Younger performers such as Haru Nemuri, Chai and Otoboke Beaver got nods from overseas media, and toured this year or will play abroad in 2019. Mariya TakeuchiвЂ™s 1984 song вЂњPlastic LoveвЂќ ended up being the biggest Japanese hit in the West, showing what happens when digital platforms like YouTube are tolerated rather than shunned.

But 2018 also saw new potential for Japanese artists to make inroads internationally, for fresh faces and familiar ones alike. YonezuвЂ™s popularity exists almost entirely in Japan, which could be seen as a troubling sign for J-popвЂ™s hope to spread beyond its borders moving forward. (Album of the year: вЂњFinally,вЂќ the last Amuro best-of). His video for the single вЂњ LemonвЂќ stands as 2018вЂ™s most-viewed clip on YouTube in Japan, with Billboard Japan declaring it the tune of the year and Yonezu the No. HeвЂ™d already appeared on 2017вЂ™s biggest song and released one of that yearвЂ™s most popular albums, but he went even further these past 12 months. Singer-songwriter Aimyon went the other way, becoming one of J-popвЂ™s first stars to really shine on services such as Apple Music and Spotfiy, while also nabbing millions of views on YouTube. Pop-punkers Wanima eschewed streaming and embraced old-school physical sales en route to a breakout year seeing them fill ballparks. And thatвЂ™s before figuring in streaming services - fledgling but not invisible - and apps like TikTok, which often push numbers to popularity in a way not measured by traditional metrics.Дespite a scrambled landscape, 2018 saw a handful of acts rise up and become positioned to be big names post-Heisei, each taking advantage of different lanes. Most people go to YouTube to listen to songs now, but the Oricon Charts still donвЂ™t really incorporate that data. Japanese music has fragmented to an incredible degree. The rise of TikTok underscored a trend that has been bubbling for the past few years. Memes and challenges birthed by teenagers on TikTok helped push a handful of older songs back into relevance, most notably with singer-songwriter Koda KumiвЂ™s year being defined by her 2010 tune вЂњMegumi no HitoвЂќ that mutated into a megatrend on TikTok. This was also the year of TikTok, a short-form video platform from China that became one of the biggest smartphone apps in the world, including in Japan. Nostalgia in Japanese music was far more complicated in 2018 than simply pulling up Wikipedia pages. When she rolled out her debut single, вЂњAutomaticвЂќ as an encore, the hall lost it. While that performance at ChibaвЂ™s Makuhari Messe leaned heavily on material from recent releases, such as this yearвЂ™s well-received вЂњHatsukoi,вЂќ the weight of history pressed down on the whole event, with Utada herself looking genuinely overwhelmed with emotion while reflecting on the past. 9, which fittingly fell on the last day of her вЂњLaughter In The DarkвЂќ tour, her first nationwide jaunt in 12 years. Beloved singer-songwriter Hikaru Utada also marked her two decades on Dec. Idol institution Morning Musume and parent organization Hello! Project celebrated 20 years, earning some love after feeling overlooked within J-pop recently. ItвЂ™s not surprising that the Queen biopic вЂњBohemian RhapsodyвЂќ is also doing so well in Japan.ДЄnd there were anniversaries - so many anniversaries. RevolutionвЂ™s вЂњ Hot LimitвЂќ from 1998 into an online summer anthem. YouTube functions as a time machine for many, and it helped turn T. J-pop singer-songwriter Thelma Aoyama found some Internet shine by celebrating the вЂ™90s - complete with chunky flip phones - in video form. One of the best-selling albums of the year was a highlight collection from venerable band Southern All Stars, while a fresh longplayer from Mr. The industry relying on compilations from established acts isnвЂ™t anything new, but it went into overdrive in 2018. While the era proper comes to a close next spring, AmuroвЂ™s exit served as the end of an era for millions.Д«ut J-popвЂ™s nostalgic streak didnвЂ™t end with Amuro.

For many growing up in the 1990s and 2000s, Amuro wasnвЂ™t just a superstar, but the very definition of what J-pop became during Heisei. Namie Amuro loomed large over the countryвЂ™s pop culture landscape due to her retirement from the entertainment business in September. Reflection was the dominant trend of the year, though.

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