[xoieuna]

do you people even listen to both Jpop and Kpop as much compared to each other?
in other words...if you listen to Jpop do you listen to Kpop as much to appreciate it and vice versa...ugh so hard to explain
because you guys keep saying Kpop is westernized...*blahblahblah* and Jpop is like rock ummm...lets see...then that would be called Jrock!

i personally think Jpop has a more teen cute pop sound to it and Kpop is more into ballads and such
i like both though

[ahyoung]

^
exactly.... seems like people here only listen to kpop like dbsk....se7en...

But if we are also talking about rock music, Japan has way more rock groups as to Korea, I've only heard of the TRAX
--Yumi

yea; japan has more rock groups;; i think you've only heard of the trax 'cause they're in sm.... theres also eve, nemesis, cherry filter, jaurim, transfiction, pia.......

[L.Li-style]

....I think Koreans style is more...well...sad and dramtic like...while J-pop is more of a........rockish like.

[sikhye]

The hating opinion:

K-Pop:
A lot of Korean music videos are stupid mini dramas, the music can't be heard clearly because of the stupid actors talking, and it adds 3 more minutes to MV so it turns to like 8 minutes so it's painfully long.

Ballads are meaningful yet kinda boring after you hear 12 tracks that are all slow in an album. You want the random rappers in stupid wannabe hip-hop songs to shut up and you laugh at their Engrish.

The sales are low because the fans are losers and only download the songs.

J-Pop:

Too many fakes who try to act cute. Same thing, the rappers suck. There's like 6 singles released and all the songs in there are combined into an album and there's only like 2 new songs included. J-rockers are crossdressers. Don't know what else to add, I only listen to 1 j-pop artist mostly.

[chaeheui]

.... Japanese as a language, is not a best language to rap with . I think Korean as a language, fits better for doing rap. Because of different amount of rap involve, K-POP has longer intro in general and J-POP tends to ended with longer accompany misic. That what I feel.

[HonMaru]

J-rockers are crossdressers. Don't know what else to add, I only listen to 1 j-pop artist mostly.

LOL. They took 80's glam rock to a whole new level...

And Kpop isn't rnb. They are diverse just like Jpop. From my listening ears Kpop just like Jpop is influenced by the west but, Kpop except for a few artists, copy alot of western artists; be it from sound, musical arrangments, or concepts.

Jpop on the other hand is of course inspired by the west, but they take what they hear from America and the UK and twist it into something different. Therefore they have the same genres that have been going on for years, but there music scene composes of musicians sinnging about Japanese issues, and composing music and lyrics that posesses a completely new concept to foreighn ears.

~Thats why alot of people connect to Japanese music more than Korean. It's similar yet they add their own twist, yet Kpop ( except for some ) copies western elements more.
Though the Japanese like other countries sometimes do the same thing so it's not like their the holy grail of music. Every country has it's good and bad.

[revontulet]

I consider the "in" Korean music these days the same as American Music. Absolute crap. Now don't get me wrong, I still listen to KPOP (Loveholic is my fav. kband) and american music, but most of the time, the more popular songs are horrible.

I absolutely love jpop. Why? There's something different about it than american and korean music. Like in ballads, I notice that japanese artists have the use of an orchestra often, but in korean music it's all synthesized beats. And to me, orchestras are on a much higher level of music than synthesized beats. Now that's only an example of how jpop is different from kpop. I just think of it like this, you like your music and I like mine.

[wendee]

I find 1tym talented and a good hip hop group.

I think Japanese music stands out on the rock part.
But their voice can be very high..
Jpop..I really like all the songs. Theyre all listenable. not that i heard every single japanese songs that came out
Kpop ; they can have few songs I'd never ever listen to. But they definitely have their strengths and Kpop songs are usually the ones I get addicted to.

Cant explain.

agreed

[Aestas]

i don't know what but Kpop sounds totally different to me than American music... there is R&B and a slight hip hop flavour intertwined with Kpop but i don't see that kind of style in American music. American R&B, hip hop, pop are all TOTALLY different genres. an American pop singer would NEVER intertwine rap in their songs... and a hip hop artist would NEVER intertwine their raps in a pop song. I think kpop is fun in that they mix a lot of their genres up. the korean audience seems to enjoy a more deeper singing voice compared to the Japanese audience. Their dance culture is really distinctive. i personally like kpop dance more than American style.

Japanese have a different preference with voices... i don't know how to explain it either.. but its just the way the language is spoken - more on the higher pitched side. of course there are exceptions but in general.

i can't really say much about jpop since i'm not immersed in their music except for the Japanese songs BoA and THSK releases... i do listen to Utada Hikaru and a few other jpop artists but not on a regular basis.

[animeinvader]

here's how i see it:

Kpop: R&B/hiphop and Ballads
Jpop: Pop and Rock

Kpop right now has a very R&B/hiphop vibe to it. There is more of a focus on being "hot" or "sexy." MVs and ballads are usually very melodramatic and IMO boring. Artists usually release one album a year and may disappear from the spotlight for a while unless they go on game shows, dramas, etc. Albums are much cheaper than Japan though not many people seem to buy them. I used to be a HUGE kpop fan but I got bored since everything started sounding the same to me and very similar to stuff that is here in the States. The only Kpop artists that I really listen are BoA and Fly to the Sky.

