City pop is a loose term for a strand of Japanese popular music that flourished from the late 1970s through the 1980s. Record companies and magazines used it for music with an urban, sophisticated feel, influenced by American funk, soft rock, jazz and R&B, and full of jazz-derived chords such as major sevenths. It became the soundtrack of Japan’s economic boom, closely associated with car stereos, FM radio and the Walkman.
Tatsuro Yamashita, who began in the band Sugar Babe, is often called its king, and Mariya Takeuchi’s 1984 song Plastic Love became its best-known track abroad. After years of being seen as dated at home, city pop found a large international audience in the 2010s through reissues, blogs and YouTube recommendations. It also became a favourite sample source for vaporwave and future funk, and its glossy chords and nocturnal mood echo through much jazz lo-fi.