Legendary Singer Saburo Kitajima, 88, Takes the Stage Again: ‘I’m Bound to Make Mistakes, But I Won’t Stop Singing

Enka singer Saburo Kitajima (88) appeared at a concert on the 5th with Takashi Hosokawa (74), Kenichi Mikawa (78) and others. We talked about our future goals.

[Image]Saburo Kitajima “Singers are meant for the audience.”

Mr. Kitajima and others appeared on “Reiwa Song Festival 2024 ~Showa, Heisei, Reiwa, with songs~”. A total of 29 artists gathered for this concert, which was the fourth since it was first held in 2019.

When asked about his future goals by a reporter before the performance, Kitajima said, “Every day is a goal. I can’t go back. There’s no point in rushing, so I want to keep walking as long as my life has been decided.” “I would be very happy if I could walk this path with all my wonderful friends.” It has also been a while since he last sang in front of an audience, saying, “I recorded a new song a while back, but today I don’t know if I remember it or not.I’m sure I’ll make a mistake though.” Even if I make a mistake, I hope everyone who comes will forgive me since this is the first time they’ve heard the song,” Kitajima said jokingly. To this, Mr. Hosokawa made the performers laugh, saying, “When we practiced earlier, it was perfect. That’s a big deal. I often make mistakes, too.” Mr. Kitajima then sent a message to the fans who had been looking forward to singing for the first time in a long time, saying, “From now on, with your help, I will form a scrum together with you all and walk together with you without being a nuisance.”