The sixth (final) performance audition for the popular group "timelesz"'s new member recruitment audition "timelesz project" (typero) was recently held, and at a press conference before the audition, "timelesz" members Shori Sato, Fuma Kikuchi, So Matsushima, and the eight other candidates who will be taking the final audition appeared. The three members of timelesz talked about their feelings about this audition.
"Typero" was announced to be implemented at the same time as the group name change from "Sexy Zone" to "timelesz" in April 2024. The total number of applicants for the first round of auditions was 18,922, and eight candidates who passed the first to fifth rounds of auditions, namely Michiki Hamakawa (19), Takuto Teranisi (30), Yoshitaka Hara (29), Masaki Hashimoto (25), Shudo Inomata (23), Daiki Shinozuka (22), Taimu Honda (24), and Noga Asai (17), will take on the sixth (final) round. In the final round, two teams of four candidates will perform the first song of the assignment, "Rock this Party," together with the three members of timelesz. In addition, the eight candidates will perform the song "RUN" by timelesz.
As the final audition approached, Sato said, "It was a tense moment. We did something that we had never done before when we started the timelesz project, and we received a lot of different opinions, but everyone believed in us and became Typero candidates, and we've come this far together. Today is an important day to choose the new members, so I'm excited, and we want to do our best so that we don't have any regrets."
Kikuchi commented, "I think this is true for us, the candidates, and even our own staff members, all of us were aiming to change our lives, so it's exciting to think that our lives will change here today."
Matsushima said, "When I think that the fateful moment awaits me, it makes me very nervous. More than anything, the candidates have shared the good times and the bad, and we have been able to feel closely the things and charms that only each other can understand, and have watched them grow. I think that this Typero project is something that the candidates, including the three of us and all the staff, made, more than anything, so I want all the candidates to be proud of it. It will be the start of something new, so let's create a wonderful stage together."
Looking back on Typero, Kikuchi said, "The most memorable thing, and I think this was true for all three of us, was that it all became a part of us. Every moment was truly shining, and I didn't want to miss a single second of it. There were meetings and farewells, and I feel like all of those times were truly precious."
He continued, "We've never sat down and talked about what the three of us thought about timelesz, or more specifically, Sexy Zone, how those feelings changed, how we felt about performing, and what priorities we had," and "I think the timelesz project was a good opportunity for the three of us to talk about our personal feelings about the group, and the feelings we carry with us as we perform. Through this project, we've communicated a lot more and become closer. I think it was a really fun time for the three of us, and for everyone, including the candidates."
Sato said that the day Typero started was the most memorable one, and added, "I'll never forget the day Fuma-kun suggested it to me. There were times when we worried, but it was a time when the group didn't know what to do, and there was a feeling of somehow looking down, but Fuma-kun came up with a really positive idea, and it was a moment when I really felt, 'Ah, this is it, the three of us can be together.' We'd become a new group with new members, and we'd be able to be the three of us forever again."
He also noticed some changes through Typero, saying, "I realized once again that I love the two of them, and all three of us love this group. If I had to say what's changed, I'd say it's that I've become more straightforward in expressing that."
Matsushima said, "As both of them said, there were many memorable moments no matter where you look," and added that the most memorable moment was when she met the candidates in the second round of auditions. "The difference between first impressions and their true selves became very clear. I realized how much people can change. That was the case with all 36 of them," she said, reflecting, "As the ones choosing the members, there were times when I had to take a step back, but I couldn't help but get emotional and there were times when we clashed, but I think that the relationship where we could laugh and cry together and be emotional at those times was something that only these members could do."
He continued, "We've been together for 13 years, but I've made new discoveries about the two of them and noticed things about them that I hadn't noticed before. I feel that this project has made my love for the two of them, as well as the candidates, grow even more."
The Typero event is currently being streamed on Netflix as "timelesz project -AUDITION-". The results of the final round will be announced on the program, which will be streamed from 10:00 am on February 15th.
