イブニング息子● '22

I also had school, I didn’t know what it was that I should be concentrating on, it was very frantic.

My most prominent memory is that during the recording of “Are You Serious? Ska!” I couldn’t do the high notes, and it was very frustrating.

During the audition there was the test recording of “I Miss You Lonely Christmas” ( ℃-ute , 14th Single, 12/1/2010) which I sang, but for the first time I had to record the whole song for “Are You Serious? Ska!” I remember that I was extremely nervous.

For my first tour, although my heart was pounding, Takahashi-san, Niigaki-san and myself, we three performed “Moonlight Night ~It’s A Moonlit Night~” (Album “⑩ MY ME,” 3/17/2010).

The dance, like the song, was very intense, I even got told by the fans “Amazing,” which made me happy.

During this Spring tour my leg wasn’t doing well.

Part of the choreography was to do a head roll and follow the movement of our feet a little, but my leg hurt so I couldn’t do it.

It made me feel frustrated.

It was due to the pain in my leg that I had to take a break from the concert during the Summer of that year.

My first job as a personality on the radio program “RIHO-DELI” (FM FUJI) began in April of 2011.

At first, I was constantly nervous during the recording every single time.

I didn’t know what to talk about, and I wasn’t good at talking.

I was bewildered as to why the radio program was left to me.

I couldn’t talk as smoothly as I can now, I troubled my radio partner Deli-kun, I really get it!

Even so, since I kept at it, I got used to talking little by little.

And so, while the number of times I did it grew, during the free talk that opened the program, I started noticing that I was thinking, “Ah, I should think, myself, of what to talk about ahead of time.”

Things like happenings at school, or things that happened with Morning Musume., etc.

I would proactively offer up topics, and Deli-kun would also understand the easiest way to do it, and then it was like we were having a meeting before recording.

Though I did “RIHO-DELI” for close to 4 years, I only really noticed it was that long while in the 3rd year.

Super late of me (lol).

I am very grateful for Deli-kun who was able to follow me, who is bad at talking, as well as all of the staff members.

At the opening day of the “Hello! Project 2011 WINTER ~Fresh Welcome Festival~” concert (1 /2~1/23 2011)

Us four members of the 9th Generation were unveiled.

The generation included myself, Fuku-chan (Fukumura Mizuki), Eripon (Ikuta Erina), and Kanon-chan (Suzuki Kanon).

It was decided that “They’ll meet their seniors on stage for the first time,” so I didn’t get a chance to greet them in advance.

At the venue Nakano Sun Plaza, we all four stated our ambitions, I said “Sayashi Riho, 12 years old. From now on I want to eventually obtain the Leader position.” With that, I made my Leader Announcement.

That this new girl suddenly announced this at their very first meeting, I think that the current Leader Takahashi Ai-san, and Niigaki Risa-san, Michishige Sayumi-san, and Tanaka Reina-san were definitely surprised.

That was, actually, suggested to me by Tsunku♂-san.

I think it was like “What if you said this?”

Of course, what I said at that time was not a lie.

I really thought that I wanted to become the leader, so I announced it.

But, I said it well didn’t I.

“I want to be the leader” so soon after joining (lol).

After I decided to graduate, the other members constantly thrust that back at me.

(Satou) Masaki-chan was like “Yassan you liar!” (lol).

Right after I joined Morning Musume. …… everything was so scary.

I was always worried about my seniors, and even though they were kind to me, I couldn’t help but to feel afraid.

Especially since I was always making my Manager-san angry, I couldn’t not be scared. When I think back on it, I think that what I did to anger them really was very troublesome.

We 9th Gen, for our first year, just tried to do what we were told to the best of our ability.

All four of us were very well disciplined/trained (lol). 

But it was thanks to that that we were stable in some areas.

For about a month after I joined Morning Musume., I commuted from Hiroshima, but the February before I graduated from elementary school we moved to Tokyo.

After that, I was crying constantly every day for about a month.

Because I was lonely, and I was being scolded [her manager was angry at her].

In any case, I missed my home town.

During the time of the training camp, I didn’t get to dance a lot.

We each had 15~30 minute private lessons, that teacher Yamashiro (Youko) instructed, but I alone was done after only 5 minutes.

That is my boast (lol).

Although I had confidence in my dance, I didn’t have confidence that I would pass the audition.

Because I had failed so many times up until then.

Therefore the audition for “Fashionable” with Morning Musume., and passing it, I was nothing but surprised.

The acceptance announcement was on December 12th.

The Staff kindly came to my parent’s home in Hiroshima, and I heard the acceptance announcement directly.

I was very happy, and very thankful, but I thought “Wouldn’t it be bad to be seen joyous by the Staff? I mustn’t forget to remain calm.” And so when we spoke after hearing it I think I consciously had a serious and stiff expression (lol).

My mother’s tears flowed without her being able to hold them back.

When I decided to aim for the entertainment industry, my mother and father supported me from the beginning.

Of course, they support me now as well.

Even on their days off, my mother and father dropped me off and picked me up from the school every day, and always waited for me in the parking lot until night.

When I really think about it, I lived in a very blessed environment.

There were those that wanted to but couldn’t, those that had taken an audition previously and no passed, and those that their parents made them.

When I was taking audition, my father did a lot of searching for me.

In many ways my family truly lent me strength, and gave me the best support.

My father came to many auditions with me, which was very reassuring.

Furthermore my little brother and sister didn’t really come to grips with my activities in Morning Musume.

But when their friends at school would talk about me, they [siblings] gladly told me.

After the play,“Morning Musume 9th Gen Member Audition (8/8/2010),” an audition started for the first time in 4 years.

At the time I thought “The only thing that I can do is dance!”

