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Kohaku Utagassen 2020

The 71st edition of Kohaku Utagassen was nothing but mediocre this year. As a show that reflects on society, its culture and its overall state of mind, this year we saw a rather emotional and overall well-delivered edition of the popular year-end contest that did not fall short on anything.

With no audience physically present at the NHK hall, a socially distanced theme that dominated all performances and spectacular used of technology, the tone was set right for something I knew was going to be interesting to watch to say the least.

Far beyond the framework, the question of how to make music performances attractive at a time when they have become quite the opposite, was properly answered. This time and age due to Covid-19 we do not have (or almost seldom have) people experiencing live music so, rather than delivering it to its audiences, we must bring audiences to the music while being as creative as we can.

Creativity took the shape of screens of all sizes playing performances of stages inside stages, several studios and locations made available remotely all delivered with superb MCing executed by the outstanding performance of Fumi Nikaido. She played a fantastic role at carrying the team forward in a very professional, consistent and strongly elegant manner.

On the performance side I must say that this is the year when the show organizers finally paid attention to what happened in the music scene throughout 2020 as opposed to resembling an oldies display of nostalgia. Immediately from the onset it was very clear that the Red team had a chance at winning with much stronger singers than their counterpart White team (shirogumi).

In general I saw both teams on an even note focusing on what each side achieved in 2020 and in this perspective we can say that the ladies in Red had a strong year with talented singers that were a delight to watch. The heavy hitters in Red were Foorin, Milet, The 46s groups, Little Glee Monster, NiziU, Baby Metal, Lisa, Miyon Ai, and Yoasobi, these latter two standing behind a record of strong success with the animation Devil’s Blade. The Heavy hitters in White were Eito, Greeeen, Official Hige Dandism, King & Prince, and Keisuke Yamauchi.

On an even stage, the usual wild cards were present with Fuyumi Sakamoto, Yoshimi Tendo, Perfume, and Sayuri Ishikawa for the Red side. The guys and their White side saw Arashi performing as a group for their last time, Yoshiki and his international collaboration, Hiroshi Itsuki, Hiromi Go, Yuzu, Mr. Children and Kiyoshi Hikawa.

While generally I was quite impressed with the tone of the show, the end started to resemble the usual kind of show with both teams putting their biggest names forward in hope to seal their win. The ladies played Seiko Matsuda as a prelude of the final fight between Masaharu Fukuyama and Misia. They all were good, but unlike previous years, they did not seal the win this time.

With a very-creative approach that focused on talent and attracting audiences not only to watch but to remain engaged, this year’s edition of Kohaku gathered a lot of attention from people who ultimately judged new and relatively new performances over long-lasting careers. Far from being disappointing, on this front as well the judging was done right with viewers finally voting from their homes more than ever at the press of a button (those colorful buttons in the remote control that are never used enough). And, rather than the voting happening at two specific times, it happened throughout the show at strategically well-positioned times to collect input more consistently and fairly.

Right about 15 minutes before midnight and as the music show prepared to give way to the transition to another year, the ladies and their Red team where crowned winners by a landslide of 2.6M votes. As they sealed their victory against the White team that achieved about half the votes gathered by the ladies, I could not avoid thinking once again how great this show was this time around and how exciting music can be again if the right thinking is put in place to deliver a wonderfully inviting experience.

Year in Review 2020

Without much doubt 2020 has not been a typical run-of-the-mill standard year for pretty much all of us (whole of the human raze) and if we got something very clearly this time around is quite possibly what we have always long expected, unprecedented change.

If anybody had told me that 2020 was going to pan out the way it did at the start of the year, I would have not believed it. But, let us face it, as somebody who is used to authoring his own destiny, I have always been prepared for any kind of unpreached predicament.

Covid-19 has been the main keyword of the year and while most of what happened in the world is attributed to it, we can also say that nothing positive was going to ever happen if all of us humans had not stepped in and proved again that we are at the top of the food chain for a reason. I followed suit.

