Bird of prey-themed 5-member dance idol unit KAZEHIKARU FUKUROU makes their major debut with their self-titled mini album “KAZEHIKARU FUKUROU” (release date: November 22). The group is made up of “playing producer” Misaki, Kanon Yamazaki, Rin Onishi, and sisters Miu and Rin Ueki. The name KAZEHIKARU FUKUROU comes from the catch phrase “carrying happiness like an owl flapping its wings powerfully and beautifully” (fukurou no you ni tsuyoku utsukushiku habataite shiawase wo hakobu) which was coined by Misaki. Formed in May of 2017, the group performed at Tokyo Idol Festival and @JAM EXPO just 3 months after. With their sights set on the Nippon Budokan, they are a group to be on the lookout for!

Tokyo Girls’ Update was fortunate to be able to speak with the members of KAZEHIKARU FUKUROU regarding the recording of their debut mini album and their 3-month “23 Wards of Tokyo Conquest Live” campaign.

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From Left to right:Misaki, Rin Ueki, Rin Onishi, Miu Ueki, and Kanon Yamazaki/左からMisaki、植木琳美、大西凛、植木美心、山崎カノン

– To begin, please introduce yourselves.

Misaki: Nice to meet you, we are KAZEHIKARU FUKUROU. I am the “playing producer” Misaki.

Miu Ueki (hereafter, Korin): I am Rin Ueki, 13-years old, and in my first year of middle school.

Rin Onishi (hereafter, Rinrin): I am Rin Onishi, 14 years old, and in my third year of middle school.

Rin Ueki (hereafter, Miu): I am Miu Ueki, 15 years old, and in my first year of high school.

Kanon Yamazaki (hereafter, Kanon): I am Kanon Yamazaki, 17 years old, and in my second year of high school.

– Congratulations on your “23 Wards of Tokyo Conquest Live”. Please share with us any particular areas that left an impression on you.

Misaki: Everyone is from rural areas so, we came up with the “23 Wards of Tokyo Conquest Live” plan to conquer Tokyo. It was almost completely areas which we had never been to before but, we had so many new encounters that we were able to enjoy ourselves while doing it.

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Kanon Yamazaki/山崎カノン

Kanon: I still have an impression from Shinagawa, which was the first place that we performed. It was our debut performance so I was really nervous. There were a lot of spectators and they were really excited so I still remember it.

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Miu Ueki/植木美心

Miu: It was an ordeal, but for me it was Akihabara in Chiyoda Ward. After each performance we would hand out fans and flyers but, on that day it was raining so we called it off after an hour.

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Rin Onishi/大西凛

Rinrin: For me, it was the Fountain Square of Ikebukuro Sunshine City in Toshima Ward. There were lots of spectators all the way up to the higher floors, the stage is really spacious, and there were even people watching from behind the stage, so it was really exciting and fun.

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Rin Ueki/植木琳美

Korin: For me, it was Hikarigaoka IMA in Nerima Ward. The stage was in an atrium so it was really pretty. There were a lot of people there watching with their families and the little kids were so cute that I still remember it.

Misaki: For me, it was an antique record shop named Yoro-do in Asakusa (Taito Ward). It was the first time for me to visit a shop that sold enka and kayou-kyoku. Because we’re usually in a live house, being in an atmosphere different than usual was refreshing. In addition to the people who would usually come to see us, there were also a lot of people with discerning musical tastes so I think it was an area with a high hurdle to get over when it came to “song”. Because we did the “23 Wards of Tokyo Conquest Live” plan, I think it is a place that we could go to.

– For the mini album “KAZEHIKARU FUKUROU”, there is a song in particular that I want to ask about. That would be track 2 “Fukuro Densetsu”. It’s a song full of such hot subjects like fighting alongside “comrades” (nakama) and “bonds” (kizuna), right? Having completed your “23 Wards of Tokyo Conquest Live”, have the bonds within the group grown deeper?

Miu: We were together for long periods of time, so I think our bonds have grown deeper. There were days where we would go out to 2 to 3 wards in one day, and being completely exhausted while gathering up our strength by shouting, “Let’s do our best everyone!”. Also, everyone is around the same age so we would cheer each other up.

– Going to 3 wards in one day must have been difficult.

Misaki: Kanon and Rinrin commute from Hokkaido and Ishikawa so the group activities are limited to the weekends. Because of that, we would pack 2 to 3 wards into a day, so it was really a full schedule. There would be fans that would follow along with us and help us get through it. When we would be moving to the next place, there would be fans who arrived earlier who would come out to greet us, something that became a great source of support.

