This series is divided into four sections and this is the final volume.
The previous articles are here:
What is City Pop? -1. The Origin of City Pop-
What is City Pop? -2. Shibuya-kei-
What is City Pop? -3. City Pop Revival!-

4. 2020s -Worldwide City Pop-

In the previous article, we said that young Japanese musicians can easily find old gems on the Internet, but the situation with foreigners is no exception.

Let's watch this video first.

【Official Music Video】Plastic Love / Mariya Takeuchi




If you've known this song "Plastic Love" already, it is most likely due to Youtube's algorithm.

In 2018, this official music video had not been uploaded, only an unofficial sound source (video) was uploaded instead. Despite this unofficial video, it has been viewed tens of millions of times.

Before this boom called "The Plastic Love Phenomenon," Night Tempo, who is a Korean producer/DJ, uploaded a remix of "Plastic Love" in 2016.

He is one of the pioneers who ignited the city pop boom and continues to release many remixes of Japanese songs nowadays.


Also, Miki Matsubara's song "Mayonaka no Door (Midnight Door) Stay With Me" was the No.1 hit on Spotify's global viral chart for 18 consecutive days.

The viral chart is a ranking compiled based on the number of times a song has been shared and played on social networking sites from Spotify.

In addition, this song was covered by Rainych, who is an Indonesian singer/Youtuber.

The popularity and influence of YouTuber itself has increased dramatically. Rainych is even being recognized by Doja Cat and The Weeknd.

The worldwide expansion of city pop may be caused by the internet, especially by social media where everyone can be active easily.


Furthermore, the global influence of city pop is not limited to DJs, covers, and remixes.

The name of "Harry's House," which was released in 2022 by Harry Styles, is derived from "HOSONO HOUSE" by Haruomi Hosono (Ex. Happy End, YMO, and more).
[Source] Harry and the house that Hosono built (in English): https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2022/06/05/music/harrys-house-hosono/


Ginger Root made songs inspired the 80s Japanese idols and made a collaboration with Japanese artists such as YeYe and HALFBY.


Also, The Weeknd sampled "Midnight Pretenders" by Tomoko Aran for his song "Out of Time" in 2021. You can enjoy this mashup in the following video.

【Mashup】The Weeknd x Tomoko Aran (亜蘭知子)(Out of Time/Midnight Pretenders)




The dawn of city pop in the 70s, it was strongly influenced by foreign music, it can be called a kind of aspiration. There were quite a few city pop masterpieces recorded abroad.

But now, some 50 years later, it has grown to create a worldwide boom along with the development of information technology.

Recently, City pop has diversified and new genres have emerged such as Korean City Pop and Indonesian City Pop.

It will be interesting to see what happens in Japanese music in the future.

The basics of City Pop can be found in these 100 albums


Hitoshi Kurimoto selected 100 works for his book "The basics of City POP can be found in these 100 albums ("City Pop no Kihon" ga Kono 100 Mai de Wakaru!)"
Please check it out. *It includes items not in stock.


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Spotify Playlist




Information of Hitoshi Kurimoto

Hitoshi Kurimoto is a music and travel writer and music selector.
He began his writing career as a music writer while working for a record company. After leaving the company, he spent two years wandering around Central and South America, and after returning to Japan, he worked as a freelance writer for magazines and websites, and selected music for radio and in-flight broadcasts. After working as a booking manager at Billboard Live for about five years, he works as a freelance again.

The following article written by him explains the history of City Pop. https://www.nippon.com/en/japan-topics/g00631/a-guide-to-city-pop-the-soundtrack-for-japan%e2%80%99s-bubble-era-generation.html
Twitter: https://twitter.com/tabirhythm
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tabirhythm/

Sources and References


"A Guide to City Pop, the Soundtrack for Japan’s Bubble-Era Generation" written by Hitoshi Kurimoto (in English):
https://www.nippon.com/en/japan-topics/g00631/a-guide-to-city-pop-the-soundtrack-for-japan%e2%80%99s-bubble-era-generation.html
A list made by Hitoshi Kurimoto: https://realsound.jp/book/2022/02/post-973318.html
Website of Van Paugam (Chicago-based DJ / Japanese City Pop Specialist): https://vanpaugam.com/
Behind the extraordinary hits of 80's city pop What is the heat felt on the scene? Reasons for the Re-boom of Record x City Pop (1) https://business.nikkei.com/atcl/gen/19/00290/111200027/
Indonesian YouTuber Rainych, praised by Doja Cat and The Weeknd, has released her Japanese debut single featuring tofubeats!: https://www.sonymusic.co.jp/artist/rainych/info/522559
Harry and the house that Hosono built (in English): https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2022/06/05/music/harrys-house-hosono/
What is Korean City Pop https://vanpaugam.com/blog/what-is-korean-city-pop
Sampling Tomoko Aran! The Weeknd: https://note.com/digtracks_com/n/n3dc47a53d087