Modelpress Group Interview - Mame x Keigo x Takumi x Junki

JO1 Mamehara Issei ×Kawanishi Takumi×Sato Keigo×Kono Junki「While we think of JAM…」＜「PROTOSTAR」Group interview

The interview series of the global boys group JO1 born in the survival audition program "PRODUCE 101 JAPAN" has started. The first group interview features four members: Mamehara Issei, Kawanishi Takumi, Sato Keigo, and Kono Junki.

JO1「PROTOSTAR」インタビュー（左から）豆原一成、佐藤景瑚、川西拓実、河野純喜（C）モデルプレス

JO1 Interview Series

To commemorate the release of their debut single "PROTOSTAR" released on March 4, Model Press will publish a group & solo interview for 14 consecutive days.

In the group interview which was divided into 4:4:3 we will listen to carefully as they talked about their parts we should watch out in the songs from "PROTOSTAR", the hardships they had experienced since their formation in December last year, their daily lives, episodes with their roommates, dreams of the group, etc.

【Mamehara Issei ×Kawanishi Takumi×Sato Keigo×Kono Junki】「PROTOSTAR」 The part I want you to notice！

Mamehara: I’ll start from 「Mugendai」. I think everyone worked hard because it was our debut song, but the song was so powerful that I thought the choreography was the hardest among all the songs. It is a good choreography that matches the lyrics like the gesture of holding hands while singing "INFINITE! ♪" in chorus (Explaining while doing the swing on the spot) so I want you to pay attention to it.

― Specifically, what are the difficult parts?

Mamehara: It was hard to move like running.

Kono: Me too, in the verse「Mugendai」the part 「Baby baby don't lose your control」. The dance that starts slowly and quickly gives you a sense of running is the highlight, and I was entrusted with that. I think those who have watched the program knows, but I have no experience in dancing, so I would like you to watch that part because it was entrusted to me and worked hard on it.

Sato: They keep talking about 「Mugendai」so I’ll talk about another song. It’s the beginning of my rap part in 「La Pa Pa Pam」.

Kawanishi: The choreography is also cool.

Sato: Yes. The rap is cool and it is the part where you can get excited the most, so I want you to see it. It was my first time to do rap, so I practiced a lot.

Kawanishi: For me is "Running". I was practicing this song while thinking about JAMs...

― Wooo～（Cool）.

Other members: Wieeee (*provide accompaniment)! (T/N: Maybe they made beats with their hands)

Kawanishi: In my part, there is a lyric that goes "Sorry for taking the long way around.", and I sang it thinking about my parents as well as JAM, so I want you to listen to it and think "So he sang it feeling like that".

【Mamehara Issei ×Kawanishi Takumi×Sato Keigo×Kono Junki】The most difficult thing you’ve had since formation

Sato: Memorizing immediately?

Other members: Oh! That’s right.

Kono: The training in Korea was hectic. It was like “Today you’ll memorize the choreography for 『Mugendai』 then after 3 days we’ll start the MV shooting”. Well, though I forgot it after 3 days (laughs), but given what we've done so far, the schedule was pretty tight, or rather tough.

Kawanishi: Also, the level of dancing was high. I got better because of that.

Mamehara: I personally found recording a bit difficult. In particular, 「Running」 was difficult, but when I entered the recording booth, I was nervous and sang with all my heart, and there were things that I couldn't do as usual.

KONO: I only recorded just one song before in the program (PDJP), but I have recorded now several songs in three days. I recorded 3 songs in a day, and that was…. I want to (immediately) debut (laughs).

― （laughs）。Mamehara-san, your singing part has increased compared to the time of the program. How was it?

Mamehara: Since I was in charge of the center, the killing part of 「Mugendai」, "So Ore ga" before the chorus, and "The darkness is clear" in the bridge, I was entrusted with important parts, so it was a little difficult, and I think the balance between dance and singing was more difficult than before.

― It was also said that Kawanishi improved a lot in singing.

Kono: That’s just a rumor.

Kawanishi: I also heard that rumor (shy). I'm not the only one, but I think everyone has practiced a lot and the results are coming out steadily.

Other members: “Steadily～♪” （※Starts singing 「Mugendai」） [T/N: Takumi’s opening part in Mugendai “Chakuchaku to～♪”

Kawanishi: I still want to grow, so I want to do my best without being satisfied.

― Sato, did you have any difficulties with rap?

Sato: I had a hard time singing while trying to change my voice.

【Mamehara Isse×Kawanishi Takumi×Sato Keigo×Kono Junki】 Room sharing stories everyone's curious about

-When I asked for questions from JAM, there were many questions about the room allocation and lifestyle! At the fanmeeting, we heard that the room allocation was decided by the game.

Mamehara: Like roulette.

