Uemura Rina solo interview in Bessatsu Kadokawa Keyakizaka46 / Sakurazaka46 1013/1209
As a first-generation member of Keyakizaka46, she has been running through five years of intense activity until just a dozen hours ago. Only a few days after Keyakizaka46's last live performance, I'm sure there are more than a few parts that she hasn't been able to organize yet. Nevertheless, Uemura Rina looked forward to the interview with a very radiant smile.
Uemura: The day after the Last Live, I went for a massage. The rest of the time, I was doing a lot of household chores that had accumulated. I usually have a really normal life, so even the day after the Last Live was a normal day (laughs). Right now, I just feel like "I've done it!" All the members are cheerful, so I don't feel gloomy at all. I feel positive. Sakurazaka46's outfits are cute, and the official website is now open. This is the kind of happiness that keeps me upbeat.
Nevertheless, from the time of the rename to just before the Last Live performance, she was conflicted, and her feelings wobbled between positive and negative.
Uemura: To be honest, it didn’t feel real at all when I first heard about the rename. I was surprised and felt sad.
The idea of renaming didn't seem realistic to her because she was reluctant to believe in it.
Uemura: I wished it was just a dream. At first, I wondered if the past 5 years as Keyakizaka46 would be forgotten. It's not something that I was doing casually, and I feel like I've been working hard instead of doing what girls my age would usually do, so I was like, "What!" I don't want Keyakizaka to disappear after all the work we've done to get to this point. So, at the start, most of the girls didn't want the renaming and often talked about how sad it would be to rename.
However, the five years of Keyakizaka46 definitely won’t disappear just because Keyakizaka46 has changed its name to Sakurazaka46. The songs, the videos, and most importantly, the strong memories will always remain among those who loved the world of Keyakizaka46. This is a solid and undeniable fact.
Uemura: You're right. Now it seems that way to me too. But it was still sad when I first heard about the renaming. However, time went on no matter how sad I was, so I gradually began to think of how to deal with the renaming. Among them was having the staff discuss the meaning of renaming. Then we discussed it a few times, and I thought about it again. Gradually, I started to think that it might be better to rename and become a new group. Since then, I’ve come to think that we don’t need to compare ourselves to the past because once the new group is in place, that's where the beginning is.
If you really think about it, it's a miracle that we became idols in the first place. Changing our name without breaking up means that we will get another chance as idols. I think it’s unbelievable, but if you think about it positively, it’s a happy and good thing. The more I listened to the staff's explanations, the more I felt that way.
The woman who was initially perplexed by the renaming had a presence who made her see it in a positive light. It was the once active under group of Keyakizaka46, Hiragana Keyakizaka46, who had renamed to Hinatazaka46 on February 11, 2019
Uemura: We have girls from Hinatazaka near us, but they made a surprise announcement at the same time to let the fans know, and they did their best to firmly cope with the rename. Seeing them, I realized that we had to deal with the rename properly since the staff had talked to us beforehand and listened to our various opinions about it. The staff told us that too, “Hinatazaka has also changed their name and is working even harder.” Although the significance of our rename is a bit different, the sight of Hinatazaka working harder after renaming was one of the reasons to look at renaming in a positive light.
So, with such a positive attitude, was Uemura able to run straight through to the two days of the Last Live with that positive attitude? The answer was “No”.
Uemura: There was a time when I thought I could change my mind about the renaming, but in the end, it didn't happen. When we were rehearsing for the Last Live, I couldn't help but feel sad because the production seemed like a graduation ceremony. So during the rehearsals, I cried at least once every 2 days. I cried during the rehearsals because, at that time, I realized again how much I love Keyakizaka46. I think being sad like this means that, even though I intended to understand the name change in my head, I haven’t fully processed it from the heart just yet. I told myself that since I’ve been working so hard these past 5 years, it’s no surprise that I’d end up getting sad and crying.
At the rehearsal, where she cried once every two days, memories of the five years she had spent with Keyakizaka46 flooded her mind one after another.
Uemura: I have fond memories from each of our activities, and we often talk about it among ourselves like, “This was what that member was like at that time!” That includes stories about the graduated members as well. So many memories came back to me during the rehearsal for the Last Live like "That girl was doing that here," or "There was something like that in that music video shoot.” and so on. When I remembered each of those past events, I felt like "Ahh!”
Uemura's feelings for the younger members of the group also made her feel sad about the renaming.
Uemura: Many of the second-gen and new second-gen knew and loved Keyakizaka before they joined. They came because they wanted to join Keyakizaka, so it was very painful when I heard the second-gens’ thoughts of "I don't want to rename." In some ways, I think the renaming is harder for the second-gen and the new second-gen because they originally loved the group as fans, and their sadness about the loss of the group, Keyakizaka46, is different in a big way from us 1st gen. I heard about the strong feelings of the younger members towards Keyakizaka in the past, but when I heard it again at the same time as the renaming, I thought about it again. When I heard how they felt, I felt happy as well that there were girls who joined us because they liked this group.
