Mukai Itoha interview in BLT April 2026 Edition
Q The 14th single ‘The Growing Up Train’ is soon to be released and you have been selected as a member for the title track. How are you feeling about it? Itoha: For me… whether I’m in the senbatsu or the BACKS, my feelings and the level of passion I put into working hard don’t change regardless of my position. My goal is always to surpass my previous self and I hope that by doing so I can contribute something to the group, that mindset hasn’t really changed since I first joined. However, the fact that the fourth generation members joined us has been a huge deal for me. There are quite a few girls who are very gutsy and they look so composed even right before a live performance. Since I tend to get nervous easily, I feel like I need to become a more reliable person for the fourth generation members to look up to. Even though we are close in age, because they have experiences like working part time or going to university, how should I put it… since they have seen more of th...