Suzumoto Miyu: the girl who has gotten used to idoling and Tokyo seeks new assets and renounces her chestnut oshi status.(Nikkei Entertainment Ā Idol Special 2016 translation)
On the day Keyakizaka46 debuted she stood up front and, again, when Keyakizaka46ās single Silent Majority was announced she was chosen for first row in senbatsu. Even though she was put in a difficult position, she never lost heart. Why is she so optimistic? Ā In order to discover the secret to her optimism, weāll trace her roots.
When I was a child I was always spirited, happy, loud, and loved sports. I was a very lively child. When I was in middle school I joined the soft tennis club and I became really engrossed in it. I felt like I just went straight there and spent all my time on my club life.
I became interested in entertainment around my second year of middle school. Iām from Aichi prefecture and SKE48 had auditions in Nagoya. I went as far as filling out the application form but, when the audition day came, because my house was too far from Nagoya city center, my mother told me I couldnāt go, so no one ended up taking me to audition. But, ever since then, I had been thinking that I want to be an entertainer.
I loved idols like AKB48ās Maeda Atsuko, but I admired idols rather than wanting to be one, and so I felt like I just simply wanted to watch them. Rather than an idol, I wanted to try to be a model or an actor, but Iām short so I thought becoming a model would be difficult.
Then my friend told me about the Keyakizaka46 audition, and we tried out together. Until then I had tried to do a lot of things, but I would quit them all half way through. On top of that, I also tended to give up on studying halfway through. I hated that person. As the audition went on, I thought joining the group would be a good chance to put all my strength into something and devote myself to one thing. I totally remember the time my name was called at the final judging. Everyone changed into their school uniforms and lined up on the stage, and they called out the names of the girls who passed the audition really quickly, and my heart wouldnāt stop racing. I was amazingly nervous. I had never experienced such a strange feeling like that until that moment.
After you passed the audition and started your life as part of Keyakizaka46 in Tokyo, on Keyakitte, Kakenai? They established your image as the girl who loves chestnuts. Ā Youāre in the middle of solidifying that characterā¦
Honestly, I had always wanted to move to Tokyo. After I graduated from high school I was considering going to a specialty school in Tokyo. I had gotten used to going to Tokyo, so when I passed the audition I was really happy. I was only choosing to go to that school because I wanted to move to Tokyo, it wasnāt something I really wanted to do. At that time I still didnāt really know what I truly wanted to do, and it was like I was just drifting around. So Iām really glad I passed the audition when I did.
In these 10 months Iāve been able to do so many things. At the handshake event in April at Makuhari Messe, I said to myself āAh, Iām an idol!ā It reconfirmed to myself that Iām an idol (laughs).
At the first stage performance I had the experience of dancing on stage, but I hadnāt experienced anything like the handshake event before, so it was a really fresh experience for me. People were lining up just to see me, and then theyād leave the handshake with a smile on their faces. That made me so happy and thankful. I performed in front of 10,000 people at the mini live, but I had never before experienced such a scene before my eyes. It was amazing.
When the members and I first heard Silent Majority we thought it really suited us, because from the time we entered, we all said, āWeāre different from Nogizaka46, arenāt we?ā Weāre not Nogizaka-ish at all, huh?ā (laughs). Our atmosphere is completely different, and we all thought a cool song like that would suit us.
When we debuted our song in April, my relatives all congratulated me, saying our song is āamazing!ā I myself donāt think that anything has particularly changed, but when I return home and I go to an acquaintances store, they bring out their cameras and go ācan we take a picture?ā When my mom sees that happen, she says to me āMiyu makes everyone happy!ā and Iāll think to myself āan idolās job is to make people happy and smiling. Itās a really lovely thing.ā
Iām having more chances to perform on a bigger stage, but backstage Iām extremely nervous. However, every time I step on the stage Iām fine (laughs). Ā Itās not as difficult as I had imagined it to be, though I certainly wonder what difficulties will come next. Ā Iām the type who thinks positively and looks forward to the future rather than letting myself become depressed about whatās happening currently. Ā
Right now, Iām allowed to stand in the front, but I donāt know whatsoever what will happen from here. Probably a lot of things. My goal from here on is to become an indispensable member of Keyakizaka. Personally, like Nogizaka46, I donāt want to be limited to only being an idol. I want to challenge myself to act, model, and try out different roles. These are things I feel will make me become important to Keyakizaka.
Are there things that you feel make you an important asset to the group?
I really love dancing, and I dance with the feeling that my dancing is second to none. Honestly, I havenāt talked about chestnuts very much lately! Whenever I look at old pictures, thereās always one in my hand without fail; it seems Iāve loved them ever since I could remember. But because Iāve oshied my love of chestnuts too much, I feel that people donāt remember my name. So I shall store them away for a little while (laughs). [translatorās note: sheās storing them away like a squirrel because theyāre nuts!]
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