The Korean Singers of JPop: Zainichi Talents

The Japanese word zainichi means “staying in Japan,” which is commonly linked to the Korean community’s significant presence in Japan. Here are some of the most famous zainichi artists in Japan.

Jyongri is a very popular artist who was born in Osaka and sings fluently in Japanese, Korean and English. Her song “Lullaby For You” was the theme for the Square Enix game “The World Ends With You,” which was released in both English and Japanese. Currently, she is a student at the famous Waseda University: School Of International Liberal Studies and is signed to EMI Music.

Verbal from M-Flo is a third-generation Korean. Despite being born in Tokyo, he has Korean citizenship. He studied theology and religion at the BTI in Boston, MA for awhile.

Rock Guitarist Megastar Miyavi, aka Myv, is a third-generation Korean born in Osaka. After his group Dué le Quartz disbanded, Myv went solo and became a major label artist for Universal Japan. Early on in his solo career, he had a reputation for canceling his concerts overseas. However, for a short time, he joined a “superband” organized by XJapan’s Yoshiki, along with Yoshiki, Gackt, Sugizo, and Ju-Ken. The group, called “Skin,” later performed at conventions in the states.

DJ Towa Tei is a third-generation Korean born and raised in Japan. As a student in New York City, he became a popular DJ in the underground club scene. During the late 80’s, he was part of the group Deee-Lite and scored an international hit with, “Groove is in the Heart.” Towa Tei has since gone solo with much success.

Crystal Kay’s roots are truly global: her mother is a third-generation Korean zainichi, and her father is African-American. Her parents are both professional musicians, and she was singing with them in the industry by the age of six. She was signed to Epic by the age of twelve and debuted at thirteen-years-old. She is fluent in both English and Japanese and says she humbly speaks some French and Korean.