Never before has the Japanese music industry been so vibrant and promising than at the turn of the 21^st century. A most noticeable trend within the J-music scene is artists purposely choosing to sing in English. The benefits and rise in popularity for such a choice is immense. The Japanese band the ‘Brilliant Green’ ‘nicknamed: Buri Guri’ were nominated as one of the top ten bands in the world by Time magazine, US edition. Such a wonderful representation serves to inspire and heighten the profiles of new artists from the land of the rising sun.

From the late 1960’s and early 1970’s a tsunami of Western music infiltrated the five main islands of Japan, unlocking a magical world of new music. This wave of music from then and still through to present day Japan seduced Japanese listeners in like a sticky web of Natto (fermented soya beans). The Japanese found it cool to do cover songs based on Western bands in the past, but now find it even cooler to make their own songs with a mix of English.

Applying a few English words to a Japanese song not only attracts an array of Japanese listeners who find it kakkoii (cool) but also attracts English speakers worldwide whom of which have an interest of Japan and can relate to the content. This enables an artist’s music to sell both in the Japanese and overseas markets. It has always been hard for Japanese artists to put their music mainstream in Western countries, but with the many exciting genre’s and sub genre’s of Japanese music and original artists spiralling out of Japan, the Western world is theirs to enchant on a grand scale.

It is usually the chorus or a vital line in a song that is remembered most by listeners. Using English lyrics for these parts of a song will give more impact on the words and its meaning, making the song more catchy and vivid. ‘For some artists the use of English sounds much nicer and matches the flow of the song better’, says Hitsugi (real name: Ikari Mitsuo), the lead guitarist from the Japanese visual kei band ‘Nightmare’.

Akeboshi, who is a relatively new artist in Japan, but definitely one of the better ones' when it comes to using a subtle and smooth blend of English, is probably one of the most exciting artists to excel in the J-EiMusic trend scene in Japan. Akeboshi's music consists of soft elements of Jazz, Electronica, Rock and a touch of Irish music, and is both beautiful and relaxing. The song titled ‘Hey There’ from his first album ‘Akeboshi’ is a perfect example for creating a memorable chorus when he echoes the words ‘Hey there, hey there’. The chorus is easy to remember and identifiable. Akeboshi’s songs are either sang in Japanese and English or only in English. His most famous song being ‘Wind’ (sang entirely in English), which was the ending theme song for the acclaimed anime ‘NARUTO’ during the first series.

Many Japanese bands and artists create English or Romaji names for themselves. This is so that their international fan base can notice and search for them as well as the fact that their music CD’s stand out on shelves within Japanese music stores. Japanese artists who use English or Romaji would noticeably stand out in a listing of other bands and would also make people curious to hear what they sound like.

The oshare kei (meaning "stylish" or "fashionable") band ‘An Cafe’ (also known as Antic Cafe) is a perfect representation of this trend. Here is the track list for their latest album, Magnya Carta:

01.LOCK ON ☆ザ☆ 御NEW世界

02.スマイル一番 イイ♀

03.NYAPPY in the world 2

04.#*-@☆ピポパポテレパシー☆@-*#

05.メープルガンマン

06.プッシンプリン

07.七色クレヨンで描く光

08.スノーシーン

09.自己愛主義者の未熟な悪魔

10.巡り逢えた奇跡

11.BondS 〜絆〜(Magnya mix)

 

The clear mix of English and Japanese (Kanji, Hiragana and Katakana) makes the album appear very interesting as opposed to the track list being written in only Japanese or English.

Some Japanese artists have lived or are living overseas, which makes it easier for them to sing in English. Most noticeable artists are Hikaru Utada and Angela Aki. Hikaru Utada has had no problems in establishing a fan base both in the West and the East. Other well-known artists who successfully blend English and Japanese together are Mika Nakashima, Toshinobu Kubota, Ken Hirai, Sowelu, Love Psychedelico, Miyavi, Cokiyu, and Salyu.

The future of the Japanese music industry is very exciting and promising. The Western world is beginning to see the delights and uniqueness of Japanese music as an enthusiastic interest begins to grow steadily. But the most exciting aspect about the
J-EiMusic trend is that more and more Japanese people are returning to and showing an active interest in their native artists. The wide support of its own nation is key if the Japanese music industry wants to successfully infiltrate the Western world.

 

Note: J-EiMusic can be read as: Japanese-Eigo (English) Music

Visit the featured artists websites:

http://www.akeboshi.com

http://www.ancafe-web.com

http://www.cokiyu.net

http://www.o-re-sa-ma.com

http://www.lovepsychedelico.net

http://www.sowelu.info

http://www.kenhirai.net

http://www.toshikubota.com

http://www.mikanakashima.com

http://www.toshiba-emi.co.jp/hikki

http://www.sonymusic.co.jp/Music/Info/AngelaAki

http://www.ken-on.co.jp/tbg/index.html

http://www.salyu.jp

http://www.nightmare-web.com