A J-POP song highly popular in South Korea [with a Korean-language cover too!]

Walking with youNovelbright

Novelbright – Walking with you [Official Music Video]

This track by Osaka-based rock band Novelbright, released to the world in 2018 as the lead song from their first nationally distributed mini-album “SKYWALK,” gained momentum after a street performance video spread on social media, finding a wide audience not only in Japan but also in South Korea.

It was added to Korean karaoke catalogs, and in 2025 drew renewed attention when vocalist Yudai Takenaka performed it himself on MBN’s music variety show “Korea-Japan King of Singers” (한일가왕전).

While it’s a love song that straightforwardly voices feelings for someone special, its universal appeal lies in themes that also resonate with friendship and mutual support.

With a driving band sound and soaring high-tone vocals, this youth-drama-like number transcends language and strikes a chord at the heart.

IRIS OUTYonezu Kenshi

Kenshi Yonezu – IRIS OUT

A song by Kenshi Yonezu written as the theme for the feature film Chainsaw Man: Reze Arc.

In South Korea, it became the first-ever Japanese-language track by a solo artist to enter Melon’s Top 10, and it also achieved the remarkable feat of reaching No.

5 on the Circle Digital Chart.

As a renewed collaboration following the previous hit KICK BACK, this track—created, according to behind-the-scenes accounts, while intensely studying the manga’s pages featuring Reze—captures a propulsive energy that meshes with the film’s dramatic developments, resonating strongly with Korean listeners.

With a flurry of cover videos by Korean singers as well, it’s clear the song is being embraced on the same field as K-pop.

Riding the wave of anime’s popularity across borders, it stands as a number that points to new possibilities for J-pop.

lilacMrs. GREEN APPLE

Mrs. GREEN APPLE “Lilac” Official Music Video

Produced as a back-to-basics guitar rock track, this song was released in April 2024 as the opening theme for the anime “Oblivion Battery.” Entrusting the bittersweetness of youth and the pains of growing up to the language of flowers, the track became the band’s fastest to surpass 100 million total streams.

It also earned them their first-ever consecutive wins at the 66th Japan Record Awards.

Numerous lyric-explanation posts and guitar cover videos have been created, and at their first solo concert in Korea, held in Seoul in February 2025, the audience broke into a massive sing-along in Japanese.

Its message—about the importance of loving yourself, scars and all—is recommended for anyone wrestling with the struggles of youth.

JANE DOEYonezu Kenshi, Utada Hikaru

Kenshi Yonezu, Hikaru Utada – JANE DOE

As the ending theme for the theatrical anime film Chainsaw Man: Reze Arc, a miraculous collaborative track by Kenshi Yonezu and Hikaru Utada arrives in September 2025.

The cruel yet poetic imagery glimpsed in the lyrics overlaps powerfully with the film’s tragic love story, symbolically portraying the ache of an unattainable romance.

Beginning with Utada’s R&B‑tinged phrasing, the arrangement unfolds in the latter half into Yonezu’s signature blend of strings and electronic sounds—a masterful progression.

In South Korea, it broke into the Melon Chart TOP 100 and ranked second on TJ Karaoke’s popular chart.

Numerous Korean-language cover videos have been posted, and lyric translation sites feature careful, line-by-line annotations, showing that the song is loved not only by anime fans but by a wide spectrum of music listeners.

PretenderOfisharu Higedandizumu (COVER: Hayon by fromis_9)

fromis_9 ‘flaylist’ ‘Official HIGE DANDism – Pretender’ cover by Hayoung

You can’t talk about the late 2010s and early 2020s without mentioning the hugely popular band Official HIGE DANDism and their signature song “Pretender.” With over 600 million total streams, the track has been widely covered and loved in Korea as well.

It’s said that TXT’s Taehyun is a fan, too.

fromis_9’s Hayoung’s cover also drew attention—not only does she master Fujihara’s high notes, but her vocals have a clear, mint-like quality that beautifully captures the lingering resonance and the sound of Japanese.

It’s a song that reminds us of the power of music to transcend borders and connect people.

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Overdosenatori

Natori – Overdose

An addictive track that exploded in popularity starting from TikTok and went on to become an unusually long-running hit in South Korea.

After its release in September 2022, it continued to chart on Spotify’s daily rankings in Korea, achieving an exceptional level of staying power for a J-pop song.

Whispered vocals tell a story of a love you knew you shouldn’t pursue, expressing a crumbling relationship and uncontrollable emotions over an R&B-tinged sound.

That worldview resonated deeply with young listeners in Korea, inspiring numerous Korean-language cover videos.

It was also featured in a Nike campaign and included on the album “Gekijou.” Perfect for fans of city pop and alternative R&B, it’s a highly recommended track for night drives or when you want to sink into your feelings alone.

Only a single voicerokudenashi

Rokudenashi “Just One Voice” / Rokudenashi – One Voice [Official Music Video]

A song by Rokudenashi, a music project born from the 2021 Vocaloid scene that has amassed over one million followers, mainly on TikTok.

It’s the third digital single from the duo of vocalist Ninjin and Vocaloid producer MIMI, and a wistful ballad that gained traction across Asia—hitting No.

1 on Hong Kong’s Spotify Viral Chart and staying on the chart for 23 consecutive days.

In Korea, it’s widely known under the title “그저 목소리 하나,” with numerous lyric-explanation blogs featuring Korean translations and Hangul readings; it’s also officially registered with karaoke services TJ Media and Kumyoung.

At their Seoul show, the audience broke into a venue-wide sing-along to this signature track, a scene that shows how the song is loved beyond language barriers.