<<K-POP>> Vol.150 LSF Mrs. Ishikawa Izumi, Performance ~ZB1 Matthew, The Road to K-POP~

<<K-POP>> Vol.150 LSF Mrs. Ishikawa Izumi, Performance ~ZB1 Matthew, The Road to K-POP~
originally posted May 31st, 2023, at 5:10 AM JST, at  https://ameblo.jp/pluspoire/entry-12804776060.html

 FM-HI! On the Away segment, the program that conveys the theme of having a loving personality.

5/31/2023 – On Air
6/3/2023 – 2:30 PM~rebroadcast

Takada Rika’s <<MUSIC Program>>
The entertainment school in Shizuoka,
“Little Step Factory (henceforth LSF)”

Let’s greet LSF’s president and lecturer, Mrs. Ishikawa Izumi.

We’ll have a discussion. Welcome.

Takada Rika: Since 2023 began, what sort of activities have you been involved in?
Ishikawa Izumi: Since Covid has been winding down, we started ending up at events in various places. In March, at “Oden Matsuri”, about 50 of LSF’s trainees did K-POP performances.
>>TR: I went to see that! In the torrential downpour, they were taking turns on a little stage… there were a lot of attendees, so I was unfortunately unable to see it. (sweats)
>>II: Right, during that short 30 minutes, the trainees gave it their all, and although people went to see them, there were a lot of attendees who couldn’t see anything, so I apologize for that.
In May, we participated in the “East Asia Cultural Exchange Fair”. Almost 60 trainees stood on the large stage at GRANSHIP’s Great Hall. Since we hadn’t been to that event in a while, and the trainees had given their all practicing for it, it ended up being a lot of fun.
>>TR: I had also wanted to go to this event, but my bias was going to be in Yokohama then, so…(laughs)
>>II: I understand, there’s no way you could have missed your bias (laughs)
>>TR: What is regular training like?
>>II: Regular training is very important, so until summer, they want to take it easy and just focus on improving their skills. Since there are fewer things like contests and auditions after that time, the trainees practice diligently day after day until late at night.
>>TR: They’ve also been able to go overseas, right?
>>II: They’re guaranteed to go to Korea once a month. Often, there are cases where they’ll go 2 or 3 times in a month. Because once the trainees have made it to Korea, their opportunities will increase. Even those at major K-Pop agencies in Korea will ask me to come visit, so I go to visit them.
>>TR: Hearing “come visit” from a major agency, that must’ve been amazing~!!
>>II: You’ve got that right. Even though they give me a guest pass when I arrive at the agency,  I give practical advice about my perspective on the future of the K-Pop,  how to raise the trainees, and what sort of relationship to have with them. They let me in to the employees only cafe. The employees only cafe didn’t feel too over the top in terms of the menu, and moreover, the employee discount prices were low cost. I wanted to tell everyone to come check out this really incredible place, but… since I can’t, it sounds like I’m bragging about it, sorry. (laughs) (sweat drops)
>>TR: Today, I’d like to ask some prying questions, but since there’s a lot of questions you might not be allowed to answer, you can answer with the O or X cards. When you want to say “I can’t talk about this!” answer with the X card.  I’m ready to accept that answer (laughs). So first, I’m interested… At those agencies, did you meet idol groups?? I mean to say, of course… but what mean is, for example, maybe you were together in the elevator or something like that.
>>II: Ah,,, Well, went I went to the JYP HQ, StrayKids’s,,, it was one of the members. After that, we were at the cafe at the same time, having tea and the likes.
>>TR: Mrs. Izumi, did you think something like “Wow~ That kid ♡” when that happened??
>>II: Actually, since it’s been a while… I don’t remember very well. Of course, I had seen the MV and knew the music, but since I didn’t know the details about each of the members individually, I was learning details about the agency as a whole and thinking “Ah~, is that what it’s like?”, so I really don’t know.
>>TR: It was too much, huh~ (laughs) but, it makes sense, lately there are more and more new groups debuting, and I can’t even read their names (laughs)
It’s hard to remember their names and faces very well. (sweat drops)
You obviously didn’t go just to see the agencies, so do you have any must see places in Seoul or food recommendations?
>>II: I love to eat, I make sure to go eat at the seafood champon place. It’s super good. After midnight, the Dongdaemun District becomes a fashion market, but in this one building there’s a Chinese restaurant.  It’s Korean people’s version of Chinese food, there, the dishes like zha jiang mian are a Korean style blend.
>>TR: What’s that place called?
>>II: I don’t actually know (laughs) I don’t take notice of a lot, I think “This place looks like this”. I think it’s on the 9th floor of the building?
>>TR: The 9th floor of the Dongdaemun District’s fashion building that opens at midnight, I’ll to find it just going off of that (laughs).
>>II: There’s a row of stalls just diagonally across from that building, and they have a homemade sausage stall there, where after you order, they grill and cut and put special sauce on it, then you eat it, it’s also a specialty! I don’t know that place’s name either, but (laughs) you have to try it.
I also recommend the cafe in the wholesale fashion building. The people working stock go there, it’s a cheap, hidden gem of a place.
>>TR: I’d go to a cafe like that too (laughs)

