9 J-Pop Groups That Koreans And K-Pop Fans Are In Love With

If you’ve been listening to K-Pop for a while you probably know that many of your favorite Korean idols have also released some hits in Japan. Which may be why many K-Pop fans have started listening to J-Pop too. There are also many native Koreans that have fallen in love with the unique sounds of J-Pop. Although the sounds and concepts may be different from what you might first expect, these groups have stolen the hearts of Koreans and K-Pop fans alike.

1. Sekai no Owari

If you’re a little bit scared to jump straight into the world of J-Pop, Sekai no Owari is a great place to start. Not only does this group have songs offerings in both Japanese and English but they’ve actually done collaborations with EPIK HIGH and Owl City!

Plus this group has an absolutely huge fanbase outside of Japan and with good reason!

2. BananaLemon

BananaLemon is the group that has been making its way into the hearts of K-Pop fans. In fact, many fans of this group suggest that if you are a fan of K-Pop to start with this group.

They’ve been likened to groups like BLACKPINK and 2NE1, so think some major badass vibes!

3. AKB48 Group

If you watched Produce48 then you’ve definitely heard of AKB48 and all of its sister groups, known collectively as AKB48 Group. But even before the show, they were already sparking interest with a Korean audience. The entire AKB group includes over 130 members and as you can imagine choosing a favorite member or even a specific “48” group to listen to can be extremely hard.

But if you enjoyed the contestants on Produce48 then you’ll at least have a starting point for the many groups that fall under the AKB48 line!

4. Perfume

Perfume was formed in 2000 as a technopop group that some fans liken to f(x). But the group didn’t really experience any major international success until around 2011 when their hit song “Polyrhythm” was featured in Pixar‘s “Cars 2”.

Following that, the group represented Japan at the 2011 Asian Song Festival in Daegu. Since then the group’s popularity has exploded.

5. ONE OK ROCK

If you’re more into rock and are looking for new groups that remind you of FTISLAND, CNBLUE, or DAY6, you might want to check out ONE OK ROCK. This group has a similar feeling to some of your favorite Korean rock groups and offers up tracks in English and Japanese.

If the many, many international fans of the group don’t convince you to give them a listen then what about when Lee Hongki stated he was close with the group during We Got Married?

6. BABYMETAL

Speaking of rock, many K-Pop fans who lean more towards the rock groups have also expressed their love for kawaii metal band BABYMETAL.

This group will impress you with their style of music and yet leave you wondering how they still manage to pull off such a cute concept.

7. FAKY

Although FAKY might seem like a weird name at first it actually comes from the combination of the words “Fantastic” and “Tokyo” and can also stand for “Five Ass Kicking Youngsters!” If that isn’t already cool enough, this group has also released hits in Japanese and English. Plus if you’re a fan of the anime Black Clover you may have heard one of their songs since it was used as the theme track.

This group has many dedicated fans from all over the world that would happily welcome you into the fandom!

8. You’ll Melt More

The super cute concept of You’ll Melt More has captured many Korean hearts. Scroll through the comments under any of this group’s songs and you’re bound to find words of support in Korean.

While this group isn’t quite like any K-Pop group that you’ve ever heard before, there is something undeniably hypnotizing about them just like your favorite K-Pop groups!

9. Jasmine

If you prefer a more urban dance feel, you might find yourself falling in love with Jasmine. Since her debut in 2009 until now, she’s released a ton of hit songs that have topped charts in Japan. But these hits have also made a huge impact on native Koreans who have also fallen in love with her songs.