Continued from Interview (1) Angerme is an idol group from Hello! Project, which also includes Morning Musume '25. In June, Moe Kamikokuryo graduated, and Ise Suzuran became the new leader. In August, the youngest member, Nagano Momoha, joined the group, forming a new lineup. Their first album under the new lineup, "Keep Your Smile!", was released on November 12th and became the group's first to reach number one on the Oricon Weekly Digital Album Ranking (dated November 24th). On November 30th, they will perform "ANGERME 2025 autumn 'Keep Your Smile!' final," the final performance of their autumn tour, at Nippon Budokan (Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo). We asked them about their thoughts on the autumn tour and their goals as the new "ANGERME."
◇How to present yourself at a live house: Fans and members both sweat
--The autumn tour with the new 9-member lineup was centered around live music venues. What was your enthusiasm for this live music venue tour, the first for Angerme in a long time?
Ise's previous leader, Kamikokuryo, had been saying "I want to do a live house tour" since before he graduated, and I myself had wanted to do it at a live house. This is the first live house tour for the members other than myself and Hashisako Suzu, and with members all around the same age, we have to move forward in the same direction as a new lineup, so it feels like we've gone back to basics. This tour began as an opportunity to focus on "how we present ourselves" in a live house, which has less production than a hall.
-What did you feel when you actually experienced the live house tour with the new lineup?
Ise-san , as well as the other members, can tell that each of them is thinking about how they want to present themselves to the fans. In some live houses, it's hard to see the audience in the back, so they think about how they can reach the back. We've all discussed how we should use our whole bodies. I personally think it would be ideal if the fans cheered and got excited so much that it was hard to tell which side was the stage, so I wanted the fans to grow in that sense as well. Now, I feel like I'm gradually getting closer to the tour I was aiming for.
--Up until now, you've done a lot of hall tours, so I imagine there are a lot of fans who are going to a live house for the first time. Is there a strong sense that the band members and fans are creating the live show together?
Ise: Most of the people said, "This is my first time at a live house." In regular large venues like halls, there are chairs, a large screen, and the advantage of being able to see the band members up close. However, because we've been doing it for so long, even though everyone still enjoys watching, I felt like we ourselves weren't able to really show the live feeling of "let's get the crowd excited." On this tour, we all worked hard and I think we've been able to put on a great show.
--For Nagano-san, this was your first tour as an Angerme member, a live house tour.
Nagano: A lot of people gather at a live house, and the atmosphere is so heated that I think, "It's so hot!" every time. Because it's a live house, you can see the fans' faces so well and you can directly feel that they're enjoying themselves. It's wonderful to feel the enthusiasm of the people watching. I also really felt how warmly everyone welcomed me. I think we'll do hall tours in the future, but I want to cherish the excitement I felt on this live house tour forever, and I don't think I'll forget it.
--I imagine it's been a difficult tour, but one that has also given you a lot to learn.
Ise: That's right. It's fun. This time, there aren't many set productions or anything, and we tried to eliminate scripts as much as possible, so the concept was to have the various members speak and perform what they really feel from the heart on the spot. The content and atmosphere of the live show is completely different depending on the day, and I think that's a really great thing about it. This time, we were really free, so sometimes we got scolded for our MCs being too long (laughs).
Changes since becoming leader
--Ise-san, you were appointed as the fourth leader of Angerme in June. It's been about six months since you became leader, have you noticed any changes within yourself?
Ise: I think the biggest change is that I've started thinking about the members every day. Before I became leader, to put it simply, there was a time when I thought, "I just need to do my best on my own." Especially when I was a teenager, I loved the group a lot, of course, but rather than thinking about the group, I was so busy thinking about myself that I didn't really think much about the other members. But now I think about the members every day, and I've started to think a lot about things like, "I wonder if this member is okay," "This girl would be even more amazing if she did this," and "How can I make everyone look better?" I realized I was thinking about it all the time, and I think that's a really good change within myself.
--If you think a member could do better, do you tell them directly?
Sometimes I tell Ise personally, and sometimes I discuss it with the manager. I've been in the group since the first leader, Wada Ayaka, and have seen many different members, and the fans change over time. With so many members graduating and joining, I feel it's very difficult to maintain the group's image. Now, the members have changed completely, and that's why there are so many opportunities. With that in mind, I want to keep thinking about what suits the current members and continue to evolve.
-What kind of leader do you aspire to be?
Ise: I think that all three of Angerme's leaders so far have been very different and wonderful. In my heart, I have always admired the first leader, Wada Ayaka. That may be because Wada was the first leader I met after joining. She has an all-encompassing kindness and a motherly strength, and my feelings about Wada haven't changed even now. I hope that I too can become a person with the kindness to embrace everyone.
Nagano and Ise-san were always encouraging us during tour rehearsals, saying things like, "Let's all get together and have lunch," or "Let's check this before the run-through," and they were always discussing the choreography with the teacher, so you could tell they were really thinking about it. They're kind, and they're always watching over us, and how should I put it... I think they shine.
Is that true , Ise-san ? (laughs) Thank you.
◇What we aim for in the future: The current appeal of Angerme
--Nagano-san, it's been almost four months since you joined the team. What are your goals for the future?
Nagano-san , since joining Angerme, I think that it's precisely because of this time that so many people are paying attention to me, but I don't want to end it there, I want to soak up, soak up, absorb and continue to grow on stage. Since joining Angerme, I've grown to love the group even more, so I want many people to get to know this group that I love, and to love them too.
--What is the appeal of Angerme right now?
Ise: From what I've seen of Angerme so far, I think their strength is that they have a genuine brightness. Up until now, Angerme has had an image of "cool femininity" and "independence," and they have a lot of songs that reflect that, but rather than focusing on that now, I want us to create something new and make that our strength. As we continue to work together, I hope we can become a group that suits strong songs. I hope that Angerme will continue to change and gain depth from the current strengths of their inherent brightness and colorfulness.
--Do you feel like now is a time for development?
Ise: That's right. Of course, there are fans who want strong songs, and of course I want to continue singing those songs, but someday I'd like those songs to suit the current members. The first tour I went on was titled "Rinne Tensei," and it was a tour that had the meaning of the times going around, and I really feel that now. I think "Rinne Tensei" was a perfected version of Angerme, so I think it would be great if we could create something like that again from here.
