Zono Mio RealSound Interview 25 Feb 24

https://realsound.jp/2024/02/post-1578783.html (Please check the pictures they are amazing)

QCed by @keishizaka, @CirrusLime

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── From last year’s 3rd YEAR ANNIVERSARY LIVE and the 3rd generation’s Shinzanmono to this year’s 7th Single BACKS LIVE!! and Kobayashi Yui Graduation Concert, your energetic concerts have continued one after the other. Along with your performance at Kohaku, I think that the image of “Sakurazaka46 =  A group with strong live performances” is starting to be established. With that in mind, I’d like to ask you two what you think is the charm and weapon of Sakurazaka46’s live performances?

Ozono: I think that when it comes to idol concerts, the set image is that the idols would go to where the fans are sitting and do all sorts of interactions with them such as locking eyes, but as for Sakurazaka46’s live performances, there is an atmosphere that is unique to Sakurazaka46, and it feels like we are inviting people to step into that world. Of course, there is time for us to interact during encore or MC sessions, but more than that we place more importance on what kind of world we can show to those who come to the concert venue, and how much we can give them an experience that is far removed from their daily lives. The more unique that world is, the more people will want to go to a Sakurazaka46 concert again, and the more they will want to do their best in their daily lives until then to go back to that world. So, I think it is our weapon to create a worldview, or rather, to how we could become an inhabitant of that world, from rehearsals to the end of the concert.

── At “Kobayashi Yui Graduation Concert” the other day, I felt a story-like progression that made it feel like I was watching a movie

Ozono: I’m glad to hear that. I think the addition of the video production made the story-like aspect stronger

── The video production made me feel the various meanings of the connection between the songs, and I thought that such an immersive live performance was a great weapon for Sakurazaka46

Ozono: That’s exactly how we feel when we perform live, so I’m glad it’s being understood.

── As for Matono-san, did you feel any difference from when you used to be a fan of the group, now that you have become one of the members creating these live performances?

Matono: I have always liked idols, but I feel that even among them there’s something different about Sakurazaka46’s and Keyakizaka46’s live performances. That special feeling overlaps with the kind of atmosphere and worldview that I like, so I always feel excited both as someone watching the concert and as the performer. Also, when I learned that this is the process of how the concerts I watched as a fan were created, it made me like them even more.

── To tell you the truth, Matono-san, you really caught my eye during “BACKS LIVE!!”

Matono:  For real? I’m glad to hear that!

── As the center of “Hanshin Hangi”, you performed with such a mature expression that it was hard to believe that you are one of the youngest members. You were also selected to be the center of several songs in last year’s “Shinzanmono”, so I wonder if that experience has given you confidence?

Matono:  Right. It’s true that I had more opportunities to be positioned in the front with “BACKS LIVE!!” and “Shinzanmono”. Until then I had no idea what my limits were, but by being able to experience a lot of things, I feel that I’ve been able to break out of my shell. I have not done anything special like polishing my dance skills and such, but recently there have been more fans saying how my performances have gotten a lot better, and I think that it’s thanks to the confidence I gained from all my experiences.

Ozono: I also think that there’s something about Matono’s way of dancing and expressing herself that attracts the eye, so much so I have told her that myself before. It’s truly wonderful that you’d be drawn to her no matter where she is positioned on the stage. For example, even when it comes to just smiling during fun songs, I think that the number of different kinds of smiles increases because of her

Matono: I’m really happy to hear Ozono-san say so!

Ozono: Fufufu (laughs). When I see her performing with such fun, that’s the vibe she’s giving me as well. I am sure that her own sensitivity to it has deepened as she has gained more experience

Matono:  Thank you very much!

── And it's not just Matono-san, you also have a unique aura on stage, Ozono-san, and often draw the attention of the audience. Is that something you are aware of, from the facial expressions displayed on the screen to the movements when you look at the whole performance from a wider view?

Ozono: That’s right. The larger the venue, the more there will be those who enjoy the performance through the screen, so I try to be conscious of the camera in advance. A concert is something that happens in real time, so some things can change during the performance., but even then I try to keep it all in mind. In particular, recently we’ve been having more 360-degree performances that use the center stage, so I try to be conscious of how I look from behind to make my performance enjoyable from every angle

── This January marks the first year since Matono-san and the other 3rd gen members joined the group. It must have been a year full of firsts for you, but since last autumn it’s been particularly rough, hasn’t it?

