A genre of retro J-pop called “city pop” has been enjoying a surge in popularity and reevaluation outside its home country in recent years, with the late singer Miki Matsubara’s “Mayonaka no Door – Stay With Me” from 1979 accelerating the trend last year when it suddenly shot up the streaming charts in various countries.
Following in the footsteps of stellar Japanese artists such as Mariya Takeuchi, Tatsuro Yamashita and Taeko Onuki who produced music in the ‘80s that now falls under this genre, a new wave of music emerged in the ‘90s that added elements of French pop and jazz to the city pop style, or reinterpreted it in an offbeat way. Born in the Shibuya district of Tokyo — the center of contemporary culture at the time — this new “Shibuya-kei” sound went on to take the Japanese music scene by storm, with Pizzicato Five leading the movement.
Probably best-known for their hit song “Tokyo wa Yoru no Shichiji – the Night is Still Young,” Pizzicato Five formed in 1984 with members Yasuharu Konishi, Keitaro Takanami, Ryo Kamomiya and Mamiko Sasaki. Produced by Haruomi Hosono of YMO fame, the group debuted the following year. Maki Nomiya joined in 1990, and after going through several member changes over the years, Pizzicato Five became Konishi and Nomiya’s duo and continued to helm the Shibuya-kei trend after Takanami left the band in 1994.
Nomiya made her U.S. debut as a member of Pizzicato Five and has consistently been active outside of her home country, touring extensively mainly in Europe and the U.S. Crowned the “Queen of Shibuya-kei,” she was the central force in the Shibuya-kei movement and continues to be an icon of Japanese pop music and fashion.
As she celebrates the 40th anniversary of her debut, Nomiya has recently been keeping herself busier than ever. Beginning in September, the music of Pizzicato Five has been released on various digital platforms as a series called “Pizzicato Five for Digital Distribution,” and the third installment of the series subtitled “Nomiya’s Volume” dropped in November. A two-CD compilation album entitled Pizzicato Five in High Quality Sound was also released later that month.
Another major highlight of her milestone year was the Dec. 17 release of a remake of the Pizzicato Five classic “Tokyo wa Yoru no Shichiji,” featuring Night Tempo, a South Korean DJ known for his unique remixes of Japanese city pop and idol pop. Night Tempo has profound knowledge of Japanese pop music and its so-called “kayoukyoku” songs and is one of the central figures responsible for the Japanese city pop revival in the international club scene. With a sound often categorized under the distinctive future funk and vaporwave genres, his unofficial remix of Mariya Takeuchi’s “Plastic Love” was viewed over 10 million times on YouTube and gained him numerous followers. He recently wrapped up successful U.S. shows in November.
Until now, Night Tempo’s main interest had been in J-pop produced in the ’80s, such as the works of singer-songwriter Anri and former idol singer Momoko Kikuchi. The fact that his focus appears to be moving on to the next decade to include Shibuya-kei artists is an interesting development. The Pizzicato Five remix isn’t his only collaboration with Nomiya; he featured her on a track called “Tokyo Rouge” off his new album Ladies in The City, released Dec. 1.
The remake of “Tokyo wa Yoru no Shichiji” is signature Night Tempo, but the way Nomiya’s voice naturally fits into the contemporary sound is frankly a surprise. It’s an unexpected, yet satisfying, and definitely fresh collaboration.
“Collaboration” is a word that accurately describes Maki Nomiya’s 40-year history. Her 1981 debut album, Pink Heart, was produced by Keiichi Suzuki of the Moonriders, and her subsequent group, Portable Rock, featured some of Tokyo’s punk new wave pioneers. She joined Pizzicato Five in 1990 as the third vocalist at original member Konishi’s eager request, and she was welcomed not only as the band’s lead vocalist, but also to play a symbolic role in the band’s visuals. In other words, she was “featured” in a way that was in line with the band’s vision that Konishi had in mind. It goes without saying that the series of hits by Pizzicato Five and the band’s critical acclaim outside of Japan owe a huge part to her photogenic looks and unique voice.
After the breakup of Pizzicato Five in 2001, Nomiya began her solo career and continued to collaborate with various major J-pop figures. Her 2000 album miss maki nomiya sings was a rock-flavored set produced by DJ and music producer TOWA TEI and HEESEY of veteran rock band THE YELLOW MONKEY. She then released a pop album in 2002, Lady Miss Warp, with songs written by J-pop superstars Noriyuki Makihara and Masamune Kusano (Spitz), and her club music album PARTY PEOPLE from 2005 featured artists such as m-flo and Dimitri from Paris.
In her series “Maki Nomiya Sings Shibuya-kei Standards,” she harked back to the music of Shibuya-kei and carefully reconstructed the songs that inspired the genre and the songs derived from them, breathing new life into the glamorous mood of the era she led as a member of Pizzicato Five. The series collaborated with a number of artists linked to the genre as well, including Hideki Kaji, Corinne Drewery of Swing Out Sister, French singer Clémentine, and Masayuki Suzuki — an all-star group of artists that only Nomiya can bring together as she continues to inspire musicians, producers, and creators.
Nomiya’s collaboration with Night Tempo is the first release off her latest series, an anniversary project entitled “World Tour Mix” launched this month. Many more collabs with international creators reimagining Nomiya’s catalog are set for release for fans around the world to enjoy. Always positioned at the forefront of the J-pop music scene, Maki Nomiya has marked her 40th year in music and is now moving on to the next era. Where she takes her unprecedented and innovative collaborations in the future is something to keep an eye on as she sets out on her next musical journey.
This column by Hitoshi Kurimoto first appeared in Billboard Japan.