―It's by roulette! I would like to hear if there are any episodes such as whose room has most people.

Mamehara: I and Junki are almost! Almost always (together).

Kono: It started out as a roulette, but to be honest, I felt so comfortable with Mame (Make eye contact with Mamehara beside him).

Mamehara: It was like "Whatever".

Kono: We’re 11 and each person has their own room because it seems like they want their personal time and a lot of people are competing to have their own time, then Takumi said something like “I definitely want to be alone”. We’re too lazy.

Mamehara: He said "We’ve always been together".

―Then it seems that it may continue depending on the situation at that time.

Mamehara: It seems like it.

― Kono said that Kawanishi is “OCD”.

Kawanishi: (Toward Kono) They think it weird if you say it that way, so please correct it! It has to come from Junki’s mouth, not mine!

Kono: I don't want to lie, so it's more like a OCD...

Kawanishi: It’s being meticulous!

Kono: Your personal area...

Mamehara: Like your world.

Kono: My own world. Like, "I will never let you in anymore.". It's not that he hated us or don’t like us, but, you know, there’s something.

-Yes, I understand.

Kawanishi: I have to be protected.

-Do you want time alone?

Kawanishi: Time is pretty important, but...

Kono: For example, men's rooms are noisy, right? When you go to Takumi's room and say "let's have a party together." is absolutely not allowed, and it is probably not allowed to flop on his bed.

Kawanishi: Well, I don't really care these days. That’s not OCD!

-Kawanishi, within the 11 members, who would it be that you’ll be fine to share a room with?

Kawanishi: Well... these members are actually fine (shy). But (Kono and Sato) haven’t been (in the same room), right??

Kono: No, but I think we can.

Sato: For me, I won’t (within these members).

Kawanishi: Mame is really calming.

Kono: It's kind of relaxing... (Clench teeth).

Kawanishi: I’m comfortable with Junki and the Keigo is also fine.

-Who do you often join, Mr. Sato?

Sato: (Kawashiri) Ren.

-What do you two often do?

Sato: Ren, doesn’t do anything!

Kawanishi: Ren is very matured.

Sato: Yes, silence.

Kono: He’s been brushing his teeth for a long time, isn’t it?

Kawanishi: This is like a behind story of Ren (lol).

(Kawashiri listens from the next table and looks at it.)

Everyone: (lol)

Kawanishi: He does have good ears (lol)!

-Is there a person in charge of housework such as cooking, laundry and cleaning?

Sato: We don't have a person in charge and no one does it.

Kono: We all do it ourselves.

Sato: We don’t look after each other (lol).

-No one says something like "I made a meal."?

Kono: Yesterday, I made carbonara, and (Kimata) Syoya made a lot of wakame soup, so we gave it to the members nearby.

Kawanishi: It was really good, but there’s a lot of leftover (lol).

-Carbonara... So you made it (*Kono made a debut promise on the show with 'I will hold a carbonara party after a week of training in Italy.' a completely carbonara character).

Kono: I have to practice.

Sato: So you were practicing (lol).

KAWANISHI: Practicing secretly. (lol)

【Mamehara Issei×Kawanishi Takumi×Sato Keigo×Kono Junki】 Dream as a group

JO1／（後列左から）與那城奨、金城碧海、白岩瑠姫、鶴房汐恩、大平祥生、佐藤景瑚

（前列左から）木全翔也、川尻蓮、豆原一成、川西拓実、河野純喜（C）モデルプレス

-Can one person be a representative on behalf of everyone, please!

Mamehara: That would definitely be the oldest Junki.

Kono: We've been saying, it would be "From Japan to the world". First of all, we want to become a group that would active as a top idol in Japan by doing 5 big dome tours, and make the name JO1 known to the world.

- Like having a world tour?

Kono: We'd love to, but we still have to work hard.

-I don’t know which overseas JAM it was from, but there’s a question, "Which country do you want to go?".

Kawanishi: Italy?

Everyone: (lol)

Kono: For sightseeing?

-For a live tour.

Sato: That would definitely be pasta.

Kawanishi: If it's not for sightseeing, we have (decided).

Kono: America?

Kawanishi: Yeah.

Kono: I want to go.

Mamehara: I want to go to America.

【Mamehara Isse×Kawanishi Takumi×Sato Keigo×Kono Junki】 A story for the JAM readers during the interview

This time, we had a lot of trouble with grouping, but we decided to choose these four people who have been talked a lot by JAM recently. In addition, they all had in common that their debut evaluations were "GrandMaster".

During the interview, Mamehara, Kono, Kawanishi and Sato sat side by side. We were impressed by the way they helped each other when they were stuck with words or cannot answer and they looked happy from beginning to end. (modelpress Editorial Department)

Translated @ JAM Union PH - Please do not re-post translations outside this website.