※Additionally, for BGM, the music from groups where trainees Mrs. Izumi was very close with debuted is used.
＆TEAM’s FUMA, NATURE’s HARU, ZEROBASE1’s MATTHEW, MAISON B’s LYU

(3 song links/ scent of you - &team, buzz love - &team, you right - nature)

>>TR: There have been a lot of public auditions lately, right?
>>II: That’s right. A lot of trainees I know are appearing. Even on “Boys Planet”.
>>TR: Wait, what!? I’ve been anticipating that. There were even some on Boys Planet?
>>II: The Japanese trainee Haru. He’s a boy from Osaka, he took the Korea International School of K-Pop course. He came many times as a guest instructor of dance. He’s a very skilled dancer with a very stylish cuteness.
>>TR: It’s unfortunate he didn’t make it to the debut group this time. No Japanese trainees made it at all. Only Keita remained until the final round, and although I cheered for him… it didn’t work out.
>>II: Right. But there’s still a trainee I personally helped that did… 3rd place, Matthew.
>>TR: W- What!? Matthew was my bias. Taerae and Matthew are my biases.
>>II: Matthew was… I think that I’m really not supposed to say this,
>>TR: If you can’t say it, please put up the X card!!
>>II: Really, but maybe, it’s okay, I don’t think it will be a problem.  Actually, the person who got Matthew interested in the world of K-Pop… was probably me.
>>TR: W-what does that mean!? Everyone, just a minute, I gotta calm down, and get this straight (sweat drops) ← Absolutely hasn’t calmed down LOL
Matthew, who went through the “Boys Planet” audition program, joined the debut group in 3rd place, and is set to debut this summer. It could be the member of ZEROBASEONE, the major rookie group, globally anticipated even before debut. That Matthew, who had the door of K-Pop opened up for him and got the opportunity to take his first step down that that long road in ZB1, had the door opened by Mrs. Izumi!?? But Matthew is from Canada. How? What happened??
>>II: Actually, my daughter studied abroad in Canada during middle school and high school.  I went to visit her on a regular basis, so naturally for spring break, I also brought my own students along to Canada for training, and we had lessons at The Dance Centre in Vancouver. On those occasions when I went to Canada, a major agency had also asked me “If there are any good kids, introduce us”, and while I thought it would be fairly difficult… Matthew had really caught my eye.
At that time, he was probably about 16 years old. He had only just started dancing, but his nuance (aesthetic sense for dancing) was super good. He was self taught, but his dancing was cute and stylish. That being said, I was thinking “He’ll need a good voice”. We weren’t acquainted, but because I was really invested in what I should do, and if his voice wasn’t good, I’d regret it, I asked my daughter to get him to sing.
Back then, Matthew didn’t really know K-Pop… he had heard of BTS but didn’t know much about them… he had only begun thinking of trying dance because his older sister was dancing, or at least that was the impression I got. Perhaps if he liked, he could try a K-Pop audition or challenge? Yet, it would be impossible with the way things are now, so he would have to train to get accepted for a K-Pop audition. A few days after I told him that, he contacted me saying “I’m kinda interested”, so we ended up chatting after that, and my daughter Runon taught him dance.
Because I worked with the feeling that I absolutely had to show the world Matthew’s vibrant aura, I wanted to somehow bring him to the world of K-Pop. But after that, my intention to have him as an LSF trainee looked like it would become a problem. Then it was no longer under my control, even as he was going to various agencies, I guess was I always worried. Then, because I supported him, while I was watching Boys Planet at home, when he was chosen for debut, my daughter and I hugged each other and cried.
>>TR: When Matthew was TOP 2 with his best friend Hanbin, what an amazing moment it was, I was very moved~!
Still, from there, his rank went up and down a lot, so he must have been very glad when he was chosen for debut in 3rd place during the final.
>>II: Of course, you can tell from his smile. He also smiled like that for me. The first time I saw it, that indescribable smile, here (an image on her phone [T/N: This image unfortunately isn't in the article, it's only spoken of]) is a picture I took at that time. I have a lot of photos from that time that are near and dear to me.
>>TR: Wow~, since we aren’t showing these to the world, please show me after this (laughs)
Although you’ve been watching him since he was 16, I only watched the show. Despite that, when I see Matthew’s smile, it’s like I’m somehow filled with this happy feeling? It’s like, when he smiles, somehow I’m also smiling?? (laughs) It’s seriously that kind of smile.
>>II: It’s really like that. Matthew’s smile shines without any worries, it’s really a wonderful smile. About 2 years after the first meeting I had with him, I was suddenly contacted by Matthew from Canada, saying “I’m interested in K-Pop. I was wondering where I can apply to an agency?”, so we connected him with a particular agency, I recall. What sort of opportunities he’d get there and in what way he might change as a person, I didn’t really know, but I was confident that that vibrancy of his would definitely get shown to the world.
>>TR: In May, for KCON JAPAN 2023’s opening performance, was ZEROBASEONE’s first performance, and fans in Japan also greeted them, and on the 14th, they we together with &TEAM♪
>>II: That’s correct, FUMA was too. Actually… I wonder if talking about this is an X? But I think it’s okay. This was when FUMA was still an LSF trainee. When he came with to Canada, he actually also met Matthew.
>>TR: What was that!?
And now, both became global group members, but when they were trainees, they met in Canada!
So, that day, at Makuhari Messe, in an unknown place, FUMA and Matthew might have had a reunion hug, right? (←delusional)
>>II: That’s absolutely right~ The two of them having met in Vancouver was a really curious coincidence. In my mind, Matthew is an LSF Canada trainee.
>>TR: Wow~, I’ve just become a huge fan! I suddenly have a sense of affinity (laughs)
From here on, &TEAM’s FUMA, and in the group debuting this summer, ZEROBASEONE’s Matthew - Everyone in Shizuoka, I think you should watch these two in particular, and enjoy each group’s activities.
At any rate, Mrs. Izumi’s discerning eye is incredible. Has anything ever surprised you?
>>II: I’m not clairvoyant (laughs) are you saying I can see the future…? Since we can’t test that, I can’t say anything on that, but it’s like I can see the movie of what’s to come.
What I mean is, last year, some of my trainees appeared at a world conference (T/N: I believe she’s referring to a KCON type event), but when I saw all of Japan’s application requirements, the scenery of a political conference went “poof!” and I could see it all in front of me in a flash. I got a really strange feeling, but the moment I saw it, I thought “I can go! Why don’t we go to the world conference!!”. In the participating team, It was only Hokkaido, but my only expense was the plane ticket, because after the 2 nights and 3 days I spent at the hotel, my teacher paid the difference. If they are able to go to a world conference, everyone should definitely go, if they’ve started practicing.
>>TR: So, if they’re open, a bigger variety of agencies should take a look at your trainees, and maybe they will have a good voice (laughs)
>>II: In terms of what happened with Matthew back then, it really was that way. He’s got the image of a debuting K-Pop idol, because he’s been that way since the first time I met him. He also owes his debut to that, I can tell you.

