[2025] From Japan to the world! A collection of classic city pop hits in Western music

If you’re a music lover, you’ve probably heard the term “city pop” somewhere.

We’ve also published articles on classic city pop albums on our site, but to put it simply, it’s a genre born mainly from the late 1970s to the 1980s by Japanese artists influenced by sophisticated, urban sounds like overseas AOR.

Since the 2010s, it has been rediscovered by music fans abroad and has become a boom.

The definition is somewhat vague, but in this article we highlight popular Western songs that convey the influence of this Japan-born “city pop.”

From famous tracks to hidden gems, enjoy the world of “Western City Pop”!