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Queen and Sarah Brightman will perform “Endless Rain” (composed by X Japan’s Yoshiki) on NHK’s 紅白歌合戦–the biggest TV show in Japan on New Year’s Eve! Ever since the impact of COVID-19 in February, this Japanese musician in Los Angeles and will join remotely from L.A.for this year’s performance.
Kohaku Uta Gassen is an annual music program in Japan which continues to be the most popular TV program each year for the past 70 years. With an unprecedented viewership of over 40%, it has long been viewed as the true barometer of status for domestic artists with an unrivalled influence on an artist’s profile, status, and sales in Japan.
In light of the difficulties faced by people all over the world in 2020 and with a pressing desire for togetherness, NHK intends to conclude this year’s broadcast with a special performance featuring the show’s biggest artists to perform the timeless hit song “Endless Rain”, composed by Yoshiki, one of the most influential composers in Japanese history. NHK has invited Queen’s Roger Taylor and Brian May (from the worldwide hit movie Bohemian Rhapsody) to perform. Roger Taylor and Yoshiki co-wrote “Foreign Sand” (lyrics by Roger Taylor, music by Yoshiki) in 1994 which entered the UK charts, and have been friends since then.
Yoshiki opened the 2015 Classic Rock Awards in London with “Bohemian Rhapsody,” which was praised by Brian May (who was in attendance) and this no doubt led to this upcoming collaberation. NHK has also invited the world’s best-selling soprano Sarah Brightman. Sarah chose “Miracle” to be a single and was featured in her 2018 album. They joined each other on stage for selected dates during her recent world tour, as well as his classical tour.
Furthermore, this year’s Kohaku Uta Gassen marks Yoshiki’s sixth consecutive performance and eleventh appearance in total, including eight performances with X JAPAN and three consecutive performances as a solo artist.
