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Juice=Juice Sub-leader Dambara Ruru is interviewed by Town Work
"Even when I thought I couldn't do it anymore, I kept going because I love singing."
Juice=Juice, the talented idol group that was known as the Hello! Project Avengers, has seen a major turnover in its members, but Dambara remains at the core of the group, carrying on its image. Her singing ability, one of the best in the idol world, shines through in their third album "terzo".
--How have things changed between four years ago, when you released your 2nd album, and now?
"At that time, I was the youngest member of Juice=Juice with only about one year of experience, so I was just following the older sisters around, oohing and ahhing (laughs).
Now I am 20 years old and there are more younger members.
I want to do for my juniors what the seniors have done for me.
--I heard that you recently had another voice training, but what is your current challenge now that you are by far the best singer, Ruru-san?
"I do my own training to extend my range, but I also check with my teacher to see if I am doing it the right way. For example, I have been asked to sing fake parts more and more often, so I am consulting with my teacher most about how to do it better."
---You went to Actors School Hiroshima from the first grade and fell in love with singing while taking lessons.
"I was always very shy and even hated to celebrate my birthday, so my mother enrolled me in an actors' school because she couldn't bear to see me like that.
At first, I danced with a straight face and looked like I didn't want to dance at the recitals (laughs).
Then, in the third or fourth grade, I began to think to myself that I liked singing. I wrote down "singer" as my dream for the future, and I became a member of the class committee at school and became a show-off (laughs)."
--Did they say you were a good singer from the beginning?
"I passed the in-school auditions and was often told that I was good. But everyone else was good, too, and I worked hard with a single-minded determination not to lose."
--Do you practice things that other people don't do?
"I liked to sing at home after school and record it. For about an hour, my mother was at work and I could sing by myself. I ran home so that I could take that time as long as possible.
I didn't play with my friends at all because I was so nervous from the return meeting.
--What kind of songs were you singing at that time?
"I liked mature songs from those days, and I used to sing them without knowing what they meant, like JUJU's sad love song 'Kono Yoru o Tomete yo', which, now that I think about it, I used to sing in the third grade (laughs)."
--When you became a Hello Pro Kenshuusei in the 6th grade, were you confident that you could be competitive in singing?
"I didn't want to lose to my peers, but there were so many amazing seniors there that I suddenly felt like I was in the professional world. In Hiroshima, I used to sing just for the love of it, but now I feel as if my back has been straightened."
--It took you four years to make your debut, were you troubled during that time?
"With so many of my peers and juniors making their debut in the first or second year of Junior high, I wondered, 'What am I missing?' There was a time when I was worried and thought about quitting the trainee program. But my love for singing has always been at the core of my being. I am grateful to be able to work in such a blessed environment, so I continued to work hard until I was able to make my debut."
--Even if you were not chosen as a member of a new group, you didn't feel down?
"At that time, there was a rush to form Tsubaki Factory and other new groups, so I had no time to get depressed. If I was not selected, I thought I would do it next time. But when I first learned that Haga Akane was going to be a new member of Morning Musume, I was shocked to see someone my age making her debut less than a year later."
--Ruru-san won the Best Performance Award twice in the "Spring Ability Test" for Kenshuusei, did you think "Why wasn't I selected?"
"I did not think so. However, I did feel that receiving the award from the beginning set the bar higher than I had imagined for both the staff and the fans to see how far I could go. I thought, "I can't do that well," but I was desperate to continue to overcome this hurdle of expectations or else I would never make it to the next level."
--Did you also think that you needed something more than just being a good singer?
"I have learned a lot from Morning Musume's tours, where I have often accompanied them on their tours and seen how sparkling they are.
I stole the idea and tried to do it myself, saying things like, "You have to make this kind of expression," or "You have to show it from this angle."
--When Ruru-san joined, It was thought that the five original ironclad members would continue to work together.
"As a fan myself, I was surprised to find myself in the group. I was so busy trying to keep up with the fast-paced flow of events, such as the live performance that was soon to be unveiled. But I received a very good response after my solo part at the beginning of "Fiesta! Fiesta!". It was a moment when I felt welcomed and thought, "This is all right."
--With that, Ruru-san made an instant impression on her fans.
Did you have the determination to "show them what you can do with gusto"?