No matter how much her sadness grew, and her feelings continued to waver, the day of Keyakizaka46's Last Live was getting closer every second. During those days, Uemura was unable to shake off her sadness, but it was the voices of her fans and her feelings towards the five years she spent as a member of Keyakizaka46 that gave her the strength to face forward.
Uemura: I felt like I was going to fall apart between feeling I had to do my best and feeling sad. But every day I would look at the fan letters and read fan messages like “Good luck!” or “I’m watching you!” That’s what everyone's been telling me, so I gradually came to realize that I shouldn't be feeling this way. I've come to believe that I had to make it a great show that would make the fans think, "I'm glad I've been supporting you!”, so I desperately tried my best. I also wanted to make a concert that will make everyone who has been involved with us over the past five years think, "I'm glad I worked with Keyakizaka46!” in the end.
With her feelings changing in such a way, Uemura Rina finally arrived on the first day of the Last Live on October 12.
Uemura: During the concert, I think I cried less on the first day than on the second day. Though I cried after the show (laughs). I didn’t cry during the concert on the first day because I was worried about my movements, such as dealing with going out, being raised, and performing the unit song for the first time. I think I was focused on those. I was really worried, so I didn't have time to cry over the memories (laughs).
She was referring to “Kaleidoscope” as the unit song being performed for the first time, which is included in the first press limited edition Type-B of Keyakizaka46’s best album, “Eien Yori Nagai shun ~ Ano Koro, Tashika ni Sonzaishita Watashitachi~” In this number, Uemura stood in the center position and was flanked by same gen Harada Aoi and second-gens Inoue Rina, Takemoto Yui, Fujiyoshi Karin, and Morita Hikaru.
Uemura: I was happy to be given this unit song, and I was also happy to work with the second-gen. Basically, the title songs of Keyakizaka’s singles have been cool, but in this song, I was able to perform a cute song with the second-gen. I think I was able to show a new side of myself at the very end. The choreography is my all-time favorite, and I'm glad I found a song I like so much towards the end of Keyakizaka, so I felt that I didn't want this to be the last time.
Since it was a unit song performed by both first and second-gen, there was a strong impression that "Kaleidoscope" expressed something that foreshadowed the future that would lead to Sakurazaka46.
Uemura: Indeed, there were times when Aoi-chan and I would say to the second-gen, "Let's perform this song with smiles on our faces," as it wasn't a song performed only by the 1st gen (laughs). Aoi-chan and I had never approached the members before, in fact, we were completely the ones being approached (laughs).
Even in the songs other than "Kaleidoscope" where Uemura called out to the second-gen, saying "Let's perform with smiles on our faces!” there was no shortage of smiles on the expressions of the members of Keyakizaka46 at the Last Live. Especially on the second day of the concert, they performed almost all the songs with smiles on their faces. Their appearance gave us a sense of a bright future for Sakurazaka46 beyond their last concert as Keyakizaka46.
Those were, “To live is to change like this” (Futari Saison), “there is no end to the caravan” (Deadline), “not a mirage of the past, but the other side of the future” (Sajin), “When we dream we become reckless. If it doesn’t hurt then it’s not the real thing” (Garasu wo Ware!), and so on. The synergy of the phrases found in the lyrics of the songs performed on the second day of the concert, which was serious but firmly focused on the future, and the message as if they had foreseen this day, left a vivid impression.
Uemura: Indeed, the second day was full of songs in which we had to smile. In particular, I think the first half gave such a strong impression. We hadn't performed “Te wo Tsunaide Kaerou ka” (the second song) for years, it's been so long. I really like this song. I like songs that make people smile. Also, the Captain and Vice-Captain's acting parts were powered up (laughs). I'd like to keep doing this type of music even as Sakurazaka.
Watching the video, I could see that the members kept smiling throughout the performance, but behind the smiles, there was a fact that only the members knew.
Uemura: Actually, from around “Futari Saison”, I could already hear them crying through my ear-monitor. They were crying while singing, so the songs were mixed with crying voices. When I heard their voices through the ear monitors, I was also moved to tears. That was not good (laughs). After that, there were more emotional songs like "Seifuku to Taiyou", and I could hear the members crying again. As I recall, past videos were playing in the background while we were performing "Seifuku to Taiyou". There’s a part of the choreography where we turn around in "Seifuku to Taiyou", and everyone said they cried when they saw the video playing in the background.
In the back of their smiles, the members were singing with tears in their eyes and with crying voices. However, as far as I could see from the video, their smiles were still the strongest impression in every song.
Uemura: That’s right (laughs). But through the ear monitors, I could hear them crying so much. Even so, the smiles were noticeable because we all tried to keep smiling. Personally, I didn't want to worry the fans by crying too much because the second day was the moment when Keyakizaka46 was reborn as Sakurazaka46, and I wanted to show them a bright future and have them support Sakurazaka on top of that. That's why I'm very happy that the impression of smiling faces was so strong when I watched the concert.
On the second day, Uemura felt a long-lasting impression with the loud voice of the group cheer, which Moriya Akane also attested.
