A 10,000 word interview with Tegoshi Yuya [Myojo (Aug 2011) / English translation]

Ahhh Tegoshito realmente te estresaste tanto en un principio?? puedo decirles como resumen que gracias a una Fan nuestro niño no dejo la Johnnys por que en verdad estaba frustrado...

pero mejor no les digo mas lean y aprendamos juntos mas de Tego...

como siempre les digo si alguien deja un comentario por lo menos para apoyarme y darme animos con la traduccion en español espero poder sacarla

A 10,000 word interview with Tegoshi Yuya [Myojo (Aug 2011) / English translation]

After Yamapi’s long interview in July, Myojo did one with Tegoshi in the August issue. (And one with Koyama for September’s) Tegoshi talked about his prank-loving childhood days, his Junior days and his first couple years in NEWS. Beneath that confident idol smile and seemingly flippant attitude, he is a really hard worker.  

“There's no other way apart from working hard, since I hate losing”

‘Let’s get married someday’

MYOJO (MJ): Tell me something about yourself when you were young.

TEGOSHI (TY): (Laughs) I used to play pranks on people in places like shopping centres and apartments by hiding and jumping out on people. My parents had been called to school on countless occasions too. (Laughs) Anyway I was an energetic and lively kid. I wasn’t shy or afraid of strangers; I think I’m probably shyer these days.

MJ: What is the oldest memory that you have?

TY: I think it might be my family ski when I was around three years old. I was on a slope when I suddenly decided to let go of my hand. Even though I was very young then, I remembered thinking, ‘Uh-oh! This is probably too reckless!!’ (Laughs)

MJ: You’ve been very athletic since then, haven't you?

TY: Yes, it probably started from then. (Laughs) Well, I went skiing every year when I was young, so I could ski properly since my first year in elementary school. I’ve always like moving around when I was a kid and I was pretty fast on my feet too. 

MJ: Was it fun in kindergarten?

TY: That was the period in my life when I was most popular among girls! Girls showered attention on me like the way you see in mangas; one would go ‘play with me’ and another would say, ‘No, play with me!’ I think it was probably because I was a fast runner then. After all, those who could run fast tend to be popular with girls right? Back when you were young?

MY: Was that when you experienced your first love?

TY: Yes. Among those who liked me, there was this girl whom I liked. She was taller than me. We used to ‘play house’ together and we even made a pact to marry each other someday. During our kindergarten graduation ceremony, I told her, ‘Let’s get married in the future!’ and kissed her on her cheek. However we went to different elementary schools and I haven’t seen her since. I guess she probably won’t remember the pact that we’ve made.

MJ: You really were not shy at all then, were you?

TY: It could be because I’ve always stood out among others back then?   For instance, when there was a relay, I would be the anchor runner. And for school plays, I would be the lead actor and when it came to cheering, I would be the captain. I was always in a lead role then.

MJ: Did you like stuff about heroes from TV shows too?

TY: I loved that sort of things! At that time, my favourite colour was blue. However, in those battle scenes that I had seen, they always seem to differentiate the leader using red colour, hence I started to like the colour red too.

MY: When did you start playing soccer?

TY: I started soccer during my kindergarten days. I got interested in soccer because I liked Ramos* san. I watched a match that the national team played in and thought the Japanese players were super cool! Ramos san was also much more passionate about soccer than the rest – you can see it from the way he encouraged his team mates and all.

[* Ruy Ramos – Brazilian born, naturalised Japanese/ ex national team player]

‘I always strive to be the best. Be it now or then, I’ve always hate to lose’

MY: During your elementary school days, your parents were called to the school office. What was that about?

TY: Well, I was a very mischievous kid in those days. In the first few months of school, I would be playing pranks on my schoolmates – such as lifting my classmates’ skirts, shocked others with a surprise thump on their backs, kissed girls on their cheeks etc. Of course I didn’t have any ill intentions. It wasn’t like I wanted to get close to the girls, but more of the feelings of glee and ‘Yes, I did it!’ each prank. However when my parents were called to school by my teachers, I did think that play pranks might not be such a good idea after all. It was like ‘Oh dear, this is baaaaaad….’

