It has been announced that Nippon Television's winter music special "Best Artist 2024" will be broadcast live for about four hours from 7:00 pm on November 30th. This year, Sho Sakurai will be the general host again, and more than 30 popular artists will look back on the past year through music, focusing on this year's hits and popular songs.
Sakurai, who will be the general host for the 16th time, commented, "As a music fan, it is a rare opportunity to see so many great artists perform live, so I hope to enjoy the luxurious and happy time of 'seeing these people up close, one after another!'"
Sakurai will be the general host, and the hosts will be Shinichi Hatori, Bakarhythm, and Nippon Television announcer Rena Ichiki.
◇Sho Sakurai's comment
This year marks the 24th broadcast of "Best Artist." As a large-scale music special at the end of the year, artists who were active that year will each time present a variety of great songs and performances.
This will be my 16th time hosting the show, and as a music fan, it's a rare opportunity to see so many amazing artists perform live, so I hope to enjoy the luxurious and joyful time of seeing these people up close, one after the other! I can't go into details yet, but we've prepared a variety of projects and gimmicks that can only be delivered on this program, as well as songs that truly symbolize this year, so I hope you enjoy the flowing, overflowing variety of performances. I hope to deliver a lot of music with a lot of energy to viewers, and make it a memorable program in 2024. --In line with "Best Artist," please tell us your best or fondest memory of this year. If I had to pick the "best" thing this year, it would be the Paris Olympics. I have a lot of memories, but I was really happy to see the famous artist Snoop Dogg live at the breaking venue. Snoop Dogg was the hip-hop I was listening to when I was in the first year of junior high school. Before the competition starts, there is a ceremony where they bang on the floor with a wooden stick to signal the start, and I think it was a surprise when Snoop did it. I was like, "Whaaat?" and really surprised. I was happy that my favorite artist was there at a time I never expected, and that it was in Paris and not in America (where he is based).
--What is the song of this year that has stayed in your mind?
It's "Pump It" by the Black Eyed Peas. During "THE MUSIC DAY" in the summer, they performed a rap entirely in English on a live show for the first time, and I listened to that song every day, every day, so for me, it really is the song of the year.
I performed with (Tanaka) Juri from SixTONES, ELLY from Sandaime J SOUL BROTHERS, RYOKI from BE:FIRST, and MAYUKA and RIMA from NiziU, and when I listen to "Pump It," their faces are the first to come to mind.
