WHITE SCORPION Serial [Part 6] COCO’s Ambition: “I Crave Recognition from These Eleven”

Serial “WHITE SCORPION” [Part 6]: A special interview with COCO, delving into the personal side of the group, which was formed through the “IDOL 3.0 PROJECT” audition conducted over approximately six months starting from April 2023 and produced by Akimoto Yasushi. 

The group debuted with the digital single “Gaze Sniper” on December 7, 2023, and has been releasing new songs every month. On March 7, they released their 4th digital single, “Loneliness in the Crowd.”

A special series of articles on the girls’ personal lives has started.

In this sixth installment of the series, we present a long interview with COCO!

Aiming for Takarazuka Music School

── The music video for your debut single “Gaze Sniper,” released on December 7th last year, has surpassed 4.35 million views on YouTube (as of March 5th, 2024), attracting significant attention.

“It’s genuinely exciting to see so many people watching our music video. ‘Gaze Sniper’ had choreography by Takahiro-sensei and was directed by Kazuma Ikeda. We’re fortunate to have such amazing talents involved.”

── Both of them are top creators who have worked on productions for groups like Keyakizaka46, Sakurazaka46, and Hinatazaka46.

“Having such high-caliber creators involved in our first music video sets a high standard for us moving forward. We can’t afford to lower the quality from there, so we feel the need to push ourselves even harder. In that sense, there might be a bit of pressure or urgency compared to when we first debuted.”

── The music video for your 2nd single, “The Coyote ga Naiteru,” is also approaching 3 million views (as of March 5th, 2024). You must be receiving various reactions.

“When fans post comments on social media like, ‘This part of COCO was amazing!’ it’s incredibly encouraging to see. I also receive letters where they write about the parts they liked. My best friend from middle and high school told me, ‘The music video was awesome!’ She’s someone who really loves idols and has a great figure and is cute. She’s actually gone to the final auditions for Nogizaka46 and has tried out for various auditions before. Actually, she recommended me to audition for WHITE SCORPION.”

 

── Why did your friend recommend this audition to you?

 

“I originally aimed to enter the Takarazuka Music School, but I failed the entrance exams twice. During that time when I was feeling down, my friend suggested we audition together for this project. We made it to the fourth round together. In the end, only I passed, but if it weren’t for her recommendation, I wouldn’t have auditioned for this project, and I feel like my world changed thanks to her.”

─ What made you decide to pursue Takarazuka?

 

“My mother was a big fan of Takarazuka, and we often watched their performances together at home. We watched ‘Haikara-san ga Tooru’ together, and I got hooked. After that, we started going to see performances like ‘Sherlock Holmes -The Game Is Afoot!-‘ at the Tokyo Takarazuka Theater. I was drawn to the world of Takarazuka and since I also loved singing, I thought, why not give it a try?”

 

── Did you not have much interest in idols back then?

 

“I was a TV kid, always watching television, so I naturally came across idols on music programs and also on TikTok. Singing to make people smile, to save someone through song… that resonated with Takarazuka, so I had a favorable impression of idols.”

── You were recommended by your friend to audition and you passed, and now you’re active as a member of WHITE SCORPION. Looking back at the audition process, what event was indispensable for you?

“The training camp audition held last August. It was during this camp that I met ALLY-chan, who I’m really close with now, and our distance shortened. Also, if it weren’t for the experience of creating one performance with the members of the same team in that short period, I don’t think WHITE SCORPION’s current 11 members could have created anything together. Including being questioned by the teacher with strong words like, ‘Do you really want to become an idol?’ I think because of that period and enduring it, I am who I am now.”