– Next is track 3 “TSUBASA”. There’s a lyric that goes “Fly away and cross over the world”
(Tobidate sekai wo koeteyuku), which makes it a really forward-facing song. If you were to sprout wings, is there a place you’d want to fly to right now?

Kanon: I’d want to fly around the entire country! Because we completed our “23 Wards of Tokyo Conquest”, the next step would be to do it for the whole country. As a member of KAZEHIKARU FUKUROU, I want to fly around all of Japan.

Miu: I want to have a live in my home of Hiroshima, but if I were to grow wings, I’d want to go to America. Where is the place in America with the most people?

Misaki: Maybe New York?

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Miu Ueki/植木美心

Miu: Okay, I want to go to New York!

Misaki: You’re so vague!

All: (laughs)

Miu: They might not be able to understand the Japanese but, I think it’d be great if a lot of people could connect with the music.

Rinrin: I want to perform in everyone’s hometowns. I want to eat all the delicious local foods and see all the famous places there.

Korin: I want to go to Brazil.

All: (laughs) Why??

Korin: Soccer is famous isn’t it? So I want to dance like the cheer squad for a soccer team.

Misaki: Do you like soccer?

Korin: I don’t really like it.

All: (laughs)

Korin: Well then, I…like it.

– Maybe it’s that you want to cheer people on?

Korin: Yes. I want to cheer everyone on.

Misaki: It might be the same as Miu but, I also want to go to New York. I think New York is like a second hometown. I went there for the first time when I was a 3rd year middle school student and at that time I had a lot of regrettable memories. During the dance lessons the difference in ability and power was so great that I felt like I had lost. Even though Japan has a prosperous dance and music culture, there is a lot of music with roots in America so I want to battle in its homeland. Since 2016 I would go there every 6 months and participated in ANIME EXPO so moving forward I want to steadily move towards going overseas more. I think that reaching people through music and expanding our horizons would be really great.

– The music of KAZEHIKARU FUKUROU is based in hip-hop so, even if the words don’t translate, people can have fun with the vibe that it gives off, right?

Misaki: That’s right. The music of KAZEHIKARU FUKUROU takes conventional idol songs and incorporates elements of R&B and hip-hop into it.

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– For track 4 “Yume no Kuni”, it’s a love song about being in love with a boy from the same class, isn’t it? In the song there are lyrics about being scolded by a teacher for wearing perfume at school. Has anyone had an experience of being scolded by a teacher?

Misaki: For all of the songs, I wrote the lyrics so, that’s a true story about being called out and scolded by a teacher for wearing perfume at school…

All: Really?!

Misaki: When I was a 6th year student in elementary school, perfume was forbidden, but a friend brought some to school. There were scented body creams and powder sheets that were popular but as friends we thought it would be cool to not use those but to wear perfume instead. When I did it, I was called out by the teacher and got scolded badly. In spite of that, I kept wearing for 2 to 3 more days after.

Kanon: I’m always talking during class and always get scolded by the teacher. But when I’m being scolded everyone would say things like, “What about the people who are sleeping? Isn’t it better to be talking?”, and I would still get scolded.

Miu: According to the school rules colored lip cream is forbidden, but the colored one is cuter so I brought it with me. I thought I would definitely not get caught but, it fell out of my pocket while I was walking. On top of that, it fell out right in front of a teacher so it was confiscated and I was scolded.

Rinrin: I would be scolded by the teacher for not turning in things until after the deadline. The homework is so difficult! No matter how much I think about it, I still wouldn’t get it. I always get scolded for not turning things in on time.

Korin: When I was playing dodgeball with a friend, I threw the ball too hard and it got stuck in a tree branch. I climbed the tree and got the ball down but I got scolded for not letting the teacher know until after I did it.

Misaki: Of course they would get mad thinking about safety, no?

– Next is track 5, a ballad titled “Hajimete Koi wo Shitte”. It’s about a first love but it’s not all happy feelings, it’s a song that paints a picture of anxiety and pain, because of love, isn’t it? There’s a lyric, “Why does love hurt?” (Doushite suki wa tsurai no?) so was there any experiences of loving something/someone so much that it hurt?

Korin: Because I love “Cars” I would collect the stickers, but there were so many that I couldn’t get them all.

