See also: “history tag” from last year! And since Namie Amuro is retiring, I figure it’s as good a time as any to do this…
1. What was your first song?
Technically the first Japanese song I was ever exposed to was the .midi version of the Sailor Star Song on some Geocities (!) page. Those don’t have vocals so it doesn’t really count! The first actual song I heard after that was BODY FEELS EXIT, but sometime around 2000 or so.
2. How did you discover j-pop?
OH BOY. Like a lot of people, I discovered j-pop through anime… but it was more of a semi-discovery because back when Sailor Moon first aired in the US (late 90s), it was dubbed and all the songs were in English. I think I found out about Namie Amuro through a Sailor Moon fansite, so when the webmistress posted some of her favorite Japanese songs, that was the one I immediately took to. I also used to frequent a lot of MP3 rotation sites!
Then I fell deep into the anime trap, NO thanks to Toonami/Adult Swim (2000-2001). What a time.
3. Who was your first favorite female artist?
Utada Hikaru! I remember hating on Kingdom Hearts when I first saw a commercial for it, but then I heard Simple & Clean and was like “oh… word??” and that was the end of that. There are very few songs/albums by her I don’t like.
4. Who is your current favorite female artist?
If we’re talking LEGENDS, then of course Hikki. Since her comeback I cannot tell you how many times I’ve listened to Manatsu no Tooriame, and I don’t care if people call it boring. IT’S A GOOD BALLAD, OKAY. Namie, Kumi, and Ayu will always have a place in my heart, too. Then I’d probably put Miliyah Kato and Superfly after that. Fortunately, Japan has A LOT of great female vocalists to love, so I can never really choose lol.
5. Who was your first favorite male artist?
Uh, Gackt? He’s totally gross now but you can’t tell me Tsuki no Uta is not one of the best acoustic ballads of all time.
6. Who is your current favorite male artist?
Daichi Miura, even though I may not consistently love all his releases. His skills are UNRIVALED, so it’s unfathomable to me how he’s not more popular. I think I know, but I won’t say it haha. Other faves are Ohashi Trio and Hoshino Gen (who I liked before Koi, thank you very much). And although Tatsuro Yamashita has been around FOREVER, I’ve been getting into city pop lately and I loooove his style. I really regret not picking up any of his CDs when I was in Japan!
7. Who was your first male and/or female group?
If we’re talking non-idol groups, then it was definitely X Japan. I guess I have a thing for ballads because Forever Love + Voiceless Screaming = OMG. And as far as idols go, then it was (surprisingly) V6! But only because of Inuyasha…
Not sure who the first female group I listened to was, but it was either Dream (Inuyasha strikes again!), Morning Musume (circa 2002), or SPEED.
8. First piece of choreography you learned?
CAN’T SLEEP CAN’T EAT I’M SICK. I finally got high speed internet my freshman year of high school and was able to watch this video in all its glory. I remember really liking the routine.
9. Who is your current favorite group?
m-flo! I mean duh, domain name. One of the highlights of my life was having a discussion (on Twitter) with THE Taku Takahashi about SQUARE ONE, which I straight up said was a hot mess — naturally he disagreed very politely about it, haha.
10. First variety show?
It’s actually really hard to watch Japanese shows that aren’t dramas, so I don’t have a first one.
11. Not counting your favorite, which group has a special place in your heart?
Idol wise, it’s probably NEWS post-hiatus and EXILE (around 2007-2008). And I know no one cares, but I don’t really fux with 3JSB because I find Imachi’s vocal style to be a bit… reductive. 🐸☕️ Then there’s also L’arc~en~ciel… honestly, no shame. READY STEADY GO slaps.
12. What was the first piece of merchandise you ever bought?
I think it might have been a bootleg copy of Utada Hikaru’s DEEP RIVER.
13. What was life before j-pop?
Probably Sailor Moon, Gundam and video games, lol.
14. How has j-pop changed your life?
A LOT.