–First, please introduce yourself.
Ariwo: My name is Ariwo! I am a singer on YouTube. I am the leader of UTAITE’s new singing unit Kimitopia!, which is scheduled to debut on July 20th!
–I heard that you had a hard time gathering members for “KimiTopia!”…
Ariwo: Yes (laughs). It was great that I was chosen to be the leader of “Kimitopia!”, but at the time, I hadn’t even decided on a single member to work hard with. However, I didn’t want to compromise on the selection of members, so I decided to recruit friends who shared the same “feelings” as me and could complete the three missions I set anonymously.
–I see. And the four members who are debuting this time have cleared that mission! By the way, what was the content of the mission?
Ariwo: Yes! We have decided to debut with the four people who successfully completed all the missions as “Kimitopia!” There are three ideas that I want to keep in mind for the missions.
- To create a group for the fans that can make them happy.
- 2. To gather members who can truly laugh and cry.
- 3. To cherish the feelings that come from the bottom of my own heart.
As I will explain later in the interview, I placed particular importance on “feelings.”
–I see… I’d love to hear your thoughts on this interview! Next, please tell us about “Kimitopia!” What kind of unit is “Kimitopia!”?
Ariwo: We are a five-member singing unit that aims to achieve our dreams and grow together with our fans. We want to be a unit that can make our fans happy and is for all our fans, so we want to cherish our “feelings” and continue to work together.
Specifically, I plan to do a wide range of activities, including singing cover songs on social media, original songs, and entertainment projects. I also plan to hold events and live shows.
I especially want to hold events where I can interact with my fans on a regular basis. Even during my solo career, I was able to foster bonds with my fans by having the opportunity to directly convey my feelings through events. I want to continue this approach in the future.
— I see. I knew that you had been doing solo activities as well, but can I ask you why you decided to debut as a unit this time?
Ariwo: Yes, I was previously in a group, and I was chasing the dream of performing at the Budokan. I gave up halfway through, but the regret has always stayed with me. I really wanted to try again. With Kimitopia!, I’m working with the best friends, so I definitely want to make my dream of performing at the Budokan come true.
–Next, can you tell us about each of the band members?
Ariwo: Right now, the names of our members are a secret (laughs).
— What a surprise! It’s going to be revealed soon! Could you tell us a little about the members for those who are looking forward to it?
Ariwo: Well, let me introduce a little bit about the member colors and their personalities from my perspective.
First, the member in yellow. Actually, he’s a very long-time friend of mine. In the past, we talked about forming a singing unit together, but we were both still immature at the time, so it didn’t work out.
After that, we both gained experience and grew, and one day when we happened to meet again, I talked to him about the three missions without telling him that I had set them. As a result, I realized that he still had the same “feelings” that I wanted to cherish. When I felt that, I immediately invited him to be a member (laughs). I’m happy that we were able to work together again this time.
Next is the member of Pink. I met him through a friend and we hit it off. I felt that he had a hidden talent, which I thought was essential to bring smiles to the faces of all the fans! I was strongly attracted to him. He has the cuteness of a little brother character, but he also has a “cute thorn” and is a little bit poisonous, which makes him very interesting.
Next up is the green member, who was brought by the yellow member. I had known his name and personality from word of mouth for a while, but as we were preparing for our debut together, I really felt that he was someone who was capable of facing everything with sincerity. He’s a bright mood maker and the central figure who enlivens the group.
Finally, we have the blue member, who I also met through an introduction from the yellow member. At first, he gave off a cool vibe, but when we talked, I found out he was surprisingly naive, and I like that contrast. The other members often call him a “cat guy,” and I think that description is perfect (laughs).
──Thank you. The members’ personalities really come out in the animated PV that was released yesterday!
ありを：はい、デビュー曲ということもあって『きみとぴあ！』のメンバーそれぞれのキャラクターが際立つよう、あえてメンバーが別々の場所で別々のことをしながら観ている方に呼びかける構成にしています。今回僕以外のメンバーの声を初めて聴いていただく機会なので、ぜひセリフにもご注目いただきたいです！
──では、ここからは『きみとぴあ！』 の話に戻りたいと思います。7月20日にデビューを迎えるにあたり、今どのようなお気持ちですか？
ありを：今回のメンバー募集を通して、心から信頼できる仲間や『想い』に共感いただけたファンのみんなに出会えました。これからこのメンバーで『きみとぴあ！』として歩んで行けるのが本当に楽しみなんです。実は『きみとぴあ！』というユニット名の由来は「きみと目指すユートピア」。この5人＋ファンのみんなで、誰も見ることのできていない最高の景色を共に作り、共に見たいと言う『想い』を込めています。
──『きみとぴあ！』の5人だけでなく、6人目のメンバーとしてファンの皆さんも一緒に夢を目指してほしいということですね。
ありを：はい、まさにその通りです。
──歌い手ユニットとしてやはりどんな歌を歌うのかが気になるところです。今後の楽曲発表について教えてください
ありを：デビューに合わせて、オリジナルデビュー曲を発表する予定です。曲調は可愛らしいポップサウンドですが、ひたすらに明るいだけでなく芯の強さがありメッセージ性のある曲になっています。メンバー全員で考え、『想い』を込めた歌詞にぜひご注目ください。
──最後に、このインタビューをご覧になっている読者にメッセージをお願いします。
ありを：リーダーとして新しいユニットを作って再出発することになり、不安や大変なことも多いですが、これからも変わらず自分の信念や『想い』を大切に活動を続けたいと思っています。そして『きみとぴあ！』全員の個性や才能を発揮できるような機会をファンのみんなと共に作り、より多くの人へ届けたいと思っています。温かく見守ってくださると嬉しいです。これからもご声援のほど、どうぞよろしくお願いします！
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