Continuing from Interview (1) Hello! Project (Hello! Pro) idol group Tsubaki Factory's 14th single, "FireWorks/Mappira Datteba!", will be released on June 3rd. It is a double A-side single, and both songs are said to be ambitious works that challenge the group in terms of expression. We asked sub-leader Mizuho Ono, Runo Yofu, and the youngest member Itsuki Nishimura about the appeal of the new single and their future "ambitions".
◇A new door opened for Hinataz with their new single: The incredible power of their seniors' "engine"
--The songs "FireWorks" and "Mappira Datteba!" included on your latest single have already been performed at live shows and other events. What new charms of the members did you notice during the recording and performance of the new songs?
Ono-san said, "No way!" and I felt that it opened a new door for the three members who joined in 2024: Ishii Izumi, Murata Yui, and Doi Fuuka.
--Ishii and the other two (nicknamed "Hinazu") are younger members who are one year ahead of Nishimura.
Before Ono-san , whenever I watched their new music video, I often reacted to the three of them by saying, "They're so fresh and cute!" But this time, I saw a lot of sharp expressions, their dancing has become more mature, and their singing voices are stronger than before, so even though we've been together all this time, I realized how much they've grown without me noticing. It was a song that made me realize that all over again, and I was happy about that.
Yufu-san, I was also surprised by the incredible growth of the three of them, and I felt like it was like an engine built up by all the hard work of their seniors. I think that kind of thing really comes out when they perform flashy songs like this. I think there are certain rhythms and vocal techniques that you can only acquire through a lot of practice, so I thought it was amazing that they could do that from the start.
-- Nishimura-san, have you ever felt how amazing your seniors were?
Nishimura-san, when I decided to join Tsubaki Factory, I thought, "I have to study this," so I watched a lot of live performance videos and studied them a lot, but even then, I was so happy to discover the amazingness of my seniors in ways I had never seen before. Recently, during the spring tour, I felt like Yofu-san had added some arrangement to the unison part of "Mappira Datteba!"
Isn't that Yufu-san ?
Nishimura-san said yes. I thought it was cool. His voice is so beautiful and can be heard so clearly because he's wearing in-ear monitors during the live performance, it's a treat for the ears.
◇What makes Tsubaki Factory unique? And what are their ambitions?
--Tsubaki Factory has announced that Mao Akiyama will be graduating from the group during this year's autumn tour, and next year will mark the 10th anniversary of their major debut. With various idol groups out there, including Hello! Project, what kind of group do you aspire to be?
What I want to improve about myself is my sensitivity. I've been feeling that especially lately. Tsubaki Factory has a lot of songs that sing about the painful feelings of girls whose love isn't reciprocated, songs that people can relate to, and that's precisely why I think our sensitivity stands out, and when I see everyone else refining that aspect of themselves, I think, "I can't be left behind." I want to make it an even bigger weapon for Tsubaki Factory. We have a lot of girls who perform in a way that allows people to feel what they have hidden inside, not only in their singing but also in their expressions, so I think that's one of our charms.
As Yofu-san and Ono-san also mentioned, it's about expressiveness. I think all the members of Tsubaki Factory have a way of expressing themselves that allows listeners to feel a story when they hear the song. We often sing songs about "the second girl" or girls who are a little unlucky, and those kinds of girls have a lot of worries and think things through a lot, don't they? But idols are supposed to be in the business of making people smile, so they shouldn't really sing songs about those kinds of worries.
Mr. Ono, that might be true.
Because of Yofu-san , I think Tsubaki Factory is a pretty unconventional idol group. I think that's probably what makes Tsubaki Factory unique, so I want to hone the delicate aspects of our singing, and on top of that, I want us to sing a lot of really cool songs and become a group that can broaden its range of expression.
Nishimura-san, I haven't even been in Tsubaki Factory for a year yet, but I've been able to rediscover the charms of each and every one of you, which I didn't know before joining. I want people all over the world to know how amazing each of you are, so I want to do more and more overseas performances, and I want to stand on stages that we've never been on before, as a group of 11.
-- Is there a specific stage you'd like to stand on?
Ono-san, I'd love to perform at the Nippon Budokan with a full band. I think that would be incredibly cool.
Yufu-san, I'd like to add to that and perform at Yokohama Arena with a full band!
Since around the time of Ono-san's 6th anniversary of her major debut, we've been doing live shows with a band, and the band members have been the same all this time, so I think there are things that can only be shown at a Tsubaki Factory band live show. I've fantasized about how cool it would be if we could do that at the Budokan, a sacred place for bands. It's an ambition.
I think that because Yofu-san's band live performances pick up on each and every note, it's easier to convey the worldview of Tsubaki Factory. I think band live performances are the best way to convey the quality of Tsubaki's music.
Ono-san , we've also talked about our dream of performing in a bigger arena with all 11 of us members. We'll do our best to make that dream come true.
(Shiroinu/MANTANWEB)
