The 5 years and what’s to come (Sugai Yuuka, Weekly Shounen Magazine vol 38 (19th August 2020))

Up till now, Keyakizaka46 has announced many impressive songs, to you, which song has echoed the most inside you?

Over time, the song that comes to mind when thinking “Now I understand the lyrics” is “Tokyo tower wa doko kara mieru?”. We performed it at the livestream concert on July 16th as well and the lyrics; 

“Amending fragments of memories

Making them prettier than the truth

Such a thing happened

I want to tell you about that some day”*

, are especially important with us currently. Someday, I want to be able to laugh it away with the fans that supported us and say “A lot of things happened at that time, huh?”. When we look back at this situation, I was able to sympathize with that.

*T/N: translation taken from Stage48

How has your view changed compared to the first time you listened to it?

At first it was a song that would hype the audience up during concerts, the lyrics are also a little hard so I couldn’t understand them, but it’s a memorable song we have performed many times during concerts, and it was the first time where all the members were centers; I believe all of us were able to shine individually.

For Keyakizaka46’s last single “Dare ga Sono kane wo Narasunoka?” there doesn’t seem to be a specific center but, in the same meaning “Tokyo Tower wa doko kara mieru?” is also probably a symbolic song for the current Keyakizaka46.

That’s most likely the case. It feels like we compliment but also clash with each other; Between the 1st gens who have done their best up till now and the expectations for the 2nd gens who will be responsible for the future, in addition with the newly added 2nd gens, I think it’s a song that makes you look forward to what’s for the group from now on.

I think it's a song that shows the future, rather than a song of a turning point.

As if ‘it doesn’t end here’, when performing the song each member shows their feelings, I think it’s a song that can give anticipation for our future.

Then, because of this timing, which Keyakizaka46 song do you want the fans to listen to?

It has to be “Dare ga Sono Kane wo Narasunoka?”.  While the world continues to be in a terrible situation, whatever you try to do there’ll be times we feel hopeless. But, I believe this song will be the trigger to make you think “If you stop and be quiet for a moment, the important things are unexpectedly close to you”, I believe that it’ll make us face forward even during these hard times.

From now on I want to ask about the change in the 5th year of the group. I believe it was 5 years where many things happened but, what was the big turning point in you, Sugai-san?

It was after the first “Republic of Keyaki” (2017). Up till then we didn’t know of anything scary and we kept wanting to deliver performances all out, but after “Republic of Keyaki” was over we started preparing for our National Tour right away so the group felt uneasy. 

Coincidentally at that time various activities stacked with one another, like the drama, variety, music programs etc; We were frantically tryingto catch up with all of them, it felt like we couldn’t even afford to feel anything. I did feel like “I also have to do my best, I want to support everyone more and more” but, they stayed as thoughts; It was a period where I felt uneasy for a while.

How did Sugai-san face that kind of reality?

I’m still not good at it. For example, when I’m tired, it would show in my expression. There was no rest / time to spare, and I’m sure there must be members who feel suffocated after spending so much time together every day. Furthermore, Keyakizaka46 didn’t have a lot of struggle at the beginning, so I think that’s where our weakness really showed.

After such a situation, do you feel that you have grown and have changed as a group?

I think the livestream concert the other day was a very big first step towards that. Actually, ever since joining Keyakizaka46, the stay home period during Spring was the toughest for me. It was a time when a lot of things happened within the group, everything we tried just didn’t work out and there was no opportunity to recover from the failures, it felt as if the things each of us could do were limited. 

Seeing other Sakamichi groups perform in music programs made me a little sad..... but that frustration was something all of us could share. At that period I talked with various members and staff, our sense of camaraderie became stronger, and everyone felt like “We have to do our best from now on!”. From there on the concert gave me a strong feeling, the 2nd gens also had the same strong feeling, and the new 2nd gens also did their best with a positive attitude; I think it was a meaningful performance for our activities from now on.

Watching from afar, when the 2nd gens were added it was a big change. Did the 1st gens also grow mentally from this?

That’s certainly the case. The 2nd gens are reassuring presence, who immediately enter the position of their seniors who are gone, and do their best to handle it; I thought “I must protect them; I want to take proper care of them so they wouldn’t stumble later on”. With it, the addition of the 2nd gens made the air more positive, they’re truly an important presence.

Furthermore, with the addition of the new 2nd gens, the atmosphere is changing rapidly.

