NHK reveals performers for annual New Year’s Eve spectacle ‘Kohaku’

Cutie Street are among the seven acts making their debut appearance on NHK's New Year’s Eve music extravaganza “Kohaku Uta Gassen” this year.

Nov 13, 2026

Public broadcaster NHK unveiled the lineup for the 77th edition of its New Year’s Eve music extravaganza “Kohaku Uta Gassen” on Friday, with 41 acts set to perform on the program, including seven making their debut on the show.

The announcement was made at the NHK Broadcasting Center in Tokyo’s Shibuya Ward, where all of the first-time performers were revealed onstage with the drop of a large white curtain.

The newcomers in this year’s “Kohaku” reflect the ongoing boom in idol music that J-pop has embraced over the past years. They include male outfits Ae! Group, Ebidan and Monaki and colorful female groups Cutie Street and =Love. Fittingly, the introductions onstage at NHK’s studio featured lots of all-together-now chants and giddy exclamations characteristic of the acts’ uptempo energy.

In a time of both misinformation and too much information,
quality journalism is more crucial than ever.
By subscribing, you can help us get the story right.

SUBSCRIBE NOW