(4 song links, say my name – boys planet, here I am – boys planet, jelly pop – boys planet, under the skin - &team)

>>TR: In LSF, is there a trainee that surprises you right now, like a particular trainee you want to bring attention to?
>>II: Of course there is. He would be Shinogaya Ayumu.
For Ayumu, I couldn’t see a clear image (of his future) at first. Nonetheless, he’s a very serious, hardworking trainee, and now, his skill level has gone way up. So lately, I can see him clearly in my mind (making his debut), so I think that should be a good answer to your question.
Ayumu has appeared in media before now, and since then, he’s had experiences at a variety of places, and although he’s got a lot of regrets, those don’t represent his full potential. I tell people like that that while of course there are also good looking and really good trainees, those trainees that don’t betray their potential, by being patient now, are the ones that end up being able to take hold of that potential.
>>TR: That powerful gaze changed, too~ With this method, you can do things like mukbang on LSF’s social media (laughs)
>>II: Yeah (laughs) His good aspects are working hard and becoming more cool looking, of course, but his everyday, natural emotions are positive feelings. He’s definitely not two-faced. So, I can confidently say that I believe his natural goodness can be conveyed to everyone.

Ayumu, first appeared in a program in July 2021, with LYU, who later debuted in MaisonB.
※There is a blog post about the program at that time: https://ameblo.jp/pluspoire/entry-12688491645.html (link is in Japanese)
LSF began social media began when 2 of their trainees had the opportunity to participate in the program, “Produce 101 JAPAN”.
Since then, girls get to be included as trainees to have a turn on the program, so please support them.

(photo of Ayumu, he's second from the left)

(2 song links, Paradise – Maison B, bringing out – maison B)

(T/N: everything below here is irrelevant, so I left it out)