE and Genie High are for you.
