J-Melo

Last updated
J-Melo
J-Melo titlecard.jpg
Title card
GenreMusic show
Directed byHarada Nobuyuki
Presented by May J.
Country of originJapan
Original languagesEnglish
Japanese
Production
ProducerHarada Nobuyuki
Camera setupMulticamera setup
Running time30 minutes
Original release
Network NHK
Release7 October 2005 (2005-10-07) 
present

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

Contents

History and Programming

melody. hosted the program from April 2007 until September 2008. Melody, doing a peace sign.jpg
melody. hosted the program from April 2007 until September 2008.

The program started broadcasting on October 7, 2005, and was hosted by Mai Takematsu, a Japanese harpist. [1] 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. [2] The show is also aired in Japan in English with Japanese subtitles. [1] In March 2007, Mai Takematsu left the show in order to pursue her medical career, and in April 2007, she was replaced by Japanese singer, melody. [1] She hosted the show until September 2008, when it was announced that May J. will host the succeeding episodes. The new J-Melo debuted in October 2008, with May J. along with Shanti presenting the program, with an updated set and website and a new opening billboard. It was the first time that the program had two permanent presenters. Shanti, however, left the show in 2010. Aside from music videos, the program features interviews and recorded performances.

In 2009, J-Melo started a music project, a fictitious band called Rough-T with manga characters fronted by Takekawa Ai, produced by Marty Friedman, and with additional production by international independent artists kevn, Kirby and Crazy Dragon. [3] J-Melo features comments from Dave Spector, who hosts most episodes together with May J.

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

2007

E-Mail Countdown (by country)

RankCountry
Steady2.svg1Flag of the Philippines.svg  Philippines
Steady2.svg2Flag of Peru.svg  Peru
Steady2.svg3Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States
Steady2.svg4Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada
Steady2.svg5Flag of Brazil.svg  Brazil
Flag of Mexico.svg  Mexico
Flag of Indonesia.svg  Indonesia
Steady2.svg6Flag of Nepal.svg  Nepal
Steady2.svg7Flag of Japan.svg  Japan
Steady2.svg8Flag of Malaysia 23px.svg  Malaysia
Steady2.svg9Flag of Vietnam.svg  Vietnam
Steady2.svg10Flag of Portugal (official).svg  Portugal

Most Requested Artists

RankArtist
1 L'Arc-en-Ciel
2 melody.
3 KAT-TUN
4 Hikaru Utada
5 NEWS
6 Morning Musume
7 DIR EN GREY
8 YUI
9 Ai Otsuka
10 Namie Amuro

2008

E-Mail Countdown (by country)

RankCountry
Steady2.svg1Flag of the Philippines.svg  Philippines
Increase2.svg2Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States
Decrease2.svg3Flag of Peru.svg  Peru
Increase2.svg4Flag of Japan.svg  Japan
Steady2.svg5Flag of Indonesia.svg  Indonesia
Decrease2.svg6Flag of Brazil.svg  Brazil
Decrease2.svg7Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada
8Flag of Vietnam.svg  Vietnam (Steady2.svg)
Flag of Nepal.svg  Nepal (Decrease2.svg)
9Flag of Thailand.svg  Thailand (New)
10Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg  United Arab Emirates (New)

Most Requested Artists

RankArtist
1L'Arc-en-Ciel
2 Arashi
3 Hey! Say! JUMP
4melody.
5KAT-TUN
6NEWS
7 Tohoshinki
8Hikaru Utada
9 Alice Nine
10YUI

2009

E-Mail Countdown (by country)

RankCountry
Steady2.svg1Flag of the Philippines.svg  Philippines
2Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom (New)
Decrease2.svg3Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States
Increase2.svg4Flag of Indonesia.svg  Indonesia
Decrease2.svg5Flag of Peru.svg  Peru
Steady2.svg6Flag of Brazil.svg  Brazil
7Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg  Saudi Arabia (New)
8Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg  United Arab Emirates (Increase2.svg)
Flag of Vietnam.svg  Vietnam (Steady2.svg)
Decrease2.svg9Flag of Nepal.svg  Nepal
10Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia (New)
Flag of Ireland.svg  Ireland (New)

Most Requested Artists

RankArtist
1L'Arc-en-Ciel
2Tohoshinki
3Arashi
4NEWS
5Hey! Say! JUMP
6KAT-TUN
7 May J.
8 The Gazette
9GACKT
10 Ayumi Hamasaki

2010

E-Mail Countdown (by country)

