J-Melo is a weekly Japanese music television program broadcast by NHK

NHK

NHK is Japan's national public broadcasting organization. NHK, which has always identified itself to its audiences by the English pronunciation of its initials, is a publicly owned corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee....

. It is recorded entirely in the English language. It began broadcasting on October 7, 2005. The program is available on NHK's World Service television station, Radio Japan, Digital Educational TV and on its Domestic General Channel.

History and Programming

The program started broadcasting on October 7, 2005 and was hosted by Mai Takematsu, a Japanese harpist.The name "J-Melo" comes from the words, "Japan", "Melody", and "Mellow". The show is the first Japanese music program produced by NHK to be recorded entirely in English, and presents various Japanese music and musicians to the rest of the world through its global television station, NHK World. The show is also aired in Japan in English with Japanese subtitles. On March 2007, Mai Takematsu left the show in order to pursue her medical career, and on April 2007, she was replaced by Japanese singer, melody.

Melody.

, better known by her stage name melody. is a Japanese-American pop singer and TV host. She debuted on February 19, 2003 with the song "Dreamin' Away", under Toy's Factory. In October 2008, melody. announced on her blog that she will end her career as a music artist and instead focus on pursuing...

 She hosted the show until September 2008, when it was announced that May J.

May J.

, better known by her stage name May J., is a R&B and pop singer from Yokohama, Japan. Born to a mother of Iranian descent and to Japanese father, May J. made her major label debut under Sony Music Japan on July 12, 2006 with her first mini-album All My Girls.-Early life:May J. was born on June...

 will host the succeeding episodes. The new J-Melo debuted on October 2008, with May J. along with Shanti

Shanti Snyder

Shanti is a half Japanese/French lyricist, singer, songwriter, and music TV host based in Japan. She performs with a few different formations in the Tokyo area in some of the best clubs and has also appeared with many top artists....

 presenting the program, with an updated set and website and a new opening billboard. It is the first time that the program will have two permanent presenters. J-Pop, Enka to music of Japanese classical artists. Aside from music videos, the program features interviews and recorded performances.

Segments

J-Melo has a weekly theme, where most of the video content of the show revolve around. These include topics such as "Summer Favorites", "Musicians from Okinawa" or "Summer Rock Festivals". Every other month, the show also has a request special, where viewers send requests through the J-Melo website. (In a June 2007 request special, it was revealed that the most requested Japanese musical act is L'Arc-en-Ciel.) In 2007, the show introduced the segment, "Japan Dance Music Adventure," a monthly dance special, where the host tours Japan in search of traditional and modern dance music.

Specials

Every year since 2005, the show has an annual special, counting down the top singles of the year. Since 2007, however, J-Melo aired among others, aired a summer special, several "live to the world" specials (filmed in front of a live audience, not aired live), an Okinawa special and a Tokushima special. Occasionally, the show will also broadcast guest highlights every quarter.

E-mail Special

In December 2007, the program started to air an E-mail

E-mail

Electronic mail, commonly known as email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital messages from an author to one or more recipients. Modern email operates across the Internet or other computer networks. Some early email systems required that the author and the recipient both be online at the...

 special. It counted down the countries where the show received the most e-mail from, as well as the year's top artists.

2007

E-Mail Countdown (by country) Rank Country 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

E-Mail Countdown (by artist) EWLINE Rank Artist 1 L'Arc-en-Ciel 2 melody. Melody. , better known by her stage name melody. is a Japanese-American pop singer and TV host. She debuted on February 19, 2003 with the song "Dreamin' Away", under Toy's Factory. In October 2008, melody. announced on her blog that she will end her career as a music artist and instead focus on pursuing...

2008

E-Mail Countdown (by country) Rank Country 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 (New) 10 (New)

E-Mail Countdown (by artist) EWLINE Rank Artist 1 the GazettE ガゼット 2 Arashi Arashi is a Japanese boy band formed under the Japanese talent agency Johnny & Associates, which announced the formation of the group on November 3, 1999 in Honolulu, Hawaii... 3 Ayumi Hamasaki Ayumi Hamasaki is a Japanese singer-songwriter, record producer, model, lyricist, and actress. Also called "Ayu" by her fans, Hamasaki has been dubbed the "Empress of Pop" because of her popularity and widespread influence in Japan and throughout Asia. Born and raised in Fukuoka, she moved to Tokyo at fourteen to...

Guests

Aside from a weekly theme, J-Melo also has a guest at least once a month. Most of the time, guest greetings are recorded on video to thank their supporters from outside Japan. There are also some episodes where the guests will sit down on set for an interview and sometimes, a performance. The theme for these shows will usually be the works of the guest musician. These appearances are rather significant, as the show is primarily recorded for foreign viewers. Interviews and messages are also subtitled in English whenever needed.

Notable Guests

The following are notable guests who appeared in the show. Those with dates in light blue are guests who appeared on set, while those in light yellow are guests who appeared on video.

