The Moment - How does it feel? - First Interview: Sugai Yuuka x Moriya Akane (Special Official Fan Club interview)
"To put everything we have into it"
Their resolve for the Center-less last single
"After all, the decision to end it is frustrating"
“It’s really… difficult to put into words” - Sugai
There were many conflicted feelings behind their resolve.
On 16th July 2020, on the stage of their first audience-free online live performance "KEYAKIZAKA46 Live Online, but with YOU!", Keyakizaka46 announced their renaming. The ups and downs of emotions leading up to that decision could not be simply summed up in a few words.
“When I look back on the past 5 years, there are so many things that have happened. About the renaming, what we first thought about was if there was any way at all that we could continue as Keyakizaka. The decision to end it is… frustrating, after all.” - Sugai
However, since their pivotal live performance at Tokyo Dome in September 2019, their activities have not progressed as expected. The release of the single was postponed and a string of members graduated. Then, Hirate Yurina, who had been the Center in all the singles so far, left the group. The members themselves knew better than anyone else that the group was on the brink of an unprecedented crisis.
“It was a time when we thought and talked about many things. We wondered if without Hirate, we would perhaps not be acknowledged as “Keyakizaka”, and there were times when we became pessimistic. But by looking down like that, we would end up being in denial about ourselves up until now. That's why we wanted to properly express our feelings in this online live performance.” - Sugai
It was our first live performance with the new 2nd gens, and we definitely didn’t want to let the many fans watching through their screens think that “It was not enough”.
“We knew it would take a lot of practice to reach a level of performance that would make people think, ‘I’m looking forward to their future’.” - Moriya
The last single, “Dare ga sono Kane wo Narasu no ka?” does not have a Center position. The choreographed formation changes and revolves around four people. Sugai and Moriya, who acts as the Captain and Vice Captain, as well as Kobayashi Yui and Watanabe Risa who have been leading performances on various occasions.
“In Darekane, every member is in the spotlight, and it's a formation where the 1st gen members are collectively leading the group symbolically. And we certainly felt the weight of that responsibility. We had to put all our feelings about our activities so far into it and convey them properly.” - Sugai
Sugai and Moriya have a lot of movement in unison, such as the choreography in the chorus where they seem to be making an appeal.
“If we didn’t match each other, it would affect how the performance would be seen as a whole. We had to give a performance that would inspire everyone, and we were very particular about that." - Moriya
"To properly end Keyakizaka46 ourselves"
Once the rehearsals for the online live concert started, the members devoted all of their time to practice. In particular, the four members who would be the cornerstones of the new song's performance, communicated their opinions to each other like never before.
“We've been talking for a long time, including during the stay-at-home period when we couldn't meet in person. We talked about the future of the group, and about the songs. I told them about various feelings that I had, but I think everyone felt the same way in the end." - Sugai
And above all, for these clumsy girls, dancing was sometimes a more informative way to communicate than with words.
“In any case, as we continued to practice, it felt like we were starting to see the same goal. It felt like we became all united in our desire to put everything we had into it.” - Moriya
“I think our relationship with the members has grown even stronger through this period." - Sugai
A day before the concert, Sugai sends a message to all the members. She expressed her honest thoughts as a Captain and a member of the group.
“I want to show what each of us is capable of now.”
While the group's first live concert in about 10 months and the resumption of the group’s activities has been met with high expectations, critical voices have also reached the members’ ears. Is there any point in Keyakizaka46 holding a live concert now? Can this live concert really be a success?
“Even so I still felt like this performance was definitely worth doing. That's why I shared my feelings with everyone. Every one of us has to shine even brighter so that those who are watching will not feel uneasy. There will be many different opinions, but I'm not going to let them defeat us, or to let it end up just as it is." - Sugai
“I too, didn’t want to lose. I felt we were more united because we were able to take in all the different voices. Like, ‘Let's make this a success for sure’.” - Moriya
The group's most competitive member continued with an enthusiastic tone.
“I think we were thinking about the meaning of holding this live concert in order for us to properly end Keyakizaka. Of course, it's not something we can compare, but it was a different feeling than our previous live concerts.”
"Before I realized it, I was already holding Yuuka's hand"
Her feelings were firm. Nevertheless, she had mixed feelings before announcing their renaming to the fans watching through their screens. If she said "it", then she would really end Keyakizaka46. If it becomes a reality, there's no turning back.
It was Moriya who felt and understood Sugai's feelings more than anyone else.