RankCountry
Increase2.svg1Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom
Decrease2.svg2Flag of the Philippines.svg  Philippines
Increase2.svg3Flag of Indonesia.svg  Indonesia
Decrease2.svg4Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States
5Flag of Germany.svg  Germany (New)
6Flag of Chile.svg  Chile (New)
Decrease2.svg7Flag of Brazil.svg  Brazil
Decrease2.svg8Flag of Peru.svg  Peru
Decrease2.svg9Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg  Saudi Arabia
Increase2.svg10Flag of Mexico.svg  Mexico

Most Requested Artists

RankArtist
1The Gazette
2Hey! Say! JUMP
3L'Arc-en-Ciel
4Arashi
5May J.
6KAT-TUN
7NEWS
8YUI
9 SCANDAL
10GACKT

2011

E-Mail Countdown (by country)

RankCountry
Increase2.svg1Flag of Indonesia.svg  Indonesia
Increase2.svg2Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States
Decrease2.svg3Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom
Decrease2.svg4Flag of the Philippines.svg  Philippines
Increase2.svg5Flag of Peru.svg  Peru
6Flag of France.svg  France (New)
Increase2.svg7Flag of Mexico.svg  Mexico
Decrease2.svg8Flag of Chile.svg  Chile
Steady2.svg9Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg  Saudi Arabia
Decrease2.svg10Flag of Brazil.svg  Brazil

Most Requested Artists

RankArtist
1L'Arc-en-Ciel
2The Gazette
3Morning Musume
4SCANDAL
5YUI
6Hey! Say! JUMP
7Alice Nine
8Arashi
9May J.
10 AKB48

2012

E-Mail Countdown (by country)

RankCountry
Steady2.svg1Flag of Indonesia.svg  Indonesia
Steady2.svg2Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States
Increase2.svg3Flag of the Philippines.svg  Philippines
Decrease2.svg4Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom
Increase2.svg5Flag of Brazil.svg  Brazil
Decrease2.svg6Flag of Peru.svg  Peru
Increase2.svg7Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg  Saudi Arabia
Decrease2.svg8Flag of Mexico.svg  Mexico
Decrease2.svg9Flag of France.svg  France
Increase2.svg10Flag of Germany.svg  Germany

Most Requested Artists

RankArtist
1The Gazette
2Arashi
3L'Arc-en-Ciel
4Morning Musume
5Alice Nine
6AKB48
7KAT-TUN
8Hey! Say! JUMP
9SCANDAL
10GACKT

2013

E-Mail Countdown (by country)

RankCountry
Increase2.svg1Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States
Increase2.svg2Flag of the Philippines.svg  Philippines
Decrease2.svg3Flag of Indonesia.svg  Indonesia
Steady2.svg4Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom
Increase2.svg5Flag of Peru.svg  Peru
Increase2.svg6Flag of France.svg  France
Decrease2.svg7Flag of Brazil.svg  Brazil
Steady2.svg8Flag of Mexico.svg  Mexico
9Flag of Singapore.svg  Singapore (New)
Steady2.svg10Flag of Germany.svg  Germany

Most Requested Artists

RankArtist
1The Gazette
2Arashi
3Alice Nine
4Morning Musume '14
5Hey! Say! JUMP
6L'Arc-en-Ciel
7SCANDAL
8AKB48
9 ONE OK ROCK
10KAT-TUN

2014

E-Mail Countdown (by country)

RankCountry
Increase2.svg1Flag of Indonesia.svg  Indonesia
Decrease2.svg2Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States
Decrease2.svg3Flag of the Philippines.svg  Philippines
Steady2.svg4Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom
Increase2.svg5Flag of Brazil.svg  Brazil
Increase2.svg6Flag of Mexico.svg  Mexico
Decrease2.svg7Flag of France.svg  France
Increase2.svg8Flag of Malaysia 23px.svg  Malaysia
Increase2.svg9Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia
Steady2.svg10Flag of Germany.svg  Germany

Most Requested Artists

RankArtist
1SCANDAL
2The Gazette
3Morning Musume '14
4Alice Nine
5Arashi
6Hey! Say! JUMP
7ONE OK ROCK
8AKB48
9L'Arc-en-Ciel
10 Diaura

2015

E-Mail Countdown (by country)

RankCountry
Increase2.svg1Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States
Decrease2.svg2Flag of Indonesia.svg  Indonesia
Increase2.svg3Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom
Increase2.svg4Flag of Mexico.svg  Mexico
Decrease2.svg5Flag of the Philippines.svg  Philippines
Increase2.svg6Flag of France.svg  France
7Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China (New)
Decrease2.svg8Flag of Brazil.svg  Brazil
Increase2.svg9Flag of Singapore.svg  Singapore
Steady2.svg10Flag of Germany.svg  Germany

