Suzumoto Miyu: the girl who has gotten used to idoling and Tokyo seeks new assets and renounces her chestnut oshi status.(Nikkei Entertainment  Idol Special 2016 translation)
On the day Keyakizaka46 debuted she stood up front and, again, when Keyakizaka46âs single Silent Majority was announced she was chosen for first row in senbatsu. Even though she was put in a difficult position, she never lost heart. Why is she so optimistic? Â In order to discover the secret to her optimism, weâll trace her roots.
When I was a child I was always spirited, happy, loud, and loved sports. I was a very lively child. When I was in middle school I joined the soft tennis club and I became really engrossed in it. I felt like I just went straight there and spent all my time on my club life.
I became interested in entertainment around my second year of middle school. Iâm from Aichi prefecture and SKE48 had auditions in Nagoya. I went as far as filling out the application form but, when the audition day came, because my house was too far from Nagoya city center, my mother told me I couldnât go, so no one ended up taking me to audition. But, ever since then, I had been thinking that I want to be an entertainer.
I loved idols like AKB48âs Maeda Atsuko, but I admired idols rather than wanting to be one, and so I felt like I just simply wanted to watch them. Rather than an idol, I wanted to try to be a model or an actor, but Iâm short so I thought becoming a model would be difficult.
Then my friend told me about the Keyakizaka46 audition, and we tried out together. Until then I had tried to do a lot of things, but I would quit them all half way through. On top of that, I also tended to give up on studying halfway through. I hated that person. As the audition went on, I thought joining the group would be a good chance to put all my strength into something and devote myself to one thing. I totally remember the time my name was called at the final judging. Everyone changed into their school uniforms and lined up on the stage, and they called out the names of the girls who passed the audition really quickly, and my heart wouldnât stop racing. I was amazingly nervous. I had never experienced such a strange feeling like that until that moment.
After you passed the audition and started your life as part of Keyakizaka46 in Tokyo, on Keyakitte, Kakenai? They established your image as the girl who loves chestnuts.  Youâre in the middle of solidifying that characterâŠ
Honestly, I had always wanted to move to Tokyo. After I graduated from high school I was considering going to a specialty school in Tokyo. I had gotten used to going to Tokyo, so when I passed the audition I was really happy. I was only choosing to go to that school because I wanted to move to Tokyo, it wasnât something I really wanted to do. At that time I still didnât really know what I truly wanted to do, and it was like I was just drifting around. So Iâm really glad I passed the audition when I did.
In these 10 months Iâve been able to do so many things. At the handshake event in April at Makuhari Messe, I said to myself âAh, Iâm an idol!â It reconfirmed to myself that Iâm an idol (laughs).
At the first stage performance I had the experience of dancing on stage, but I hadnât experienced anything like the handshake event before, so it was a really fresh experience for me. People were lining up just to see me, and then theyâd leave the handshake with a smile on their faces. That made me so happy and thankful. I performed in front of 10,000 people at the mini live, but I had never before experienced such a scene before my eyes. It was amazing.
When the members and I first heard Silent Majority we thought it really suited us, because from the time we entered, we all said, âWeâre different from Nogizaka46, arenât we?â Weâre not Nogizaka-ish at all, huh?â (laughs). Our atmosphere is completely different, and we all thought a cool song like that would suit us.
When we debuted our song in April, my relatives all congratulated me, saying our song is âamazing!â I myself donât think that anything has particularly changed, but when I return home and I go to an acquaintances store, they bring out their cameras and go âcan we take a picture?â When my mom sees that happen, she says to me âMiyu makes everyone happy!â and Iâll think to myself âan idolâs job is to make people happy and smiling. Itâs a really lovely thing.â
Iâm having more chances to perform on a bigger stage, but backstage Iâm extremely nervous. However, every time I step on the stage Iâm fine (laughs). Â Itâs not as difficult as I had imagined it to be, though I certainly wonder what difficulties will come next. Â Iâm the type who thinks positively and looks forward to the future rather than letting myself become depressed about whatâs happening currently. Â
Right now, Iâm allowed to stand in the front, but I donât know whatsoever what will happen from here. Probably a lot of things. My goal from here on is to become an indispensable member of Keyakizaka. Personally, like Nogizaka46, I donât want to be limited to only being an idol. I want to challenge myself to act, model, and try out different roles. These are things I feel will make me become important to Keyakizaka.
Are there things that you feel make you an important asset to the group?
I really love dancing, and I dance with the feeling that my dancing is second to none. Honestly, I havenât talked about chestnuts very much lately! Whenever I look at old pictures, thereâs always one in my hand without fail; it seems Iâve loved them ever since I could remember. But because Iâve oshied my love of chestnuts too much, I feel that people donât remember my name. So I shall store them away for a little while (laughs). [translatorâs note: sheâs storing them away like a squirrel because theyâre nuts!]
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