12-year-old Sakura Kawagoe wins singing contest held by Avex and USEN
Entertainment ( 18 )
TOKYO —
Sakura Kawagoe, 12, took out the top prize in the final round of a singing contest held by record company Avex and cable broadcaster USEN in Shibuya this week. The competition – “a-motion ’09” – drew more than 8,000 applications nationwide, and eight finalists took to the stage, singing to the best of their ability as well as speaking about their dreams for the future.
Kawagoe, a first-year junior high school student from Machida City in Tokyo, sang “Sing to the sky” – originally by singer-song-writer Ayaka, 21 – and said she hoped to be like Namie Amuro. “I did my best so I’m happy with that, but I can’t believe I won. I hope to be able to convey my own opinions through my songs,” she said.
The 11-member panel of judges was unanimously impressed with Kawagoe’s cover of the song and her attitude. Kawagoe will start taking singing lessons sponsored by Avex and USEN, and will aim for her debut in the near future.
Hiroki Maekawa, 23, winner of the first competition in 2005, said: “I think she will outdo me pretty easily so I’ve got to keep trying hard as well.”
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18 Comments
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nimbus
Congratulations!
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Pukey2
What, have a baby with an ugly backing dancer, marry him and then divorce him?
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TeruSensei
I feel a little sorry for her, knowing the difficult road ahead.
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Weasel
Japan's Got Talent? Wonder what Simon would have to say about that?
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Altria
I hope she doesn't get discriminated against for being named after a city in Saitama.
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hoserfella
12 years old, still young enough to get her into a swim suit or leather for the peds out there..way to go Avex!
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GW
sad as hoserfella says.........
Sorry NOT ALLOWED this is J-poop do as yr told now!!
Ah now this is what its all about folks, sign`em up & start milking them for tons of yen, give them a pitance, then toss them when they get too old(for this one that cud be 18-22 or earlier).
Same ole same ole..
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NeoJamal
A perfect host for Komuro's dead spirit to possess (dead figuratively speaking)
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Lady0424
haha have fun. poor girl. i was in avex artist academy for 1 yr and all they teach you is how to lose money through their dirty ways to get you to re-sign for another 6 months or yr in their school. i couldnt move up in aaa bc they kept making fun of my engRish-japanese pronunciation although they said everything else was great and held a bait over my head saying they hoped i'd work hard bc i had a big chance to debut in 3 countries (china, taiwan, japan). i really do wonder what simon has to say about japanese talents...
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Richard_III
It's nice to see such happy smiles to celebrate this event.
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shakakhan
well some girl has to replace Ai Shinozaki...she is getting a tad old now....
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Sarge
"I can't believe I won"
I'll bet her vanquished competitors can't believe it either.
The big question is, can she win a bikini contest?
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saruzenki
What a great singing contest ! The winner gets... "singing lessons" !!! LOL !
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ptolemy
Sarge give her a few years. If she can't sing after the lessons that may be her only hope for stardom. Like many before her she may be AV fodder when she turns 18. Just hope her parents aren't the ones pushing her into tarento life and she is choosing it herself.
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likeitis
Hard to believe such a comment is allowed, let alone an apt response to get erased. Looking at a completely innocent pic of a 12 year old and muttering crap about pedos, swimsuits and leather is not only pathological but also in poor taste.
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ptolemy
So she has written her own songs, or does she mean lip syncing songs that are similar to her opinions. As usual the journalism leaves much to be questioned. To say "my songs" implies she is also a composer. What a talent for 12 year old.
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hideki09
how can i join this contest?
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