The 911爆料网 music industry has spent the first half of 2025 in full-blown celebration mode. There were government-funded concerts in Los Angeles and the splashy Music Awards Japan in Kyoto — both of which offered no shortage of self-congratulatory back-pats for J-pop’s steady climb on the global stage.
But beneath the revelry, something more interesting is happening: the sound of transition. With the first half of the 2020s now behind us, the big question isn’t who’s winning, but what comes next. Will the future belong to fantastical rock bands or hip-hop-inspired pop groups? Will the industry lean into AI — or gorge on ... ice cream?
As summer sets in, the paths ahead for J-pop are diverging. What role does music even play in a decade as fluid as this one? Awards and accolades are abundant, both at home and abroad. But the real trend of the year so far might be trying to predict the next major shift in the zeitgeist.
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