While enka, a fairly traditional Japanese vocal pop (sometimes seen as something of a correlate of fado), quietly fades into memory under the weight of J-Pop's popularity, a few proponents have propped up the genre. Swimming against the current of his age group's musical propensities, Kiyoshi Hikawa began singing enka pieces while working at a nursing home. Building a bit of a fan base among the genre's more traditional audiences, Hikawa built up a repertoire and a personal style, spending time under the mentorship of composer Hideo Mizumori. While working on his stage presence, Hikawa gained additional attention as something of an iconoclast; he's far younger, far more handsome than the average enka singer, generally outfitting himself with suits and styles more in line with the popular Asian boy bands than the more traditional kimonos associated with classic enka singing (a particularly conservative sort of style). The newly crowned "Prince of Enka" cemented his title with wins for both song and album of the year in the enka category of 2002's Gold Disk awards, both for his debut collection. Releasing an album or two each year from 2001 onward, Hikawa built a strong discography quickly, maintaining high (though short-lived) chart positions with each subsequent release, including a number two slot on the Oricon charts for 2008's Genkai Funauta. ~ Adam Greenberg