Japanese singer

SHIINA RINGO

The mainstream image of female singers from the Japanese music industry are that of cutesy high school girls bobbling up and down in groups and 'almost' flashing their underwear. It's hardly anything most people past the age of twenty can look up to although the tunes may be catchy. Shiina Ringo on the other hand is a person that could be admired by both females and males for her music, personality and other talents. 

She emits a very different aura and vibe compared to most and although what it feels like has evolved throughout the years, it hasn't ever failed to mystify her fans. She is also quite diverse with her works, sometimes singing crazy semi-screamo rock, sometimes jazz or funk, sometimes a Broadway musical style, or sometimes even standard J-Pop. All of this, in her own distinct and identifiable sound.


Maybe one reason I like her so much is that she came when my musical tastes were at a transition. During high school, I used to like old American hip hop. Although I also liked a diverse style of music back then, that was what I listened to most at the time. After I listened to too much of it and got tired of it, I tried looking for Japanese music as at the time, I couldn't stand listening to most American accents in English songs (Sorry Americans....). I got into Japanese music, mainly J-Pop, since that's the easiest place to start but then got tired of all the similar sounding music. I found Shiina Ringo's music around that time, and although I wasn't blown away the first time I listened to it, I could sense something different and interesting about her and her tunes that I liked. 

Making a long story short, after downloading some of her music I got heavily addicted to it. The end. lol 





UTADA HIKARU

 Well this quite a standard pick for these kind of lists. Utada Hikaru is basically the queen of J-Pop. Or at least used to be. She has been taking a lot of breaks recently so hasn't been around making songs for a while but even so, her popularity is still meteoric. Not only that but the influence and impact she had on Japanese music when she appeared was immense. Anyone who begins to like Japanese music and starts looking for more will inevitably pass through her at some point.

Although it's not uncommon for Japanese girls to become a hit artist at young ages such as 14 etc, she not only did that but absolutely took it by storm. She has a smooth and soulful voice uncharacteristic of girls that age and also Japanese people in general, especially of those times, where this modern brand of R'n'b was virtually non-existent. You could say that Utada Hikaru was the reason for the popularity this type of music enjoys nowadays in Japan. If you look for artists before her that who may have sung that style of R'n'b, chances are that your search will end empty handed. There still probably isn't anyone that does it as nicely as her, although I can't really say for sure as I don't listen to new artists that much.....





KIMURA KAELA

Kimura Kaela is has a nice balance between rock and pop and doesn't it tip too far onto one side and so draws fans from followers of both genres. Although she initially became popular among teen girls with simple pop tunes she steadily evolved and experimented with her music.  

Although she's not an extraordinarily amazing talent, her tunes are simple and pleasant to listen to and good to turn on when you just want to casually hear some music.

However, she does have a few fast paced tracks that pump me up, and some mellow songs that make me feel a bit melancholic, so some credit should be given to her as a vocalist.

She is also a very down to earth person and friendly person and is often joking around on tv shows when she appears. Oh and she's cute. lol






NAKASHIMA MIKA

Nakashima Mika was one of the first Japanese singers that I started liking. She has a very beautiful voice that can make me feel very relaxed. She usually sings a lot of slow songs backed with piano after a stint at rock music for the film "Nana" she also delved into those types of tune slightly afterwards too. That's probably what she's most well known for in the West. I've heard that there are lots of fans of that movie and the original manga series. Anyway, she did those songs greatly too in my opinion. I really enjoyed them and the few others rock songs that she has done. They were probably the starting point for me beginning to look to that genre for new music actually.

She has had numerous hit songs, and one especially called "Yuki no Hana" (Flower of Snow) is regarded a classic J-Pop tune. It has been covered countless times by many different people, including men (despite being a song from female perspective), Korean people, Korean men, and lots of others.

Well I would've liked to embed the song but all of them have been blocked from doing that by the uploaders so here a link instead...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muGwLz6BSyg



UA

UA's stage name holds the meaning of both 'flower' and 'death' in the African language of Swahili. She is renown for her husky voice and has dabbled with many different genres, including Dub, Jazz, R&B, Folk and Ethnic inspired music. If I was to compare her music to someone in Western music, I would have to say it's something similar to Bjork, so lots experimental shit with strange vocal noises that don't make much sense. lol For this reason she may not be everyone's cup of tea.

However, when she does sing normally, she does it excellently and very beautifully (as does Bjork). For some reason I don't listen to her music as often as I think, but when I do, I'm always (well usually) get sucked into her musical world.





credit: http://jburogu-godzillaradio.blogspot.com/2012/01/my-top-5-japanese-female-singers.html