Akina Nakamori’s return to the stage sold out in no time with tickets priced at over 70,000 yen each.

The “legendary diva,” who announced an indefinite hiatus in 2010 due to poor health and had long since disappeared from the stage, has returned to the stage.

On July 14, just after 11:30 a.m., a woman with an overwhelmingly charismatic aura appeared in the underground parking lot of a hotel in Tokyo. She was Akina Nakamori, 59, a singer, with fluffy, sober hair and wearing a T-shirt with her youthful face printed on it. She was talking to someone with a cell phone to her ear and appeared to be in a good mood. After a while, Akina ended the call, got into a luxury car parked in the parking lot, and left the hotel.

It was reported in April of this year that she had restarted her career in earnest. It was reported that a fan club members-only event would be held for three days from July 12 to 14 to coincide with her 59th birthday on July 13. The event had become a “national event” that was immediately sold out due to the flood of applications for Akina’s return to the stage.

After leaving the parking lot, Akina’s group headed for a live restaurant located a few minutes away from the hotel. In the midst of the excitement, which was hard to believe that it was before the show started, one of the event participants excitedly expressed his feelings about the event.

The ticket price was 78,000 yen, but I don’t feel that the price is too high if I can see Akina live! (A female fan who attended the event)

Akina last took the stage for a dinner show in December ’17. Entertainment reporter Kaoru Shimada explains her first event in six and a half years as follows.

Akina stopped performing in 2010 due to shingles, but in 2010 she celebrated the 40th anniversary of her debut. Perhaps this milestone has made her even more determined to ‘sing in front of everyone’ and ‘meet her fans. He probably decided to hold the event at this time as a result of confronting his own physical condition. She sings as she acts and performs as she sings–the “singer-actress” is back!

At the event, she performed a total of 11 songs, including her debut song “Slow Motion. Among them, she sang six songs in jazz version, including “Tattoo,” “Blonde,” “Gipsy Queen,” “North Wing,” “Slow Motion,” and “fin,” inviting the audience into the world of Akina Nakamori with her moist taste.

Compared to her heyday, her voice is indeed less powerful, and it sounds as if she has difficulty hitting the high notes. However, the jazz arrangement of the song has given it a nice flavor. Her whispering singing style was always one of her charms, and her fans enjoyed her calm and mature atmosphere. She may have been aware that her rival Seiko Matsuda (62) has released jazz live performances and albums.

On the occasion of her 40th anniversary, she opened an all-new personal office, website, SNS, and fan club. The day when we can call it a complete revival is probably just around the corner. He is still very popular and continues to receive offers from various sources.

I think all the TV stations have made offers, but the most enthusiastic is “with MUSIC” (Nippon TV), in which Yumiko Arido (55) serves as MC. However, it is all a story of …… if Akina’s side gives the OK. If she sings a jazz version, it might happen.

The “legendary diva” took a new step forward with her fans, armed with the weapon of jazz.

From “FRIDAY” August 9, 2024 issue