Former CoCo Member Maki Miyamae’s Confession: “Why I Produce Ultra-Traditional Idols with a Showa and Early Heisei Vibe”

The Reason She Was “Forced to Get a Short Haircut”

“One of the members isn’t feeling well… I’m going to stop by her house to check on her after this.”

As soon as she faced the reporter, Maki Miyamae (53) bowed her head slightly.

The first record she ever bought was Seiko Matsuda’s “White Parasol.” Miyamae had idolized idols for as long as she could remember, but she hadn’t taken any concrete action—until one weekend during her freshman year of high school. While she was writing her resume for a part-time job interview, she heard an announcement that would change her life: “We’re forming a new group called Otome Juku.”

Miyamae auditioned for Otome Juku—formed as a unit within the TV show *Paradise GoGo!!* (Fuji TV)—and successfully became a member of the first generation. After surviving a fierce competition for survival, she debuted in 1989 as a member of the popular idol group CoCo. She was a key figure during the “Golden Age of Idols” in the ’80s and ’90s.

Although her look has taken on a more mature style, she still retains her trademark short haircut. Now, former idol Miyamae is on the production side, managing idols.

“I don’t go to every single event, but I’m constantly in touch with the members. New songs, choreography, costumes, practice locations… we go back and forth on all the details every day from 8:00 a.m. to around 10:00 p.m. (laughs). There are eight members, and I have to coordinate with the staff too, so it’s a lot of work.”

Saying that, she laughed and added , “But back in our day, working past midnight was the norm, so this is actually much better.” The name of the idol group Miyamae manages is &chocolamie.It might seem like there’s nothing in common between idols from the era when the catchphrase “Can you work 24 hours a day?” was all the rage and idols in this era of strict compliance—but “There definitely is,” says Miyamae.

“Take vocal parts, for example.I think everyone has a part they want to sing. I’m the one who assigns the vocal parts for almost all of &chocolamie’s songs, and just by watching, I can tell, ‘Ah, this girl probably wants to sing this part. She looks like she’s really enjoying it.’ But you know, I try to choose the part where she looks her best and where her voice fits best. I understand how she feels, though.

It’s the same with hairstyles. I’d always had short hair and wanted to grow it out, but I was told, ‘You absolutely must not let it grow.’ I’d try to grow it out secretly, but right before the album cover photo shoot, I was the only one called out and had my hair cut.It was really strict. There was even a time when I was called in by a high-ranking executive at the record label, and in the dressing room at a concert venue, they went on and on explaining “the reasons why Miyamae should keep her hair short.”

Young girls have so many “hairstyles they want to try.” There are also so many clothes they want to wear. It’s the same for the eight members of &chocolamie. I tell the members, “Please keep the same hairstyle as in the album cover photos and promo shots,” but when I pop in to watch a live show, they’ve often changed their hairstyles (laughs).

“‘Why?’ ‘I just thought this hairstyle looked good.’ ‘There’s a reason why this hairstyle is better. First of all, it makes you look the cutest.Second, it makes us easier to remember. We also make sure none of the eight of us have the same hairstyle. I get that you might get tired of the same hairstyle, but the audience isn’t tired of it.” As we had this exchange, I thought, “Oh, I used to get told the exact same thing” (laughs).”

As she explains this to the members, she finds herself thinking, “I bet the people who created CoCo’s costumes and songs—the producers and staff—must have been thinking about us in exactly this way.”

A Connection to the Entertainment Industry Forged Through “Food”

Surprisingly, it was “food” that led Miyamae to enter the world of idol production.

“During the COVID-19 crisis, I closed ‘M Nature,’ a restaurant I’d been running for 10 years.Around that time, I launched a cake brand called ‘Macybon’ and was set to showcase it at a pop-up-style event called ‘Hen’ai Shokudo’ at the Seibu Department Store in Shibuya. It was there that the idea came up to create ‘Tokyo Foodies,’ an idol group dedicated to supporting the food and beverage industry—since the industry had been hit hard by the pandemic.

So, since I had experience both as an idol and in the food and beverage industry, I was chosen for the role… It wasn’t exactly a producing role, but I got involved in the management a little bit, sort of as a helper. I was allowed to observe everything from the auditions onward. A three-member idol group was formed, and I would take them to live venues to perform alongside other groups.”

Rumors quickly spread that Miyamae—who had retired from the entertainment industry and been working as a culinary researcher—was returning to the world of idols. She was then invited to appear at “Showa Idol Archives,” an event featuring “legendary idols.”

The event also featured wqwq, an active idol group under Sun Music, and as I interacted with them, we ended up organizing a joint talk and singing event called “Idol Archives” featuring idols from the ’80s and ’90s. That eventually caught the attention of the people in charge of managing &chocolamie.

“I received an email from the organizers asking, ‘Would you like to try producing idols?’ So I went to Sun Music to meet with them… Of course, my initial reaction was something like, ‘No, no, no, no’ (laughs). I mean, I can’t possibly create idols.

“There are plenty of idols out there who’ve just retired from active duty, so wouldn’t it be better to ask them? They’re catchier and have higher name recognition,” I said as I turned them down. “It’s been quite a while since I retired, and I don’t understand the Reiwa-era idol industry. I think the level of name recognition is different, too.”

Even so, they praised the projects I’d helped with, like “Tokyo Foodies” and “Showa Idol Archives,” and said, “Those were great events—I thought I’d like to work with you on something like that…”

I was happy that they sincerely appreciated the work I’d done up to that point. But what really gave me the push I needed was when they said, ‘We want to create the kind of classic idols from the heyday of television.’”

Idols from the Showa and early Heisei eras—that was exactly what Miyamae had always longed for. Acquaintances opposed the idea, saying, “You should definitely give this up,” “It’s bound to be tough,” and “What are you trying to do?” but a quiet fire burned within her.

As we held repeated meetings with management, our direction became clearer. “For the songs, costumes, and photos, let’s ask people who’ve been active since that era. Rather than having Reiwa-era creators produce something based on the idea of ‘this is what Showa and early Heisei-era idols were like,’ let’s commission the real thing.”—

And so, a dream team—lyricist Goro Matsui, composer Etsuko Yamakawa, and photographer Yoshinobu Nemoto—became the cheerleading squad for the newly formed &chocolamie.

The paid version of the FRIDAY subscription features the full text of [Former CoCo Member Maki Miyamae’s Confession: “Why I’m Betting My Life on Producing a ‘Thoroughly Traditional Idol Group That Exudes Nothing but the Vibe of the ’80s and ’90s’”], along with scenes from Miyamae and the members’ rehearsals, private photos, and rare video footage.

How did they recruit this dream team? How did the members change after experiencing the real thing? What challenges does Miyamae see? What does she expect from their solo concert? And what has she gained—and lost—by becoming a producer?