Sorry. But I think a lot of people aren't going enough into Korean music in general to make all these sweeping generalizations. And that's understandable. I remember having to seriously DIG around the internet to find the more amazing indie kpop stuff.
I'm not going to deny the presence of the idols and all that, cause, that's just stupid. Nor will I deny their domination....but someone above said it just fine, Jpop is kinda the same
And here we are...at an AYU forum...who...well...was regarded as an idol for quite a long time...and even though her music was unique...it was kinda seen in the same way :/
Whatever. I find this issue interesting, and actually, if any of you guys follow Taku Takahashi from m-flo on twitter, there was just a huge conversation over it, after SQUARE ONE came out.
It seems that most people tend to find that Japanese producers aren't being experimental enough, or are afraid to branch out into anything different. For whatever reason.
Anyways, I'm not really a fan of idols, and I've tried getting into the dancier and more urban kpop female solos and groups...but I never really can.
I think Kpop brings a "new" sound to Jpop because it is more hip-hop and western based...it spins the general jpop pop into something a little heavier and a little sexier lol
Like people said, it's not necessarily innovative, but it IS a sound that wasn't as popular in Japan...and now...it's gaining a little more momentum. But I still seriously doubt the Japanese industry's ability to fully accept it...but we'll see.
Anyway...yes, I think Jpop has gone a little flat...I think the domination of the idol groups and Yasutaka Nakata, not to mention the legions of jrock that all sounds the same, has a lot to do with it.
I'm personally waiting for someone new to come in and make a splash with some new sound...but it has not happened yet.
They need someone who will do what Lady Gaga did for the western scene. ugh music here was so bland for so long. And I don't entirely credit her, I just think she was in the right place at the right time...and that's what Japan needs too.
I personally feel like all of these artists are so into like the idea of what kind of music they want to make...and trying to do something new with their genre or just trying to make music in their genres...sometimes they kinda forget that there are other things out there.
And that's why albums like Party Queen, or say hikki's last two albums, are still really valuable, even if they havent made a huge splash.
This post got really long....sorry.