WHITE SCORPION Serialization [Part 9] NAVI “I want to show more of my true self

WHITE SCORPION is an idol group produced by Akimoto Yasushi and formed through the “IDOL 3.0 PROJECT,” an audition that ran for about six months from April 2011.

The group debuted on December 7, 2011 with the single “Gaze Sniper. They released a new song every month, and released their 4th single, “Zozoku no solitude” on March 7, 2011.
On April 7, their 5th single ” Satisfact ion graffiti ” is scheduled for release.

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

In the ninth installment of this series, we present a long interview with NAVI!

Her love of K-POP led her to study abroad in Korea, which changed her life. ……

─ ─ What kind of girl were you as a child?

When I was in kindergarten, I was always running for the lead role in the school play. I was such a show-off that I would run for the lead role in the playground when I was in kindergarten. When I was in elementary school, we had a long recess of about 20 minutes, during which I would put on plays in the classroom with my classmates. I would come up with my own story and make costumes out of newspaper with paint. Of course, I was the star of the show (laughs). Anyway, I loved doing things in front of people.

─ ─ Were you involved in original plays with your classmates?

Yes (laughs). (Laughs.) When I was in the third grade, I also did a one-man musical. I made a space by lowering all the desks in the classroom behind me, and I used the podium as a stage to sing and dance. My classmates clapped and cheered for me, so I made fan membership cards and handed them out, saying, ‘Please take one if you like’ (laughs). (Laughs.) It was a handmade membership card with the membership number written on it, and everyone put it in their toolboxes and kept it with them.

─ So you were doing a one-man show in the classroom?

I also ran for the head of the cheerleading squad for the elementary school gymnastic festival, saying, ‘I want to do it! and I ran for the position. We had an audition to see who could shout the loudest, and I said, ‘Hurrah!　Hurray! and I won over a rival boy and became the head of the cheerleading squad.

─ ─ You must have been quite prominent, weren’t you?

I don’t think there was anyone in the school who didn’t know who I was (laughs). (Laughs) “My teachers at school seemed to think that I would eventually go on to sing and dance, but they were surprised when they found out that I had actually passed the WHITE SCORPION audition and made my debut.

─ Did you have a desire to become an idol and get attention from many people?

I never thought about becoming an idol. When I was in the fifth grade, a friend took me to see a Takarazuka Revue performance, and I was shocked and thought, ‘This is what I want to do! I was shocked and decided that I wanted to work in a job where I could express myself on stage. However, my height did not grow much, so I gave up on that dream in the second year of junior high school.

After that, I spent my school life as a normal student, “After that, I led a normal school life and became the manager of the tennis club in high school. Being a manager of an athletic team is like “coming of age,” and you always long to be a manager, don’t you? In the tennis club I kept score and picked up the balls, I quit after one year because I thought it was too much work to take care of others and that I wasn’t suited for it. I wanted to stand out!　I guess I wanted to stand out!

What made you start dancing?

What made you start dancing? “I took ballet and jazz dance lessons for a little while when I was in elementary school, but it was just a hobby while listening to K-pop music. But when I saw my high school dance club give a dance performance at a cultural festival, I wanted to be on the same stage. I am a show-off, after all (laughs). So, in my second year of high school, I joined the dance club. My dream of performing in front of people in the future had never changed.

─ ─ Do you like K-POP?

I got hooked on TWICE and started listening to a variety of K-POP artists. Now I like IVE, NewJeans, and LE SSERAFIM. From there, I became interested in fashion and makeup, and I decided to study abroad in Korea because I wanted to learn the language.

─ Did you move to Korea when you graduated from high school?

I hadn’t told my father about studying in Korea when I graduated. I was working at ZARA in my hometown, and when I first told my father around June that I wanted to go to Korea, he was against it at first. But after many discussions, he finally agreed with me, saying, ‘If you regret not going, then go for it.

─ Did you have any worries about studying abroad?

I was more excited than anxious. However, there was a two-week quarantine period after I arrived in Japan because it was a time when the new corona was spreading. When the local doctor asked me a lot of questions, I couldn’t understand what he was saying. …… I was confused at first because I went there with almost no ability to read or write, although I knew some Korean. But I am a positive thinker, so I had to manage on my own!　I thought (laughs).

─ How was your life as an exchange student?

