NHK’s youth project 18Fes returns this month with a new edition led by Vaundy, titled Vaundy18Fes, who performs alongside 1,000 members of Japan’s “18-year-old generation” on a one-off stage built around his new song ‘Yobigoe’ (‘Call’).
18Fes is a long-running NHK project made with and for young people aged roughly 17 to 20. Each edition pairs an artist with 1,000 participants for a single performance. This year’s instalment, filmed in Tokyo in November, follows the group as they prepare for the day, with the broadcast combining the full stage recording and short documentary segments focused on several of the teenagers involved.
Vaundy set “seriousness” as the theme for the project, with NHK collecting videos and messages from 18-year-olds across Japan. Their submissions formed the basis of “Yobigoe”, a song he describes as intentionally difficult, written to emphasise what it means to take on a challenge with intent and responsibility.
In his comment on the project, he explains:
“Under the theme of ‘seriousness’, the song that was born became ‘Yobigoe’.
First, I wanted to create a song that would make everyone think, ‘I want to sing this!’, but I think it ended up being quite a difficult song to sing.
I created this piece because I wanted everyone in the 18-year-old generation to learn what it means to tackle something difficult with seriousness, that seriousness comes with responsibility, and the feeling of leaping over those things fueled by the emotion of ‘loving’ something.
If everyone can feel the pride and beauty of completing something and releasing it into the world, that would mean everything to me.
I hope that the passion created by those 1,000 people in that space reaches everyone watching the broadcast. Please look forward to it.”
The programme also includes footage from Vaundy’s creative workspace, giving fans a brief look at the songwriting process behind ‘Yobigoe’ and his memories from when he was 18.
Vaundy18Fes airs on NHK General TV on Tuesday December 23rd 2025, 22:00–23:00 (JST). The programme will also stream on NHK ONE (simulcast and one-week catch-up), and is available via World Premium and NHK On Demand, providing additional access for viewers outside Japan.