"I was more than happy to be on stage as Juice=Juice. So, after I sang the song, the audience went 'OH!!' I was more surprised myself (laughs)."
--In the program "Kanjam:, Hyadain praised Ruru-san's sining as having "melancholy and sadness" in the "10 Amazing Vocalists in the Idol World of Reiwa" episode. Do you think that is your strength?
"I don't think I am good at it. Many people have told me that they like my singing style and quirks, and I realized that they are my characteristics. I would like to develop that.
"I have many thoughts about how I will sing on stage. I also think a lot about how to put on my peculiarities. But at the actual live performance, I express myself as I am, with the passion I have at that moment."
"Some parts of the song were exactly as I had imagined, and some parts were totally different. Later, I would objectively think, 'This is how I was feeling at that time.'"
--Is there anyone you consider to be a rival?
"I don't want to lose to everyone.
If I get a good part in a group, I am honestly happy and I want to do my best, so I want to keep that feeling.
But if that's all I do, I'll be a distraction to the group."
"I myself love Juice=Juice's colors.
It is mature, cool and stylish. I try to convey that quality to my juniors by saying, 'Why don't you do this?' I talk with them about it."
--Have you ever felt how hard it is to be an idol?
"I had never been abroad before, and it was very difficult for me to suddenly travel from Mexico and other countries. The food in each country was completely different, and I couldn't sleep well during the trip, so sometimes I was sleepy all the time."
"But the enthusiasm of the overseas fans was really amazing. I was so touched when people living this far away called me "Ruru, Ruru," even though I had just joined. I would like to go back to see everyone overseas when things get settled."
--Do you usually feel down?
"Not much. But about a year ago I was struggling with my singing. Once I hurt my throat and after it healed, I didn't know how I was singing. I couldn't sing the way I wanted to."
--How did you overcome this?
"I don't remember (laughs). But looking back, I guess I was thinking too much about it and it was occupying my mind. The director, Taisei-san, told me that I was getting to the point where I didn't need to be so preoccupied."
"I am not the type of person who says, "I'm going to carry the group on my back," but I think I was unknowingly thinking that I had to pull them along. Then I was told, "You don't have to think about doing everything yourself. Now I am able to have the feeling of singing purely for love again."
--Which of the new songs in "terzo" is your favorite?
"For the first time, we had unit songs and were divided into two groups: the 20s group and the teens group, and I was shocked to find myself in the 20s group.
The four of us sang "Mon Amour" together, which was mature and cool, with many solo parts. The last chorus was a shouting match, and Inoue Rei sang a fake.
I love the fact that we were able to do things that would have been impossible with nine people, but were only possible with a four-person team."
--Songs about adult love.
"I love these cool songs that are passionate and sad. I myself am not usually that type of person, but when I sing Juice=Juice's songs, I feel like I can be a strong and cool woman just for that moment, as if I am acting."
--Are there any songs that were difficult even for Ruru-san's singing ability?
"I challenged myself to sing "POPPIN' LOVE" in a cute way. I tried to express a girl being pushed around by a boy in the most cheerful tone I have ever sung in my life, with a sense of rolling rhythmically.
'More cuteness! Yes, more of that!' I did my best while being pushed to do so."
--In May, your fellow sub-leader, Inaba Manaka, will graduate, while auditions for new members are being held. It seems that Ruru-san role will become even larger.
"I hope I can round out the group rather than being a firm sub-leader. I want the new members to do what they want with their individuality, while making sure they don't get in the way, and I will try to organize them where they need to be aligned."
--Do you have any plans for activities outside of the group?
"I can't think of much. Juice=Juice is moving too fast right now (laughs). All I can think about is making the group better with the conviction to protect the fundamentals. In the future, I vaguely want to sing all the time or have solo concerts."
--Ruru-san, from your past experiences, is there anything you think is important to make your dreams come true?
"In my case, I was lucky to be able to work as an extension of what I loved to do. But I feel that if it is something you truly love, if you keep pursuing it, one day it will come true. It took me a long time to make my debut, and even when I thought I couldn't do it anymore, the feeling of love was the driving force that kept me going. I hope that you will not lose sight of that and believe in yourself."
https://townwork.net/magazine/job/workstyle/128202/
