(Interview) The arrival of the Fukuoka native Kawashiri Ren from JO1 who are going to release their 4th single “STRANGER”! “The amount of anticipation for the live concerts is probably bigger than the one of JAM (laughs)”
A fast Fukuoka comeback of the Fukuoka native Kawashiri Ren from the global boys group JO1 who had just graced the cover of the June special edition “Enjoying South Korea in Fukuoka”! … was supposed to happen, but considering the times it became a remote interview. We bring you a new 5000 words interview with Ren-kun in which he explains each song of the 4th single “STRANGER” and talks about his feelings towards a JO1 live concert with an actual audience that is awaited! TN: 5000 words in Japanese. This translation has about 2300 words.
“Next time, when we meet JAM we want to show a cool self” this feeling is JO1’s driving force
First, I want to ask you about your current life. How did you and the members spend the summer? Recently, everyone spends time studying a lot of things, for example song writing or choreographing and it feels like everyone is actively learning what we want to challenge ourselves with.
How is your private life? My meal times are scattered and I can’t always eat nutritionally balanced things, so recently I got addicted to frosted berry mixes. Berries are very rich in vitamins. I eat the berry mix as a desert after a meal to supplement vitamins. The taste is also unbelievably good.
I have heard that berries are also good for beauty. By the way, did you watch the Olympics which just ended? That’s… thankfully I was really busy and before I could turn on the TV, the Olympics were over already (laughs).
What I felt while watching various athletes was that they have something in common with artists and of course everyone’s skills and mentality are amazing. Is there something that you keep in mind on how to prepare yourself for performances? I don't really do something like mental training, but JAM who are supporting us since before the debut, still couldn't really meet us. The feeling of "I want to meet the fans" or "When we meet next time, we want to show a cool self" is our driving force. I think thanks to this we are able to give our best even in these times.
You have various kinds of work like appearing in music shows or variety programs, but in terms of feelings, do you sometimes feel nervious or become anxious? Sure enough, in the beginning I really thought a lot about various things like “you have to make proper comments”. Recently I’m more relaxed in a good sense. The seniors with whom we appear are really kind and funny, and even if I make a mistake, it will become funny thanks to everyone. Because the seniors did a lot of work so far, they are people who have experienced things I don’t know about or haven’t done yet, so it’s really fun to listen to them. Each time there are various discoveries.
You have indeed become more relaxed. I started to challenge various things without thinking too much about them. For example, in TV programs, I don’t think just about my own comments, but inside of me the awareness to create one program with everyone together has become huge. Thankfully all members had the opportunity to appear in various shows and I think we are not as nervous in the beginning and more relaxed.
Who are the ones who are particularly strong in shows and are the brave ones? After all it’s our leader Yonashiro Sho-kun. Because he is someone who originally likes to talk and who isn’t afraid to talk about himself even when he appears along outstanding figures. That’s what I think is amazing about Sho-kun.
He is someone to rely on. Also, in winter JO1’s live concerts are finally scheduled. What are you currently working on or keeping in mind? Of course we are doing preparatory meetings about the performances, practise and create it, but the fact that we can soon meet JAM is a great deal and it makes us work even harder during practise. The feeling of delivering our best when we can meet everyone is strong.
I think JAM really anticipate the lives, but it might be that the members’ feelings are even higher. It might be (laughs). When you are hungry, food is really delicious, isn’t it? Since our debut 1 and half years ago, we are hungry, so once we can finally have a live in front of everyone, I think we will be truly happy.
I would like to ask about your junior group INI who are scheduled to debut. The 11 members have been decided, but please tell us what you thought and felt when you watched them. Including me, the JO1 members watched the broadcast of “PRODUCE 101 JAPAN SEASON2” together. They became the first juniors for us as JO1, so while there are similarities with us, we are the older brothers, so we talked about “Let’s work even harder so that we won’t show an uncool side to our close younger brother group” and it made us feel better. Mame is still a teenager, but I think he is going to be active with the feeling of an older brother, so we want to work hard so that not just the fans but also INI think “JO1 are so cool”.
During the broadcast, you said to the trainees who performed JO1’s representative song “Mugendai”,”I hope you won’t become an imitation of us”, but I would like to hear more about this thought. I felt that everyone is different, everyone is good, that 10 people have 10 colours and that the trainees of season 2 each have something that I don’t have or that JO1 doesn’t have. When they performed our song “Mugendai”, after all the first thing people see might be our music video, but I feel like this would kill the kids’ qualities and it would be really wasteful if they imitated us, so when I watched the broadcast with the thought “please don’t become an imitation”, as all trainees brought out their best on stage, so besides them being our juniors, the feeling of “These kids are cool” budded. Of course, there is also the feeling of not wanting to lose to them.
I’m sure you will have a mutually motivating relationship in the future. They are our closest rivals, but they are also family in the same company, so I hope we can be in a friendly rivalry, but also rely on each other if we have problems or worries.
