<figure id="attachment_360722" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-360722" style="width: 1535px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="14c97da2"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/02/d610bef7b0e59f34b25bbaa031e659aa.jpeg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-360722" class="wp-caption-text">Fans agree that forgetting lyrics is &#8220;Julie-like</figcaption></figure>
 Julie&#8221; is hot right now.
 Every time his name comes up, Kenji Sawada (75) is the talk of the town. This year, too, a New Year&#8217;s live concert &#8220;Koshin Shizukanaru Iwa&#8221; was held from January 12 to 31. Tickets sold out immediately and were difficult to obtain, showing that Sawada&#8217;s popularity has not waned, and the venue was filled with excitement every day.
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 Last year, he packed the Saitama Super Arena to capacity, not only taking revenge for the &#8220;cancellation fiasco&#8221; of 2006, but also due to the recent Showa-era song boom, Sawada has been the focus of much attention.
 On January 4, &#8220;Kenji Sawada: The Wonderful World of Kenji Sawada, Must Be Preserved Forever! The Complete Collection of Hit Songs&#8221; (BS-TBS), which aired on January 4, featured &#8220;Shining! Japan Record Award&#8221; and &#8220;The Best Ten&#8221; (both on TBS), the program featured treasured footage from Sawada&#8217;s heyday, including &#8220;Shiriji Shyagare,&#8221; &#8220;Samurai,&#8221; and &#8220;Darling,&#8221; to the delight of his fans from the past.
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 Sawada, who is now 75 years old, still seems to be in high spirits,
 It was the last performance, but he sometimes forgot the lyrics or sang the wrong part of a song, and I wondered what was wrong with him.
 I wondered what was wrong with her, and I was a little worried about her health.
 It is true that she is not as good as she was when she was younger because of her age, and there are many singers who make mistakes in their lyrics at live performances. But if Sawada, who is regarded as a perfectionist, were to forget the lyrics, fans would be concerned.
 That&#8217;s just like Sawada-san.&#8221; During the GS (Group Sounds) boom that took place in the late 1960s, Mr. Sawada had a unique brilliance. Even after the boom passed, he continued to break new ground not only as a singer but also as an actor, and has remained active for a long time. During the heyday of television, there were many singing shows, and the costumes of the singers who appeared on them became the talk of the town, but he always attracted attention with his edgy fashion.
 He was always the center of attention for his edgy fashions, and his sexy figure was the reason why he never looked out of place in any flashy outfits. Nowadays, he has become an old man and has lost his old look. But that&#8217;s only on the outside. Nothing has changed on the inside.
<div data-friday-nextpage-lead=" Kenji Sawada says, I just want to live freely."></div>
When it came to GS, with a few exceptions, the members of the group had long hair and the standard instrument was the electric guitar. At the same time, it was a time when it was seen like a gateway to becoming a delinquent. Although it is unthinkable today, most junior high and high schools in Japan prohibited students from going to GS concerts. In fact, some junior high and high school students were even suspended from school when they were caught breaking the ban and going to a concert.
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 So in a sense, GS was the thesis of rebellion. And Sawada, who led the GS boom, is a rebel. At the same time, he never loses his natural body.
 He has been around for a long time,
 I only want to sing the songs I want to sing and do free live performances.
 I just want to live freely.
 He also says that making mistakes in lyrics and looking tired are part of who he is. Fans know how to enjoy everything about Sawada, including his mistakes in lyrics and his tiredness.
 The long-awaited national tour schedule has been announced, starting with a performance at &#8220;LINE CUBE SHIBUYA&#8221; on April 5 (Fri.), followed by 20 shows throughout Japan.
 With young people starting to pay attention to him, &#8220;Julie fever&#8221; will continue to rise.
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Born in Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture, Hiroyuki Sasaki became a reporter for FRIDAY at the age of 31, reporting numerous scoops during his time with FRIDAY and later working mainly for weekly magazines. Currently he also appears on TV and radio as a commentator .

 Hiroyuki Sasaki (entertainment journalist)

 Tetsuko Takemoto

 Sawada Kenji's New Year's Live "Koshin Shizukanaru Iwa" was held from January 12 to 31. During the final performance of the show, he forgot some lyrics and made some mistakes, causing some fans to worry about his health.

Kenji Sawada’s “I just want to live freely” in a natural way, and he brushed off concerns about his health.

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