J-pop, an abbreviation for Japanese pop, is a musical genre that entered the musical mainstream of Japan in the 1990s. Modern J-pop has its roots in 1960s pop and rock music, such as The Beatles, which led to Japanese rock bands such as Happy End fusing rock with Japanese music. J-pop was further defined by New Wave bands such as Yellow Magic Orchestra and Southern All Stars in the late 1970s. Eventually, J-pop replaced kayōkyoku ("Lyric Singing Music", a term for Japanese pop music from the 1920s to the 1980s) in the Japanese music scene. The term was coined by the Japanese media to distinguish Japanese music from foreign music, and now refers to most Japanese popular music.

The origin of modern J-pop is said to be Japanese-language rock music inspired by The Beatles. Unlike the Japanese music genre called kayōkyoku, J-pop uses a special kind of pronunciation, which is similar to that of English. One notable singer to do so is Keisuke Kuwata, who pronounced the Japanese word karada ("body") as kyerada. Additionally, unlike Western music, the major second (sol and la) was usually not used in Japanese music, except art music, before rock music became popular in Japan. When the Group Sounds genre, which was inspired by Western rock, became popular, Japanese pop music adopted the major second, which was used in the final sounds of The Beatles' song "I Want to Hold Your Hand" and The Rolling Stones' song "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction". Although Japanese pop music changed from music based on Japanese pentatonic scale and distortional tetrachord to the more occidental music over time, music that drew from the traditional Japanese singing style remained popular (such as that of Ringo Shiina).

Kiriko Takemura (竹村 キリコ, Takemura Kiriko^?, born January 29, 1993), better known as Kyary Pamyu Pamyu (きゃりーぱみゅぱみゅ, Kyarī Pamyu Pamyu^?), is a model, blogger, and recording artist from the Harajuku district of Tokyo. Her official stage name is Caroline Charonplop Kyary Pamyu Pamyu (きゃろらいんちゃろんぷろっぷきゃりーぱみゅぱみゅ, Kyarorain Charonpuroppu Kyarī Pamyu Pamyu^?). Kyary's debut album, Pamyu Pamyu Revolution, was released in May of 2012, topping charts internationally.

Kyary started as a fashion blogger, and then began her professional career as a model for Harajuku fashion magazines such as Kera! and Zipper. After achieving a measure of fame, she began to establish herself as a businesswoman by launching a line of fake eyelashes called "Harajuku Doll Eyelashes by Eyemazing x Kyary" and appearing at fashion shows.

In April 2011, she frontlined the charity event "One Snap for Love" with Japanese fashion editor and photographer Yasumasa Yonehara and Japanese brand 6%DokiDoki for victims of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.

May Hashimoto (橋本芽生, Hashimoto Mei^?), better known by her stage name May J., is a R&B and pop singer from Yokohama, Japan. Born to a mother of Iranian descent and to Japanese father, May J. made her major label debut under Sony Music Japan on July 12, 2006 with her first mini-album All My Girls.

May J. was born on June 20, 1988 in Yokohama, Japan. The "J" in her name comes from the common Persian girl's name "Jamileh," meaning 'beautiful'.

May J.'s Iranian mother refused to acknowledge her Persian roots due to perceived negativity towards Iranians in Japan and May J. grew up unable to speak the Persian language. Believing she was American, she discovered her true identity on a chance overhearing of a conversation between her mother and grandmother. During her formative middle school years she began listening to Iranian singers Googoosh and Afshin and has later said she hopes to debut in Iran.

At the age of 14, May J. was successful at a Sony Music Japan audition and soon signed onto Sony Music. While waiting to make her major label debut, May J. was a dancer for Aaron Carter's Japanese concert and was featured on the track Luyva: Another Episode from Sphere of Influence's album Big Deal, credited simply as May.