Count Down With NHK

The Biggest Live Show, NHK 紅白歌合戦, will accompany audience to welcome 2010's coming as usual. In every year's end, 12/31, NHK(Japan Broadcasting Corporation) invites many singers to attend the live show and divides them into two teams, the red one and the white one.  Within 280 minutes, the two teams will compete with many fantastic songs.

Here is the attendant list:

(Numbers in the "()" means the attending times)

You can find more details in the official site:
第60回NHK紅白歌合戦




The Live show is not just a competition but a chance for singers, especially the new ones, to catch audience's focus and to publicize their music. NHK紅白歌合戰's TV rating is always above 50%, so it means that there are more than 50% citizens watching this show to be an end of a year. 

This year, NHK is planing to make this live show more attracting and splendid, because the show's TV rating is gradually going down year by year. One of their measures is to invite some singer who never attended 紅白歌合戰, such as Namie Amuro(安室奈美惠) and Arashi(嵐). As I mentioned before, Namie Amuro and Arashi are really "hot" right now, so NHK absolutely invited them to attend the show. However, just Arashi accepted the invitation, and Namie still refused.  

Below, I will introduce you some JPOP singers who attended 紅白歌合戰 almost every year.

The first one must be Ayumi Hamasaki(濱崎步)

The second one is SMAP

The third one is Dreams Come True

The fourth one is Exile

The fifth one is大塚愛

Ayaka, The voice of Heaven

Ayaka, who just finished her last love concert, MTV Unplugged ayaka. Why I said "last " is because she will retire her singing business career because of hyperthyroidism. 


Few months ago, she released her first best album, ayaka's History 2006-2009 which has sold out over 730,000 pieces. I think her renouncement of retiring really works. I don't mean this album sucks. I just think it is a tip of the record company. Furthermore, she just married to a famous actor, so many Japanese mediums thought the hyperthyroidism was just a excuse, her purpose was to stay at home and be a housewife. 


Ayaka -- I Believe





Actually, her fame was because a song called 三日月 which was published in 2006. This song was used as a Japanese soap opera, 輪舞曲. 


Ayaka -- 三日月





Her voice really can console people and make some mental effects. Every time I listen to her song, I feel very calm and 
relaxed. Below is my favorite song, 手をつなごう







第60回 NHK 紅白歌合戦 is trying hard to ask her to attend the TV show to symbolize her last performance. However, Ayaka does still not accept now. In next blog, I will introduce you the history of 紅白歌合戦 and what will we see in 第60回 NHK 紅白歌合戦.