Enka in Modern Times (2000-present)DeclineEnka as the popular music started to rapidly decline in 1989, with the death of the national icon Misora Hibari. Other legends subsequently passed away, such as the Taiwanese diva Teresa Teng (who is well-known in Japan) in 1995. Aside from these, kayoukyoku displaced enka as the popular music. Kayoukyoku later became the base of the modern day Jpop.Musical HybridityEnka as a genre is generally unchanging, but it is not immune to the changes brought about my modernity. One notable change in the enka genre is musical hybridity. This can be seen in the release of some artists associated wih Jpop. Mizuki Nana, arguably the most popular seiyuu of the present (and the first seiyuu who topped both the Oricon singles and albums charts since its inception in 1968) trained in enka as a child. Iwasa Misaki, a member of the most famous Japanese girl group AKB48, is also an enka singer. Johnnys Entertainment boyband Kanjani8 debuted with an enka release (a first and only in the agency) entitled Naniwa Iroha Bushi which ranked number 1 in the Oricon Enka Chart and subsequently in the Oricon Singles Chart after it was re-released nationwide following a limited release in the Kansai Region. It became the first enka single to reach the No. 1 in seventeen years sinceIshihara Yujiros1987 single Kita no Tabibito.Another notable enka singer is Jero, an American singer of African-American and Japanese descent. The first black enka singer in Japanese music history, he sings enka songs with RnB and/or hip hop touch. His singles were also able to make it to the Oricon charts. There are also some enka singers who release songs with a rock influence, such as the song Asia no Kaizoku.Enka as a Genre Currently, as said before, enka as a genre is more or less the same aside from music hybridity. The themes of the lyrics are still about love (and loss), love of hometown, enduring hardships, and persevering in times of difficulties. Western instruments are used and like before, traditional instruments such as shamisen, shakuhachi and taiko are still utilized.Enka singers wear kimono or any traditional Japanese clothing to this day, although singers like Jero choose not to. Enka singers are also given considerable exposure in the annual Kouhaku Uta Gassen, one of the largest and most prestigious music shows in Japan.