Singer Fuyumi Sakamoto appeared on Tetsuko Kuroyanagi's long-running talk show "Tetsuko's Room" (TV Asahi) broadcast on February 23rd, where she revealed her "mistake" at the "NHK Kouhaku Uta Gassen."
Sakamoto debuted at the age of 19 and will soon be celebrating her 40th anniversary. She has appeared in the NHK Kouhaku Uta Gassen 37 times, but says that it is still the one that makes her "the most nervous."
Tetsuko revealed that it is said that there is a demon at the Kohaku Uta Gassen, saying, "I get nervous (even when I perform as the host). Even though I've performed at the NHK Hall so many times, when it comes to the Kohaku Uta Gassen, there's a kind of wind pressure coming from the other side. It's hard to push back," revealing the unique atmosphere. Sakamoto also said, "It's only about two and a half minutes (of performance), but (before my turn) I get nervous and think, 'Wow, it's almost time.'"
Sakamoto confessed that she made two "big mistakes" on the Red and White stage. "I'd never sung that way before, but I got the lyrics wrong on that Red and White stage. I didn't notice it myself, but I thought, 'Oh, something's wrong.' After I finished singing and went backstage, my manager said to me, 'Oh, you messed up,' and that was when I first realized I'd made a mistake," she recalled.
Sakamoto says that the experience left her traumatized and made her nervous. Two years later, she made another mistake in the lyrics, which came as a huge shock to her. "After that, my fans were worried about me, and they started giving me lyric sheets every year. I always place them in front of the mirror and check my lyrics before going on stage," she said.
