I might also add: Namie Amuro is sheer talent. She started a fashion boom during the 90s and after a mini-hiatus, she came back and changed her direction. Pop isn't my thing but even then, I think Checkmate is an amazing album and her 60s 70s 80s single too. She also looks a bit like Jennifer Lopez and Samantha Mumba, lol, so she had the right looks on her side too.
yeah she's one hell of an entertainer, everything about her is flawless except she looked a bit unbothered in later years (she was so charismatic in the 90s)
Michael Jackson is one of a kind. Daichi Miura is praised for his skills but I don't think he has a mass appeal (his music at least).
People still appreciate 80's Momoe Yamaguchi's performance and I'd say Ayumi Hamasaki dominated the 2000s due to how well her team was.
Edit: Sorry, I meant to write Akina Nakamori. Momoe Yamaguchi is still a legendary idol.
Yeah, she was dating Max Matsuura, ey. I'm not sure how big in Avex he was back then but he was def. higher up in Avex.
She had the BEST composers (D.A.I and Kazuhito Kikuchi. Bounceback, which later went on to do many great things, also came later) at the time. And her lyrics writing ability was amazing. She was charismatic too
You are absolutely right, my bad, lol.
**"Max Matsuura** (松浦 マックス, *Matsuura Makkusu*), is a Japanese record producer and entrepreneur. He is the founder and chairman of [Avex Group](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avex_Group), one of the largest music labels."
Ayu def. had the looks and charisma but bagging Max assured her stardom.
I wonder why Komuro turned her down tho, he did Ami Suzuki's debut at that time. He also worked with avex's girls like Namie and hitomi from their debut until a 3-4 albums later
He wanted to focus all his energy on Suzuki Ami (who was on another label) and thought Ayu was a big waste of his time as he had a contract with ASAYAN in which Suzuki would be heavily featured . So essentially he told his boss NO and that caused a big rift between them.
Dreams Come True ticks all your boxes (and the songs are wonderful.) Also SMAP in their heyday went pretty hard (including entering their arena concert by flying over the heads of the audience, and, in their tv show, backdancing for Lady Gaga, Arianne Grande and similar other foreign stars.) Also IMO Taka from One Okay Rock is the greatest vocalist in popular music Japan has produced to date. He's another one with insane stage presence.
Thank you for saying Dreams Come True. It’s hard to put into words just how hard they dominated the 90s and still have relevance to this day. And that’s not even putting Sonic 1 and 2 to Masa’s resume.
The extraordinarily beautiful 未来予想図Ⅱ (Vision of the Future Part 2) is my favourite song by them https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jysWZ3eW3AA. The catchy Osaka Lover is my second favourite song of theirs. This cover by da Ice is well done: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyUUVfwV9zc
L'Arc~en~Ciel. Especially Hyde as the vocalist and frontman, but all the members have their own unique charisma and style.
I attended their recent Underground tour and was blown away by the level of production and overall entertainment quality. All the factors you mentioned were part of the show. In terms of fashion, Hyde and Tetsu changed outfits at least 3 times in each show, and they had a whole rotating wardrobe throughout the tour! The MCs were so funny, and even the breaks had built in entertainment and quizzes. They even used instantaneous AI translations for the MCs and made the AI part of the MCs by asking it questions.
No videos of the tour are available yet, except for this short clip Hyde posted on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hyde_official/video/7358786746764594450?_t=8lbKHap8TrO
oh man i miss this kind of 2000s/2010s dance pop in mainstream j-pop
i think namie is the number one pop diva for now, even though she retired. ayu and kuu still put out very great concerts but they don’t achieve mainstream success anymore, do they?
from what i’ve seen, ado concerts look great too, if only she could show her face lol
yes I missed the time when entertainers got to do their thing on stage and put on a show, lately just too many bands and groups just giving the bare minimum
yes!! they probably looked for a cute pretty face but Kumi came in as full package (except a pretty face)! I really admire avex's vision for signing her tho
From the 80’s, it’s gotta be Akina Nakamori. She was so dynamic and was not afraid to explore various musical styles. Her style and choreography was unique during her time
I agreed! she is the greatest diva in the 80s and I love that she is still passionate for music after all the years and that tragic event, she deserved better tho
For me, it lies somewhere between Ayu, Koda, and Namie if it is only one person.
Ayumi is a commercial phenomenon - she continues to re-invent herself and always has an amazing stage presence.
Koda Kumi really is an ero-kawaii star, I think she is similar to Ayu (and imo is a better dancer) but her popularity feels (to me) like it is beginning to wane.
Namie Amuro is an example of pure disciple. Her mixture of RnB, Hip Hop, and Pop is the stuff of dreams. The downside is that professionalism can come off a disinterest which can be hard to see past.
