Kohaku Uta Gassen Anticipates Fresh Energy with Atarashii Gakko and a Collaboration with a Big Star

The four-member female dance and vocal unit “Atarashii Gakko no Leaders” is reportedly listed as the first singer to appear in the “74th NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen” on New Year’s Eve. The Sports Nippon reported that the group is making arrangements to approach the NHK to perform by the end of this month.

 

Atarashii Gakko was formed in 2003 with MIZYU (24), who was a high school student, and RIN (22), SUZUKA (21), and KANON (21), who were junior high school students, and is still active with the original members. The song Otona Blue, which is their signature song, became a huge hit, receiving more than 3 billion views on TikTok in the first half of this year alone and winning TikTok’s First Half of the Year Trend Award.

According to the article in the same paper, the hit song “Otona Blue” led the four to perform in NHK’s Summer Kohaku, or Live Yell, Uta-Con, and Akashi-ya Kohaku , which are considered NHK’s summer Kohaku, as well as appearing on many music programs on commercial TV stations. If she appears in Kohaku, she is expected to perform a neck-swinging dance with all the participating singers.

 

In 2008, they signed a contract with a U.S.based label and made their international debut. Their debut album Otona Blue was released in the same year and became a big hit in Japan. The group has continued to leave their mark in the variety shows, where each member has demonstrated their unique character.

Furthermore, their performance in school uniform has been well received overseas, and they have announced a world tour starting in November with stops in 10 cities around the world. It is likely that they will make a triumphant return to the Kohaku stage.

The unit is likely to make a splash at their first appearance on the Kohaku stage, and there is also a possibility that they will perform in collaboration with a big-name singer.

Akiko Wada, 73, who has appeared 39 times in the Kohaku until 2003, collaborated with them on Fuji Television’s music special 2023 FNS Song Festival Summer broadcast in July because the melodies of Otona Blue and Wada’s signature song, Old Diary, were similar. The collaboration was realized.

According to an article published by ORICON NEWS on the 11th of this month, Wada held an open rehearsal for her debut 55th anniversary special live AKIKO WADA LAST HALL TOUR in Tokyo on the same day and gave an interview to the press. At that time, she mentioned her collaboration with Akiko at the FNS Music Festival and said, “I am happy that she said, ‘I want to do it with Akiko-san. I think it’s great that we can collaborate in this way without feeling uncomfortable even though our ages are far apart, and I would like to continue to do so if I get the chance.”

 

After being eliminated from the Kohaku in 2004, Ms. Wada expressed her bitterness about Kohaku on his radio and TV programs, and it is probably because of his extraordinary feeling for Kohaku that she says so. NHK should have selected her for the 40th Kohaku, a milestone, and let him finish his career.

This year marks Ms. Wada’s 55th anniversary. For Ms. Wada, standing on the Kohaku stage for the 40th time may help him to put her feelings into perspective. It is a dream collaboration on a big stage for both of them.

In the past, Wada used to be the sounding board of the entertainment world during rehearsal interviews at Kohaku. If she makes a successful comeback and collaborates with young artists such as “Atarashii Kakko” to liven up the Kohaku, which is said to be getting lonely without the participation of Johnny’s, the Kohaku may be revitalized.

 

FRIDAY Digital welcomes any information or tips you may have. Please send your information to the following information form or to the official Twitter.

Information form: https://friday.kodansha.co.jp/tips

Official twitter: https://twitter.com/FRIDAY_twit