Japanese 3:22
J-Pop, Electro R&B, Synthpop
from ONE (2011)
Urban music has resurfaced globally after taking a sidebar for other genres (acoustic and emo come to mind). However, it's a different ballgame today. Producers have really become eccentric, and they definitely know how to jump a bandwagon. In the land of the rising sun, R&B still struggles to bridge east and west. Most efforts come off too mocking whereas others cannot even be classified as anything other than "J-Pop". Toshinori Yonekura, Toshi Kubota, Ken Hirai, MISIA, DOUBLE and Hikaru Utada helped redefine R&B for the Japanese. Quite a few of these singers have since abandoned the style for the most part. Sony's latest young female starlet is simply dubbed "JASMINE" (real name "Asumi", born in 1989). Deeply channeling a young Utada, JASMINE has already captivated listeners. Including this jaded reviewer. Her voice isn't a barritone, which is often associated (or even deemed necessary) with urban music, and is really not that far off from JASMINE's high-pitched femme comrades. It's still clear that she's taken cues from western singers, and loves to pour emotion into every song. After her debut album sold 50,000 last year, JASMINE took a break until now to release her fifth single (in Japan, singles precede albums) "ONE". The title track was composed by Norwegian team Stargate. They've been behind songs by artists like Katy Perry, Rihanna and Ne-Yo. Yeah, but thankfully "ONE" is actually good. Combining a synth line with electro R&B, Stargate have given JASMINE a track that doesn't deviate from her past work. It's modern and groove friendly, and a friendly reminder that some Japanese singers can make it work in the country's musical slump.
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