In line with the premise that we are the strongest and more survivalist species, I quickly adapted to short time spans in an everchanging world. While the economy retreated to its online existence my companies were immediately well positioned for a remote-working world and without delay we started to tackle the uncertainties of our clients doing what we do best, Engaging More and Selling More.

As I lead my people and clients over countless sleepless nights early in the year, I realized that being a CEO puts me at the forefront of whichever fight I am up to fighting in the business world. This way I realized that when uncharted uncertainties arose, there was no manual to follow apart from my own leadership. So, I did exactly that, I lead by heart and secured a level of calm and optimism that became my own and subsequently shaped it into my learnings. I figured that when nothing is as ever more important than existing, putting things in perspective of my own existence is the only life-saving strategy that works. Fortunately, it did.

As most of the storm brought upon us began to subside, I found myself hiring people and acquiring companies while unleashing my wildest entrepreneurial dreams. The more people, especially clients, realized that calm and growth can be delivered in an uncertain world and the more they saw I was authoring both, the more they came to me. Long story short, my teams in several countries have grown and I went from owning three companies to owning four, co-owning another two and managing another two ventures for which I am the hired CEO and managing director.

By all means, this kind of expansion is something I did not plan for at the beginning of 2020. And perhaps, moreover something I would not have done if 2020 had not been the kind of 2020 we all came to know. Somehow, I found a lot of motivation to grow in the deepest depth of uncertainty that became very fulfilling.

As another year comes to its end, I can only emphasize how important certain triggers are in life and while some are possibly not the best, it is up to us to make them work in our favor. While Covid will eventually either vanish or be put well under control, the behavioral changes it delivered this year are not going anywhere and will only develop into a progressively ever changed world once again.

Apart from the professional side of things, on the life side I can only thank 2020 for having grounded me in Japan for most of the year which as a result has brought me closer to my wife and children. As eventually 2021 and beyond will see me travel again, I am certain that the crazy travel schedule I was once engulfed in and the family distancing it forced me into for the best part of the last five years, will not likely return. Or at least not return in the same shape in much the same way all else changed in my life in this truly unforgettable year.

Kohaku Utagassen 2019

The 70th edition of Kohaku Utagassen was unlike previous editions quite appealing in its own unique way. With a Tokyo Olympics 2020 oriented theme there was a good degree of innovation followed by both musical talent and interesting performances.

Once again the White team represented by the gentlemen won, but not without facing great contenders and performances from the Red side that look like they were challenging them very closely.

The Red side shone in strength with Hinatazaka 46 and the 46 variations of singing girls who appeared to become much more visible in the void left by AKB 48 and the almost complete disappearance of its original members. On the particular case of AKB 48 and despite this fact, it is remarkable to see how well this AKB 48 brand holds. Especially so as they performed a more internationalized version of their hit “Koi suru Fortune Cookie” which was quite pleasant to see. Sang by several regional expressions of the group from China to India integrated with their Japanese expression, the group showed what it takes to go beyond Japan and crate hits.

Beyond the usually attractive feminine side, some remarkable top performances from the White side included the boy bands with all their variations, Jonny’s Junior, Kiss-My-Ft2 and Arashi. They as the usual suspects to carry results forward did exactly what was expected to win the scores. On the less quantifiable but more on the quality of performance side of things the gentlemen that strengthen the position of the White team were Miura Daichi, Hoshino Gen, and an upgraded Hikawa Kiyoshi and his new looks. King Gnu, a remarkable new band and the Yoshiki (X Japan) singing with Kiss performance pretty much sealed the prize for the guys.

Back to the Red side, the women continued their contest with a more emotional approach which kept them catching attention. However, individualities were not seen to the point at which they could have turned the score. A few names to keep in mind are Paprika, and Little Glee Monster especially the later which has an interesting appeal. Nakamoto Mizuki stole the night in her own right with her great performance of “Into the Unknown” Quite remarkable for a girl that a week earlier was working as a cashier in a supermarket. All the other performances on the red side were carried on by the usual suspects Perfume, Superfly, Matsuda Seiko, Sakamoto Fuyumi, Takeuchi Maria as well as Ikimono Gakari who appeared to be there to raise numbers for the Red team, but quite possibly not to stick out beyond their names with their performances.

