The Ultimate Guide to Japanese City Pop

Miki Matsubara

If by now you haven’t heard the earworm Stay With Me (Mayonaka No Door) at least once you are either lying or have been living under a rock for the past years. The hit single by Miki Matsubara that single-handedly ignited City Pop’s massive revival. While Stay With Me may be the ultimate City Pop anthem, the genre offers a vast landscape of artists and songs just waiting to be explored.

City Pop finds its origin in the 1980s, building the hype to enter Japan’s economic bubble era on a musical high of fabulous energy and joy. The genre became the defining soundtrack of 80s Japan, with the power to evoke a sense of nostalgia for a time we never even experienced.

In this guide, we have curated thirteen Japanese City Pop artists who have shaped the genre into the iconic musical phenomenon it is today, taking you on a journey through world Japanese City Pop and its artists.

13. Kingo Hamada

Before his breakthrough as a solo artist, Kingo Hamada (濱田 金吾) was a member of Japanese folk band Craft. In 1980, he went solo and released four full-length studio albums before everything changed in 1982 with the release of his album Midnight Cruising, featuring the absolute smash hit City Dolphin. This song, along with Hamada’s repertoire in general, gained renewed fame when Engelwood remixed it in 2017 and released it as Crystal Dolphin. Other hit singles from this album include Midnight Cruisin’ and Woman Who Came to Be Held (抱かれに来た女). Kingo Hamada went on to compose for a variety of other City Pop artists on our list.

12. Takahashi Reiko

Takahashi Reiko (高橋玲子) is one of City Pop’s biggest unsolved mysteries. In 1986, Takahashi’s debut EP got released on the Victor label, featuring the single love songs cannot be sung (ラブソングは唄えない) and only you, both arranged by Akira Nishihira. One year later she released the singles Sunset Road and September Blue, arranged by Keiichi Oku and composed by Kingo Hamada. After the release of Sunset Road, Takahashi Reiko vanished in thin air, never to be heard of again. Multiple sources have confirmed that Takahashi is still alive and wishes to remain incognito. All we have left of Takahashi Reiko today are four amazing songs and a live performance of Love songs cannot be sung (search 高橋玲子 - ラブソングは唄えない on youtube)

11. Junko Yagami

Junko Yagami’s (八神 純子) professional debut came in 1979 with the single Memories Are Too Beautiful, which ended up becoming a massive hit. In that same year she released Mizuiro no Ame, which sold 600,000 copies and secured the second spot on the Oricon chart. However, if there’s one Junko Yagami song you already know, it’s the 1983 single 黄昏のBay City, which became by far her most popular song overseas. 

10. Yurie Kokubu

Yoru Kokubu (黒部陽子) emerged on the City Pop scene in 1983 with the album Relief 72 Hours released by Air Records. Receiving the most international attention nowadays is the single Just a Joke, but the full album deserves a frame in the City Pop Hall of Fame. Kokubu’s career took a 180 degrees turn in 1996 when she embraced her Christian faith and began releasing hymn albums that reinterpret traditional hymns with accessible lyrics. Married to Masaki Iwamoto, she has continued to blend music and faith, creating a niche in the Japanese music scene.

9. Tomoko Aran

Tomoko Aran (亜蘭知子) carved her legacy in the world of City Pop thanks to her 1983 album Fuyu-Kukan (Floating Space), featuring the iconic track, accompanied by an equally iconic album art, Midnight Pretenders. Today Midnight Pretenders gained international fame as it was sampled by The Weekend in 2022. Tomoko Aran retreated from the limelight in the early ‘90s, but she still runs a blog with sporadic updates for the most die-hard fans.

8. Junko Ohashi

Junko Ohashi (大橋 純子) is celebrated for her powerful vocals and hits like the 1978 Tasogare My Love and Silhouette Romance in 1981. She debuted in 1974 with the studio album Feeling Now and achieved mainstream success by the late 1970s. Ohashi’s 1981 hit Silhouette Romance sold over 500,000 copies and earned her the Best Song award at the Japan Record Awards. Yet the songs that most of the overseas audience know her from are Telephone Number and Sweet Love. Despite battling esophageal and breast cancer, she made a triumphant return to music in 2019. Sadly, Ohashi passed away on November 9, 2023, at the age of 73, leaving behind a rich discography of over 20 albums and a lasting legacy in Japanese pop music.

