Ae! Group’s Keita Kusama Performs on Stage with Leader Ken Kojima Supporting from the Audience
Fans are very satisfied with Richard Keita Kusama’s stage performance.
In late October, Keita Kusama (28) and Ken Kojima (25) of Ae! group, along with Kota Yabu (34) of Hey! Say! JUMP, were seen exiting a theater in Yurakucho, Tokyo.
On this day, Kusama and Yabu had been performing in the musical tick, tick…BOOM! at the same theater.
“The musical, which tells the story of Jonathan Larson’s struggles and growth—who, while creating RENT, tragically passed away just before its opening—featured only three performers: the lead Yabu, Kusama, and an actress. Kusama made his stage debut in this production, following his CD debut in May. His talent had already been proven in the musical EDGES—Edges—2022 (Tokyo, Yomiuri Hall) two years ago. The fans were thoroughly satisfied with his performance,” said a theater magazine reporter.
After the highly praised performance, Kusama was the first to emerge from the backstage area. Dressed casually in jeans and a ZARA sweatshirt, his black-rimmed glasses gave off a calm vibe. Yabu followed shortly after, holding a tin of throat lozenges and an ice pack in both hands.
“The throat lozenges were from the famous Taiwanese brand ‘Kyoto Nenji-an,’ which is widely used among voice actors. Given the consecutive performances, he’s likely taking good care of his throat and body,” the reporter added.
Finally, Ken Kojima appeared with a plastic umbrella in hand. As the leader of Ae! group, he was there to support Kusama’s stage performance.
More than appearing in the Kohaku, it’s the Countdown Live
The group in question released their debut single “《A》BEGINNING” in May, selling 625,000 copies in its first week and debuting at number one on the “Oricon Weekly Single Ranking” (dated May 27). They held an arena tour, “Ae! group Debut Tour 〜The Best Ae! LIVE in the World〜,” from May 25, visiting eight cities across the country and drawing 370,000 people across 32 performances.
Their second single, “Gotta Be” (Garabee), released on October 9, sold 391,000 copies in its first week and also debuted at number one on Oricon (dated October 15). On October 16, NHK announced it would resume the hiring of new talents from the STARTO ENTERTAINMENT agency. Given that, in recent years, five to six groups from the former Johnny’s era had participated in the Kohaku Uta Gassen, expectations were high for “Ae! group” to appear as well.
On November 17, “Nikkan Sports” reported that “STARTO is finalizing plans to not have their artists participate.” According to the article, NHK had made offers to multiple groups, but after discussions between the talent, staff, and STARTO agency, a comprehensive decision was made, and participation did not occur. Fans expressed a range of reactions, including support for the decision with comments like “This is the right choice” and “It’s better to keep a distance for now,” while others were disappointed, saying “I was really hoping for Kohaku. It’s such a shame.”
In the end, there was no Kohaku Uta Gassen participation for STARTO artists, and when we inquired about this matter with STARTO, we did not receive a response by the deadline.
“However, there is a possibility that STARTO will hold its first ‘Countdown Concert’ at the end of the year. It is said that the groups and talents under this agency now have stronger bonds and connections than during the former Johnny’s era, so if this event takes place, it could be quite a large-scale event.” (Music Magazine Reporter)
All eyes will be on “Ae! group” as the year comes to a close.
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