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 Feedback to: [email protected] [email protected]@sph.com.sg Spotify: http://str.sg/otU9 Apple Podcasts: http://str.sg/oyLi Google Podcasts: http://str.sg/oyLw Website: http://str.sg/stpodcastsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.