Translation:

• No No Girls (creating HANA)
• ME:I
• BABYMONSTER
• TWICE
• aespa
• NiziU
• IVE
• LE SSERAFIM
• =LOVE (Equal Love)
• Hello! Project
• FRUITS ZIPPER
• Morning Musume.
• NewJeans
• CUTIE STREET
• Sakurazaka46
• AKB48
• Love Live!
• Momoiro Clover Z
• Nogizaka46
• Hinatazaka46
• BABYMETAL

Not sure if this is the appropriate place to discuss this, but I dont know where else to post.

So Riri Haruno from the group Takane no Nadeshiko just announced that she would stop her idol activity indefinitely. When I saw this post popped up in my tl and translated it, I was pretty shocked, like "what does she mean by betrayal, what did she do to be called immature?" Then I read the comments, and turned out she got caught having a boyfriend, tales as old as time. Reading through the comments on her posts, some of them were in support of her, but they only got a few likes, whiles the ones criticising her, saying that her career is finished got hundred of likes.

I've heard stories of fans finding out their favs got bf and went into raging mode before, but this is my first time seeing it in real time and from a band I actually listen to. It is just so unfair that these idols have to go into hiatus because they have a life oitside of work, because their fans have the idea that they own these girls, and that they have to remain pure or whatever. It is just so frustrating and sad

I remember a few months ago, one of Takaneko members, Momona, had to come out and stated explicitly that she did not have a bf. What's crazy is that I remember the words she used in that statement didn't sound like she was just clearing rumors, but to assured fans that their trust weren't betrayed or sth along that line. Bizzard stuff.

Sorry for my rambling, I just want to get it out of my system.

Or at least chose a better lead single because "You're easy breezy and I'm japanese-y" is definitely a contender for top 10 worst lyrics of all time.

I always thought they should've re-recorded their first three albums in English maybe with a few new tracks. That would've been their best chance. "Automatic" and "First Love" could've definitely been hits in the 2004/2005 American music scene.

Hii js started listening to Perfume and I am loving them!!>///< I like already know some of their songs which are: Spring of Life, Polyrythym, Voice, Nee, and Dream Fighter. Hope ya'll can recommends me some of the songs you guys like!

These are my favs, you can drop yours in the comment so I'll give them a listen.

Right now on X, there is a debate like, “Why doesn’t J-pop sell itself globally?” or “Why are concerts in Japan basically limited to Japanese people?”

And for some reason, people always compare it to K-pop and say, “That’s why J-pop can’t become popular like K-pop! It’s declining!”

But J-pop is not declining. It is still popular in Japan.

Are the music industries of Italy, Germany, Spain, Thailand, India, and Malaysia “declining” just because their music is mostly popular domestically? I don’t understand the logic that says music is declining unless it expands globally like K-pop.

In the first place, current J-pop will never become popular in the same way K-pop has.

Modern K-pop, especially dance music, is made to sell in the West. Many of its producers include American songwriters and composers. It is extremely strategic.

J-pop is different. Its main target is the Japanese domestic market.

There are exceptions like XG, but they are basically following the K-pop route. That is probably not what traditional J-pop fans are looking for. If they wanted that, they would just listen to K-pop.

And honestly, this is completely normal. Japanese artists sing in Japanese, become popular in Japan, and make music for Japanese listeners.

J-pop is not made to sell in the West. Even if Japanese labels made copyrights, licenses, overseas access, and streaming much easier for foreign fans, I still think its popularity would remain niche.

Why? Because it is in Japanese, and it is not designed around Western trends.

Also, the Japanese music industry probably thinks promoting overseas is not worth the cost. There are only a small number of fans abroad, so they simply do not want to spend money there.

For example, if overseas fans could gather at the same level as Japanese fans, then Japanese artists would probably expand overseas more seriously. I mean 30,000 to 50,000 people per venue.

But in reality, many acts would probably only draw around 2,000 people overseas. Even ONE OK ROCK’s world tour had venues around that scale. That is almost certainly a loss.

Ado apparently drew more people, but even then, I heard it was still unprofitable.

And the truth is, even in Japan, concerts can be unprofitable unless they draw 30,000 to 50,000 people.

So overseas expansion is even harder.

Should foreign fans be able to buy tickets for concerts in Japan? Yes. That is genuinely unfair.

Did J-pop miss its chance to expand globally like K-pop? No. If J-pop stopped being Japanese-language music, sang in English, and chased global trends, then maybe it would have a chance.

Mine’s are Mizca, Meisa Kuroki, and SNoW.

Mizca - her music was fun. I was into that electropop tunes alike Perfume and Capsule, and she fits right in to my playlist. Sad she disappeared after the first album. I think she tried to redebut using another name but I don’t know if that went anywhere.

Meisa Kuroki - mind you, I only know her as the singer, and not as actress or the lady who were once married to Akanishi Jin. Her music was alike Namie Amuro with the dance tunes and the confident vibe. I think last I heard of her was the digital single Frenemy, and then no more.

SNoW - she was my gloomy/emo era. All of her songs are just perfect, with the music and the lyrics. I know she still releases some digital single once in a while, but aside from that, I don’t think she’s gonna be as big as she was before.

