Why Fuji’s Shift for Shingo Katori Was Right

Akina Nakamori will also attend the first arena event.

Singer and actor Shingo Katori (47) held his first arena festival, “‘Circus Funk’ Festival,” on December 3 and 4 at the National Yoyogi Stadium First Gymnasium in Tokyo. The large-scale festival was held to celebrate the release of his third solo album Circus Funk on November 27, drawing a total of 18,000 people over the two days.

During the performance, Katori sang 18 songs, including the title track from the album and the collaboration “TATTOO (feat. Akina Nakamori),” which had garnered attention. On December 3, Nakamori (59) attended the event and was shown on a large screen on stage, receiving a great ovation, which made headlines. Additionally, Katori announced that he would hold his first solo nationwide tour next spring.

“Katori had previously released two solo albums, but due to the pandemic, it was difficult to hold tours or events supporting those albums.

The third album features collaborations not only with Nakamori but also with popular band ‘Midorikushoku Shakai’ and Korean DJ and producer Night Tempo (38), among many other talented artists. With a solid collection of solo tracks, Katori is now ready to hold his first solo tour. It’s likely that some of the artists who participated in his previous albums will also make guest appearances during the tour,” said an entertainment reporter.

On the second day of the performance, December 4, various media outlets reported that Katori would co-host a special program on Fuji TV, Stars Who Became Stars, alongside talent Emiko Uenuma (69), which will air on December 17. According to some sports papers reporting on the performance that day, Katori expressed joy over the news, saying, “So many things are going well!” and jokingly added, “Wasn’t TV a place I couldn’t enter anymore?” He also said, “Fuji TV asked if they should give me an access card. I’m happy. It’s thanks to all the supporters. It’s thanks to all the 100 million people who support Shingo Katori,” expressing gratitude to his fans.

“Katori, along with Goro Inagaki (51) and Tsuyoshi Kusanagi (50), left the former Johnny & Associates agency in September 2017 and began their entertainment activities under the same project, ‘New Map.’ However, at that time, there was an ‘unspoken understanding’ that talents who left Johnny’s could not appear on television.

As a result, Katori’s regular show on Fuji TV, OjamaMap!!, which had been airing since 2012, ended in March 2018. After that, offers from Fuji stopped coming. However, in 2019, the founder of Johnny & Associates, Johnny Kitagawa, passed away. Last year, the agency was forced to change its name due to the sexual misconduct scandal surrounding Kitagawa, and the situation dramatically changed,” said a TV industry insider.

 

Rising Expectations for Katori, Who Is Valued by Fuji TV

Originally, Fuji TV aired SMAP×SMAP for over 20 years, from April 1996 until the group’s dissolution in December 2016. For Katori, it was the network where he worked the most. Although there had been a period of no connection with Fuji TV, the situation changed in August of this year when Katori starred in a drama for the Honto ni Atta Kowai Hanashi 25th Anniversary Special, with Goro Inagaki serving as a storyteller. Additionally, it was announced that Katori will star in and perform the theme song for the January 2024 drama *Nihonichi no Saitei Otoko Watashi no Kazoku wa Nisemono Datta, marking his first lead role in a Fuji TV drama in 11 years.

That’s not all. In addition to the aforementioned double-hosted program with Emiko Uenuma, Katori will also appear on the FNS Kayo Festival on December 11, marking his return to the music special after nine years. He is scheduled to perform the theme song Circus Funk (feat. Chevon) from his starring drama for the first time on television.

Given the significant increase in Katori’s appearances on Fuji TV after his departure from Johnny & Associates, there is now growing excitement and high expectations surrounding him at the network.

“It seems that, including NHK’s Kohaku, various TV stations offered Akina Nakamori appearances on their year-end music specials, but it appears she declined all the offers. However, she has already announced her participation in an outdoor festival in Oita next April, which indicates she is definitely recovering.

Katori has built a solid business partnership with Nakamori through their album collaboration, and future collaborations are highly anticipated. Nakamori has already given an exclusive interview to Sankei Sports, which is affiliated with Fuji, so it could be said that the stage is set for her to appear on Fuji TV and perform her collaborative song with Katori.” (Music industry insider)

Fuji TV’s strategy of valuing both Snow Man, who are with the former Johnny’s agency STARTO ENTERTAINMENT, and Katori, a retired Johnny’s talent, may unexpectedly bear fruit.

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