As each year comes and goes, it is during this time when we reflect on some occurrences that have taken place in the Japanese music scene across the globe.
For the overseas Japanese music scene, it was a rather rocky year. At JaME, we noticed that in 2009, the interest in Japanese music slowly started to decrease and as 2010 reaches its conclusion, the interest continues downward. Although artists still went overseas for various events and performances, it was less exuberant than years past. We can only hope things will improve in 2011, and that Japanese music will continue to spread and earn itself a place in overseas charts with mainstream fame.
For this article, we have selected what we felt are the twelve most important happenings this year. So here are the twelve happenings of 2010 that stood out most to us.
January: An Cafe’s Final Live
Although
An Cafe had already announced they would stop activities the previous year, they held their last live at the Nippon Budokan on January 4th. After they ended their activities as
An Cafe with a spectacular live, all band members popped up with a new project. Vocalist
Miku with the band
Lc5, guitarist
Takuya as a support member of
Piko, bassist
kanon as label owner, producer of a video game and part of a unit with
Kanon Wakeshima, Yuuki as support keyboardist of
Dacco and
Teruki as the support drummer of
Spyralcall,
DOG in The Parallel World Orchestra to name a few.
If you want to know more about what the
An Cafe members are up to now, be sure to keep an eye on JaME as there will be more coverage on this!
March: CHATMONCHY at Japan Nite at SXSW
One of the most popular music festivals in the USA is
SXSW in Austin, Texas. The festival has artists all over the world from the far east to the far west. During that festival, an event that has made a name for itself throughout the years is
Japan Nite, which features a variety of Japanese bands. Not only is
Japan Nite a successful event at
SXSW, it has also become a popular tour in the USA reaching major cities.
This year’s line-up for
Japan Nite included
JinnyOops!, RiddimSaunter, OKAMOTO's, Red Bacteria Vacuum, Omodaka, CHATMONCHY and
Dolly. Major all-girl band
CHATMONCHY gave several riveting performances in front of Japanese music enthusiasts along with an audience not already into the JMusic scene. During their stop at
SXSW, JaME had the chance to speak to the three ladies for an in-depth interview.
June: Akanishi Jin in the USA
This has been a very active year for
Akanishi Jin in terms with his involvement with the American audience as well as the American music industry. First, as an extension of his Japanese solo tour
You & Jin, he held his first USA performances in June in California. After being with the popular boy band
KAT-TUN for nine years, it was announced that
Akanishi Jin would be leaving the band to focus on his solo career in the USA. To show just how serious he is, he returned to the States for a six-date tour in November and signed with Warner Music.
July: the studs’ Daisuke passes away
This year did not only bring good news, but also some very tragic announcements. A major shock hit the JMusic scene in July when it was announced that
Daisuke, ex-vocalist of popular
kagerou and vocalist of
the studs, was found in his apartment after passing away during the night.
Not only did fans had to deal with such news, but again later that month when
Zill from Moran also passed away. Unfortunately, these were not the only musicians who passed away this year. Those who have passed on will always be remembered.
July: Japan Expo in Paris, France
The eleventh edition of
Japan Expo took place in Paris once again in early July.
Known as the most important and largest Japanese culture event in Europe, the organisation brought an interesting array of artists to appear or perform. The line-up consisted of a large variety of artists in different styles, with even
Morning Musume making their European debut. As always, the French JaME team was there to cover the event, with many interviews and live reports.
July: Anime Expo in Los Angeles
Around the same time as
Japan Expo, Anime Expo (AX) took place in Los Angeles, United States. Unlike other American conventions,
AX has one of the most highest turnout rates in the country. Next to various anime and Japanese culture-related events they brought once again, they gathered an impressive line-up.
This time, the Japanese artists invited to perform or make an appearance at the convention were
AKB48, BENI, RSP, May’n, Megumi Nakajima, MELL and
SOPHIA.
August: Ken Hirai in New York
One of the most well-known R&B artists in Japan is
Ken Hirai, who gave American fans a nice surprise when he travelled to New York City for a two-concert event.
The concerts themselves took place at blues club B.B.Kings at the end of August. Dressed in elegant tuxedo attire and a leopard print tie, it was the blond hair that stood out the most. For an audience ranging in age from young to old,
Ken Hirai gave a magnificent performance both nights.
September: X JAPAN World Tour
Despite the amount of cancellations done in the past by
X JAPAN, the notorious band finally made it through a world tour successfully. In August, the band had their first live performance in the USA at the well-known event
Lollapalooza in Chicago.
That performance was followed by a eight-location tour in North America, which consisted of two dates in Canada, beginning at the end of September. We had the chance to hold an exclusive interview with band leader
YOSHIKI before the tour, and reported on their concert in Los Angeles.
October: MIYAVI in Australia
With so much attention to his international fans,
MIYAVI is surely an artist that is not to be missed in our yearly overview. The year 2010 brought a handful of releases for
MIYAVI, a second baby girl, a collaboration with
Good Charlotte and another tour in the United States as well as various performances in Japan.
But what was most interesting to see, was how he branched out to new territory, specifically Australia. A vast amount of Australian fans who have been waiting for years while many artists perform in Europe and the USA, got the chance to see one of their favorite artists live in an EMI showcase. Whether
MIYAVI’s endeavors down under will result in him visiting the country more often, or that he will inspire other popular artists to also give Australia a try, is still unknown. But one thing is for sure: this first step for Australia is surely a positive one.
November: Suga Shikao Back in the UK
In November 2009, pop/funk star
Suga Shikao already made his
European debut in London, and once again he returned to England’s capital, this year, in November for the beginning of his
Japan-UK Circuit 2010 tour. The attendance doubled since last year’s performance, showing just how many people were excited about this FUNKASTiC event.
Due to a busy schedule, we were unable to speak with
Suga Shikao during his first visit in 2009, but this year he made it up to us by granting an exclusive interview.
November & December: LUNA SEA Revival World Tour
One of the most exciting events this year, not only for overseas JMusic fans, but also for Japanese fans, was
LUNA SEA’s world tour. In recent years, the popular band has started up activities again after a break of nearly ten years, but this would be the first time for them to perform on American and European soil.
The tour covered five countries, including Japan, and will end with a countdown live on the 31st. JaME was able to cover the majority of their performances either with interviews or live reports.
December: Kamei Eri, JunJun & LinLin's Graduation from Morning Musume。
Morning Musume, known as
Momusu to their fans, is a pop idol group who has built the career of several female idols for the past twelve years. With a continuously changing line-up,
Momusu has become a household name in Japan. This year, fans experienced yet another line-up change with the graduation of
Kamei Eri, JunJun and
LinLin.
Unfortunately, these were not the only departures this year. Due to various illnesses, several popular musicians or bands have had to take a break, or ended up ceasing activities. A few bands bands that had to deal with such misfortune were
D’espairsRay, Plastic Tree, Vidoll and
Kra. Another shocking announcement was made as
Kagrra, announced their disbandment in December, adding to the countless disbandments announced this year.
Let us know your opinion on this article, or what you consider as the most impressive JMusic moments of 2010. Please don't hesitate to leave your comment!
As always, the JaME staff has also put together their own personal favorite happenings of 2010, you can find this in
our weblog. Feel free to let us know your picks of 2010.
Finally, we would like to wish all of you a fantastic 2011!
