Fukumura Mizuki, one of Morning Musume’s newest members, sat down to talk with De☆View about her thoughts about their latest single and her audition experiences.

Fukumura began her Hello! Project career as a part of Hello! Pro Egg, a group of trainees, and was chosen in January to join Morning Musume, a group she had always admired.

Check out the interview below!

Question: Please tell us the reason you decided to audition for Hello! Pro Egg!

Ever since I can remember I’ve always really loved Hello!Pro; I bought a ton of CDs and DVDs and was a big fan!

The first one that I bought was a Minimoni CD, but I especially liked Berryz Koubou. Of course, I also loved Morning Musume and C-ute, and before I realized it, I had started to think, “I want to join Hello! Pro too.”

Actually, before I tried out for Hello! Pro Eggs, I was in a contest called “Kirarin☆Girl Contest” and I got runner-up. At that time, the girl who got the grand prize was in the magazine “Chao”, and when I saw that I was so frustrated. I thought, “I definitely want to beat this girl!” and “I want to join Hello! Pro!” That’s when my mother told me about the Egg audition.

Question: As a member of Hello! Pro Egg, you had dance and singing lessons, but what do you feel is the area you were most able to grow in?

I think my sense of rhythm got better. I’ve been told that I went too fast, but I watched out for that, and kept my mind on listening carefully to the music and getting the rhythm right.

With singing, I tried to keep in mind the meaning of the lyrics. When you really turn into the main character of the song, those emotions just overflow. Even though I was sure that I was putting a lot of emotion in, I was told that it didn’t really seem like it… I still haven’t really improved yet, so that’s my challenge.


Question: Last year you took on the Morning Musume audition; do you have any memories about it?

During the judging, a girl next to me was crying, and it just made my nervousness go through the roof. Even though I practiced so much, the lyrics left my mind, my notes were off, and I was way worse than usual. That’s why when the results were announced, I never imagined it would be me… I was so in shock, I couldn’t feel anything.

Question: Right now you’re doing activities as a member of Morning Musume, but how have your feelings changed from right after you passed the audition?

Lately, little by little, I’ve begun to be able to see myself as a member of Morning Musume, but after all, it still feels unbelievable to be having lessons and filming with my seniors that I’ve looked up to for so long… (laughing) Every single day is just like the beginning, so without realizing it, my heart is always beating fast! They always used to say, “Eggs are trainees, but members are pros.” I think I have to do my best to see myself as a pro.


Question: Your first single as a member of Morning Musume, “Maji Desu ka Ska!” has finally been released, hasn’t it?

When I first heard the demo tape of this song, I was so happy that I couldn’t stop smiling. (laughs) When I was in Shugo Chara Egg (a unit she performed in as an Egg), we only had an album song, but this time to be able to be in a single, and then a music video, made me really happy!

Question: How did your first recording as a member of Morning Musume go?

I was really nervous. I have a tendency to sing in a low, dull kind of voice, but this single, “Maji Desu ka Ska!”, is a really energetic song! That’s why I tried to really sing brightly and energetically.

I feel like I did my best, but I wonder how it will sound to everyone else… I was really happy that the 9th generation got to each sing solo lines at the beginning of the song ♪. But listening to our seniors’ part right after, it was really like, “We still have a long way to go…” I felt like, “From now on, I have to try even harder!”


source: tokyohive