I'm not sure what the remaining schedule for NHK's "Uta Con"（うたコン）will be like for December. As I recall, the series wraps up in early December and basically goes on hiatus until sometime in January. So it's possible that "Uta Con" may have already said its goodbyes to 2022 for a couple of reasons: 1) I don't see any other episode coming up on the lineup at its website, and 2) last night's episode was a very special one in that it was a documentary focusing on one veteran singer.
Indeed, I am talking about Sayuri Ishikawa（石川さゆり）who is celebrating her 50th anniversary in show business. Many congratulations to her. The special last night not only showed off her hits in enka but also her prowess in tackling other genres such as jazz and rap (not saying that Drake has anything to worry from her, but she still has gumption). It also went over her life including her beginnings in music as a teenage aidoru.
However this song (which was featured last night), her 10th single from October 1975 "Watashi de Yokoreba" (If I Can Be the One), certainly sounds as if she's gone headfirst into the enka genre from the teenybopper one. At the time, she had yet to don the kimono that has become her signature form of dress in performances, but the arrangement and the voice are such that I wouldn't really call this an aidoru tune. Written by Kazuya Senke（千家和也）and composed by Shosuke Ichikawa（市川昭介）, it's a jaunty tune about a young girl asking her love to accept her.
From callow aidoru to current grande dame of enka, it's been a good 50 years for Ishikawa. Hope there are still many more years for her to entertain us.
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