– So you like “Cars”? When did you start liking it?

Korin: I happened to watch “Cars 2” when it was on TV in July, and the main character Lightning McQueen was so cool that I thought that it would be nice to fall in love with someone like that and came to love it.

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Rin Ueki/植木琳美

Miu: I can’t stop eating Happy Turn.

Misaki: Did you get hooked on that recently?

Miu: Recently.

Misaki: That has to be, from that time where you were eating it in the dressing room right (laughs)? It was there on that day where Miu and I were recording; at that time there was Happy Turn in the dressing room.

Miu: Yes. I was hooked on it since then.

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Kanon Yamazaki/山崎カノン

Kanon: I’m addicted to going to cafes that look fashionable on social media and taking photos. Because those places are popular, I have to wait in line for an hour to get in. Because I want to go and take photos and taste the food, I’ll often go with friends.

Rinrin: I love idols and anime. In particular, I love Shiritsu Ebisu Chugaku, ever since I first watched their DVD. I always listen to them when I study.

Misaki: I love UFO catchers.

Miu: You can catch anything for me.

Misaki: I have a lot of stuffed animals at home and about half of them are from UFO catchers.

Miu: She gives them out to the members.

– UFO catchers are pretty difficult, no? Even though it seems like it’s easy to get, as a challenge they’re impossible to get.

Misaki: When I go to an arcade, I’ll know right away whether or not it’ll be kind after just playing one of the UFO catchers. Like, “with that setup, it’ll never fall”.

All: Wow!

– For track 6 “Tokimeki♡Valentine”, it’s a Valentine’s Day song, right? The talk before the music begins is so real and cute!

Misaki: That was recorded with all 4 of them in the booth. With the theme of confessing to a boy, everyone just talked. There were no lines so they just spoke freely.

Miu: We were just put in the booth all of a sudden and given the scenario so it was like, Yes, let’s talk!”.

Misaki: There was a line, “Will you accept my feelings?” (Watashi no kimochi uketetottekureru?) but, among all the members challenging each other, the winner was Rinrin.

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Rin Onishi/大西凛

– It was really cute! It’ll definitely be a song people will want to hear during Valentine’s.

Misaki: I want people to listen to it while making chocolate.

– Lastly, track 7 “Jōkyō STORY”, it’s a song which paints a picture of someone leaving behind their home town and going to Tokyo to make their dreams come true, isn’t it? I think it’s a song that anyone who has left their home and is working hard can relate to, right?

Misaki: It’s exactly because everyone is coming up to Tokyo for group activities is why I think it’s a song they can sing. It’s a song which I wrote my true feelings from the time when I cam to Tokyo from Osaka so, it’s a song that people who have the same feelings to listen to.


KAZEHKARU FUKUROU “KAZEHKARU FUKUROU”

Track List

01. Intro ~The goddess of bird of prey~
02. Fukuro Densetsu
03. TSUBASA
04. Yume no Kuni
05. Hajimete Koi wo Shitte
06. Tokimeki ♡ Valentine
07. Jōkyō STORY

Contributor Wanted!!


Buy Item

Kazehikaru Fukuro / Kazehikaru Fukurou
Kazehikaru Fukuro / Kazehikaru Fukurou

Event Information

November 18, 2017 (Saturday)
Start – 1:00pm
TOWER RECORDS GRAND TREE MUSASHIKOSUGI

November 18, 2017 (Saturday)
Start – 5:00pm
TOWER RECORDS IKEBUKURO

November 19, 2017 (Sunday)
Start – 1:00pm
HMV AEON MALL Urawamisono

November 23, 2017 (Thursday)
Start – 12:00pm
AEON MALL Hanyu

November 24, 2017 (Friday)
Start – 6:00pm
nico nico honsha

November 25, 2017 (Saturday)
Start – 12:00pm/6:00pm
SHINSEIDO Sunshine City ALTA


Related Links

KAZEHIKARU FUKUROU Official site:http://kazehikarufukurou.com/
KAZEHIKARU FUKUROU Official Twitter:https://twitter.com/kaze_fukurou

Photos by Nathan Gey

Author
TokyoGirls'Update

We bring the latest news of Japanese girls' culture from Japan to all over the world! Here are hot topics about KyaryPamyuPamyu, AKB48, Hello!Project, and other cute Jpop artists. Everybody wanna be KAWAii, and wotaku in whole world, cheeeeeeeer UP!

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