Jpop is very pop and rock, or at least those genres sell the most. There is more of an emphasis on being "cute" and "pretty." Boybands are still big in Japan with legions of fangirls like KAT-TUN, KinKi Kids, Arashi, NewS, Kanjani 8, etc. Female vocals tend to be higher (and quite annoying at times) than in Korea. The Japanese music industry is more established since it has been around longer and artists tend to be more experimental in their music (Hikaru Utada, Ayumi Hamasaki, Ai Otsuka, m-flo, ORANGE RANGE, etc.) IMO, arrangements are much better especially in J-ballads and makes the song memorable whereas K-ballads can get boring over time with just a piano and a few strings as background. Lyrics are very important in Japan and are often deep and meaningful. Artists typical release 3-4 singles a year and an album which keeps me interested in the genre because I always have something new to listen to. I am a big fan of Jpop but the only thing that I don't like is how expensive it is. It's usually $13-15 for a single and at least $30 for an album.

[surlespointes]

I think a lot of people in here are being slightly biased...


But anyways, I think KPOP's mainstream has a lot of pop, ballads, and hip-pop. While the pop and hip-pop songs are heavily influenced by the West, it has its own Korean twist to it... for example, BoA or Fly to the Sky's old pop songs. For the most part, I can listen to a lot of mainstream KPOP, but it gets old after listening to the songs a couple times... which is why I don't listen to a lot mainstream KPOP anymore (although DBSK is a guilty pleasure ). I'd recommend Nell, Clazziquai, Loveholic, W, Brown Eyes, 7 Dayz, and Jang PilSoon.


As for JPOP... I'm not really familiar with it because I only really listen to M-Flo and Utada Hikaru so I can't really say much. But a lot of the JPOP I've tried to listen to sounded extremely... bubble gum pop. Korean artists like Se7en or BoA's Japanese songs sometimes sound very different from their Korean songs. Especially songs like Se7en's Hikari :X

[FirstTheWorst]

One is in Japanese and the other is in Korean. Can you guess which one is which?

[drinkoolongtea]

i dont think you can really make a broad statement about it... i mean some ppl are saying kpop is more hiphop.. but theres lots of japanese singer who do rap and r&b.

i think a lot of the ppl who are making generalization only listen to korean or only listen to japanese

the only thing i can really think of is that in korea, there are more singers who do really emotional/sad stuff like sg wannabe and lee soyoung, but that stuff isnt as popular in japan

One is in Japanese and the other is in Korean. Can you guess which one is which?

haha i think thats the best response..

[MissMonika]

One is in Japanese and the other is in Korean. Can you guess which one is which?

Lol. Exactlty. Straight to the point. Hehehe.

I listen to both a lot so a few differences I've noticed are that a lot of J-pop (this is just in general) is a lot more...I really don't know how to put it....happy, bubbly pop music. Ie: Morning Musume, all the Johnny's boybands. I don't really listen to that kind of music, I'm more into J-rock (like L'arc en ciel) or hip-hop like Crystal Kay or m-flo.

I love K-pop, mostly because a majority of the artists and bands that are popular really have awesome vocals. Not to say that J-pop artists can't sing, no, I'm not saying that. I mean, look at Utada Hikaru, she's great. But there seems to be more vocal talent with K-pop boybands/groups more than J-pop (and by that I mean all those Johnny's Jrs boygroups). I think that's why I respect K-pop groups more.

This is just my personal opinion.

[Original Doll]

K-Pop music is more R&B / Pop, while J-Pop is more like Rock / Pop-Rock music.
Korean artists are more influenced by americans than Japanese ones.

[LoH_Ter]

Hmm.. I listen to A LOT of american and korean music and a moderate amount of J music (atleast I've listened to most of the j-artists listed here)...

As far as korean HIP-HOP artists go, they often try way too hard to sound and look American. The best hip-hop I've heard from korea tends to branch away from what popular western hip hop sounds like, and incorporates their unique touch (BK Love and Gloomy Sunday by MC Sniper, Money is Everything and Prayer by H-Eugene, Fever by Cho PD are examples of k-hip-hop that separates itself from American hip hop in some way). As far as pop, r&b and ballads go, Korea definitely has its own flavor. I can tell apart a korean song from an american song in these genres even before the vocals start.

As for japanese music, the pop seem to be more... upbeat? There's definitely much more rock influence in japanese pop. Also, I agree that the voices of japanese female artists can sometimes sound computerized.

Some things japanese and korean pop have in common... they can sound annoyingly sugary at times. They are definitely more cutsey and sugary than american pop... american pop tends to be more sexy. Also, I really think japanese and korean ballads are more suited for my tastes than American ballads o.O. I don't know what it is, but japanese and korean ballads definitely have a unique flavor to them.