Keyakizaka’s Kobayashi Yui talks about the name change, the time to sort emotions (Sakamichi's Tuesday 18th August 2020 column in Nikkan Sports)

Part 1

They are released on newspaper the same day, but released at different timing as a free online article. This one was released on24th August 2020


Keyakizaka46’s Kobayashi Yui (20) reveals the charm of their new song “Dare ga Sono Kane wo Narasu no Ka?” (Released on the 21st online), and a story during their performance. She also talks about the recent situation of the group that has announced its name change, and her expectations for the juniors.

Kobayashi Yui taking a picture with her junior, Morita Hikaru (left) during the online live performance in July


Her personal favourite lyric in “Dare ga sono kane wo narasu no ka?” is the “(Lyrics) I’m just arguing the things I want to say out loud, Endless self-assertion is just noise”. She reveals that, “There are some parts that are danced with powerful emotion, as if we're trying to break something with our elbows.”

During the performance, there are many parts where she stood in the central position together with Sugai Yuuka (24), Moriya Akane (22), and Watanabe Risa (22). With a smile, she said, “When we perform, I can feel the feelings from the three of them. I thought, ‘Oh, they are doing this with feelings’.”

“After the end of B melody, before the line ‘When will our bell ring?’, while everyone else sings ‘Wo oh oh…’, the four of us are standing still in the middle. We listen to the various opinions, looking, turning, I close my eyes and listen closely. I think that's ‘the’ unique scene when it comes to this song.”


Kobayashi Yui (2nd from the right) taking a picture together with the other members during the online live performance in July


They performed the song in full for the first time during the encore of their first online live performance last month. Before the performance, they gave the shocking announcement of the group’s renaming and restart. The last live performance in October will mark the end of their history as Keyakizaka46. Regarding the current situation of the group, she said, “"I feel that right now everyone has a lot on their mind and is sorting themselves out. There are some who seem to be thinking hard about various things, while others seem to have a sort of clear expression on their faces”.

Before the online live performance, when they decided to change their name and start anew, she had more opportunities to talk with Captain Sugai and Vice-Captain Moriya. She recalled, "We want to keep our cool, and we want to make the online performance a success. So we report to each other the other members’ reactions, and if anyone struggles with it, we want them to turn to us for help even if it’s just a little.”


She cares not only for her fellow 1st gen members, but also for the 2nd gen members who joined in November 2018 and the new 2nd gen who joined in February of this year.


“Some of the juniors are more concerned about the group than we are. I'm very happy about it, and at the same time, I feel very sorry for not being able to let them stay active as Keyakizaka for longer. They have been watching Keyakizaka before they joined the group, and to know that it will be gone, they feel something different from the 1st gen that have made the group from the scratch. I think they are feeling lonely about it, and I think that we need to care for that part as well.”

Both the 2nd gen members and the new 2nd gen members have high potential, having been able to pass the 'Sakamichi Joint Auditions' for which nearly 130,000 people applied. She declared, “I have high expectations for our juniors in our next group as well, and I hope they will do their best. I want us to be a group where the activities of the 2nd gen members can be seen properly.''


Keyakizaka46’s Kobayashi Yui

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Translation: toomuchidea

QC: Mentos, fuyupz

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