Your Top 5 Asian Singers/Groups/Bands

[Sai]

So who are your favourite J-pop/K-pop/Asian artists and why?

1. Ayumi Hamasaki - As much as I love Nana, Ayu will always be at the top for me . I've never 'clicked' with a singer so much before, nor did I think it was possible before Ayu - her music, lyrics, concerts, personality, etc. all appeal to me in.
2. Koda Kumi - She's an amazingly talented singer and performer, and the quality of her music has always been high. She's not the most artistic, but I've had so much love for this woman for a long time now.
3. Nana Mizuki - Don't need to say much here ;D Amazing singer, can probably outsing everyone on this list, has strikingly beautiful lyrics and is a huge sweetheart.
4. Morning Musume - I honestly don't listen to them all that much these days, but I did spend a good part of my J-pop obsession being obsessed with them and they were the first J-pop act I ever saw live. They'll always have a special place in my heart 'cause of that <3
5. Namie Amuro - The Queen of Hip-Pop <3 Her music is fantastic.

Special mentions go to Yui Horie, Goto Maki, Utada Hikaru, Nobuo Uematsu (who I think has actually surpassed Namie now in plays...), and v-u-den. I love them all!

[teddy]

1. FAMILY48 - I'll include all 48 groups for number 1 or else they'd take up all the spots! I love AKB/SKE/NMB/SDN the most out of all musical artists. I love their songs, I love the girls and everything else about them.
2. Hamasaki Ayumi - Ayu is an amazing person with wonderful music.
3. Mizuki Nana - Amazingly cute and talented girl with awesome music!
4. Girls' Generation - I love the members and the songs. They are a great group made up of cute, funny and talented members! What's not to love!
5. May'n - I liked her a while ago but fully became a fan last year. She is an amazing singer, her songs are great and she puts on amazing shows!

[DanZ]

1. Nana Mizuki - no need to elaborate . . . you all know how awesome she is XD

2. Yukari Tamura - YUKARIN <3 i like her cute voice and her songs are catchy <3

3. Angela - Powerful voice, awesome guitar play, what more can i ask for . . . their songs are awesome and pack a punch in it.

4. Uverworld - Awesome music, like their wide variety of songs which i can listen to over and over again without getting bored that easily.

5. Versailles - Powerful metal music ftw. Especially their guitar solos . . . HIZAKI!!!!! UR SO AWESOME!!!!

[soneaj]

1.Girls' Generation(KR/JP) - The best girl group ever made ( my opinion),very versatile and talented. Up until now, works really hard.

2.After School(KR/JP) - Another talented and versatile group, but compared to SNSD, more like an underated group. Has bunch of good songs and amazing dance choreography.

3.Nana Mizuki - The best in the world in what she does. (Would rank first on my list if we're talking about solo artists.)

4.Scandal Band - The root of my interest in Jpop.

5.NS Yoon Ji(KR) - Underrated Solo Artist that really sings well and Full of potentials.

[relmy]

I haven't done this yet because it is genuinely too hard. Neither in any particular order. I...I had to to do two lists. Nana Mizuki is obvious so I excluded her so it was easier.

JPOP (this is so hard...)
1. (old) Ayumi Hamasaki - I still love her, but she retains a place in my favourites because I love her old music so much. Her new music, not so much. She's a wonderful performer, has written some beautiful songs, and pretty much defined Jpop for a few years.
2. Koda Kumi - she's here, again, because I really like her. She just has such a lovable personality and her interviews are always really good. Not a single album by her makes it into my top albums, but a lot of her songs are some of my favourite Jpop tracks.
3. Rie Fu - if my life were a film, I'd want her to write the soundtrack.
4. alan - she just makes such beautiful music that goes beyond what her contemporaries produce. Even when she tries to make pop songs, they're amazing (yeah, I liked My Life!). Again, I think she's wonderful.
5. Sakanaction - only guys, and the only band on my list. Their music is beautiful, emotive, creative and just generally wonderful.