2006 Title Date Bonnie Pink Bonnie Pink , known by her stage name , is a Japanese singer-songwriter and musician. She lived in New York during 1998 and speaks English . She writes and composes all her songs, and plays guitar and piano... July 2006 Demon Kogure Demon Kogure , previously known as Demon Kogure, is a Japanese musician, entertainer, journalist and sumo commentator. He is the frontman of the heavy metal band Seikima-II, and is known for always working entirely in character.... August 2006 melody. Melody. , better known by her stage name melody. is a Japanese-American pop singer and TV host. She debuted on February 19, 2003 with the song "Dreamin' Away", under Toy's Factory. In October 2008, melody. announced on her blog that she will end her career as a music artist and instead focus on pursuing... November 2006 2007 Title Date Dir en grey Dir en grey Dir En Grey is a Japanese metal band formed in 1997 and currently signed to Firewall Div., a sub-division of Free-Will. As of 2011, they have recorded eight full-length records... March 2007 HIGH and MIGHTY COLOR High and Mighty Color High and Mighty Color was a Japanese metal band active from 2003 to 2010. They notably had two vocalists; a male and a female.- Formation and Anti-Nobunaga :... March 2007 Angela Aki Angela Aki , born Kiyomi Angela Aki on September 15, 1977, is a Japanese pop singer-songwriter, guitarist and pianist from Itano, Tokushima, Japan.-Early life:... April 2007 Sowelu Sowelu better known by her stage name, Sowelu, is a Japanese pop/R&B singer signed onto Avex Group's label Rhythm Zone.- History :Her career started in 2002 with the release of her first single Beautiful Dreamer, a soft love ballad which did very well in the charts, and was later featured on the Relaxin’... April 2007 M-Flo M-flo is a Japanese hip hop group consisting of producer and DJ Taku Takahashi and emcee Verbal.Former member Lisa left the group in 2002 to pursue a solo career, and the remaining members then started the M-Flo Loves... project working different vocalists for each song over three albums, including the... April 2007 Akikawa Masafumi June 2007 December 2007 L'Arc-en-Ciel June 2007 December 2007 Crystal Kay Crystal Kay Crystal Kay Williams , known by her stage name Crystal Kay, is a singer and songwriter from Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan... July 2007 Nora (Orquesta de la Luz Orquesta de la Luz is a Japanese salsa band that began performing and recording in 1990. The band sings in Spanish, and is led by vocalist Nora, who returned to traditional salsa after the band broke up in the mid-1990s... ) August 2007 Morning Musume Morning Musume , sometimes referred to as is a Japanese idol girl group, whose act generally revolves around singing and dancing to upbeat melodies. They are the lead group of Hello! Project, which is managed and produced by Tsunku, who composes nearly all the lyrics and melodies of their songs... August 2007 Monkey Majik Monkey Majik Monkey Majik is a Japanese pop-rock band formed in 2000, consisting of two Canadian brothers and two Japanese members .- Profile :... August 2007 Terumasa Hino Terumasa Hino is a Japanese jazz trumpeter. Currently based in New York, Hino is widely acknowledged as one of Japan's finest jazz musicians. His instruments include the trumpet, cornet and flügelhorn.-Biography:... August 2007 Kazumi Watanabe Kazumi Watanabe Kazumi Watanabe is a jazz and jazz fusion guitarist, from Tokyo, Japan. He was born on October 14, 1953 Kazumi learned to play guitar from Sadanori Nakamure, one of Japan's grandmaster guitarists. Kazumi released his first recording in 1971, and quickly became a promising guitarist in his own right... August 2007 Emyli Emyli is a Japanese pop singer. Her debut album Flower of Life was released from BMG Japan label in 2003. Since the release of her first album, she has performed with popular acts such as M-Flo and Shinhwa... August 2007 Jyongri Jyongri Jyongri is a Japanese pop singer of Korean ancestry currently signed with EMI Music Japan.- Background and early life :... August 2007 Akira Jimbo Akira Jimbo is a Japanese freelance jazz fusion drummer who is famous for his drumming independence and fusion of electronic drum technology and acoustic drums. Aside from his solo work, he is also the drummer in the Japanese jazz fusion band Casiopea and has participated in various side projects with other... September 2007 Soichi Muraji September 2007 Kousuke Atari Kousuke Atari Kousuke Atari is a J-Pop artist, born July 13, 1980, on Amami island, Japan. Hailing from Amami-Oshima in southern Japan, Atari Kousuke is a folk singer currently signed to Epic Records Japan... October 2007 Jesse (RIZE Rize Rize is the capital of Rize Province, in northeast Turkey, on the Black Sea coast.-Etymology:The name comes from Greek or Ριζαίον , meaning "mountain slopes". In modern times, its name in Greek was usually Ριζούντα . Its Latin forms are Rhizus and Rhizaeum... ) September 2007 Makoto Ozone Makoto Ozone is a Japanese jazz pianist.He began playing organ at two and by seven was an improviser. He appeared on Japanese television with his father from 1968 to 1970. At twelve he switched to piano after being impressed by albums by Oscar Peterson. In 1980 he entered the Berklee College of Music and later... November 2007 WISE WISE (music) , better known by his stage name Wise, is a Japanese hip hop musician who raps in both Japanese and English. His father is Japanese and his mother is American and during high school he lived in the United States. He is affiliated with the creative group Kazenohito... November 2007 May J. May J. , better known by her stage name May J., is a R&B and pop singer from Yokohama, Japan. Born to a mother of Iranian descent and to Japanese father, May J. made her major label debut under Sony Music Japan on July 12, 2006 with her first mini-album All My Girls.-Early life:May J. was born on June... November 2007