MY: That was rather unexpected coming from you! (Laughs)

TY: It was, wasn’t it?! (Laughs) But because I have done all those things, others started to brand me as ‘the weird one’ and that was how my popular days ended. I wasn’t that popular in elementary school…

MY: You got rejected then, didn't you?

TY: Yes, I was rejected thrice! (Laughs) I think I got rejected because of my personality. You see, I’m the type who would do whatever that comes to mind, when I feel like I have something that I want to say or do, I’ll do it right away. Therefore, once I have made up my mind that I like this girl, I would confess to her straight away.

MY: But there is usually a procedure for such things.

TY: That’s true. (Laughs) It should have been put across more appropriately. Such as I should keep the feelings to myself for a longer while, make sure that all the wheels are in motion before the confession. But as I just confessed without any preparation work, it was little wonder why I got rejected. There are people who are naturally good at these things but I’m not quite like them in this aspect. I think I’m just not good in situations like this. I have always liked to be the one who makes the first move, even now.  Whether it is regarding the things I would like to do or say, I would definitely speak out.

MY: Is there anything else about you that have not changed since then?

TY: The fact that I hate to lose. I’ve always thought that I won’t look cool if I don't come in first, and that it seems a little pointless to be 2^nd or 3^rd. If it’s regarding soccer, then I think it’s only meaningful when one is made a regular. The fact that I hate to lose hasn’t changed since then.

MY: When did you start having that ‘hate to lose’ mentality?

TY: Probably since young. I do think that soccer has rendered a huge influence though. You know what some people say about sports, that it is all about the training journey and the importance of that process (training). But to me, I’ve always thought that as long as you can produce results in the competition, the process doesn’t matter as much. For instance there are those who are excellent singers and dancers, even though they hardly practise. And it would be quite meaningless to put in hours of practice unless you think t hat you can get better than them. That's basically the way I think. In the end, it is about whether one can produce results or not. There is satisfaction in surpassing someone whom you’ve previously lost to. However, if I keep losing, I think I would be really frustrated.

MY: Can you give an example of when you didn't want to lose to someone?

TY: Back when my relatives brought their kids over to my house, I wouldn't necessarily change my competitive streak just because the other kid was younger. There are also some people whom I meet in soccer matches and they would go, ‘I better not injure him since he’s an idol’. And then they would go easy on me during the match. I could easily tell when that happens and there were times I stopped the match because of this. I would then tell them that I would not blame them even if I got injured.  After all, they can’t play properly if they have all these reservations. For me, I just want an even match and I won’t be able to give my best if my opponent’s not giving his best too. It feels so much better if everyone puts in 100%. I would be really happy if we managed to win in the end, but even if we lose, I wouldn’t be upset because I know that we have all tried our best. 

‘Even when it comes to having fun, I’ll give it a 100% and be a total baka (clown)’

MY: Did you have many extracurricular activities when you were in elementary school?

TY: Yes, I had swimming and piano lessons. I also went to juku (cram school) though I failed my junior high school entrance exams. I sat for a total of five exams but didn’t make it for two of them. I learnt later that Shige passed those exams that I failed. (Laughs)

[Shige’s truly the smart one. Lol.]

MY: Wasn’t that like the first setback for you, since you seem the type who does well in both sports and studies?

TY: That’s right… For one of them, I remembered thinking that I wouldn't be able to pass it right after I sat for the paper, so it wasn't so much of a surprise to learn that I failed. For the other one, I had such a good feeling after finishing the exam that I even bragged to my mum that it was easy. Thus I was super shocked to learn that I failed it. I became rather depressed after that. Still, I continued to sit for other schools’ entrance exams and managed to pass them so I felt better eventually. I would be in a greater shock if I had failed all of them.

MY: You entered an all boys’ junior high school, didn't you?

