Singer Kondo Masahiko turned 60 last July. Starting on April 11th, he will be taking on the challenge of musical acting in the Japanese version of "Dream High," a hit stage play based on a Korean drama. Kondo and Maeda Nobuteru, vocalist of the band "TUBE," who are from the same generation, went on a trip together to Thailand as a duo, and on the occasion of the program "Kondo Masahiko & Maeda Nobuteru: Two Men's Adventurous Trip in Thailand - Feeling the Wind and Song," currently being broadcast on Sky Perfect TV, we asked Kondo about his feelings about turning 60 and his future plans. (Part 2 of 2)
◇ Active in many areas, but with a light heart: "Maybe I'm just good at taking breaks."
Kondo, who is now 60 years old, is active not only in the entertainment industry, but also in the car racing world. In 2000, he formed his own racing team, "KONDO RACING," and currently serves as its owner and manager. Since April 2023, he has served as chairman of the board of directors of Japan Race Promotion, which manages Super Formula and other races. Although he must be busy, he seems to be living a light-hearted life.
Regarding his own situation, he said, "I don't set big goals or anything like that, and I do my best each day. Also, I don't have much time to rest, but I think I'm probably good at resting. So even with a packed schedule, I can concentrate hard when I know it's okay. I'm good at resting, so I think that's why I can maintain my concentration. I don't like concentrating all the time. So I concentrate when it's important, and when it's not, I'm really sloppy (laughs). After our Budokan concert (last July), my wife came to watch, and the next morning, when she saw me, she said, 'Oh, where's the person who was at Budokan yesterday?' (laughs). It's like I become a different person."
He says that what relaxes him in his busy life is spending time with his beloved dog and "drinking good alcohol (mainly whiskey)."
Regarding overseas trips like the one for this program, he said, "I like traveling, or rather, I have many opportunities to travel. I used to be in charge of broadcasting F1 races, so I've been to every country where F1 is held."
"The other day, when my wife and I went out to dinner, we started talking about how we wanted to travel. She replied, 'You say you want to, but you don't have the time,' (laughs). But if we had the time, we'd like to go somewhere out of the ordinary, and I think Turkey would be good."
Kondo said with a smile that her unique way of enjoying travel is to "not cram her schedule too full."
◇ “Showa boom”? Concert tours are also a big success
He turned 60 last July. His birthday concert, held at the Nippon Budokan (Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo), was attended by many male fans of the same generation.
"I've been doing concert tours for a long time, and thanks to the 'Showa boom', a lot of people come to see me. I'd be happy if this boom could continue a little longer," he said jokingly, adding, "There are more men of my generation, in their 50s and 60s, coming to my concerts. When I hold concerts around the country, they see the posters and think, 'I heard Matchi is going to be there,' and come to the venue."
Regarding this trend, Kondo smiles and says, "It's nice."
"They really do come because they're nostalgic. So I tease the men a little during the MC, saying, 'After this you're going to karaoke and singing the Matchi song, right?' And they reply in a low voice, 'Yes,' (laughs). There really are more men at my concerts now."
He also said that now that he has turned 60, "I'm gradually losing interest in things like what's cool and what's uncool. So now I feel like I'm slowly regaining the desire to take on new challenges."
"Maeda-kun and I are both around 60 years old, so we've been talking about using this show as an opportunity to do some music together. He's really fired up for his 40th anniversary. When I see that, I think, 'I still have a lot to work on, too.' I have a slightly longer career, but we're about the same age, so I think it's great that two 60-year-old guys are really committed to music and working hard."
Now 60 years old, he is taking on the challenge of appearing in a musical for the first time in 30 years. He is appearing in the role of Kang Oh-hyuk, "the teacher admired by the students of a school that trains artists," in "Dream High," a Korean drama based on a Korean drama that will be performed at Theater H (Shinagawa, Tokyo) from April 11th.
"If I was in my mid-50s, I might have turned down the offer to do a musical, saying 'I can't do that,' but now that I'm 60, I felt like I wanted to try something new again. I have to sing and deliver my lines well, so I'm really motivated," he says with emphasis.
Now that he's turned 60, he said, "I thought maybe I'd slow down, but when I received various offers, I thought if there was an opportunity to do it, I'd like to do it. On the other hand, I feel that I can't just do it casually because I'm at a good age. I feel that I need to study hard and deliver something solid."
Finally, he sent a powerful message to his generation, saying, "It's not because I'm already 60, I'm still 60. Let's both try a little harder!"
*"Kondo Masahiko & Maeda Nobuteru: Two Men's Adventure in Thailand - Feeling the Wind and Songs," a trip to Thailand with Maeda Nobuteru from "TUBE," is currently being broadcast on SKY PerfecTV! "NTV Plus Drama, Anime, and Live Music" (CS300). The next episode will air on April 20th at 10:00 AM (new episodes air every other week, 6 episodes in total). The next episode of "Kondo Masahiko: A Soaring 60-Year-Old's Challenge: A Story Connected by Unreleased Scenes" will air on the same channel from 10:30 AM on April 13th.