2008 Title Date Shonen Knife Shonen Knife Shonen Knife, written in Japanese characters as 少年ナイフ, which transliterates as Shōnen Naifu, literally "Boy Knife," is an all-female Japanese pop-punk band formed in Osaka, Japan, in 1981... January 2008 indigo blue January 2008 Polysics Polysics is a Japanese new wave and rock band from Tokyo, who dubs its unique style as "technicolor pogo punk". It was named after a brand of synthesizer, the Korg Polysix. The band started in 1997, but got their big break in 1998 at a concert in Tokyo... February 2008 Zeebra Zeebra , real name , is a Japanese hip hop artist, who made his first appearance in 1995. Zeebra is a former member of the hip-hop group King Giddra, which also included DJ Oasis and K Dub Shine, and the older brother of fellow hip-hop artist SPHERE of INFLUENCE... February 2008 Tanaka Roma March 2008 M-Flo M-flo is a Japanese hip hop group consisting of producer and DJ Taku Takahashi and emcee Verbal.Former member Lisa left the group in 2002 to pursue a solo career, and the remaining members then started the M-Flo Loves... project working different vocalists for each song over three albums, including the... March 2008 April 2008 Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra , commonly abbreviated by fans as Skapara or TSPO, is a Japanese ska and jazz band officially formed in 1988 by the percussionist Asa-Chang, and initially composed of over 10 veterans of Tokyo's underground scene... April 2008 Hiromi Uehara April 2008 Miyavi Miyavi , better known by his stage name , is a Japanese visual kei musician. His work as guitarist for Dué le Quartz and his successful solo career have established him as an accomplished musician in the Japanese music scene.- Early life :... May 2008 Yasuji Ohagi May 2008 the GazettE The Gazette The Gazette is a title of several newspapers and magazines, including:-English-language newspapers:*London Gazette, the official publication of the government of the United Kingdom... May 2008 GO GO 7188 May 2008 Tanaka Roma May 2008 JYONGRI Jyongri Jyongri is a Japanese pop singer of Korean ancestry currently signed with EMI Music Japan.- Background and early life :... May 2008 Spontania May 2008 Leo Imai May 2008 SoulJa SoulJa (rapper) is a Japanese hip-hop musician and songwriter. He is best known for his collaborations with singer Thelma Aoyama, "Koko ni Iru yo" and "Soba ni Iru ne" - the latter of which was the former Guinness World Records holder for the best selling digital single of all-time in Japan .- Biography :SoulJa's... May 2008 Tiana Xiao Tiana Xiao Tiana Xiao is a J-Pop singer of American nationality and Chinese descent.-Biography:Tiana Xiao was born in Sichuan, China and moved to the United States when she was two years old. Her mother and brother currently reside in Los Angeles, California, and her father lives in China.With an alleged IQ... May 2008 jammin’Zeb May 2008 Yosuke Yamashita Yosuke Yamashita Yōsuke Yamashita is an acclaimed jazz pianist, composer, essayist, and writer from Tokyo, Japan.He is praised by critics for his unique piano style... June 2008 INFINITY16 June 2008 MONKEY MAJIK Monkey Majik Monkey Majik is a Japanese pop-rock band formed in 2000, consisting of two Canadian brothers and two Japanese members .- Profile :... June 2008 Leah Dizon Leah Dizon Leah Dizon is an American-born former gaijin tarento, singer, and model in Japan. Born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada, she moved to Tokyo, Japan in 2006 to pursue a career in entertainment... June 2008 Maki Ohguro Maki Ohguro is a Japanese pop singer and songwriter. She is from Sapporo in Hokkaidō.- Introduction :In 1989, she passed the '3rd BAD' audition. Her famous songs are "DA・KA・RA", "Chotto", and so on... Her second single "DA・ka・RA" sold 1.1 million copies and won the 'Japan Record Grand Prix' newcomer award of... July 2008 Crystal Kay Crystal Kay Crystal Kay Williams , known by her stage name Crystal Kay, is a singer and songwriter from Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan... July 2008 Perfume Perfume (group) Perfume is a Japanese all-girl trio from Hiroshima, Japan, consisting of Ayano Ōmoto, Yuka Kashino, and Ayaka Nishiwaki. They debuted locally in 2001 and made their transition to a major label in 2005, focusing more on electropop... July 2008 Hiromi Go Hiromi Go is a Japanese singer, part of Sony Music Entertainment Japan. His real name is .In the 1970s, he was called "New Big Three" with Goro Noguchi and Hideki Saijo. He belonged to Johnny & Associates, but later left the agency... July 2008 RANKIN TAXI August 2008 Ryohei August 2008 JUJU August 2008