On the wildcard side of things, Beat Takeshi did a spectacular job as a comedian and singer. This is a guy worth appreciating a lot more in every possible respect in the way that he continues to drive the pop scene in Japan. AI Misora Hibari on the other hand was controversial as she was brought to life by a humanoid robot which although it was good, it generated some mixed feelings. Perhaps we should let the dead rest in peace and not try to profit out of them next time.
Amidst all these the interval in between first and second halves of the show brought an unintended third wild card with the news of Carlos Ghosn fleeing Japan. It was almost as if he could have scored points against the guys with his performance reported by the news.

Overall a good show that carried a remarkable level of performance we should certainly not only continuously hope for but also to strive to maintain. As a changing society in a country that needs to express itself better and differently J-pop or better called pop Japan has to continue to look forward to the more there is to come in further editions of this traditional, New year’s eve White-Red contend in much the same way it was done this time.

Year in Review 2019

The year 2019 has been driven by an interesting mix of advice, opinions and great memorable events followed by calls from the life side of things that prompted me to realize my very own human factor.

Around February I was wondering if nomadism was temporary or a way of life. “You are never coming out of this lifestyle. Once you make your life being a nomad, it is your life.” Said a life mentor of my school days in Seattle I met this year when I visited the city after many years of not being there. She’s right and this cleared a very important aspect of my life. I have been a nomad for more than five years and now I can’t stand being in the same place longer than ten days. It is my life and nomadism is what keeps it going.

Another interesting piece of advice came from my wife when I asked why we don’t have many friends. She said, “We don’t need many friends. People who have a clearly defined professional mission in life feel that they are better off by themselves. Let’s face it, we can’t stand certain people.” Very true and to clear something that had been troubling me for many years, I realize that we really don’t have many friends and that we only create relationships with the people who contribute something meaningful to our lives. Later I read that Steve Jobs thought the same way, he only had relationships with people who shared his vision and worked with him to accomplish it. On this note I realized that the prospect of spending my older years alone will be minimized so long I have my wife and my companies.

The third driving piece of discovery came somewhere in the 2nd half of the year when I had to deal with the issue of envy and some people basically having a rather hateful attitude towards me for being who I am. Undisclosed quotes, facebook and E-mail episodes left aside, I realized once again that toxic people are not good so, I went on to cutting toxic people out of my life and the results have been great. By letting them go I felt I took a huge weight off my shoulders and this made me happier to say the very least.

Along the way and past beyond the point of advising, I was confronted with illness outside of Japan where my options of health coverage are limited. Beyond the threat of financial disaster, there have been positives. In July I got sick in New Zealand and spent a couple of days dealing with hospitals. Later in November, a similar situation of more gravity took me to a hospital in Singapore. Beyond the pain and the discomfort of having to deal with not being in good health temporarily, I rescued some positives. I had to deal with those situations alone and this was very important since it made me realize how essential the people in my life are. Also I realized how important the people outside of Japan are for me and while these are clients and work peers, I was very impressed to see how they immediately dropped everything they were doing when they learned about my condition to come over to my assistance. For this I am immensely grateful and as I rescue a big lesson learned I say to myself: YOU are 50 Adrian, and despite looking younger, you have to introduce changes in your life to keep living it well.

Later in the year and after having learned a lot about my evolving health, I went on to strengthening my body in ways not previously done before. While I am a regular gym goer, I have doubled my efforts and in two months I am lifting double my usual weights, enduring more cardio, sleeping more, drinking less, and enjoying an overall better quality of physical life. Yes, I have followed the advice of family and friends on this and made time for myself. You guys are great!

On the professional side of things, this year I focused on building more excellence, in doing what we have been doing as a company but a lot better with a lot more of insight and returning on the promise of Engaging More and Selling More with a much more aggressive mind set. As a result we achieved great outcome and more importantly big tangibles in the shape of financial benefit for clients that they appreciate. Meanwhile and as this happened, I found time and opportunities to keep learning and have therefore put myself ahead of the crowd with every deeper insight delivered.