7. Nakahara Meiko

Meiko Nakahara (中原 めいこ) began composing her own music while still in grade school. She made her professional debut in 1982 with the single Kon’ya dake Dance Dance Dance and the album Coconuts House. Her 1984 single Kimitachi Kiwi Papaya Mango dane became the 50th best-selling single in Japan that year, selling 237,000 copies. Her popularity only grew in Japan when her music was featured in the popular anime Dirty Pair. The Nakahara song that soared in popularity during the current City Pop revival is Fantasy, a single from the 1989 studio album 2時までのシンデレラ - Friday Magic. Although her last public performance was in 1992, she continued to work as a composer until she went off the grid during the mid 90s.

6. Yasuha

After failing to gain admission to music universities, Yasuha (泰葉) embarked on a career as a tarento, appearing on various television programs, and debuted as a singer in 1981 with the single Flyday Chinatown, which peaked at number sixty-nine on the Oricon chart. Over her career, she released seven studio albums and wrote for other artists. After marrying Rakugo comedian Shunputei Koasa in June 1988, she retired from music to support her family’s Rakugo legacy. 

5. S. Kiyotaka & Omega Tribe

S. Kiyotaka & Omega Tribe (杉山清貴&オメガトライブ) was formed in Yokohama in 1978, originally named Cutie Panchos, led by lead vocalist Kiyotaka Sugiyama. They gained fame in the 1980s with hits like Summer Suspicion and Futari no Natsu Monogatari. Their debut album released in 1983, Aqua City, peaked at number four on the Oricon chart. Despite their success, internal tensions led to their disbandment in 1985, although they have reunited for various performances since.

4. Anri

Eiko Kawashima (川島 栄子), better known as Anri, made a name in the music scene in 1978 with her debut single, Oribia Wo Kikinagara, but it was her 1983 album Timely!! that catapulted her to City Pop fame, featuring iconic hits like I Can’t Stop The Loneliness, Remember Summer Days, and Windy Summer. The track Cat’s featured on Anri’s Timely!! Album was used as the opening theme for the anime with the same name. Today the most popular songs from Anri’s repertoire have gained absolute cult status within the confines of City Pop.

3. Taeko Onuki

Taeko Onuki (大貫 妙子) began her musical journey in 1973 as a member of Sugar Babe, alongside Tatsuro Yamashita and Kunio Muramatsu. Despite their innovative sound, the group disbanded in 1976 after three years. Onuki launched her solo career with the album Grey Skies, followed by the acclaimed Sunshower, which blended pop and jazz. Her next album, Mignonne, released in 1978, faced commercial challenges despite featuring her most popular song to date, 4:00A.M. The commercial failure of Mignonne prompted a two-year hiatus.

2. Mariya Takeuchi

Mariya Takeuchi’s (竹内 まりや) path to becoming a City Pop icon began in 1978 when she signed with RCA, releasing her debut single Modotte Oide, Watashi no Jikan and album Beginning. Takeuchi quickly gained fame with hits like Dream of You and Fushigi Na Peach Pie, the last one of which was her biggest hit at the time, ranking number 3 in the top 40 oricon charts. After a brief hiatus for marriage with musician Tatsuro Yamashita, she returned in the 1980s, producing successful albums including Variety in 1984, featuring the track that would become her most iconic hit 40 years after its release: Plastic Love.

1. Miki Matsubara

Miki Matsubara (松原 みき) is hailed as the absolute queen of City Pop, and she always will be. Her monster hit Mayonaka no Door – Stay With Me, released in 1979. The song has become the soundtrack of the City Pop genre, characterized by its highly infectious melody. Matsubara’s unique blend of pop, jazz, and R&B, combined with her powerful vocals, set her apart from her contemporaries. The track not only topped charts during its release but has also seen one of the biggest revivals in the genre, introducing her to a totally new generation of listeners. Matsubara passed away in 2004 at the age of 44 after a battle with cancer. Her music continues to resonate, ensuring that her legacy will keep the City Pop spirit alive.

May this curated list serve as your guide to the heavenly musical cloud known as Japanese City Pop. Since its revival in 2020, the genre has reached a new wave of listeners, introducing them to the wonders of City Pop and its iconic artists. While this guide highlights the genre’s most influential figures, don’t let it stop you from diving deeper into the City Pop rabbit hole, as there are countless gems waiting to be discovered.

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