“I've seen how she has been thinking of what to say in the MC, and I understood just how hard it is to speak on that occasion. Before I realized it, I was already holding Yuuka's hand" - Moriya
After the MC, among the members who moved to perform “Dare ga sono Kane wo Narasu no ka?”, Moriya took Sugai's hand and walked up the stairs to the stage. When asked about that moment, she smiles a little embarrassedly and replies,
“It was the feeling of how we've been supporting each other and we'll continue to do our best, I guess. But I simply wanted to say, ‘You did well (with the MC)’ (laughs)” - Moriya
“We had to rush with the costume change and all after the MC, and I wasn’t able to sort out all the different feelings that I had mixed together. But when I held hands with Akane, with whom I had shared hardship and joy, I felt relieved that we could share our feelings at that moment. It felt like ‘let's give one final push for the last performance’.” - Sugai
The rest of the performance needs no further explanation; the way each of the 28 members blossomed as a storyteller of the song's message was convincing enough to inspire hope for the group's future.
“As Keyakizaka46’s crowning song, we wanted to wrap things up in a way that would make people think 'I want to support them more and more from now on’. That's why we said ‘let's dance even if our bodies are broken’. After the live concert, I had a lot of pain all over my body (laughs). But I felt that I was able to dance so freely and vividly for the first time… It felt really good.” - Moriya
The performance of “Dare ga sono Kane wo Narasu no ka?” ends with a choreography where the members remove the Keyakizaka46 emblem in unison.
"Removing the emblem was also the moment when I once again felt that 'Ahh, so this is really the end’. While the outro was playing, many things came flooding back to me with my eyes closed. Past music video shoots, the day we were invited to perform on a music show... The days spent with the members came and went like a kaleidoscope. Only then did I cry a little." (Sugai)
The decision to let go of Keyakizaka46. In exchange for the pain, the group was to be reborn as a new group. The wounded members returned from the stage with expressions so clear and fresh that even the staff who had been watching over them for years were surprised. After the concert, there was a positive atmosphere in the venue, with the belief that it was up to them to rebuild the group.
“When I watched the video later, I was struck by the look of determination on everyone's faces during my MC. They were looking ahead with strong gazes, which I thought was reassuring. That being said, many of the 2nd gen members were crying after the live performance. To be honest, my heart was pained by the fact that they had worked so hard up to this point and their feelings towards Keyaki were even stronger than I had imagined. But I was able to hear positive words looking towards the future like "I want to evolve", so I'm looking forward to what will come, and I want to do my best to support them.” - Sugai
When Moriya said, "I really felt the growth of 2nd gen members," Sugai nodded in agreement. "I could sense that since the rehearsal period. There were so many things I was moved by from their inadvertent expressions on the screen. This year was really a big one." - Sugai
Seeing the new 2nd gen members come out of their shells and change is also something to truly look forward to from now. The way they continue to grow and develop can be a stimulus for us, and in time they can become a breath of fresh air for the group.
"It's a test of our resolve and strength"
Every time they’ve been in a tough spot, they were a group that overcame it with their performances.
“We've always put a lot of importance on how we’d convey the lyrics and how we’d pin down the performances. That's the pride of the Keyakizaka as a group, too. No matter what happens, that's the one thing that hasn't changed. And it's the same for the last single. But this time, since there's no Center, all the members shine in various parts of the song. I think that it’s a song full of possibilities. That's why I really want people to see all the members in this song. That is what I think.” - Sugai
“I've always felt that ‘it’s as if these lyrics are a question for us right now'. The fact that we've been asked to sing this song at this point in time means that our resolve and power are being tested in a way. That's why we want to put in all the different expressions we’ve had as Keyakizaka until now. But what does it mean to be ‘Keyakizaka-like”...? I don't know how to put it into words, but perhaps the very intention of 'wanting to convey it' may be Keyakizaka-like.” - Moriya
At the end, when asked about her thoughts on the song, Sugai replied in a calm tone of voice.
“The words "Equality", "Love" and "God" in this song reminds me of peace. Personally, up until now I’ve often been in a position where I've had to confront the assertions of "Boku (I)", the protagonist of the song. I've been thinking about how to make it easier for everyone to understand each other. The lyrics, ‘Let's be quiet and listen,’ are our own true-to-life voices. That's why I can relate to this song more than ever before, and it's a song that I feel very strongly about wanting to convey its message. We want this song to reach all kinds of people because of the times that we are in right now. I hope this song will allow for a lot of people to put themselves in others’ shoes and be sympathetic towards one another.” - Sugai
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Translation: toomuchidea
QC: Cirrus
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