Mai Sasaki on the Weight and Challenges of the “Karaoke☆Battle Four Heavenly Kings”

On April 2, she released her second single since debut, titled “Daisuki Dakara” (Because I Love You).

On the popular show “THE Karaoke☆Battle” (TV Tokyo), where both professionals and amateurs who pride themselves on their singing gather,

“She was known as the strongest junior high schooler feared by all—”

With that catchphrase, Mai Sasaki (23) reigned in the karaoke world as one of the “U-18 Four Heavenly Kings.” In September 2023, she made her major debut with the song “Yakusoku Misaki,” and on April 2, she confidently released her second single, “Daisuki Dakara.”

“It’s a cute song that blends a modern enka style with a touch of retro Showa flavor. We’ve planned a trilogy starting from my previous single, ‘Yakusoku Misaki,’ and this is the second installment. In ‘Yakusoku Misaki,’ the couple vowed their love, but in this song, the woman starts to suspect another woman around her boyfriend—but because she loves him so much, she says, ‘I believe in you.’ It expresses a woman’s heart. That said, I’ve never been in love myself or suspected a guy… (laughs). So I study by watching romance dramas and talking with my seniors.”

About a year and a half has passed since her debut. As a professional singer, she’s experienced both the joys and challenges of the job. Among them, there was a moment when she truly felt glad to have become a singer.

“I’ve always been a fan of sumo wrestling, and last year I was invited to the September tournament, where I got to watch sumo with Natsuko Godai, Junko Ishihara, and Madoka Oishi.”

Sasaki had been invited after sumo came up in conversation during her guest appearance on NHK Radio’s “Funwari,” hosted by Godai. That’s how the visit to Ryogoku Kokugikan came about.

“Godai-san said, ‘I’ll invite you next time,’ but since I’m still a rookie, I thought it was just a polite comment for the radio. But later, she really did invite me to go. I was so happy.”

She said that when she arrived alone and waited at the entrance of the Kokugikan, Godai and the others got out of the car and joined her.

There are about 150 songs that can score 100 points

“I didn’t know that Ishihara-san and Oishi-san would be there too, so I was incredibly happy to be with such amazing people, but honestly, I was so overwhelmed I started trembling. I was like, ‘What should I even talk about?’ (laughs). The four of us sat together in the east box seats, but everyone had such a strong presence. People from all over were calling out to them—’Nacchan,’ ‘Junchan,’ ‘Madoka-chan.’

Among those amazing people, I felt like I was just the one child from a relative’s family. Watching so many people approach them, I realized I need to become someone who people also recognize and say, ‘That’s Mai Sasaki.’ Of course, getting to see sumo live and up close was great, but even more than that, I was truly happy to spend time with Godai-san and the other seniors.”

Incidentally, not a single word was said about singing during the match—they were completely engrossed in sumo talk, showing that all four are genuine sumo enthusiasts.

Compared to Godai and the others, Sasaki may have less experience and lower public recognition. However, thanks to her performances on the popular show “Karaoke Battle,” she has a solid following among karaoke fans.

But that popularity can sometimes weigh heavily on her as a professional singer.

“Right now, there are about 150 songs I can score a perfect 100 on, and yes, it really excites the audience when I do. When I visit karaoke venues for campaigns, that’s always expected. But I worry that I’ll end up being known as just the girl who can score 100 at karaoke. The way you sing to touch people’s hearts in a song like ‘Yakusoku Misaki’ is completely different from the way you sing to get a perfect score. So even during campaigns, I’ll say, ‘Now I’ll sing it in the scoring style,’ and people react like, ‘Wow, it’s totally different.’

How can I put it. I don’t want to live with just the image of the girl who gets perfect scores. If I stay as ‘Mai-chan from Karaoke Battle,’ I feel like people will get tired of me—or forget me. I want to break out of that. Otherwise, I’ll just end up being the girl who gets 100 points and nothing more. Still, many people know me because of that and have high expectations. I’m really torn between whether I should keep performing in a way that gets 100 points, or move on from it.”

When asked about her future goals, she answered brightly:

“I want to be No. 1 on the charts. And since I love sumo, I’d love to sing at the Kokugikan someday.”

The queen who rose to the top of the karaoke world as a junior high student is now steadily making her mark in the fiercely competitive world of enka.