What is City Pop?

City pop is a Japanese pop style associated with the country's 1970s and 1980s bubble-era prosperity, blending Western funk, disco, soft rock, and jazz with Japanese lyrics evoking urban nightlife. Haruomi Hosono's Happy End is often cited as its progenitor; Tatsuro Yamashita ("the king of city pop") and Mariya Takeuchi defined its mainstream arc. Takeuchi's "Plastic Love" (1984) became its global ambassador after going viral via YouTube's recommendation algorithm in 2017.