Uemura: It made me feel closer, and I could feel the depth of everyone's passion for this concert and their strong feelings for the group, Keyakizaka46. On the second day, everyone's voice was really loud during the group cheer. I think it was the loudest ever in the entire history of Keyakizaka46 (laughs). The moment we finished the group cheer, everyone said, "Your voices are so loud today!” I think the reason why we were able to speak so loudly was that we all had the same feeling at the end.
I think it was because everyone had the same feelings that I met the members’ eyes so much during the live performance, it was a look that conveys “Thank you for everything”. Sato Shiori was the only one to graduate at the Last Live, but I was still reluctant to say goodbye. However, I must admit that there have been times in Keyakizaka46 where, unfortunately, I felt that not everyone was feeling the same way, so I was very happy that we were able to unite at the end.
On the second day of the Last Live, the 27 members united and concluded their last performance as Keyakizaka46 with their debut song "Silent Majority". Immediately after that, the 14 members with Hikaru Morita in the center performed their debut song "Nobody's fault" as Sakurazaka46. They finished their concert as Keyakizaka46 as a unified group, and with that unity, Sakurazaka46 made their start. Uemura, who had been watching over them, was very positive about the fact that they were able to give their first performance for Sakurazaka46 right after their last performance as Keyakizaka46.
Uemura: I thought that if we didn't show the song at that time, it might make people worry about when Sakurazaka would start, and I'm glad we did. In fact, some of my friends have asked me, "When will Sakurazaka's debut? Next year?” Maybe they thought we would take a short break after renaming, or maybe they thought we would debut in the spring season when cherry blossoms were in bloom because we were Sakurazaka (laughs). But we said, no, we are not going to stop. That’s why I think it was the right decision to perform Sakurazaka's debut song at that time. I also liked the way we walked up the slope at the end.
Now that she has finished all of her activities as Keyakizaka46, Uemura has these thoughts about the group to which she dedicated five years of her youth.
Uemura: Keyakizaka46 was my very life. It was like I was putting my whole life on the line. There wasn’t a day that I didn't think about Keyaki. Moreover, my criteria for judging whether something I did was good or bad were all based on Keyaki. I realized that it's something that's always been there for me, and my life has changed since I entered Keyaki. I guess it's really everything. Keyaki will never disappear from my life, so from now on, I’ll probably have percentages of both Keyaki and Sakura within me.
The ratio of Keyakizaka and Sakura in her mind may or may not change in the future. Nevertheless, for now, she is already thinking about her future as Sakurazaka46 in her way.
Uemura: After all, Keyakizaka46 stood on the stage of Tokyo Dome and saw amazing scenery, so I would like to see such scenery again. The name of the group is based on the name of a flower that represents Japan, the cherry blossom, so my goal is to become a group loved by everyone in Japan. Because the name of the flower is representative of Japan, I feel that I should not do anything improper.
Also, in the same case with “Keyakizaka46” (欅坂46), since it's "Sakurazaka46" (櫻坂46) instead of "Sakurazaka46," (桜坂46) I think it would be good to have a group that would leave a lasting impression because it's another difficult kanji (laughs). There was a program called “Keyakitte, Kakenai?” during our time in Keyaki. At first, none of the members could write the character of “Keyaki”, so we practiced together before our debut. Then we had more opportunities to use it in our signs. Somehow, we managed to write it. But if the pen I use to sign my name is too thick, Keyaki's character gets squashed, so from now on, when I write "Sakurazaka46", I want to be careful not to destroy the "Sakura" (櫻) character (laughs). I can already write the kanji for "Sakura”!
On the first day of the Last Live, she stood at the center when the unit song “Kaleidoscope” was performed. During the lesson, she said, "Let's smile and do our best!” to the younger members. Until now, she has always been the one being approached and rarely approached anyone herself. If that's the case, then surely becoming Sakurazaka46 will give birth to a new Uemura Rina, and we'll be able to see an Uemura Rina we've never seen before.
Uemura: To show my new self, I would like to reduce the things I'm not good at. I would like to have the ability to challenge the things I'm not good at and to have the mind to try anything. What I'm not good at right now is most of the standard projects that seem to be done with variety (laughs). I’m not good with heights, scary things, and chattering. But I think I'll have to work hard and put myself out there. If I don't do that, I'm going to be buried in "Soko Magattara, Sakurazaka?” Eh? Should I eat bugs… (sigh)? But people say that it's surprisingly tasty... so I'm going to do my best (laughs). I think now is the right time for me to change!
In the last live performance of "Mou Mori e Kaerou ka?” I was raised in the air, but I think I would have ran away if it was performed 2 years ago. I think some part of me is already starting to change!
Finally, I asked her which Keyakizaka46 song would give her strength and support even after becoming Sakurazaka46. The answer she gave after much thought shows her overflowing deep feelings for Keyakizaka46.
Uemura: Hmmm… Keyaki's songs have supported me a lot in the past, and I can relate to each song when being sung, so I can't narrow it down to a specific song... sorry I can't answer you! That’s why I will continue to listen to all the songs and use them to encourage myself.
Comments
Post a Comment