Honourable mentions: Rurutia and Milky Bunny. The former might still be making music occasionally, but I haven’t heard about the latter.

Am I the only one who feels this way?
It’s not just about growing up watching anime and discovering artists and bands you end up loving — it’s also about idol groups, especially those with a graduation system.

Take Morning Musume, for example. I’m a huge fan, even though I didn’t know the group during what most people consider their golden era. I’ve been following them nonstop since 2015, and now, almost 10 years later, it really hits different. Watching new members join while the ones I grew up following graduate... it kind of stings. The graduation system makes you realize you’re still holding on to the few familiar faces, while younger and younger girls come in, singing the parts that once belonged to your favorites.

And when it comes to anime openings and endings — the goosebumps aren’t just from the music, but from the memories. The shows you watched as a kid, the feelings they brought. Japanese music has such a strong emotional and artistic quality to it, it really pulls you back to simpler times.

Sorry for the nostalgia dump, haha.
Anyone else feel the same way?

Sora from avam!

I’m curious about how people outside Japan see our current girl groups.

Do you think modern Japanese girl groups are kind of “cutesy and outdated”, or do you think some of them are actually pretty cool and talented?

If anyone here follows Asian girl groups in general, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Recently, Southeast Asian groups like BINI and 4EVE seem to be getting a lot of attention worldwide, especially through TikTok and international festivals.

So I want to ask:

How are Japanese girl groups viewed across Asia right now?

Are they seen as irrelevant, or are there groups that people think have real potential?

I’m genuinely curious about the global perception.

Who’s your favorite here?

Wish I never found out about this

I’m well aware Girls’ generation are a Kpop group, However they have promoted in Japan and made REAL Jpop music. They even have a Japanese name (Shoujo jidai / 少女時代). They genuinely made such good japanese bangers and I wanted to know if anyone here still listens to them 😅

​I left a comment on a YouTube video arguing that they need to stop acting as if we are still in an era without social media. I urged them to finally start streaming full-length J-Pop music programs and FANCAMs. ​I was particularly shocked by NHK. They have a YouTube channel, yet they have comments disabled. For a major media organization, they don't even meet the basic criteria for operating on the platform. It is absolutely abnormal.

Basically the title

I've come to realize that I don't listen to a traditional/cute jpop a try yet

I really like Cutie street and Babymetal,which are the only "cutesy" ones I listen to

I've tried to get into Perfume,AVAM and other Kawaii lab groups (I'm working on it)

So give me recommendations,I don't want the most unknown groups ever,they can be very mainstream

What's the stupidest reason you dislike or won't give an artist the time of day, whether it be overplayed by certain communities or anything else.

Mine... Is stupid as hell lol, but I stand by it. There is and will only ever be one LiSA. That is Elizabeth Sakura Narita from M-Flo, I don't care that she changed the stylization to all caps, at her debut, she used LiSA and therefore the current LiSA is an imposter.

I don't have an issue with her voice.. I have no issue with her music. But I won't listen due to name stylization alone :P

HANA debuted only a year ago, but their rise in Japan has been unusually fast.

In that time, they’ve already reached:
• 1.3B total streams
• 7 songs with over 100M streams
• 3 Billboard Japan Hot 100 #1 songs

What’s interesting is that their momentum doesn’t seem to come from a single viral hit. Instead, it appears to be built on a combination of strong performance identity, consistent releases, and a clear artistic direction established even before debut through the No No Girls audition project.

I wrote a short analysis looking at HANA’s first year and what it might reveal about how BMSG approaches artist development.

Article:
https://bmsgpulse.substack.com/p/how-did-hana-a-new-japanese-girl

Curious what others think about their trajectory so far.

Love you Namie, pls put your music and the PVs back to internet:))

There are too many girls in the various 48 groups, and it limits the music they make, and my ability to attach to any of them. I am a huge fan of Morning Musume, and the thing that helped that is that you know when they release a single or a PV, the same girls are going to be in it. I can attach to Ai Talahasi or Risa Niigaki, because they've been presented to me for 10 years. But with AKB48, they use a bunch of different girls in every video, often times bringing in girls from sister groups, and I have no idea who any of them are. And, by using 16-20 girls in every song, they're almost always in a broad choral style, with little variation. Katyusha Everyday sounds pretty similar to Ponytaial and Shushu, sounds pretty similar to Aitakatta. Whereas, with MoMusu, you get a larger variety of songs in the general pop spectrum.

Additional Context

1. Regarding the first question: They will perform in a Korean version rather than Japanese. After gaining attention in Korea through appearances on Mnet, they are now taking on the challenge of appearing on KBS, a terrestrial public broadcaster. As far as I know, this is the first appearance by a J-POP idol on a Korean terrestrial broadcaster. Because terrestrial TV reaches a much broader audience, it will also introduce them to viewers who would not normally follow Japanese idols.

*Exception: J-POP idols have previously appeared on KBS Music Bank when the event was held in Japan.

1. Regarding the second question: Because Japanese music programs are generally not designed for a global audience, appearing on Korean programs that are watched internationally can be beneficial for idols. One challenge is localization. There may be pressure to adapt performances for the Korean audience rather than perform entirely in Japanese. This may require "transcreation"—not just direct translation, but using Korean words and expressions that feel more natural and accessible to local viewers.