Fortunately I had lessons at the School, and I had a little confidence in my sense of pitch, but singing alone was still filled with lots of anxiety.

The audition and the training camp were to be broadcast on “Beauty Study” (TV Tokyo).

The Staff passed out lyrics and said “You’ll sing this song,” and we had to learn it in one day, because it was expected to be broadcast on TV the next day.

But, those of us who had taken the 9th Gen audition, whether we were in the Audition Venue or the training camp, no one had memorized the lyrics.

The camera rotated [who it was focused on], but from the middle of the song on there was only “Laa la laa~ ♪.”

In the end, that portion was cut from “Beauty Study” (lol).

Although I thought it looked like it would be difficult to broadcast the training camp, it was hard on the Teachers, too.

After completing the audition, that first meeting with Teacher Maron was the scariest.

I would think “She’s the person I angered that time……”

But the truth is she wasn’t scary at all.

In January of 2010, the “JC&JK Junior High School Girl Actress Audition” was announced (1/14/2010).

Those that passed got to perform with Morning Musume. in the “Fashionable” (6/11~6/27 2010) stage play.

My father found that for me.

Up until then there hadn’t been an audition for Morning Musume. itself, and there was an age limit, so I wasn’t looking for the information myself, and my dad said “Here, this is Morning Musume., isn’t it” and entered me on his own.

When the information about the 2nd round of judging came, that was the first time that I learned that I had been entered.

In the information, it was written that I had to come to Tokyo to act.

Even in Actor’s, though I had had acting lessons, because we had to think about our own scripts to act out, I didn’t really improve.

I wanted to dance and sing!

Even so, when I thought of “Acting!?” at first I was very reluctant (lol).

But besides the acting we also had to be judged on singing, so when I was told “Try and sing something,” it made me a little happy.

After I passed the “Fashionable” audition, we went to Nakano Sun Plaza to see Morning Musume.’s “2010 Spring ~PikaPika!~” tour (3/19~5/5 2010).

So that I could extend my greetings.

While I was waiting in the Nakano Sun Plaza’s Staff’s waiting room, Takahashi Ai had errands to do before the performance, and she arrived.

That was the first time I saw Morning Musume. live.

The impressions I had of my admired Takahashi were “She’s too perfect, this person” and “Aahh, a performer!”

That was my first impression of Morning Musume.

After that, I exchanged greetings with all of the members.

Because I’m shy, even during the rehearsals and performances of “Fashionable” I didn’t talk to the members much at all.

Even when all the other fans that were there were in a frolic “I want your autograph!” or “I want to take a photo with you!”

I didn’t say anything, so my image may have been not so good.

At that time, the theme song for the play was “Seishun Collection” (43rd Single, 6/9/2010).

The me of that time had looked at that music video several times, and I had the dance memorized.

When I danced it alone backstage, Kamei Eri told me “That’s amazing” and rubbed my head, it made me really happy.

I came to love Morning Musume. even more.

Me:

Every two years, there’s an audition called “P Plan Audition” that looks for dancing and singing.

I learned the required song, and though I had thought of a 1-minute long dance myself, in the required song, what do you know, Morning Musume.’s “THE Manpower!!!” (25th Single, 01/19/2005) was part of it, and of course I sang it.

The teachers would then judge it, and if you were chosen for the team then you passed.

When told “You all sing this song in this team” it was an announcement of having passed, but since it was an audition that accepted a lot of people, when I passed and was chosen for a team the first time I took the audition, it became a memory for me.

Though I was chosen to be a member in that audition’s unit, I didn’t have any power to my voice, so I wasn’t often chosen for solos.

In my 4th year, though it was only for around 30 minutes, I increased the amount of private voice lessons I was taking.

Rather than just solely being my own opinion to do so, the others around me were doing it, and my mother told me “It’d be best if you did it as well.”

After I started the private lessons, I later become able to be chosen for solos.

I was conscious of the entertainment world from the start.

Though I was in Actors’, I sometimes had jobs to do, and so, being told "You and you, go audition”, I also went to many various auditions.

Though I was always able to make it to the 3rd round of judging, in the long run, I’d end up being dropped, and it continued as such for a long time.

Actually, I even went to Tokyo on an airplane to go to an audition.

While going to auditions in this way, the first time I ever stood on a stage other than the Actors’ stage was when I was cast in the play “Fashionable” during my 6th year of elementary school.

Because I had passed that audition, the others from my hometown proactively went to Tokyo to audition as well.

Although I wanted to do dance at Actor’s, when I joined Elementary School I also had singing lessons.

It was a feeling of “I have to sing, too.”

Those that were enrolled at Actor’s were divided into classes A ~ C, by age.

For many years since I joined, I was in the usual class and also in the Actors’ dance team, and though I had different kinds of lessons, it all boiled down to being that you must be able to both sing and dance.

But even so in the beginning, I didn’t have much of an interest in singing.

Since I joined the school, I thought “Dance! Dance!” so it felt like singing was secondary.

But, though in the middle I questioned if my lessons had worth to them, I was able to be chosen to be a singing member.

I wasn’t good at high notes – well, I’m still not good at high notes, but I had a little bit of confidence in my sense of pitch, so I was always relied on for the low harmonies.

My singing teacher even called me “The low harmonies woman.” (lol)

This is a little bit off topic, but from the time I was 5 years old until I was 10, I learned the piano.

Even though I took it for 5 years, because I was so engrossed in dance I can’t anymore, and I can’t play anything except “The Flea Waltz.”

Rather than sitting still when practicing, I liked moving my body to practice more.

But I did manage to develop a bit of a good ear for pitch.

Also, before I entered the School, my family would often ride on a boat and go to Miyajima to play.

But once I started the School we only went on small trips during Summer or Winter break.

Since I joined Morning Musume., they always go on trips without me. (lol)