City pop’s revival 40 years later

Anyone on YouTube, TikTok or Instagram has certainly encountered city pop even if it was without knowing. Whether it be Yasuha’s “Flyday Chinatown” or the all-famous “Stay With Me” by Miki Matsubara, one is sure to have heard city pop at least once.

So, what is city pop exactly? The genre first arose in the late 70s in Japan. It is considered to be a fusion of disco, jazz and funk with other elements from soul, R&B and others. This specific type of music is called city pop as it is meant to embody a certain “urban” mood. The genre’s popularity peaked in the 80s and was gradually forgotten, until now.

Thanks to platforms such as YouTube and TikTok, city pop has been resurrected and spread worldwide. YouTube especially has helped gain traction for songs that likely would have been forgotten otherwise. When “Plastic Love” by Mariya Takeuchi was first released, it was not overwhelmingly popular, in fact, it sold less than 10,000 copies.

“Sweetest Music / Morning Glory” 1980 album cover – Mariya Takeuchi

As a result of YouTube’s algorithm, “Plastic Love” went viral around 2017 and essentially introduced a whole new audience to the dying genre of city pop. Nowadays, “Plastic Love” is considered by many to be the face of city pop. To this day, the YouTube algorithm continues to place the song on random people’s recommended pages, further exemplifying the fact that this song will now, never be forgotten.

Despite the immense (and growing) popularity of “Plastic Love”, it is not the only city pop song that can take credit for bringing new fans to the music genre. Throughout 2021 and 2022, “4:00A.M.” by Taeko Onuki rose in popularity on TikTok; almost everyone was using her song in their posts. As of now, the song is very well-known on the platform and is still consistently used in posts on the app. The same goes for Miki Matsubara’s “Stay With Me” which has gained a fanbase of its own over the years. Even if someone has no clue what city pop is, they surely know “Stay With Me”!

City pop’s revival is not just about old songs being discovered years later, it is also about new songs being produced. In fact, numerous artists have become so inspired by the genre that they have created songs of their own. A variety of K-pop groups have added catchy city pop songs to their music catalogue.

For example, Red Velvet and Twice, both powerful girl groups currently dominating the K-pop industry, have each come out with city pop songs of their own. In late 2019, Red Velvet released “Ladies Night” as a part of their album, “The ReVe Festival”. Furthermore, TWICE released “Say Something” in their album “Eyes Wide Open” which introduced a whole new sound to their discography. Other city pop songs by Korean artists include “Lady” by Yubin, “We Ride” by Brave Girls, “Rewind” by Wonder Girls and many more!

Nowadays, it is very rare to find an artist who possesses a discography that consists entirely of city pop. YUKIKA, however, has managed to do just that. She is one of, if not the only artist of her time that continues to carry on the genre’s legacy. YUKIKA is a Japanese K-pop artist: Debuting in 2019 with “NEON”, she is beloved by both K-pop fans and city pop enthusiasts. With every new song that she puts out, not only does she gain many new fans for herself, but many for the entire genre. Her most popular tracks include “Insomnia” and “SOUL LADY”.

City pop is also sampled in many popular English tracks. The Weeknd, one of the most famous artists globally, has included city pop samples in his work. For instance, one of “Out of Time” from Dawn FM (January 2022) is heavily based on Tomoko Aran’s “Midnight Pretenders”. Additionally, J. Cole samples “Sky Restaurant” by Hi-Fi Set in his song, “January 28th”. What’s more, Tyler, the Creator interpolates “Fragile” by Tatsuro Yamashita, who is unanimously considered the king of city pop, in his song “GONE, GONE / THANK YOU”.

City pop, though forgotten at one point, has had a major impact on music and the media. Genres such as Future Funk and Vaporwave, are heavily inspired by it. Countless have been moved by the genre, despite discovering it so many years after its peak. City pop is magical; the genre is described by many as making them feel nostalgic for a time they did not experience. It is indeed amazing that despite all the time that has passed, so many people are able to enjoy the truly marvellous genre that is city pop.

Some city pop must-listens for the non-fan, dedicated enthusiast and anyone in between: