The Gospellers are coming back to NHK's SONGS on June 25 at 10 p.m. JST, their first appearance on the program in nearly two decades.

Formed in 1991 at Waseda University's a cappella club and debuting in 1994, the five-member vocal group helped pioneer a cappella music in Japan during an era when the genre was largely unfamiliar to domestic audiences. Their signature hits like "Hitori" and "Hoshikuzu no Machi" remain defining songs from the 1990s and 2000s.

This appearance carries extra weight: the program will feature Utamaru from RHYMESTER in a recorded interview. Utamaru and the Gospellers have maintained their friendship since their university days, giving him a unique perspective on the group's trajectory and their ability to "stay hardcore while still selling."

Program host Daiji Oizumi, who's roughly the same generation as the Gospellers, will share the studio with the group. According to the announcement, their conversation will focus on the common experience of forming groups with university friends and the unwritten rules that come with group dynamics. Oizumi will even join the Gospellers for an a cappella session, experiencing firsthand the precision of their harmonies.

The episode will showcase three performances: the group's signature piece "Hitori," "Hoshikuzu no Machi" (where each member takes a turn as lead vocalist), and "A Cappella Ondo," a track from their new EP releasing June 24.

The Gospellers have remained active beyond their commercial peak, releasing the career-retrospective album "The Gospellers Works 2" in 2022, the collaborative EP "HERE & NOW" in 2023, and marking their 30th anniversary with the EP "Pearl" and compilation "G30 -Beautiful Harmony 2-" in 2024. This SONGS appearance underscores their lasting influence on Japan's music landscape.