Background

From Wikipedia:

J-pop is an abbreviation of Japanese pop and refers to Japanese popular music. The word J-pop was coined by Japanese FM radio station, J-WAVE. By definition, J-pop is a generic term that encompasses many different Japanese musical genres including pop, rock, dance, rap, and soul. The term is used to distinguish this modern style of music from classical Japanese music or Enka, a traditional Japanese form of ballad. Singers of J-pop include both popular musicians and seiyuus (voice actors).

Although J-pop covers all modern music genres in Japan, it is more commonly used in reference to pop music. The music is typically catchy, energetic, and highly addictive. You'll even hear English words thrown into the songs sometimes. You'll never want to listen to the radio again - unless you're in Japan, of course!

J-pop

From catching the latest PVs (promotional videos) on MTV Japan, to seeing the latest celebrity endorsements in CMs (commercials), to lending their voices to anime, you can find J-pop everywhere in the media.

When an artist has a new single to promote, you'll likely catch them on music programs such as Music Station and Utaban, which are TV shows dedicated solely for the promotion of the hottest new music in the country. These weekly shows typically feature a guest artist, who will stop by and chat with the hosts and promote their latest single. These programs are very entertaining to watch, not only for the live performances and hilarious interviews with the artists, but for the crazy antics and games that occur on the show.

Speaking of TV programs, as an artist in Japan, you know you've made it in the music industry when you are invited to perform in the annual New Year's event, Kohaku Uta Gassen (which literally translates to Red/White Song Fight) on NHK. Since 1951, from the hot to the established, artists gather into 2 teams - Red (females) and White (males) - to compete in a friendly singing competition.

You can also find J-pop in anime (Japanese animation) - these two practically go hand-in-hand together. Most opening/ending theme songs are sung by popular J-pop artists. Everyone from Namie Amuro to Gackt to Asian Kung Fu Generation have lent their voices to the music of various series. The series may even revolve around music (such as Gravitation, Full Moon wo Sagashite or Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch).

With all the exposure J-pop is getting, its no wonder it has become one of Japan's most popular genre of music.