The R&B duo Chemistry made it to the top of the charts in next to no time. (Sony Music Artists) SOUL MEN: Male Vocalists Take Pop World by Storm January 24, 2002 A new flavor of music can be heard around Japan's streets, fashion stores, and trendy cafes, as well as on TV and radio. In contrast to energetic young female pop stars like Hikaru Utada and Ayumi Hamasaki (site is Japanese only), who have dominated the charts in recent years, lately the Japanese pop music scene has seen the arrival of a new corps of young male vocalists boasting a smooth, melodic, soulful style. These fresh new faces have been turning out hit after hit. Multi-Genre Performers The pioneer of this new music trend was Ken Hirai (site is Japanese only), whose music is based on the rhythm-and-blues (R&B) genre first made popular by African-American artists in the 1950s. Bursting out of nowhere, Hirai's 2000 album, The Changing Same, became a million seller, and his single release, "Rakuen" (Paradise), was also a big hit. He scored again with a TV-drama theme song. Hirai's stardom can be attributed to his sweet, soft, high-pitched voice and his chiseled good looks. Gospel is a form of music that originated in American Southern Baptist church choirs. Today in Japan, the Gospellers (site is Japanese only), a five-member male choral group, have become popular singing music with a heavy gospel tinge. The group debuted in 1994 and so have been in the music game for quite some time, but they made their break in summer 2000 with the single "Towa ni" (Forever). Their current album Love Notes, released in June 2001, has sold over 1.2 million copies to become a smash hit. (Left) Chemistry's first album, The Way We Are (Defstar Records); (right) Ken Hirai's most recent album, Gaining Through Losing (Defstar Records). Soul Music, but Rooted in J-Pop In the United States R&B-based music has been part of the musical mainstream for over 10 years - particularly hip-hop, which has even evolved into a fashion trend. These styles of music have also found a loyal audience in Japan, but some experts believe that the secret to the popularity of hip-hop and R&B in Japan is the way in which the original sound has become fused with the nation's own melodic pop music, rather than simply importing the original American sound wholesale. Some also believe that the dominance of young female pop singers over the past few years has resulted in a craving for some male talent. Others attribute the recent popularity of the falsetto-rich R&B sound in Japan to an easing of resistance to high-pitched male voices. Tadahiro Murao, a professor of music education at the Aichi University of Education, considers the trend of male vocalists singing in high keys to be linked to increasingly unisex fashion styles that play down differences between the sexes.   Your Name What did you think of this article? It was interesting. It was boring. Send this article to a friend Following in the wake of Ken Hirai and the Gospellers, Chemistry (site is Japanese only), a male R&B duo, scored a million seller in March 2001 with their debut single "Pieces of a Dream." Less than a year since their appearance, Chemistry has been chosen to take part in a collaborative recording among two Japanese and two Korean artists for the official song of the 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan. Other popular young R&B artists include the male group Skoop On Somebody (site is Japanese only), noted for their singing skills; Junpei Shiina (site is Japanese only), who possesses a stoic demeanor to go along with his highly praised singing voice; and 18-year-old sensation Kiyotaka (site is Japanese only). On the reggae scene, the single "Lifetime Respect," released in May 2001 by Dozan Miki (site is Japanese only), sold 800,000 copies. And rap artists like Rappagariya, DABO, and Gaki-Ranger (site is Japanese only) keep on pumping out aggressive, American-style hip-hop beats. A glimpse at 2001 record sales in Japan clearly reflects the surge in R&B-based male Japanese vocalists. The popularity of these artists has even begun to reach overseas into Taiwan, Hong Kong, and throughout Southeast Asia. Copyright (c) 2002 Japan Information Network. Edited by Japan Echo Inc. based on domestic Japanese news sources. Articles presented here are offered for reference purposes and do not necessarily represent the policy or views of the Japanese Government.