Many J-pop artists spend their whole career trying to land a spot on NHK¡¯s ¡°Kohaku Uta Gassen¡± end-of-year televized music extravaganza. The five members of Foorin team E, however, got the call-up the same day they properly debuted.
¡°Before we¡¯ve even done our first proper concert, we are right on the biggest show in Japan,¡± Len, 12, says, adding with a chuckle, ¡°I think we have a lot of pressure.¡±
He and the other four children in the outfit ¡ª Clara, 6, Corban, 8, Jasmine, 10 and Evangeline, 12 ¡ª are speaking to me a few hours ahead of making their live debut at NHK Hall as part of the annual Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union Television Song Festival. They join the original Japanese-language Foorin group to perform the hit song ¡°Paprika,¡± gracing the same stage as some of the continent¡¯s biggest acts, including Japan¡¯s Hey! Say! Jump and South Korea¡¯s Twice.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.