Pop Vultures (Season 1: Ep 3) March 7: Arashi, J-pop and its influence on Asian entertainment
30:08 mins
Synopsis: A podcast by The Straits Times that examines all the ins and outs of pop culture, be it Asian entertainment or Hollywood.
Find out how J-pop first influenced Asian music.
J-pop boyband Arashi announced in January that they will be going on an indefinite hiatus at the end of 2020. The 20-year-old boyband's announcement became worldwide trending news even in an era where J-pop has faded in popularity globally.
In this podcast, Pop Vultures Jan Lee and Yeo Sam Jo invite a special guest - fellow ST journalist and J-pop fan Cheryl Teh - to talk about Arashi, their impending hiatus and the enduring influence of Japanese boybands and J-pop (Ayumi Hamasaki! Namie Amuro! Utada Hikaru! Shonentai!) on the entire Asian music industry.
Here's what they cover:
- Introduction on Arashi and Hana Yori Dango (2.50)
- Arashi's announcement on their 2020 hiatus (4:00)
- Arashi's Hawaii debut and their rise to become national idols (5:13)
- The Johnny and Associates boyband model, its history and its rules (9:18)
- Japan's strong physical album sales and how that has influenced the J-pop industry (11:55)
- The invention of the Asian boyband, Shonentai and Little Tigers （小虎队） (14:00)
- The idea of the bishonen or the pretty boy (14:45)
- Why the Japanese music industry matured early and how different J-pop artists influenced Asian music (18:15)
- Pop Vultures' favourite Japanese songs (24:40)
Jan's picks: Arashi's Love (2013) album, Utada Hikaru's Hanataba Wo Kimi Ni, Yonezu Kenshi's Lemon
Cheryl's picks: BTS' Jungkook's cover of Lemon, Saruganseki's Shiroi Kumo No You Ni, Kyary Pamyu Pamyu's Ponponpon, Koji Wada's Butterfly which was Digimon's theme song
Join us as we surf the J-wave!
Produced by: Jan Lee, Yeo Sam Jo and Ernest Luis
Edited by: Adam Azlee
Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg
janlee@sph.com.sg
yeosamjo@sph.com.sg
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Website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts
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