Matono:  It was (laughs).

Ozono: You really ran through it, didn’t you?

Matono:  Looking back on it now, of course there were hard times, but I think I enjoyed all of it. In fact, during the period after autumn, I grew more confident and self-aware in being a member of Sakurazaka46. In particular, "Shinzanmono" was the first concert where I participated in every song, and I learned a lot from performing all 10 shows. The size of the venue wasn’t an environment often seen at Sakurazaka46 concerts, so perhaps it was because I was exposed to such an environment that I’ve been told things such as “3rd gen sure have improved” or “You have changed” from the fans and the staff around me.

── Speaking of which, I interviewed your fellow 3rd gen members, Taniguchi Airi-san and Yamashita Shizuki-san, for a magazine [BRODY April 2024] the other day, and it seems that when “Shinzanmono” was decided, all 3rd gen members gathered for a meeting.

Matono:  Yes, that’s right. The eleven 3rd generation members have been working together for all this time, but after the announcement of the senbatsu for the 7th single ("Shoninyokkyu"), some of us ended up getting split up from the rest due to having different schedules. When that happened, it felt like our hearts were sometimes divided as well. At first, everyone was like “Eh? Is this really okay? Can we do it right?”, and we all felt uneasy. And so at that point, the members reached out to each other and we got together to discuss. We knew that in order to make a good live performance, we had to unite our hearts and make sure that all eleven of us were facing the same direction, so we let out all of our thoughts. Thanks to that, I think the bond between us has deepened from rehearsals to the actual performance of “Shinzanmono”, and we were able to unite our hearts as one again.

── You all grew so much that it was difficult to believe that you were all just newcomers. I can’t believe it’s only been a year since you all joined.

Matono:  We were able to see different things every day, so a year passed in the blink of an eye as we spent our time with new feelings (laughs). In this one year alone, I have been able to do many things that I wanted to do after joining the group, and I feel like I’m able to be in an environment that I’m truly grateful for.

── And I’m sure Ozono-san has received encouragement from the 3rd gen members that is different from the seniors and her genmates.

Ozono: The energy that comes from doing things for the first time is amazing, isn't it? As they get used to it, they will have to calculate and pace themselves more and more, and I think that is also a skill, but we have learned a lot from seeing the 3rd gen’s attitude of giving it their all in everything they do and the way they give it their all every time. I often feel that we should just go for something without worrying about the skills we have acquired and without thinking too much.

── From here I would like to ask about “Ikutsu no Koro ni Modoritai no ka?”, your first single in 2024. When I asked Ozono-san in a different magazine [Nikkei Entertainment March 2024], you said that the title song was  the kind of song that you like”, but what exactly do you like about it?

Ozono: Firstly, I like songs with an energetic melody. The lyrics feel true to life too, and I feel that every person can surely find a phrase that makes them go, “That might be about me”

── When Matono-san listened to the song, what did she think of the lyrics or the vibe of it?

Matono:  When I first listened to it, I was surprised to find that it was like a genre of music that I had never heard before in idol songs. But I love its strong rhythm, and I think it is the kind of song that brings out energy from within when you dance or sing along to it. The lyrics also resonate with a wide range of people, from teenagers like me to the older generations, and it has a vibe that we didn’t have before among Sakurazaka 46 songs. So I’ve been thinking “I want to perform it soon”.

── It has a bit of a cold feeling to it, but you can feel the heat here and there, and while the lyrics are modern, it certainly resonates with people of my generation. The center of this song is Yamasaki Ten-san. For Matono-san, as her junior, how do you see Yamasaki-san who stands at the center?

Matono:  Ten-san was very cool! When we were filming the MV, I kept watching her through the monitor or camera, but she was so picturesque at any moment she was filmed When Ten-san stands at the center, she has this amazing presence, but at the same time she draws out the members around her, and it’s really wonderful how you could tell she has this enthusiasm like “Let’s have fun together!”. Being able to dance while watching Ten-san’s back made me very happy.

── How does Ozono-san see Yamasaki-san this time around?

Ozono: Just like Matono said. Rather than “Let us all support the center”, it felt more like Ten-chan was giving power to the other members. Of course it’s true for performances, but even when we’re together normally, there are many times when Ten-chan’s actions make everyone smile. I think she has that kind of energetic presence.

