Watch This! You Tube Videos: J & K Pop

If you like popular, r&b/rock or hip hop music then you'll love the sounds reverberating out of Asia. Much of the artists resemble hit makers in America such as Justin Timberlake or Christina Aguilera while some have a sound all their own.

In the J-pop (japanese-pop) world, female rule the land and top reigning one is Utada Hikaru a.k.a. "Hiki." One of the most popular and Innovative, Hiki stays on the pop charts with her own out-of-this-world style. Altough she's like nothing you've heard before, with songs and videos like "Traveling" from her Deep River album, she brings kinda the type of feeling Amy Lee of Evanessence brought with "Bring me to Life"- you didn't expect that voice to be in that song.

Next in pop-ularity comes a young doe-eyed entertainer who has obatined the style of Britney Spears, but with the voice of Mandy Moore. BoA's got bubbly lyrics and evervescent beats that attract the younger generation of j-poppers, but something about her voice gives off a more mature sense relatable to older listeners. The song "Every Heart" off of her Listen to My Heart LP, has a mature meaning while the actual video gives off a "youthful quality."

Here, there is Norah Jones, there there is Mika and her song "Fake." When you hear the song you could bet money that you were in a Starbucks sipping on a latte or in a grown and sexy poetry jam/jazz club while the video, like most, is artistic and has it's own explaination. She may not have the voice of a jazz singer, but her soulful sound along with heartfelt lyrics accompanied by an angelic, hard-to-place voice make her one of the most unique artist in the J-pop era.

On the other end of the spectrum replacing our Janet Jackson is naturally born half asian/half african american Crystal Kay and her Call me Miss hit singler "Kirakuni" (which basically means relax). She brings a more "urban flava" to the traditional "bubbly" sound pop so often refers to. She's edgy, she's raw and sings to some great hip hop beats and lyrics She's one artist that takes all of the good qualities of western civilization and uses it to her advantage.