Janet Jackson, Destiny’s Child, Jennifer Lopez, Rihanna, and many other leading ladies of music have pioneered a style of R&B and Hip-Hop which some call “Diva Music.” This style has been a staple in the American music industry for decades now, but it is just finally making it’s way to the land of the rising sun. New artists like May J, Foxxi MisQ, Kato Miliyah, and Aria are building the bridge for “diva” music to enter Japan.

December seems to be the month of the diva, because May J and Aria both have new highly anticipated albums out, while other female artists are breaking into this genre with new singles.

May J, who just released her single “Do Tha’ Do Tha,” started her career out as a pop singer with the single, “All My Girls,” but the mini-album that was released with the song showed May J’s true colors, as most of the album consisted of R&B and Hip-Hop. May J, who has worked with Verbal, Ken-U, Zeebra, Rhymester, and many others, is looking to push R&B to the top of charts with her new album, Baby Girl.

Aria, who only has a little bit more background in the business than May J, has just released her second album, The Jukebox. The Jukebox features Aria’s singles, Fallin’, Not Over, and Next Door. Aria, who is looking more to appeal to Hip-Hop fans than those of pop, has a plethora of great artists collaborating with her on The Jukebox, including Big Ron, Hokt, Seeda, Equal, and Luna, all of which are mainstays in the Japanese Hip-Hop industry. Aria’s first album, ARIA, which was released in August of 2006, put her foot in the door of the Japanese R&B industry and she hasn’t left since. The album was highly acclaimed, despite it being her debut album.

As these divas gain popularity, other female artists are jumping on the bandwagon. NaNa, who has worked with Zeebra, has just released her new song, Show Girl, which has more of an urban feel that her previous singles. Tanimura Nana, a brand new artist looking to break through the charts, has also taken an urban approach to her music, with her new single, “Say Good-Bye.”

It may still be a while before Japanese mainstream music is run by rappers and divas like in Korea and the US, but Japanese urban music is slowly gaining more warriors to fight off J-Pop empires like Hello Project and Johnny’s Entertainment. What do you think of “Diva” music? Do you think Japan’s music industry will ever be as “urban” as that of Korea and the US?