Special mentions: noanowa, Miliyah Kato, MAA, GACKT, Namie Amuro, hitomi, Chihiro Onitsuka. (Long story short: I love solo females)

KPOP
1. 2NE1 - I love their image, I love their style. They're everything a girl group should be. They make music about girls, for girls and deliver it with a punch that outdoes the Spice Girls.
2. Epik High - They've made some of the most profound songs in any language. I love them.
3. Sunny Hill - proving that accessible pop music can be an art. Good, interesting and different songs, with amazing PVs
4. Donawhale - my background music, they just make really really beautiful music.
5. Lee Jung Hyun - I've not even gone through all her discography yet, but all I've gone through so far is amazing. I never love everything by one artist this much!!

Special mentions: Miss A, Big Bang, Girls' Generation, BoA (obviously) and Ivy.

[fourteenw]

1. Utada Hikaru: To me she's the Queen of J-pop, but she really needs to get out of her hiatus now...
2. Sugawara Sayuri: I love all of her music
3. May'n: One of the most powerful voices I've ever heard.
4. Shimizu Shota: I love all his stuff and the duets with Miliyah Kato are awesome.
5. JUNO: He's new, I first heard him dueting with Ayumi Hamasaki.

[hot0rikun967]

1. Mizuki Nana: The gap between her and #2 is immense. If all I could listen to was Nana music, I'd be happy with just that. My favorite Nana song is "Astrogation"
2. Chihara Minori: I love the anison genre, and the violin is my favorite instrument. Although Minorin's voice is a bit different, she without a doubt has the singing ability. Her music is fast-paced and right up my alley. My favorite Minorin song is "Shijin no Tabi".
3. Faylan: With a much more rock-oriented sound, Faylan is just badass. Still keeping with the anison genre, as you can see. My favorite Faylan song is the brand new "White JUSTICE".
4. Morning Musume: Despite finding them in 2009, I much prefer the older generations (although MoMusu under Takahashi Ai's leadership will always hold memories for me). My favorite member was Niigaki Risa. I still follow them even as they release their new tenth-generation stuff under Sayumi's leadership; however, I will say that the girls lost an immense amount of talent when Ai and Risa left their rankings. My favorite Morning Musume song is the awesome oldie "Manatsu no Kousen".
5. Kawada Mami: I discovered her in 2009 as well, through the Shakugan no Shana anime. She's been getting better and better with each release. I love the sound of her music, and I love how she writes her own lyrics. My favorite Mami song is "See VisionS".

Others include Tamura Yukari, Buono!, DaisyxDaisy, KOTOKO, and Perfume.

[suomi2015]

Hmm. There is only one de luxe suite for top singer in my heart-hotel. And you know who lives there, hehe.
Her incredible passion, responsibility, amazing voice and kind appearance forced to give her keys from that room.

About others..
Ok, Meiko Kaji, I think. From 1st listening (Kill Bill 1st, Oren Ishii death) till present moment, i can't escape from her calm, srong and emotional voice. Also, I like strong decisive heroines, whom she played in movies (Sasori series, Shurayuki Hime, Gincho Wataridori). I haven't turntable, but bought 7" vinyl. One of her best photoshots, imo.

(
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Sayuri Ishikawa. Difficult choise between 3rd and 4th places, but..as I decided to buy her LP, she took bronze. Very famous enka singer with good voice and strong beauty (even now). Many times she was chosen to sing at Kouhaku, and I hope Nana managed to greet her behind the scene (did you count how much times Nana sang Amagi Goe?).

Ayako Fuji. More precisely, she is on 3,5 place. There is a very small gap between her and Sayuri-san. Her appearance and outfits always got 10 of 10, but voice sometimes (veeery rarely!) is annoying.. Also, she is from "new" (b. 10 May, 1961) enka-generation, so she needs some time to became a good wine))

Shoko Nakagawa Mm, started to listen her songs not so long ago (except all known Sorairo Days). Her ballad-songs are rather interesting, also her genki songs also very catchy. Of course, her gravure-idol career influenced very much on my decision to give her 4th place. There is no her PVs on youtube, but try to find somethere else next ones: Fuyu no Yuuenchi and 恋心. I hope, you'll enjoy them))

Also I like to listen random songs of Takako Matsu, Chihara Minori (first albums), some others enka singers, watch on energy&cuteness of long-legged girl-groups (Girls Generation, Afterschool) and of course OSTs.

