Mrs. GREEN APPLE is the first group in the Reiwa era to win the Nihon Record Taisho Grand Prize in consecutive years

The 66th annual Nihon Record Taisho (66th Japan Record Awards) took place on December 30th at the New National Theatre, Tokyo.

The three-member band Mrs. GREEN APPLE’s “Lilac” won the grand prize, achieving consecutive victories following last year’s “Que Sera Sera”. This is the ninth group in history to win the award two years in a row, since Nogizaka46 won the grand prize in 2017 and 2018. This is the first consecutive win since the Reiwa era began but also the first time a band won two years in a row.

A year after winning their first award with “Que Sera Sera,” the band has continued to perform to the point where they can be called “the face of the music scene in 2024”.

Omori also revealed that “winning the grand prize has allowed more people to listen to our music.” They released new songs for five consecutive months, releasing seven digital singles in one year. They have many tie-up songs, including “Lilac,” which they wrote as the opening theme for the anime “Wasurei Battery,” which surpassed 300 million streams in their lifetime.

Vocalist Omori said about the song, “It’s a youth song that all ages can recall. I wanted to write a youth song that has the potential to reach all generations, not just the top 10.”

After winning the grand prize last year, “I feel that more people are listening to our music. I’m full of gratitude and pride.” In July, they held a stadium tour, the youngest in the history of Japanese bands. In October, they performed 10 shows at K Arena Yokohama, attracting approximately 200,000 people.