It was announced on December 25th that singer Eikichi Yazawa will be appearing as part of a special program at the 76th NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen Gassen, which will be broadcast on New Year's Eve. This will be Yazawa's third appearance at the Kouhaku, following the 60th (2009) and 63rd (2012) Kouhaku, his first appearance in 13 years.
Yazawa debuted in 1972 with the rock band Carol and has been active as a solo artist since 1975. He has left behind numerous legends as a charismatic figure in the rock world and has led the Japanese music scene. In November of this year, at the age of 76, he performed at the Tokyo Dome, the oldest Japanese artist in history, drawing an audience of approximately 110,000 over two days. Even now, 50 years after his solo debut, he continues to carve out new legends.
At this year's Kohaku, he will perform the ballad "Truth," which he released on the milestone of his 50th solo anniversary and which became a hot topic as the theme song for the drama "The Last Appraiser" (Fuji TV). The theme of the 76th NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen is "Connecting, Connecting, New Year's Eve," and the show will be hosted by Hiroiki Ariyoshi, Haruka Ayase, Mio Imada, and announcer Naoko Suzuki. It will air from 7:20 PM to 11:45 PM on December 31st (with some news interruptions).
