Sony wins alone” in Kohaku Uta Gassen; 11 groups including HANA selected amid decline of K-POP and Johnny’s; some say “too biased”.

Eleven of the 37 groups belong to Sony Music labels. Some in the industry are saying that the list is too biased, no matter how strong it is. Sexy shot” of Chan-minna ***

HANA, Chan-mina, Ikuta Ri, and others are making their first appearances

　First, let’s take a look at the Sony label artists selected for this year’s Kohaku. First-time entrants include HANA, Chan-mina, and Ri Ikuta. Of particular note is HANA, a seven-member girl group that has created a sensation among the younger generation. HANA debuted on the audition program “No No Girls,” and the final round held at K-Arena Yokohama in January was attended by 20,000 people, with the live broadcast reaching over 560,000 simultaneous connections. The audition was led by rapper Chamina, who has a charismatic following among young people with over 900 million views on YouTube. Rira Ikuta is a member of YOASOBI, which successfully performed in London this year, and was selected for the first time as a solo artist. Vaundy’s representative song “Kaiju no Hana Uta” has reached a total of 1 billion streams and music video views, while LiSA is well known for singing the theme song for the anime movie “Oni no Shiba,” which became a social phenomenon in the same year.

Penetrating a Wide Generation

　In the idol category, Nogizaka46 entered the contest for the 11th time. Although formed in 2011, Nogizaka46 is a successor to the AKB group and still enjoys strong popularity thanks to its branding as a neat and elegant idol group. This year again, a photo book by popular member Kaz Inoue sold more than 100,000 copies.” Among the veterans, ORANGE RANGE (3rd entry), Toshinobu Kubota (2nd entry), Hiromi Go (38th entry), TUBE (3rd entry), and MISIA (10th entry) were all on the list. ORANGE RANGE returned to Sony this year after a 15-year absence from the Victorian group, and their music video for the 2025 version of their 2007 hit “Ikenai Taiyo” was a hit. Their music video for their 2007 hit “Ikenai Taiyo,” a Japanese version of the song “Ikenai Taiyo,” became a hot topic of conversation. Creepy Nuts, NiziU, and MAN WITH A MISSION, all of whom have become popular in recent years, also belong to Sony labels.