TWICE and LE SSERAFIM Invited to Japan's Kouhaku Uta Gassen Again This Year... TXT and I-LAND Make Their First Appearance

K-pop stars such as girl groups TWICE and LE SSERAFIM have been invited once again this year to Japan's most prestigious year-end music program, NHK's Kouhaku Uta Gassen.

Yonhap News

According to the lineup announced by NHK on the 19th, girl groups TWICE, LE SSERAFIM, and Aile It are included in the Red Team (female team). In the White Team (male team), Tomorrow X Together (TXT) is the only K-pop boy group to be listed.

Celebrating its 75th edition this year, 'Kouhaku Uta Gassen' is a program held annually at the end of the year where the White Team (male) and Red Team (female) compete in a singing contest. Being invited to perform is regarded as a recognition of being a top-tier artist in the Japanese music market.

TWICE is participating in Kouhaku Uta Gassen for the fifth time. This is their first time as a full group in two years; last year, the unit Misamo, composed of TWICE's Japanese members, performed on stage. LE SSERAFIM is making their third appearance, while Aile It and TXT are appearing for the first time. JO1, a group formed through 'Produce 101 Japan' and affiliated with Lapone, a joint venture between CJ ENM and Japan's Yoshimoto Kogyo, will also perform.

List of Performers for Kohaku Uta Gassen. NHK

This year's theme for Kouhaku Uta Gassen is 'A Song for You.' A total of 41 teams will perform, with 10 teams making their debut on the Kouhaku stage, according to local media. The program will be broadcast locally on December 31 from 6:20 PM to 11:45 PM via NHK and other channels.