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Casiopea
Casiopea became one of city pop's most significant instrumental acts, blending jazz fusion with the genre's smooth, technically polished production values across a prolific catalog beginning with their 1979 self-titled debut album. Their instrumental, guitar-and-keyboard-driven sound, distinct from the vocal-pop mainstream most closely associated with city pop, demonstrated the genre's broader stylistic range and its close overlap with Japan's parallel jazz fusion scene during the same period. The band's technical musicianship, particularly guitarist Issei Noro's fusion-influenced playing, earned them a devoted international following among instrumental music and fusion enthusiasts well beyond city pop's more typically vocal-pop-focused fan base. Their combination of their genre-crossing instrumental sound and their technically accomplished musicianship has made Casiopea one of the most distinctive and internationally respected acts associated with city pop's broader musical scene.
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Mariya Takeuchi
Mariya Takeuchi's 1984 song "Plastic Love," originally a modest hit upon release, became one of the most significant examples of city pop's unexpected global rediscovery decades later, driven almost entirely by YouTube algorithm recommendations and international online music communities during the 2010s. Her broader catalog, developed alongside her husband and collaborator Tatsuro Yamashita, combined smooth, sophisticated pop production with lyrics reflecting the confident, cosmopolitan lifestyle aspirations of Japan's booming 1980s economic bubble era. "Plastic Love's" viral internet-era resurgence introduced an entirely new generation of international listeners, many with no prior connection to Japanese music, to city pop as a genre, making Takeuchi's decades-old recording one of the most significant deferred musical rediscoveries of the streaming era. Her combination of "Plastic Love's" landmark viral rediscovery and her broader sophisticated city pop catalog has made Takeuchi one of the most internationally significant figures in the genre's modern legacy.
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