My thoughts on BiSH - Kouhaku, the group, the disbandment

Happy New Year to all KKP collaborators and readers!

My fellow collaborators have shared their takes about this year's edition of Kouhaku Utagassen, along with other music writers I follow. From the opinions I could collect, it was unanimous that BiSH's performance was the most underwhelming. After an exchange of comments, J-Canuck has challenged me to expand on this matter.

I have been a BiSH fan since their 2017 song "My landscape." My boyfriend had introduced me to underground and alternative idols, however you want to call them; the types of groups that do not sound "traditional." While BiS was the precursor of that category, BiSH has been its most representative group, in my opinion. Launching Junnosuke Watanabe's WACK agency, they emerged from the ashes of BiS and turned the controversial group into a marketable formula that, as we have all seen, culminated in a Kouhaku invitation.

I am very familiar with WACK and idols in general, so it is obvious to me that BiSH's success is not derived from skill. I vividly remember watching one of their live performances around the "My landscape" period, on a boat in the middle of Osaka. The girls were struggling to maintain clear notes, even the most skilled singers of the group such as Cent Chihiro Chittii. Therefore, as I watched the Kouhaku performance, my thoughts were "this is a really good BiSH performance, they have come very far." I listened to it separately from the other performances, so it makes sense that within the Kouhaku context, people were expecting something else.

So, why were they invited? There are obvious answers. One is that they are disbanding, something that was announced only mere days before the Kouhaku performance. 2022 will be their last full year of activity. Other personal theory of mine is the close contact between WACK and AKB48 this year through longtime member Yuki Kashiwagi. Groups managed by Yasushi Akimoto have been a Kouhaku staple for years, so who knows if the connections may have played a part. But essentially, BiSH had become very popular, as well as the solo careers of members Aina the End and Ayuni D (under PEDRO).

Whatever the reason, I believe their invitation for Kouhaku was mainly symbolic, as many are. It was a way to certify WACK as a mainstream Japanese music force. It was a redemption of sorts for BiS, the first one, who never even hit Budokan (I believe a BiSH Budokan live might be in the plans for this year). And it was a way to show BiSH to people who had never seen them, whatever the reaction.

As for the choice of "Promise the Star," I think it was pretty obvious as it is BiSH's most representative song ("Orchestra" being a close second as it influenced heaps of idol songs). Words by JxSxK (Junnosuke Watanabe) and composition by Kenta Matsukuma, the creative brains behind most of WACK, it is the quintessential sound of its idol groups.

Some of you may have read my post concerning BiS' disbandment, the second one. This time, I am not feeling so passionate. I was actually expecting BiSH to disband ever since the solo careers started flying off. However, it was touching to see them climb to Kouhaku, and the impending end of a group that helped me discover a different section of the Japanese music and idols I loved and will continue to love.