INTERVIEWS

Fragile love… Those familiar with the Japanese grassroots music scene in London will no doubt be familiar with singer/songwriter Jun Okada. A regular performer at many gigs, including open mic performances and impromptu shows at Japanese venues, Jun also spent … Read More

Odd Sting & Intrigue Kanon Wakeshima originally established herself over the years with a very distinct baroque pop approach to music, typified by her use of the cello and her work alongside Malice Mizer musician and producer Mana. Her 2008 … Read More

“It was like chaos and insanity…” For those attending any of the recent UK Necronomidol shows, a few familiar faces were always there to ensure a smooth process for both performances as well as the post-show cheki sessions. The Orion … Read More

Fuwa Fuwa Time K-On! was a music anime series that became something of a phenomenon when it first aired back in 2009 (see J-Pop Go review previously). Based on the manga series by Kakifly, the plot revolves around four high … Read More

Creating a cultural bridge… A popular figure on London’s busy Japanese culture and music scene, Naomui Suzuki is probably best-known for her MC work at the annual Japan Matsuri (see J-Pop Go’s previous interview). Naomi has carefully crafted a career … Read More

Shooting for the stars… With her debut album Spades & Stars just released, Himezawa has had an opportunity to reflect on her fortunes since relocating to Japan several years back. The German-born musician, model, author and performer had started her … Read More

Punk power trio deliver mutant moments… Originally formed in 2008 by sisters Be and Meana during their first year of high school, MUTANT MONSTER initially found inspiration from punk rock – particularly classic UK bands such as The Clash, The … Read More

It’s idol pop go with MoCali… Idol outfit Moso Calibration emerged from the Dear Stage stable (home of Dempagumi.inc) in 2013. Currently a 5-piece group, MoCali have built up a respectable fanbase on the back of tunes such as ‘Chichin … Read More

Arriving in the UK with a Bang at this summer’s Hyper Japan, CHARISMA.COM’s own unique electronic music approach certainly made an impact. Although they had been friends at school, it wasn’t until Itsuka and Gonchi left that the pair entertained … Read More

Visual kei outfit LACROIX DESPHERES weave together a combination of rock, classical and performance to present their own unique style of Rock Opera. A constant presence on the Japanese music scene since its roots in the 1980s, visual kei has … Read More

Making her singing debut, HIMEZAWA steps forth with new single release ‘Wagamama Love’… Originally hailing from Germany, HIMEZAWA spent a brief time in the UK before moving to Japan where she became a model for Asobisystem. Her cosplaying career kicked … Read More

Formed of YUKA and Masaki Kousuke, mouoon are a Japanese duo that originally formed in 2005. Their 2012 song ‘Wild Child’ featured in the anime series Yu-Gi-Oh! and their more recent song ‘Hello, Shooting-Star’ forms the ending theme for Assassination … Read More

One of the regular dance outfits on the UK scene is MK DANCE GROUP (now known simply as MK) who have been active since 2010 and have clocked up appearances at events such as MCM Expo and Hyper Japan. The … Read More

ANDY LEE is a UK performer who appears at events as himself and also under the guise of KLEPTOPENGUIN. Using a multitude of talents, including singing, keyboards, dancing and MCing, Andy has also clocked up a number of awards for … Read More

YUN*CHI has steadily carved her own niche in J-Pop through the release of several mini albums which has led to the release of her debut album Asterix*. Since her UK debut at Hyper Japan last year (where J-Pop Go first … Read More

Anime songstress guests at Hyper Japan Among the new visitors to Hyper Japan in 2014 was ANNA YANO who began her career modelling and has since branched out into music, singing ‘Shape My Story’ – the opening theme to the … Read More

Studying fine arts at university, Mayuko developed an interest in music in the paintings she produced. Her name means “a child in the cocoon” and her unique ethereal vocals have a warm appeal that reveal an abstract world. An early … Read More

One of Hyper Japan’s guests in 2014 was NAGI YANAGI, the J-Pop singer who rose to fame via the doujin music scene in Japan, particularly for her work with the legendary supercell. Nagi had originally began her career under various … Read More

SCARLETT YOUNG is best known for winning the UK Kawaii Star contest at Hyper Japan in 2011 and singing on Japanese TV show Nodojiman The World in 2013. A member of UK outfit Oishii!Ichigo and MK Dance Group, Scarlett also … Read More

With an increasingly popular Lolita community in the UK it’s only natural that dedicated events should start to become regular features on the calendar. Milk Tea Day took place in London in December, following on from an earlier event (Austen … Read More

At the culmination of her UK tour, Legendary Godmother of Japanese Electronica, Coppé rounded things off with a special post-tour party in London. The location of choice was Rudy’s Revenge cocktail bar, a hidden gem amongst London’s nighttime venues. Guests … Read More

The Miku UK project is a fan-based initiative to stage live Vocaloid and Hatsune Miku concerts in the UK. A special performance will be taking place in Gateshead following on from the Anime Attacks event. J-Pop Go posed some questions … Read More

J-Pop duo hit Hyper Japan… One of the musical treats at Hyper Japan was J-Pop duo Yanakiku, making their UK debut. The roots of Yanakiku lie with 4-piece J-Pop outfit Missing Link, of which Yana and Kiku were a part. … Read More