There are many more unique members among the new 2nd gens. I’m looking forward to their variety skills from now on, I think the fans are also looking forward to it. Of course there are still some shy ones, so I would like to pay attention to how they grow in the future.

Following, regarding Sugai-san’s personal changes and growth. In these 5 years, has the way you facilitate gravure shootings changed drastically?

At first I thought “It’s so different!” When I saw my face in the picture and the mirror, I was surprised many times. It was difficult to smile in front of the camera, and I was paying too much attention not to squint that I ended up opening my eyes too much (laughs). But, I had my make-up and styling done by professionals, I wore clothes that I normally don’t wear; I was looking forward to them most of the time.

At first did you do research by looking at various photos and practice in front of the mirror?

There is a habit in the group’s LINE chat to send selfies every day, I practiced this way, I also looked at photos from other members and studied them. Furthermore, I often looked at my seniors’ photobooks. Especially (Nogizaka46’s) Saito Asuka-san’s and Ikuta Erika-san’s, their photobooks really stayed on my mind; even now I treasure them.

In 2018 you announced your Solo Photobook “Fiancé”.

For that day to come, it felt like a dream. I believe it was a big branching point inside me. Up till then it was hard to expose myself, but it was the trigger to break out of my shell. Since I came to an unknown world (Paris), I was able to do the shoot with a feeling of openness.

After the Photobook, what was the thing inside you that changed the most?

The Photobook connected with my self-confidence and as a result, I wasn’t that nervous to do the shoot. That was the one big thing in my opinion.

What about your mental change or growth?

I feel like I’ve earned courage. In the past, I wasn’t good at talking to people, but by receiving the title of Captain, the situations where I had to do a lot of things that I thought were impossible increased. It took time, but now I tend to think “Times like these exist”, calm down , and be able to face them. The biggest thing was probably being able to control the emotions within me. During really tough times I play with my smartphone and feel tired, so I read books, listen to music with positive lyrics, and I take a hint from those words; I believe that calms me down mentally.

Now then, what was a job connected to your growth that has stayed in your mind?

The MCs during lives are big ones. For example, there are times when I have to do sudden explanations, for one, during the Tour 2 years ago there was a time when Techi (Hirate Yurina) fell off the stage, I had to explain the situation to the fans even though I didn’t know much myself. It was connected to my self-confidence when I get over it. 

Furthermore, experiencing being on stage so many times was also big. I received the opportunity to work with other people during “Manga mitai ni ikanai” and “Hiryuuden 2020” and I was able to view the group objectively. My way of thinking also changed by listening to various viewpoints, it was a trigger that made me really thankful.

I feel like this year’s “Hiryuuden 2020” was big in particular.

For sure. That period was a hurried situation, but it was because I experienced that I was able to overcome the latest concert. I was really nervous before “Garasu wo Ware!” in particular. I had the fear of “After this I have to talk about it (the name change), the fact that Keyakizaka46 is ending has to come out of my mouth”, but I spoke while having the thoughts of the character I acted as, Kambayashi Michiko, in mind. 

When I did that I was able to express everything I wanted to say easily, after that I was only hoping for people to accept it, so even now that experience was sort of a ‘lucky charm’ for my heart. But, after the MC we had to perform “Dare ga Sono Kane wo Narasunoka?”, when I finished dancing and closed my eyes I was moved, I remembered a lot of things....The time we shot “Silent Majority”’s MV before we debuted, the time we shot “Eccentric”, I remember many things and reared up. I want to cherish all those memories.

Holding onto that memory, you’re moving forward from there, right?

Yes. Even if we change our name our hearts have no plan of changing, in a good way, so I want to appear in a way that makes you think “I’m looking forward to supporting them” in our upcoming activities. Anyways, I have no choice but to believe, as I want to work hard from the very beginning; even though there are a lot of problems, right now I feel like facing them head on

There’s nothing to be scared of since you have these 5 years of experience already.

Thank you very much. I think it would be nice to be more proactive at things; I want to make it a group where each and every one can shine.

That first step must be the new song “Dare ga Sono Kane wo Narasunoka?”, right?

Yes. Recently many people have told me that “The group’s mood is really good” so it might be that we’re changing; that kind of hunch exists. I believe that everything that happened up till now has been experiences we needed; I would like to cherish the past and explore the possibilities of the future.

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Translation: SatoneShichi

QC: mentos & toomuchidea

Raw @ weibo