In the adlib with Junki my competitive self that “doesn’t want to loose” came out
That’s a feeling for juniors. From now on, I would like to ask about the 4th single “STRANGER”. The themes of this piece are “encountering an unknown world” and “discovering a new self”, but is there a new side of yourself that you have recently discovered? Thankfully, the timing of the work I have to do has been has piled up lately, and I have been working on it thinking “I have to work a bit harder today”. When I was happily finishing my work without thinking about anything, it was already 5:30 in the morning when I realised it. I was surpried about how fast times flies when I forget myself, and that I’m a nightowl (laughs). It was a new discovery. When I told the other members about it, Kimata Syoya had the same experience and said “Me too! Me too!” and he became really excited.
As expected you two are a perfect match. It’s about all songs, but at firat, please tell us your recommended song out of the 6 ones. I like all of them a lot, but after all we release it in the summer season, so I especially like JO1’s first summer like song “STAY”. TN: The interviewer refers back to the previous interview in which Ren mentioned that he and Syoya match well.
It is a light number that makes you feel comfortable while listening to it. Because of the summer-like sound it’s refreshing, but the lyrics are about the pure love of a boy and a girl and how to capture a pure love on camera and make it remain. I think it’s really youthful and summerish.
What do you think about “REAL”? The words are in sync with JO1’s stance to aim for the top and your current state of moving forward. The message of that your dreams and future become real when you come out from a dark tunnel is included and also in the lyrics “I will take you to the higher stage grab my hand” there are phrases that are closely linked to us integrated, so I feel it’s a song that you can get easier into when we perform it.
The lyrics “maybe it’s not the distant future” can be positively received by the fans. Yes, you’re right (laughs).
Then, (how about) “ICARUS”? It’s a song with a story. I also really like “ICARUS” and it’s the answer song to the track “MONSTAR” that was featured on our first album. When I looked up the meaning of the word “icarus”, I found a myth and it is a sad and fragile story, but I thought “It’s so beautiful and cool”, and while we express this world view, there are also a lot of messages that we want to convey.
What do you think about “Blooming Again” in which the gentle melody stands out? It is gentle, but it also has power. I feel the gentleness of something like a hidden heart that wants to bloom in full glory once more. It’s something personal, but in the last chorus there is a part when I’m doing the adlibs with Junki together. Sure enough, Junki is a guy who is also very good at singing and got something that I don’t have, but I’m really happy to be able to sing an adlib with Junki together. Adding to the happiness, a feeling of “not wanting to lose” came out. At that time, I was entrusted with the highest part of a song that JO1 ever sang, so I accepted the challenge or rather my competitive self came out. It is a song that I practised a lot so that I won’t lose to Junki and so that I won’t betray the expectations of the staff who entrusted me with this. I think I managed to bring out a good voice that links the power of the lyrics and my feelings.
Of course, your high key singing that wasn’t heard before was impressive. Then, how about “Freedom”? The theme is as the title suggests “freedom” and it is a song that became the tie-up for the perfume “LIBRE” from Yves Saint Laurent. In “LIBRE” there is also the meaning of freedom and there is the message that I hope both males and females use it freely. Our “Freedom” became song that we can perform as free and passionate so it doesn’t lose to the freedom of “LIBRE”, thus it is a song that contains the wish that everyone also freely challenges various things and that hopefully conveys the qualities of us JO1 and “LIBRE” to a lot of people.
In the lyrics, there are the words “be free from rules”, but among the members who is the most free one who fits this song? (thinks for a moment)... Tsurubo Shion and Sato Keigo.
This makes sense. I think the fans would answer the same (laughs). Their free spiritedness is their quality and thanks to this, we are often smiling. I want them to freely feel relaxed and do what they like. These two are “Mr. Freedom”.
Next is “Dreaming Night”. It’s a dreamy and tripping love song. This song is the opening song for the drama “Love Phantom” and there is the message and concept of “even when the dream breaks, the dream remains”. Also in the choreography there is a movement of the hands as if we are sleeping and it’s a really happy song, so also when we perform it, we naturally start to smile in the chorus. It’s a catchy melody and choreography, so I think it’s easy to imitate for everyone, so I hope we can dance it together one day.
Thank you very much. Finally, please give us a message for the fans. Dear Fukuoka JAM, thank you very much for your constant support. This time it’s via remote and I couldn’t return home to my beloved Fukuoka, but we as JO1 do our best together so that we can meet everyone, so I’m really happy if you listen to the 4th single “STRANGER” and wait for us. I love you!
Kawashiri Ren Born in ‘97. From the prefecture of Fukuoka. He has been active since his teens as back dancer for various artists and choreograph and in ‘19 he participated in the audition program “PRODUCE 101 JAPAN” that originated in South Korea. He placed 2nd in the last ranking by the votings of the “national” producers = the viewers and his debut as a member of the 11 member global boys group JO1 was decided. They debuted in March ‘20 with “PROTOSTAR”. With his outstanding dance skills, he is the dance leader of the group.
*This interview article will be also published in the September issue of City Jouhou Fukuoka (released on August 28th) with some photo changes and additions.
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