With Japan being the second largest music producer behind the United States, the Japanese music market has a variety of artists to listen to. In the Jpop scene there are huge and popular groups like AKB48 or ARASHI. While big and popular groups have alot of talent to offer, like a variety of singing pitches and personalities, solo artists tend to get overshadowed, but these five Jpop female solo artists have managed to break through and become well known in the Jpop scene:

1. Ayumi Hamasaki

Starting out as a solo artist that has been in the music industry for 13 years now, it’s no wonder why she is named the “Empress of Jpop.” With her record of the most number one hits and highest sales in Japan, her number-one albums also placing in the Oricon charts for 13 consecutive years since her debut therefore make her the #1 must know Jpop solo female artist.

2. Namie Amuro

Debuting at the age of 14 and originally from a five membered group called “Super Monkey’s” in the 90’s, three years soon after, her solo career started under the same label as Hamasaki– Avex Trax. Remaining as one of the longest surviving popular acts in Japan thus named the “Queen of Jpop,” if anything, her similarities to KARA’s Hara make her the #2 must know.

3. Utada Hikaru

Most well known for her contribution to the theme songs of the Kingdom Hearts video game series, her two record achievements: five million-sellers and four in the Top 100 All-Time Best-selling Singles along with an estimated more than 52 million records sold worldwide and viewed as an influential artists in Japan make her #3.

4. Koda Kumi

Signed under the Avex sub-label Rhythm Zone, not only has she also contributed to popular theme songs for video games (Final Fantasy X-2) but she has been around the music scene for almost 10 years and has had albums and singles rank at the top of the Oricon charts. Collaborating with THSK for “Last Angel,” the theme song of the Japanese version of “Resident Evil: Exctinction” gave her more exposure– atleast in the Kpop scene, so that’s why she is #4.

5. Thelma Aoyama

Although she has just been in the music scene for four years, she is most well known for her collaboration with SoulJa for their song “Koko ni Iru yo.” Collaborating with many artists, such as Taiwan’s Da Mouth and Korea’s Big Bang’s Tayang and 4Minute, she is #5 not only for her popular associated acts but as well as having some of her songs rank at the top of the Oricon charts.

*BONUS: BoA

Yes, she’s not Japanese and infact Korean, but her many years working in the Jpop scene make her a notable candidate as a must know in the Jpop scene. Being the first Korean solo female artist to break into Japan, she is credited for the current success of the Hallyu wave in Japan. At the young age of 24 yet with 10 years of experience in the music industry, as the only foreign artist to have two albums selling more than one million copies in Japan, she just had to be included in this list.

And there you have it! I myself don’t know many other solo Jpop female artists. I can only think of YUI and Erika Sawajiri so, do our readers have any other artists they think should have been in this list instead? Or just recommending in the comments section below would be great too!