Most Requested Artists

RankArtist
1The Gazette
2Scandal
3Morning Musume '15
4Arashi
5L'Arc-en-Ciel
6One Ok Rock
7KAT-TUN
8 Vamps
9AKB48
10 Babymetal

2016

E-Mail Countdown (by country)

RankCountry
Steady2.svg1Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States
Steady2.svg2Flag of Indonesia.svg  Indonesia
Steady2.svg3Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom
Increase2.svg4Flag of the Philippines.svg  Philippines
Decrease2.svg5Flag of Mexico.svg  Mexico
Increase2.svg6Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China
Increase2.svg7Flag of Singapore.svg  Singapore
Steady2.svg8Flag of Brazil.svg  Brazil
Increase2.svg9Flag of Chile.svg  Chile
Decrease2.svg10Flag of France.svg  France

Most Requested Artists

RankArtist
1The Gazette
2Scandal
3Morning Musume '16
4Arashi
5L'Arc-en-Ciel
6Babymetal
7AKB48
8One Ok Rock
9 Band-Maid
10 Silent Siren

2017

E-Mail Countdown (by country)

RankCountry
Steady2.svg1Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States
Increase2.svg2Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom
Decrease2.svg3Flag of Indonesia.svg  Indonesia
Steady2.svg4Flag of the Philippines.svg  Philippines
Increase2.svg5Flag of Brazil.svg  Brazil
6Flag of Algeria.svg  Algeria (New)
7Flag of India.svg  India (New)
Increase2.svg8Flag of France.svg  France
9Flag of Turkey.svg  Turkey (New)
Increase2.svg10Flag of Peru.svg  Peru

Most Requested Artists

RankArtist
1Babymetal
2Morning Musume '17
3Scandal
4The Gazette
5Arashi
6One Ok Rock
7L'Arc-en'Ciel
8 Hey! Say! JUMP
9AKB48
10Silent Siren

2018

Most Requested Artists

RankArtist
1The Gazette
2Scandal
3Morning Musume '18
4May J.
5Arashi
6L'Arc-en'Ciel
7One Ok Rock
8Hey! Say! JUMP
9AKB48
10Diaura

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

TitleDate
Bonnie Pink July 2006
Demon Kogure August 2006
melody. November 2006

2007

TitleDate
Dir En Grey March 2007
HIGH and MIGHTY COLOR March 2007
Angela Aki April 2007
Sowelu April 2007
M-Flo April 2007
Akikawa Masafumi June 2007
December 2007
L'Arc-en-Ciel June 2007
December 2007
Crystal Kay July 2007
Nora (Orquesta de la Luz)August 2007
Morning Musume August 2007
Monkey Majik August 2007
Terumasa Hino August 2007
Kazumi Watanabe August 2007
Emyli August 2007
Jyongri August 2007
Akira Jimbo September 2007
Soichi MurajiSeptember 2007
Kousuke Atari October 2007
Jesse (RIZE)September 2007
Makoto Ozone November 2007
WISE November 2007
May J. November 2007

2008

TitleDate
Shonen Knife January 2008
indigo blue January 2008
Polysics February 2008
Zeebra February 2008
Tanaka RomaMarch 2008
M-Flo March 2008
April 2008
Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra April 2008
Hiromi Uehara April 2008
Miyavi May 2008
Yasuji Ohagi May 2008
The Gazette May 2008
GO! GO! 7188May 2008
Tanaka RomaMay 2008
JYONGRI May 2008
SpontaniaMay 2008
Leo ImaiMay 2008
SoulJa May 2008
Tiana Xiao May 2008
jammin’ZebMay 2008
Yosuke Yamashita June 2008
INFINITY16June 2008
MONKEY MAJIK June 2008
Leah Dizon June 2008
Maki Ohguro July 2008
Crystal Kay July 2008
Perfume July 2008
Hiromi Go July 2008
RANKIN TAXIAugust 2008
Ryohei August 2008
JUJUAugust 2008
  1. 1 2 3 J-Melo, Japanese Language Wikipedia. Retrieved on July 22, 2007.
  2. J-Melo Official Website, NHK World Service Website. Retrieved on July 22, 2007.
  3. "J-Melo Band, Manga Stripes". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2014-01-05.