── Yamasaki-san’s role in the MV is also someone like that, isn’t it?

Ozono: That’s right. For this MV, the story is that there is some sort of class difference between the members who act as waitresses and members who are sitting as customers, and then Ten-chan brings them all together through dancing. I thought the role was a perfect fit for Ten-chan because it’s the same role shen usually hasin the group

── The MV director is Kato Hidejin, who also previously worked on “Start over!” and “Shoninyokkyu”. I heard that for those past works, he gave each member a setting and advice, but did he do it again this time?

Ozono: Yes, I was a little shaken when we were first told that the roles in the MV would be divided by the rows of the formation since it was our first time to experience such a thing in a MV. Everyone in the 3rd row wore waitress costumes, while every member of the 1st and 2nd row wore a unique costume, so we were visually differentiated by the costumes, and even then our choreography was also different. We were aware of these differences as we were filming, but when we watched the finished video, we could see that as the song progressed, we blended more and more with each other. With Ten-chan’s power, our facial expressions changed to look like we were having fun, and when the drone camera showed the entire scene from above during the last chorus, I could feel the tremendous energy from the dance circle and the anxiety I had before filming sublimated into the completed MV. By intentionally differentiating everyone, the blending was emphasized even more, and I was especially impressed by the smiles on everyone's faces towards the end of the video. I was personally surprised to see so many happy expressions and smiling faces in the MV, which was surprising considering the tone of the song.

── Upon hearing that, I could understand  the story more deeply. Once again, I’d like to point out how you entered your first senbatsu with this single, Matono-san. I wonder if you feel some tension emotionally as well?

Matono:  It is a very strange feeling to think that I am joining the line-up of members who perform the title song, but working together with the seniors after all has a different atmosphere than when I work only with the 3rd gen members. When I’m filming with just the 3rd gen members, we would say to each other "Let's all do our best!” and there’s this feeling of closely working together. But this time, in any case I try to watch and learn a lot from the seniors, and my feeling of "I must catch up with them as soon as possible!” grew even stronger.

── Aside from this song, this single is rich with other unique songs. The dance heavy song “Abura wo Sase!” from the BACKS members has a very cool MV as well

Ozono: Takemoto (Yui) is the center of the song, and I really like the worldview of the MV set in a theater. The members who wore black costumes and the members on stage who wore dresses had different expressions. The scene where they danced together in pairs was particularly memorable, it’s too easy to call it “beautiful”, but I think that it’s a wonderful work where you can clearly see the two sides of it.

──一 On the other hand, 3rd gen’s song “Nando LOVE SONG” in an upbeat song with a dramatic intro that leaves a strong impression.

Matono:  Murayama Miu acts as the center of this song. Just like the title, the lyrics make it easy for you to imagine specific moments. This time for the MV, rather than dancing with all of our might, there are many scenes where we made use of school items such as desks, so I think you’ll be able to enjoy a new atmosphere of 3rd gen that is different from “Mamoribito” and “Seijaku no Boryoku”.

── You will be going on a 4-city arena tour from the 2nd of March.You had a fulfilling 2023 with your return to "Kouhaku" and overseas activities. What do you want this year to be like while riding that momentum?

Matono: Last year I was given many opportunities to grow, and with the support of my seniors and the people around me, I think I was able to contribute a little to Sakurazaka46's activities. That is why I think this will be a year in which we, the 3rd gen members, will have to think about how to make the group stronger. Recently we have had a number of senior members graduate, so I hope that we can quickly become a presence that makes people say, "Things should be okay with the 3rd gen members" and do something that will make even more people like Sakurazaka46.

Ozono: As for me… it’s a little vague, but I want to "get involved". If I were to compare it to running, I would say that last year felt like the  moment following a starting dash, because the Buddies pushed us forward. This has given us more opportunities to hear from various people that "the group is gaining momentum," so from here on out, rather than wanting people to see us more, I want to get the people around us more and more involved and become one with us. That's how much we want to share so many things with everyone.

── Just like the MV of “Ikutsu no Koro ni Modoritai no ka?”

Ozono: That’s right. So for this year, I would like us to try many things that will reach people who don’t know about us, and I hope that by involving many different people, we can create a big circle.