Israel Palacio (Unsplash.com)
Austin Niel (Unsplash.com)
The Changing Colors of the Red and White Singing Battle
John Pratt (Unsplash.com)
One of the biggest nights for the music industry in Japan happens on New Year’s Eve. On December 31st, folks turn on their TVs around 7p.m. to watch the most popular musical artists of the year compete in an over-the-top men vs. women singing competition. This is Kouhaku Uta Gassen (red and white singing battle), an NHK production that has been happening in Japan for the past 70 years. If you’re one of the people who doesn’t have the time (or NHK subscription) to watch this four hour long crash course in Japanese pop culture, don’t worry because we’re here to fill you in on all the idols, anime, and less-tropey happenings that you may have missed. Men and women on the show are divided into two teams; the white team (men) and the red team (women). Each team is represented by a captain. Singer Haruka Ayase represented the women’s team while Sho Sakurai, of
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Arashi idol group fame, represented the men. Judges are also hand-picked to appear on the show and various Japanese celebrities are peppered in among past contestants to round out the judging panel. This year included Daiya Seto, an Olympic swimmer, Maya Nakanishi a track-and-field paralympian, as well as Akira Yoshino, who won the 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, just to casually name a few. The theme centered around the Olympics and sports featured prominently throughout the night, including the suited up Japanese Rugby Team who were in attendance. For many musicians appearing on Kouhaku, as it is affectionately known, is a sign that they have made it. Artists with sustained popularity in the music business can be invited to appear on the show dozens of times during their careers. Enka singer Hiroshi Itsuki was this year asked to return for the
Tayler Skultety (Nara)
49th time. A slow, melo-dramatic crooning style of music endemic to Japan, enka has retained its popularity with older generations. This year, there was a new attempt to appeal to lovers of this old style of music. Artist Misora Hibari, who didn’t miss a single appearance on the show for the entire decade of the 60s, was brought back to life through AI. Through the power of science, her image was digitized on stage and she sang a new song created with sound learning technology. Lucky for you, dear reader, this performance is available to watch on the NHK YouTube page. She addresses the audience fondly in a gentle and only vaguely robotic voice: ‘I have always been watching you, you have worked hard, please do your best on my behalf.’ Cut to close-ups of audience members weeping.