On the life side of things, the most important moment of the year belongs to September when I spent a great few days traveling with family from Argentina in Spain. By all means great quality time which I hope I can repeat in a near future with family from Japan. This explains the photo of this posting, my little daughter at some point before my trip imagined how it would be for me to travel to meet my father.

For all this I am once again on the last days of December 2019 writing about the tales of satisfaction in a year where the human factor contributed by others has not only been important, but greatly gravitational towards making me a better person.

To all of you who have been part of this journey in whichever way you find yourselves on this writing, and to all of you who find something positive to take away, thank you for being there.

Kohaku Utagassen 2018

This year’s 69th edition of Kohaku Utagassen went on with a higher degree of coherent entertainment and with a theme that was consistently kept the whole show. Japan is entering a new era in 2019 and as such Kohaku has reflected on the past 30 years. As somebody who has grown most of his adult life in Heisei I found this quite amusing.

On the musical side of things, there were no particular individualities and as is always the case in recent years, we are lacking big stars and highly talented people in the Japan music industry and this went to show. There were a few highlights however that were delivered by a few artists.

The first half of the show had Ai Miyon, an interesting new voice that has potential; Yoshiki featuring Hyde and then Sarah Brightman; and a remarkable performance by Sakamoto Fuyumi. The main song of the first half was Jidai by Shimazu Ami which pretty much drove a good closure, but not enough for the red team to lead the score.

The second half had more excitement with the heavy hitters in place. Da Pump and their USA hits was good, Ikimonogakari was OK, but why while being a relatively young band sing a very old song? The same applies to AKB48 although in their case they did it with more style by inviting their Thai expression to join them. The rest of the artists kept a good standard with all the remaining big names doing their best possible performance for the theme in place. The song of the 2nd half was Amagigoe by Ishikawa Sayuri with the impeccable performance of Hotei playing guitar to match Koto tones.

In all, the white team won, there were no surprises and frankly not a whole lot of excitement around the show in a way that indicates that something is about to change in the Japan music scene. Once again, there’s good content and good intention in place, but as this type of uneventful Kohaku continues to happen year after year, there isn’t much to look forward in the year ahead. Or better, said, there isn’t much to look forward in the sense of artist discovery which is where real change must be delivered to reinvigorate and literally rejuvenate our musical expression.

Year in review 2018

When I look back in time as a transition to a new year is about to start, I focus on what is most important, most relevant and most gravitational.
This year is no exception although I must say that the more I relentlessly do this, the better I become at picking “the most important,” especially so at the time when some of “the most” means that I am becoming better and wiser at saving myself from headaches and preventing myself from falling into rather unfavorable situations.

This year 2018 has been quite stable on all fronts of life although I must say it has been especially good and mature on the business side of things. In very concrete terms this is the year when I finally learned how to better control and manage situations which often and in other times would have been toxic. To begin with, I completely ended a business relationship very early in the year that could have severely damaged my companies if it had continued another year. Later, I continued on to end a business relationship with people who presented themselves as a growing risk. In return and having cleared my life from toxicity I gained better, more genuine, honest, nicer, and bigger clients. I also went as far as taking clients from competitors without remorse in much the same way other competitors had no remorse in doing the same to me in the past. It was a great year to grow and also to get even, not with competitors, but with certain emotions at the time of facing them as a CEO.
Along the way of earning and terminating relationships and winning over competitors, I learned how to manage people in more just terms I can now accept. I realized that keeping people in the wrong job is wrong so, this was the year when I fired people without guilt and with the conviction that my actions were only for their benefit. In all I have strengthened my standing as a business leader and this has not only increased the good performance of my companies, but it has also made me a better and, needless to say, less stressed person.

As another vibrant year goes by I find myself once again writing this writing after my usual more than 100 flights per year, surrounded by my loving family and above all happy to be alive for having taken further and more genuine control of all the relationships I can actually control. On this latter particular note the big takeaway for my readers this year is, be genuine, be good to the degree that you believe that you are, and act accordingly. It will save you from all headaches that blurry your ability to be happy and live a fulfilling life.