S1E3: Pop Vultures Ep 3: Arashi, J-pop and its influence on Asian entertainment

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

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