ZICO is set to take the stage at Countdown Japan 26/27, becoming the first K-pop male solo singer to join the lineup of Japan’s largest year-end music festival, TV Report reported on October 28.
The festival runs from December 26 to 27 and from December 29 to 31 at Makuhari Messe in Japan. ZICO is scheduled to perform on the second day, December 27, putting him on a bill that organizers have built around the artists behind the year’s biggest performances.
Countdown Japan began in 2003 and has grown into Japan’s biggest year-end festival, with 179 acts set to take part this year. For a Korean solo artist, a slot on the lineup is a notable marker of standing in the Japanese live market, where festival bills are typically dominated by domestic acts.
The booking caps a strong run for ZICO in Japan. In February, he held his solo concert “2026 ZICO LIVE : TOKYO DRIVE” at Keio Arena Tokyo, and the show sold out early amid strong demand from music fans. Last year, he performed at the large-scale music festival a-nation 2025, drawing attention with his stage presence.
His domestic schedule has been just as busy. On October 24, ZICO headlined the first day of Netflix Korea’s 10th anniversary event at the Sangam Culture Tank in Seoul. In July, he performed his hit songs at Waterbomb Seoul 2026, one of the summer’s signature festivals, underlining his continued pull as a live performer at home.
Beyond music, ZICO is currently appearing on the SBS Plus and MBN variety program “Sangnamja’s Travel Method in Taiwan,” where his variety skills have won over viewers. The show stayed on Netflix’s Korea Top 10 for two weeks after its premiere and held the top spot on Taiwan’s Friday OTT platform for four consecutive weeks.
No separate statement from ZICO’s agency was quoted in the report. The Countdown Japan appearance is his next major date in Japan, with his December 27 set now circled as the latest stop on a year that has kept him moving between festival stages in both countries.