The highlight of Hyper Japan 2013 was the UK debut of Yun*chi. Having strong musical roots (her mother is also a singer) was a clear indicator of where Yun*chi wanted her career to head. Originally part of the Harajuku modelling … Read More

Collaborative effort yields impressive results Hyper Japan 2013 featured a variety of musical treats, including a surprising collaboration between Yun*chi and IroKokoro Project. Originally formed back in 2009, IroKokoro Project is an online community of girls who do a variety … Read More

“Music is great weapon to make people happy!” It’s June in London, although you wouldn’t have guessed it by the threat of rain in the capital city. With Japan’s rainy season also underway, it’s perhaps fitting that today I’m catching … Read More

With a fusion of both modern Western and traditional Japanese instruments, talented artist TOMOCA has created a style which she refers to as ‘Wa-Pop’ (literally, Japanese pop). TOMOCA has been a stage performer from a young age and is an … Read More

Legendary guitarist TOMOYASU HOTEI made a special appearance at HYPER JAPAN this year to perform one of his best known songs ‘Battle Without Honour or Humanity’, which featured in the Quentin Tarantino film Kill Bill. HOTEI has enjoyed a long … Read More

NINJAMAN JAPAN are a 5-piece Visual Kei band who blend together a mix of glam rock, metal and theatre to create a spectacular live show. The band features Lida (Psycho le Cému) on guitar, Metal (Yoshida Metal, Gekidan★Shinkansen) on bass, … Read More

Oishii!Ichigo are a new UK-based idol outfit that are managed by Beckii Cruel. Oishii!Ichigo (part of the global Oishii Project) also features Hyper Japan Kawaii star Scarlett (who won Kawaii Star of the Year at HYPER JAPAN 2011). The outfit … Read More

Beckii Cruel has become a regular visitor to HYPER JAPAN and J-Pop Go interviewed her at the earlier 2012 event. Achieving fame via her online dance videos both on YouTube and Japanese streaming site Nico Nico Douga, Beckii has also … Read More

With a wide range of singing styles, AKARI MOCHIZUKI is a surprising live performer. She began singing Enka when she was three, went on to study drama and music in the UK and became a professional singer in 2009. Akari … Read More

Hailed as the ‘Godmother of Japanese Electronica’, Coppé has paved her own unique creative path over the years. Even from an early age, Coppé had a desire to pursue music. From the age of three she studied classical piano and … Read More

Multi-talented Matsuri host talks about her music One of the highlights of the recent Japan Matsuri was a performance by the talented NAOMI SUZUKI who drew a sizeable group of enthusiastic J-Pop fans and curious bystanders (and which featured a … Read More

Legendary electronic music pioneer speaks If there’s a name that’s synonymous with Japanese electronic music it’s Isao Tomita, whose 1974 album Snowflakes Are Dancing was an early experimental work that, alongside Western works such as Walter Carlos’ Switched-On Bach, provided … Read More

Fan Pop Go! What is it about K-On! that appeals to its many fans? Lizzie Ooi went to this year’s Kitacon event to chat to the attendees about the Hokago girls to get their views on the characters and the … Read More

Catching up with one the UK’s most talented performers… As a rising star on the UK’s Japanese culture scene, Finny Attridge has already been a contestant for the Hyper Japan UK Kawaii Star Of The Year contest, Miss Teen Queen … Read More

Natsuko Aso certainly likes to keep her J-Pop energetic. Songs such as ‘More More Lovers’ and ‘Perfect Area Complete’ (which also is the theme to the series Baka to Test to Shokanju) are frenetic slices of infectious pop. Natsuko’s early … Read More

Beckii Cruel is a name that’s probably best associated with the fame she achieved through her YouTube channel. Posting videos of herself dancing to J-Pop and anime songs, one of the videos featured the young Becky Flint dancing to ‘Danjo’. … Read More

We’re used to hearing Japanese artists making an impact here in the West, but what happens when Western artists try to make a career in the Japanese music scene? Emi Evans is originally from the UK and opted to study … Read More

Combining a variety of styles and influences, Unshin features members from Taiwan, Korea, England and Japan. Singer Megumi Miyoshi (originally from Sendai, Japan) was a professional koto player before the band was formed. Their debut album Waltz for Broken Dolls … Read More

UNICORN TABLE have built a career on a boisterous pop rock that has carved its way into a series of top notch anime themes including Fly Away from Jinki:Extend and a variety of tunes from School Rumble. The creation of … Read More

Cello Pop Go Kanon Wakeshima and her Pop Baroque style has gained a large fan following in her home country of Japan, but she has also become increasingly popular in the West too. She has been playing the cello since … Read More

PINE*am comprises Tsugumi Takashi and Chizuko Matsubayashi engaged in a particular flavour of electronica that delights in low-fi quirky goodness. From the electronic funk of Do I Know You through the crunchy electro goodness that forms Get A Choco, PINE*am … Read More

Puffy design genius Much of the whimsical designs that featured on early Puffy record releases were down to the talents of illustrator Rodney Alan Greenblat. The US-based artist is probably best known for his work on the classic game Parappa … Read More