[JO1] Quick Japan 220427

JO1 Kawashiri Ren
Born in 1997, from the prefecture of Fukuoka. He has been active as a back dancer since his teenage years and in 2019 he participated in the survival audition “PRODUCE 101 JAPAN”. He achieved his debut as a member of the global boys group JO1 in March 2020.

My view regarding singing has changed

JO1 is a global boys group made of 11 members chosen in the survival audition program “PRODUCE 101 JAPAN”. They will release their second album “KIZUNA” on 25 May, their first album in one and a half years. Kawashiri Ren, the group’s dance leader, says he hopes that people will pay attention to his “singing” on this album.

What kind of album did the second album “KIZUNA” become?
The lead track “With Us” is a happy song we never had before. It was the first time we filmed an MV with a fun atmosphere. I think both in terms of facial expressions and performance, you can see an unknown face of the members. There are, in fact, songs of various genres on the album. I think JAM will like cool songs like “Algorithm” and “Walk It Like I Talk It”, so I will be glad when they like it. I believe it's an album that will make you understand our growth since the first album.

And the Kawashiri Ren you want to show through this album? have the freedom that I can try to do something else while dancing once in a while My image is strongly connected to dancing, but recently I grew to enjoy singing. As I have been dancing for a long time, I have the freedom that I can try to do something else while dancing once in a while, but I’m still struggling with singing. But gradually the thoughts “I want to insert this kind of atmosphere” or “I want these words to stand out” started to bud and in this album, I have been able to have deeper discussions than before while tackling the recording. I sang trying to convey the message of the album, so I hope you will pay attention to my singing.

I heard that you were present during the “Move The Soul” recordings of all the other members.
It’s just that I like listening to people recording (laughs). When I thought about how to make this song more interesting, I thought it would be more fun to know about the ideas of the members than thinking on my own, in the sense of “Look at the forest and not just at the tree”. The differences between the members, like “This guy wants to sing this part in that way”, are interesting and this deepened my understanding of how the parts are connected. The members also discussed what parts of the others were good.

What was the occasion that amplified your feelings towards singing?
It was “OPEN THE DOOR” last year. Everyone took the dance lessons together, so there were chances to discuss it. Hence, we said that it would be better to practise singing together, too, so that we could also get in sync in this regard. Since then, my view regarding singing has changed. The feeling of “I want to do this more” has become stronger.

While everyone is improving like this, do you have feelings of rivalry towards each other?
I’m not sure if this is the right way to express it, but, sure enough, there is a part that thinks “I want to win”. Because everyone got something amazing. I want to sing as good as them, I want to be able to dance as powerful as them and I’m gonna steal these aspects from them. On the other hand, there are also members who say “I want to dance better than Ren-kun”. I hope that this atmosphere of being each other’s closest friendly rivals will continue forever.

How would you perceive the “JO1ness”?
I think it’s something to judge from the outside. It’s not pretty to direct that “JO1ness” ourselves. I believe that as long as we, who all come from different places, continue to do this seriously, the “JO1ness” will continue to emerge. Yet it’s not fun if the result is always the same. I think it’s important to keep on changing. The process of continuing to change, isn’t that the most beautiful thing ever? We are in the middle of our lives. There is no final goal in the change.

Is there something you cherish in your activities?
My motto is “When in doubt, go towards what makes you excited”. When I’m not sure what I should do, I try to make the choice of what excites me. Because everything's better when you have fun.

Do you have fun right now?
I have. It’s always fun. Each day feels like a class trip (laughs).