Yonezu in Miyazaki movie, Shohei Otani too…? NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen with no main attraction: “Unexpected big names whispered to be in the special slots
No former Johnny's, no Akina, no B'z, and no highlights!
Less than a month remains in the year 2023. The TV stations are busy preparing for their year-end special programs, and it seems that the trend away from TV will accelerate this year.
The 44 contestants for NHK’s Kohaku Uta Gassen were recently announced, with K-pop rising to the top, replacing the talents from the former Johnny’s agency, which has not received a slot in the competition for the first time in 44 years. The rest are familiar faces, including Hiromi Go (68), Masaharu Fukuyama (54), and Sayuri Ishikawa (65). On the other hand, the lineup lacked any major standouts, with no participation by King Gnu or Vaundy (23), both popular among young people and signature artists at music festivals.
The viewer rating for “Kohaku” is whispered to be 30% every year, but it is said to be lower than that this year. In recent years, there has been a tendency to select contestants based on their influence on social networking sites, and this year, many artists who have created buzz through K-Pop and TikTok were selected. However, the trends among young people have been diversifying in recent years, and buzz is only a localized fad,” said a source from a record company.
In the midst of all this, attention has been focused on the special slots that are usually revealed after the contestants are announced. Last year, in addition to the regular contestants, seven groups including Kiyoshi Hikawa (46) and “back number” made surprise appearances.
The names of Yonezu Genshi (32) and Masaki Suda (30) are among the surprise acts. This year, after a 10-year absence, Studio Ghibli director Hayao Miyazaki’s latest film “How Do You Live?” will be released, and Yonezu will sing the theme song. Sugata and Aimyon (28), who has already been announced as a contestant, are also participating as voice actors, and the three of them will probably sing together,” said a source from a commercial TV station.