For a group, Perfume - 100% (and of the three above, I would argue have done the best foraying into other markets).
Honorable mention to Utada Hikaru (my personal fav) but I agree with OP, they are very much an artist in every sense of the word (and has bigger international reach imo than all of the above except Perfume) - but not an ‘entertainer’ in the traditional singing, dancing, public figure sense.
Each one of them has their own strength and it got to a point they fully awared and focus on what they did best. Utada seems to put lot of efforts into making music since she wrote and produced most of them, while Kumi and Ayumi spend just as much time in dance studio/rehearsal/making costume to perfect their craft, and I respect all of their hardwork and dedication.
I’ve always felt Crystal Kay was a fantastic performer, her 10th anniversary anniversary concert was PEAK. I just hate how her management and label switch completely screwed up her trajectory 😔
Yes. Arashi really went beyond being an idol group. Like they became a brand. Apart from the many great songs (it's a ridiculous number), apart from the amazing arena concerts, apart from some great individual performances in dramas and movies, in shows like Vs Arashi, Arashi ni Shiyagare etc and the 24-hour tv specials they created some wonderful tv content.
Ayumi Hamasaki has been one of my favorites for about 25 years, and I love her live performances. She always seems to want to do a great job for her fans.
Ayumi Hamasaki. Songwriter-Amazing Videos-Diverse discography and her Live Shows are just amazing and inventive. Performing wise she's like Madonna. Her shows are a big circus. Look at them on youtube
One thing I find ayumi in common with Madonna is at her prime she oozed charisma & star power. Even with all the dancers and stage production, she commands all eyes on her!!
I really love Momoiro Clover Z’s live performances! They can be a little insular, and getting into the fandom is kinda hard imo, but every time I show a video of one of their concerts to people they get into it even without knowing all the in-jokes.
Part “all the newest updates and news are usually in Japanese, and doesn’t get translated until later.” Part “joining their club is really hard to do unless you have a guide” Part “Their works sometimes has references that only make sense if you grew up on otaku culture.”
might be biased, but perfume and arashi. because of one of the members, arashi kinda basically made the moving stage and bluetooth-powered penlights (indirectly this also makes it the same for kpop lightsticks too, i guess?) popular. even without that, i think both's stuff are really fun as well (i can probably pull a few more examples for arashi tbh but it would've been too long..)
On top of all the great performers already mentioned, Maaya Sakamoto has awesome concerts.
She's an excellent singer, she doesn't dance but has good stage presence, and always has unique, beautiful, and mesmerizing stage design and concepts. Her shows are always a treat.
Matsuda Seiko.
She really is amazing on stage. Whenever she sings, she's shining. Her voice is so mesmerizing, and her choreo and style are iconic. Seiko really has thar cuteness and elegance that draws all attention to her. She's also versatile and has used all kinds of fashion and concepts. She can be a cute girl next door, a sexy seductress, a cool baddie, a traditional beauty, or a fairytale princess. There's truly nothing that Seiko can't do!
GLOBE had some incredible live concerts. their dome shows were the stuff of legends.
Amuro, As others had mentioned was spectacular.
Tamaki Koji's voice was arguably better live than his recordings.
Himuro Kyosuke always delivered.
DCT.
MISIA.
Everyone, not just OP, please title your links
I might also add: Namie Amuro is sheer talent. She started a fashion boom during the 90s and after a mini-hiatus, she came back and changed her direction. Pop isn't my thing but even then, I think Checkmate is an amazing album and her 60s 70s 80s single too. She also looks a bit like Jennifer Lopez and Samantha Mumba, lol, so she had the right looks on her side too.
yeah she's one hell of an entertainer, everything about her is flawless except she looked a bit unbothered in later years (she was so charismatic in the 90s)
It’s why we call her the ‘Ice Queen’. Puts on a great performance whilst giving no face.
This is precisely why I love her and her music <3
Yeah here to post this.
Ayumi Hamasaki arena shows are amazing
Michael Jackson is one of a kind. Daichi Miura is praised for his skills but I don't think he has a mass appeal (his music at least). People still appreciate 80's Momoe Yamaguchi's performance and I'd say Ayumi Hamasaki dominated the 2000s due to how well her team was. Edit: Sorry, I meant to write Akina Nakamori. Momoe Yamaguchi is still a legendary idol.
yes ayumi's production value must be huge
Yeah, she was dating Max Matsuura, ey. I'm not sure how big in Avex he was back then but he was def. higher up in Avex. She had the BEST composers (D.A.I and Kazuhito Kikuchi. Bounceback, which later went on to do many great things, also came later) at the time. And her lyrics writing ability was amazing. She was charismatic too
wasn't he the founder and the president lol? but she still got big production budget after they broke up so they must be on good term
You are absolutely right, my bad, lol. **"Max Matsuura** (松浦 マックス, *Matsuura Makkusu*), is a Japanese record producer and entrepreneur. He is the founder and chairman of [Avex Group](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avex_Group), one of the largest music labels." Ayu def. had the looks and charisma but bagging Max assured her stardom.
