Saori Yano, who was swept up by Charlie Parker and plunged into jazz, carving out new ground as the queen of bebop, makes her return to Billboard Live for the first time in eight years. In 2003, at 16, she made a sensational debut, and she has drawn attention beyond jazz thanks to her work on TV Asahi’s News Station theme song and Kao’s ASIENCE commercials, among other things. This year, in her thirties, she enters the 20th year of her career. On her 20th-anniversary album The Golden Dawn, released on November 29, 2023, Naruyoshi Kikuchi—with whom she has long been close—handled the string arrangements, continuing to create a world of modern jazz filled with a sense of bliss. Now, together with a rapidly rising slate of young musicians, she will deliver on the Billboard Live stage a “Reiwa bebop” mindful of her latest album. The strings, essential to recreating the album’s world, are brought together by Naruyoshi Kikuchi, who has shown decisive creative authority in the production. And savor the world of modern jazz, which continues to weave its history, in Yokohama, the birthplace of jazz.