I went to a language school attached to the university, and I had international exchanges with American, Thai, and other students from various countries. Of course, I could not speak Japanese, so I studied so much for the first time in my life! I studied so hard. I studied so hard.

I ended up staying in Korea for about a year and 10 months, but I went back to Japan after my study abroad period was over. I worked part-time in Japan to save up money, and I was thinking about attending a university in Korea.　My mother told me about the audition for WHITE SCORPION just as I was thinking about it. I thought, “This could be my chance to fulfill a dream I have wanted to do since I was a child!　So I decided to audition.

─ Were you confident that you would be chosen as a member?

I was pretty confident about my performance until about the third round, so I thought I might make it.　But I was very anxious when the fans voted for me. I’m not the type of person who is charming, so I thought I wouldn’t be that popular.　I thought I would be ……. But rather than forcing myself to create a character, I decided to be myself, and I was able to go into the audition with a positive attitude.

─ ─ After passing the audition, were you able to get along with the members right away?

After passing the audition, did you get to know the members immediately? When we stay at a hotel, we all gather in the ACE room to play card games or to celebrate CHOCO’s birthday as a surprise, and have a lot of fun. We all have strong personalities, but we never fight, and we all get along very well.

What kind of character do you have in WHITE SCORPION?

I am always told by the members that I am the “mood maker of the group” or “the enlivener of the group. I am positive from the bottom up, so I am always in high spirits. Even in the dressing room, I am noisy or overly excited, and sometimes the staff warns me about it (laughs). (Laughs.) But when it comes time to perform, I’m the type of person who gets nervous.

─ ─ That’s surprising. You seem to have a lot of guts, though, given the episodes from your elementary school days.

I think I have guts. However, when I get on stage, I tend to be more reserved. I want to show more of my true self in front of my fans, but I still feel a little embarrassed.　I feel that since WHITE SCORPION has a rather cool image, it might not be a good idea to joke around, so I might not be able to show my true self to the fullest extent.

─ Do you become a stranger to yourself?

But once I get used to it, I’ll be fine!　I want my fans to get to know the real me, so I hope I can show more of my unpretentious side. But I get embarrassed when fans compliment me. Usually, I am like, “Yay! but I have a hard time reacting to compliments.

─ What kind of things do you appreciate when you receive compliments?

I am happy when I get compliments on my performance, posing, and visuals (laughs). I am the type of person who grows by being praised, so I appreciate it when people say many positive things about me, but I am always embarrassed.

I want to lead the group with my dancing.

─ What kind of group do you want to be from now on?

There are many strong members in WHITE SCORPION. I am one of them (laughs). (Laughs) “We all have strong personalities, but I think we can match our tension, so I would like to unite the feelings of the 11 of us and become a group that is as addictive and full of charm as a scorpion’s needle.

─ ─ In what way do you personally want to contribute to the group?

I am good at dancing, so I want to be the one who can lead the group in terms of performance. I would like to contribute to the improvement of the group’s overall skills by watching everyone’s movements and dancing in detail in lessons and giving advice to those who are not in tune with each other, saying, “I think it would be better if you do this,” or by teaching those members who have no experience in dancing.

─ What are your future goals and challenges?

Personally, I love taking pictures and being photographed, so I want to do a lot of shooting. I started liking photography after studying abroad in Korea, and I started looking at Instagram to study cool poses. I would be happy to be on the cover of a magazine solo someday. Also, in the future I would like to work on costumes and produce cosmetics, and if I didn’t pass the WHITE SCORPION audition, I was thinking of going to a makeup or clothing school in Korea and starting my own brand.

─ So you had big dreams of starting your own business.

I had a big dream to start my own business, didn’t I?

─ ─ Are you the type of person who always says what he or she means?

Yes, I am. I think it is important to say out loud the dreams you want to achieve. Of course, there are dreams that have not come true in my life, but I was able to fulfill my big dream of joining the group WHITE SCORPION and performing in front of many people.

─ What is the secret to making dreams come true?

What is the secret to making your dream come true? The other thing is to believe in yourself. I believe that I can do it!　and never give up.

─ What is your current dream that you want to achieve without giving up?

What is your dream now? “My dream is for WHITE SCORPION to become famous and go global. The bigger my dream is, the more I burn!

PROFILE
NAVI
Born on March 20. Born in Okayama Prefecture
Hobbies: Collecting cosmetics, photography, impromptu dancing
Special skills: Korean language, coordinating clothes, always in high spirits!