Tag - pop

 
 

POP

Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Oct 26, 2019
K-pop star G-Dragon, leader of Big Bang, ends military service as fans mob base
Fans of the K-pop boy band Big Bang gathered on Saturday to see leader G-Dragon return to civilian life after his discharge from military service.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Oct 14, 2019
Ex-member of South Korean girl band f(x) who spoke out on cyber bullying found dead
A former member of top South Korean girl group f(x), who had spoken out against cyber bullying, was found dead Monday, police said.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Sep 26, 2019
Hot Chip's 'A Bath Full of Ecstasy' presents a 'purer version' of its electro-pop style
British group Hot Chip mark 20th anniversary with new album, 'A Bath Full of Ecstasy' and a world tour that includes dates in Osaka, Tokyo and Shizuoka Prefecture
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Aug 29, 2019
Top K-pop producer Yang Hyun-suk questioned by police over gambling and prostitution
The music producer behind some of South Korea's biggest K-pop stars was questioned by police on Thursday in connection with an investigation into illegal gambling and prostitution that has rocked the music industry.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 14, 2019
Trade spat sees K-pop caught in the middle
The Japanese debut performance of Korean pop group Stray Kids planned for next month should be an unquestionably good thing. The fledgling male outfit has been gaining steam since emerging in 2017, with its nine members having already played shows in Southeast Asia, Australia, the United States and Europe....
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 7, 2019
Chanmina's 'Never Grow Up' delivers pop hooks and hip-hop heartache
The J-pop world could use a few more artists like Chanmina. In the leap from high-school MC battles to the commercial mainstream, she has managed to hone her pop appeal without sacrificing her swagger. Anyone who calls their debut single "Fxxker" isn't trying to make fans the old-fashioned way.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 31, 2019
'Hikaru Utada Laughter in the Dark Tour 2018': An online offering that nails the live experience
Japanese pop star Hikaru Utada's 2018 "Laughter in the Dark Tour" marked her first jaunt around the country in 12 years. The seven-city tour became one of the year's most anticipated tickets, culminating in a Dec. 9 performance at Chiba's Makuhari Messe coinciding with the 20th anniversary of her debut....
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jun 27, 2019
The Lethal Weapons: Locked and loaded on the streets of Tokyo
Nostalgia for the 1980s usually plays out more as an aesthetic than an authentic yearning to go back to the days of Rubik's Cubes and "Miami Vice." But that's not the case for Aiki Kiyohisa, 38.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHY DID YOU LEAVE JAPAN?
Jun 8, 2019
For artist Jun Arita, home is where the art is
Art, says New Zealand-based Jun Arita, is not about the money, it's about making connections and creating something meaningful.
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
May 30, 2019
Rino Sashihara: Can one 'idol' beat the system?
An idol group such as AKB48 is designed for members to be easily replaced. The performers existing in these environments constantly get shuffled around and eventually "graduate" — a term used for when they leave. Fans might become attached to a specific member and follow them on their musical journey....
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 15, 2019
The Abjects: London-based, but internationally minded
It has been exactly two years since The Abjects, a London-based power pop and garage trio, last toured Japan, and since then the one thing that has been constant is change.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
May 7, 2019
K-Pop stardom lures young Japanese hopefuls to South Korea despite diplomatic chill
Yuuka Hasumi put high school on hold and flew to South Korea in February to try her chances at becoming a K-pop star, even if it means long hours of vocal and dance training, no privacy, no boyfriend and even no phone.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 2, 2019
Heisei offered a number of lessons J-pop artists should learn from going into the Reiwa Era
The past year in Japanese pop has felt like one big musical revue devoted to the Heisei Era (1989-2019), with TV shows reflecting on the biggest hits of that period. Now that Reiwa has finally started, the cultural discourse can turn to figuring out how this new period's sound will come together.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 1, 2019
'Pacific Breeze' collates the slick sound of Japanese city pop
Long overlooked by international labels, Japan's rich musical history has been undergoing thorough excavation over the past few years. Some of the most satisfying archival releases to date have come from Light in the Attic, the U.S. label behind last year's Haruomi Hosono reissues and the recent "Kankyo...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film / Wide Angle
Apr 18, 2019
Japan to be given a lesson in idol pop with 'Produce 101 Japan'
Last week, Japanese talent agency Yoshimoto Kogyo and South Korea's CJ E&M announced a new talent competition TV show for Japan, set to debut later this year. And it's not just another program to fill up the back end of 2019, but will be a test case to see if the traditional power structures of male...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Apr 15, 2019
'Gangnam style' sex crime: K-pop scandals uncover dark side of Seoul's flashiest district
On a recent weekend night, the dance floor at one of the hottest clubs in Seoul's swanky Gangnam district held only a few dozen people surrounded by mostly empty tables.
JAPAN / Heisei Icons,Heisei Icons
Apr 11, 2019
Tetsuya Komuro: J-pop inventor's synth-powered dance tunes set the tone for post-bubble Japan
The term J-pop, a Heisei invention, needed a defining characteristic to make it stand out from the Showa Era's soundtrack, and Komuro provided a synthesizer-powered foundation.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Apr 4, 2019
A look at some of Japan's lesser-known idol-pop players
I made my first trip to Japan just over 10 years ago to see concerts by Morning Musume and AKB48, two of the country's biggest idol-pop groups this century. What struck me most about the experience was the camaraderie among the fans, it was a closeness that was unlike anything I'd seen with Western pop...

Longform

Dangami House is a 180-year-old former samurai residence of the Kato clan, who ruled over Ozu, Ehime Prefecture, until the Meiji Restoration.
A house, a legacy and the quiet work of restoration in rural Japan