[gigglefit]

Number 1: Minori Chihara/Nana Mizuki
Minorin will always be my first artist, and the primary target of my obsession (lol), but Nana's music is just as good. Minori pretty much gives me all the violin-filled anison i need, while i listen to Nana's rock-ier songs and deep vibrato. My favourite Nana songs are Dancing in the Velvet Moon and Secret Ambition, and my favourite Minorin songs are Paradise Lost and D-Formation.

Number 2: Daisy x Daisy
One of the first Japanese artists i ever listened to. Her music is made by Vocaloid music producers, so that gives her kind of a rock/electronic feel. My favourite song is the Fairy Tail OP, Towa no Kizuna, but i really like Nightmare and Evidence, too. I also can't wait for songs of the Vocaloid she voices, Ring Suzune, to be released.

Number 3: May'n
She has a unique voice, and she sings with her full body, which is very enjoyable for listening. Her recent work is especially good, and my favourite song is Scarlet Ballet.

Number 4: Mayumi Morinaga
She is less known than the rest of the artists from the list, but her songs are of equal quality. Again, same as Daisy x Daisy, her music is mostly produced by Another Infinity and Vocaloid producers (she even did a duet with Daisy x Daisy), but with her it's much more synth-heavy. My favourite songs from her are Glitter (a Fairy Tail ED) and SW.

Number 5: LiSA
She is pretty new to the anison scene, but her music and overall style are fantastic. Her music is a mix of rock and classic anison, which reminds me of Nana's music. Her voice is really strong, too, so i think the more time passes, she will be more famous and successful. My favourite song from her is Crossing Field, the Sword Art Online opening.

Some other mention-worthy artists i like are Mami Kawada, Maon Kurosaki/ALTIMA, Yukari Tamura, Koda Kumi, Aya Hirano etc. but i usually like only a few songs i hear on Youtube from them.

[sevenpetals]

My turn ^_^

Number 1: Nana Mizuki - need more be said...?

Number 2: Utada Hikaru - she's truly my goddess, her voice makes me melt.. favorite ballad - Sakura Nagashi (her new one despite her hiatus^_^) - i almost cried listening to that song lol

Number 3: Perfume - 3 adorable/cute/sexy girls that can sing and dance (I'll admit they arent the best singers, as its not in their genre, but i cant stand people that say it isn't music, or is worth any less. Its their voice that makes the product in the end of the day, and unlike some artists they have more to them than just their voices. They are amazing dancers with a great choreographer and i love the artistry done in their music videos, and themes. Fav song atm - Tied between Hurly Burly and Fushizen na Girl


Number 4: Koda Kumi - i actually started listening to her after i saw Sai's message about her and checked her out. Her voice is sexy and raw at times, but she has some very pop like songs in her discography like Love Technique and i just love her versatility! From Sexy (possibly scandalously xD) to cute really fast and she does it well just like a certain Nana i know (in my dreams haha)

Number 5: Kanon Wakeshima - introduced me to J-Pop, shes been kind of on a decline and she still hasnt had a break, but i love her music and her voice is just angelic. Cello is also pure win.

[Fate Testarossa]

1. Ayumi Hamasaki. (I love Nana too but Ayu is still the queen to me. Her older stuff is better than newer though. But I still love her. )
2. Nana Mizuki (Do I need to say something more?)
3. SNSD/Girls Generation' (Their music is so catchy~ )
4. 2NE1 (They're like almost opposite of SNSD in terms of songs lol.)
5. Perfume (I like electro-pop.)

[Sai]

^ Another Ayu fan! Also, sevenpetals, this is really late but I'm glad I got you into Kuu! XD

[sevenpetals]

^ Yep ^_^ I have like all of her discography now haha!!

I also ordered Summer Trip, waiting for it to arrive ^_^