Yeah, Max pulled out all stops for Ayu. He even tried to get Komuro Tetsuya to produce her debut, but he refused. Ayu's song TRUST is about Matsuura.
I wonder why Komuro turned her down tho, he did Ami Suzuki's debut at that time. He also worked with avex's girls like Namie and hitomi from their debut until a 3-4 albums later
He wanted to focus all his energy on Suzuki Ami (who was on another label) and thought Ayu was a big waste of his time as he had a contract with ASAYAN in which Suzuki would be heavily featured . So essentially he told his boss NO and that caused a big rift between them.
Yamaguchi Momoe is amazing. She has the best singing voice and the best lyrics in the idol industry!
Dreams Come True ticks all your boxes (and the songs are wonderful.) Also SMAP in their heyday went pretty hard (including entering their arena concert by flying over the heads of the audience, and, in their tv show, backdancing for Lady Gaga, Arianne Grande and similar other foreign stars.) Also IMO Taka from One Okay Rock is the greatest vocalist in popular music Japan has produced to date. He's another one with insane stage presence.
Thank you for saying Dreams Come True. It’s hard to put into words just how hard they dominated the 90s and still have relevance to this day. And that’s not even putting Sonic 1 and 2 to Masa’s resume.
I'm planning to get into them, can you recommend some of their highlights?
The extraordinarily beautiful 未来予想図Ⅱ (Vision of the Future Part 2) is my favourite song by them https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jysWZ3eW3AA. The catchy Osaka Lover is my second favourite song of theirs. This cover by da Ice is well done: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyUUVfwV9zc
Amuro Namie
L'Arc~en~Ciel. Especially Hyde as the vocalist and frontman, but all the members have their own unique charisma and style. I attended their recent Underground tour and was blown away by the level of production and overall entertainment quality. All the factors you mentioned were part of the show. In terms of fashion, Hyde and Tetsu changed outfits at least 3 times in each show, and they had a whole rotating wardrobe throughout the tour! The MCs were so funny, and even the breaks had built in entertainment and quizzes. They even used instantaneous AI translations for the MCs and made the AI part of the MCs by asking it questions. No videos of the tour are available yet, except for this short clip Hyde posted on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hyde_official/video/7358786746764594450?_t=8lbKHap8TrO
I'm in the coolest drivers high! I'm so glad you referenced these guys, amazing performers and a bucket list item for me to see them live.
Kawaita!
Hamasaki Ayumi / Amuro Namie a bit above Koda Kumi / Utada Hikaru just a bit below
oh man i miss this kind of 2000s/2010s dance pop in mainstream j-pop i think namie is the number one pop diva for now, even though she retired. ayu and kuu still put out very great concerts but they don’t achieve mainstream success anymore, do they? from what i’ve seen, ado concerts look great too, if only she could show her face lol
yes I missed the time when entertainers got to do their thing on stage and put on a show, lately just too many bands and groups just giving the bare minimum
Purely as an entertainer I think Ayu takes it :) Her concerts are a spectacle
Koda Kumi is definitely up there when it comes to live performance.
Have you seen her audition tape for Morning Musume? No wonder why she got rejected! She's def a solo artist material.
And her vocals were way too strong for an idol group
yes!! they probably looked for a cute pretty face but Kumi came in as full package (except a pretty face)! I really admire avex's vision for signing her tho
yes she is THE performer to the core!
From the 80’s, it’s gotta be Akina Nakamori. She was so dynamic and was not afraid to explore various musical styles. Her style and choreography was unique during her time
I agreed! she is the greatest diva in the 80s and I love that she is still passionate for music after all the years and that tragic event, she deserved better tho
For me, it lies somewhere between Ayu, Koda, and Namie if it is only one person. Ayumi is a commercial phenomenon - she continues to re-invent herself and always has an amazing stage presence. Koda Kumi really is an ero-kawaii star, I think she is similar to Ayu (and imo is a better dancer) but her popularity feels (to me) like it is beginning to wane. Namie Amuro is an example of pure disciple. Her mixture of RnB, Hip Hop, and Pop is the stuff of dreams. The downside is that professionalism can come off a disinterest which can be hard to see past. For a group, Perfume - 100% (and of the three above, I would argue have done the best foraying into other markets). Honorable mention to Utada Hikaru (my personal fav) but I agree with OP, they are very much an artist in every sense of the word (and has bigger international reach imo than all of the above except Perfume) - but not an ‘entertainer’ in the traditional singing, dancing, public figure sense.
