[INI Exclusive Interview 1] The Night of the Member Selection & Memories of the Audition Period
The popular survival audition show “PRODUCE 101 JAPAN SEASON 2” had its final episode on Sunday, June 13. The 11-member global boy group “INI” was born from the show.
DAILY MORE conducted an interview with the group the day after their debut member was chosen, and we’ll be sending out a series of articles in which the eleven members sincerely talk about their memories of the audition period, their future plans, and more! Please look forward to it!
In this first installment, we’re going to talk about the night the members were chosen and their memories of the audition period!
PROFILE
INI is an 11-member boy group that was chosen to debut from the survival audition program “PRODUCE 101 JAPAN SEASON 2.” The group consists of Masaya Kimura, Hiromu Takatsuka, Shogo Tajima, Kyosuke Fujimaki, Takumi Ozaki, Hiroto Nishi, Jun Matsuda, Fengfan Xu, Rihito Ikezaki, Yudai Sano and Takeru Goto. The group’s name means “11 of us (I) who met in PRODUCE 101 JAPAN SEASON 2 will connect with you (I) (Network)” and their debut single will be released within 2021.
Kimura: I strongly feel the new days are starting now
DAILY MORE: Congratulations on your debut! Also congratulations to Takumi on your 22nd birthday.
All: Thank you so much!
Takumi: I’m glad you even celebrate my birthday. Thank you very much!
DAILY MORE: Let’s get right to it. How did you spend yesterday evening(June 13) when your debut was decided?
Masaya: We were taking photo shootings and doing interviews right after the members were chosen, and it was actually late at night when we went back to our dorm to catch our breath. A few hours later, We were scheduled to make a live appearance on a morning TV program, so I didn’t have much time to calm down and look back last night……. It’s a strange feeling now. haha
All: I know! It’s strange, isn’t it!
Masaya: As I talk to you in this interview, I’m starting to feel that I’ve been chosen as a member of “INI”. I feel that a new day is about to begin.
Hiromu: I didn’t feel it for a long time either, but now that I’ve been interviewed, I’m starting to feel it little by little.
Shogo: I didn’t really feel it last night either. As I took a shower, I was thinking, “Is it over?” I finally managed to call my parents just a minute ago!
Rihito: I called my parents last night and was told “Rihito’s efforts gave us courage and made us feel so much better, congratulations!” I hadn’t told my grandfather and grandmother that I was on this show, and they were surprised to hear about my debut yesterday out of the blue.
Kyosuke: Oh, really?
Rihito: Yup. haha THey sent me a photo of calligraphy, saying “Congratulations to Rihito.”
All: Oh, wow! That’s amazing!
Takumi: I couldn’t sleep last night because I was so happy that my debut had been decided, and I was thinking about the future, and it was morning before I knew it.
Yudai & Jin: It’s so true! Yesterday was just a blink of an eye.
DAILY MORE: It must have been a turbulent day, but did the 11 debut members have time to talk at night?
Hiroto: We didn’t have much time to talk. “Just a light greeting like, “Hey, nice to see you guys in the members of INI!” I didn’t have much energy left to talk. ……
Shogo: (to Takumi) “Happy birthday Takumi! I just wished him a happy birthday, and that’s it.
Hiromu: Takeru said that he slept well just now. haha
Takeru: Once I realized the existence of the people who support us, I had more time to enjoy the stage.
DAILY MORE: What was your most memorable experience during the audition period?
Takeru: For me, it was the Concept Battle. That’s when I was able to relax and enjoy the stage, so that’s what I remember most. In the battles before that, I was nervous and thought, “I’ll just put everything I’ve practiced into it!” However, when I saw the surprise message video from the fans during the rehearsal for the Concept Battle, I realized that they were also supporting me, and I was able to relax and perform. As an individual and as a team, I believe I performed really well in the battle, and it’s the best memory I have.
Fengfan: For me, the group battle was especially memorable because of the frustrating memories. I didn’t have much experience in singing, but I was suddenly asked to be the vocalist. I couldn’t sing as well as I wanted to when the other teams were watching me practice, and I exploded in frustration. I’m still embarrassed when I think about that time…….
Jin: That explains how serious you were. I think I need to learn from you to be able to expose my feelings like that!
Fengfan: Thank you.
Hiroto: When I was practicing for the final songs, my trainer, Rino Nakasone, told me, “Be confident. You’re not the person you were before.” When she said that to me, I thought, “I’m confident……” However, when I thought about the reason she said that later, I realized that I was unconsciously obsessed with numbers such as rankings and number of votes. Thanks to that realization, I was able to think about how to perform in a way that made me feel like I had done my best, instead of just aiming to get better rankings and votes. That’s why I was able to give a performance that I was satisfied with on the final stage, and I cried with a sense of accomplishment when I returned to the backstage.
Original article in Japanese: https://more.hpplus.jp/odekake/entame/68761/1/