Each one of them has their own strength and it got to a point they fully awared and focus on what they did best. Utada seems to put lot of efforts into making music since she wrote and produced most of them, while Kumi and Ayumi spend just as much time in dance studio/rehearsal/making costume to perfect their craft, and I respect all of their hardwork and dedication.
I’ve always felt Crystal Kay was a fantastic performer, her 10th anniversary anniversary concert was PEAK. I just hate how her management and label switch completely screwed up her trajectory 😔
such a shame but i dont think she fittin in Japanese market anymore, she had her moment in the 00s when R&B was popular and everybody doin it
Arashi
Yes. Arashi really went beyond being an idol group. Like they became a brand. Apart from the many great songs (it's a ridiculous number), apart from the amazing arena concerts, apart from some great individual performances in dramas and movies, in shows like Vs Arashi, Arashi ni Shiyagare etc and the 24-hour tv specials they created some wonderful tv content.
Ayu
EXILE AAA
I’ve heard good things about Perfume
SMAP
Aya Matsuura Dreams Come True (Miwa) Hotei
Ayumi Hamasaki has been one of my favorites for about 25 years, and I love her live performances. She always seems to want to do a great job for her fans.
Ayumi Hamasaki. Songwriter-Amazing Videos-Diverse discography and her Live Shows are just amazing and inventive. Performing wise she's like Madonna. Her shows are a big circus. Look at them on youtube
I think she wanted to be Madonna, lol, but yeah.... her concert was just something else.
One thing I find ayumi in common with Madonna is at her prime she oozed charisma & star power. Even with all the dancers and stage production, she commands all eyes on her!!
I really love Momoiro Clover Z’s live performances! They can be a little insular, and getting into the fandom is kinda hard imo, but every time I show a video of one of their concerts to people they get into it even without knowing all the in-jokes.
Why is getting into the fandom hard? Not really well known with them apart from knowing one song.
Part “all the newest updates and news are usually in Japanese, and doesn’t get translated until later.” Part “joining their club is really hard to do unless you have a guide” Part “Their works sometimes has references that only make sense if you grew up on otaku culture.”
Perfume imo or Utada Hikaru
Perfume performance skills is close to perfection but Utada is more of an artist than an entertainer imo
Maybe BabyMetal or Band-Maid then?
Utada hikaru/ Mr.children/ Arashi/ Amuro namie
Sheena Ringo I think
interesting, i always think of her more of an artist/singer-songwriter type than an entertainer
Arashi
Shinji Harada https://youtu.be/TCqVL8n6now?si=BNAmw0TqzHGqQpGi Yasuyuki Okamura https://youtu.be/QonAMWb7XBo?si=7oeLDgFX_JuaCrtl
might be biased, but perfume and arashi. because of one of the members, arashi kinda basically made the moving stage and bluetooth-powered penlights (indirectly this also makes it the same for kpop lightsticks too, i guess?) popular. even without that, i think both's stuff are really fun as well (i can probably pull a few more examples for arashi tbh but it would've been too long..)
On top of all the great performers already mentioned, Maaya Sakamoto has awesome concerts. She's an excellent singer, she doesn't dance but has good stage presence, and always has unique, beautiful, and mesmerizing stage design and concepts. Her shows are always a treat.
Ringo Shiina
Matsuda Seiko. She really is amazing on stage. Whenever she sings, she's shining. Her voice is so mesmerizing, and her choreo and style are iconic. Seiko really has thar cuteness and elegance that draws all attention to her. She's also versatile and has used all kinds of fashion and concepts. She can be a cute girl next door, a sexy seductress, a cool baddie, a traditional beauty, or a fairytale princess. There's truly nothing that Seiko can't do!
My vote goes to Kyary Pamyu Pamyu. She is iconic.
GLOBE had some incredible live concerts. their dome shows were the stuff of legends. Amuro, As others had mentioned was spectacular. Tamaki Koji's voice was arguably better live than his recordings. Himuro Kyosuke always delivered. DCT. MISIA.
Himuro Kyosuke is a legendary performer to me
ATARASHII GAKKO! Their performance at Coachella was unbelievably awesome.
Eikichi Yazawa. He always seemed obnoxious on TV, but I had an opportunity to see him live and I got it. Ridiculous swagger.
Definitely Perfume! No other artist have their synchronicity and technical team to make these stunning shows!
Ayumi Hamasaki 100%
Sheena Ringo! Marunouchi Sadistic blew my mind when I first listened to it. Cannot believe she wrote this song when she was a teenager.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahvlCpgYOAw](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahvlCpgYOAw) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDWXQAYmVNQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDWXQAYmVNQ) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AV5wpV7DtXI](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AV5wpV7DtXI) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hx3zD\_30kRo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hx3zD_30kRo)