TY: I did! It was sooooo much fun! I hung out frequently with 4 other guys that I got along really well with.  That said, I had club activities nearly every day so I only hung out with them on rainy days and such. We hung out in places like Shibuya and Shinjuku and since we didn't have much money, it wasn’t like we went there to shop. Instead we tried looking for interesting people or things to do out on the streets. For instance, the one who lost at ‘janken’ (scissors, paper, stone) would have to do things like dashing across Shibuya scramble crossing when the light turns green, or walked into a lingerie shop in The other four would be watching from the side and laughing non-stop. Though trivial, those were simple joys that we derived without spending any money. It felt like we did wander about on the streets with no other purpose, except to look for fun and interesting things to do.

MY: Were you popular in junior high?

TY: Not at all. (Laughs) The five of us did not seem to have any interest in girls back then. For instance when the girls from a nearby girls’ school came to our school’s cultural festival, it was like the only chance in a year to ask for their phone numbers. Most guys were pretty pumped up at times like these but we were the only ones who didn’t care much about getting their phone numbers and went off to have fun by ourselves.

MY: Really?

TY: It was true, honestly! (Laughs) My mum was really worried then. She thought, ‘Perhaps this kid has no interest in girls…’ (Laughs)

MY: Why did the five of you get along so well?

TY: Apart from being in the same class, the five of us had the same mindset – to have maximum fun, no matter how trivial that might be. To use all our effort to look for fun and exciting things to do. They were guys who gave their all even when having fun.

“The first stage performance that I saw was V6’s”

MY: Were you interested in the showbiz industry then?

TY: Not at all. It was an entirely different world from mine. I couldn’t name the different members in SMAP back then – that was how poor my knowledge of the industry was back then. I have been told that I have a ‘Johnny’s face’ when I was a kid, though I have wondered what it means to have ‘a Johnny’s face’. (Laughs)

MY: Did you think about becoming a singer?

TY: Nope, no such thoughts though I’ve always liked singing. Was it second year in junior high that I went to karaoke for the first time with my friends? During that time, they praised my singing and told me that I was good at it and that made me very happy. Then I thought to myself, ‘Perhaps I ought to learn how to get better at it?’ However, one needs money for singing lessons and I couldn’t go for all the lessons, so I begged my parents to let me attend one month’s worth of lessons. So I went for 4 lessons in all (once a week). After that, I took those pointers and continued to practise by myself at home.

MY: You were very pleased when you got praised then?

TY: Yes, I’m the type who’ll strive to get even better after being praised. (Laughs) I’m like that even now. I will work even harder after I got commended.

MY: Tell me what your experience was like when you applied to Johnny’s in your 3^rd year of junior high?

TY: My mum’s friend said to me, ‘Why don’t you try for it? I’ve already checked out how to apply for it!’ Hence I went along with it. But it wasn’t like I was fighting really hard to get into showbiz. It was more like I did it on an impulse.

MY: How was your audition then?

TY: Up till then, I never danced before so I couldn’t really dance. And I could see that there were lots of the people who were auditioning with me and they had practised very hard for this audition. There were those who could do backflips effortlessly! They were pretty awesome!

MY: Were you shocked?

TY: Yes, I was. Though I couldn’t dance, I practised really hard during the break. I practised non-stop in front of the mirror even though the break was only 30 minutes. After all, I was already in my 3^rd year of junior high and there were lots of elementary school kids in the audition. To lose to a kid in elementary school without trying would be a bit much to bear. Though it wasn’t like I could win by just a mere 30 minute session, but if I hadn’t even try to improve a little, I would feel like I had lost to myself.

MY: So even though it was a half-hearted application to Johnny’s, you ended up giving it your all during the audition.

TY: Yes, because I don’t like to lose. (Laughs)

MY: Did you think you got through the audition?

TY: No, I didn’t know at all. When the audition was over, an adult came over and told Hikaru (HSJ’s Yaotome Hikaru) and I to go over to another side, so we got out of the rehearsal room. I thought, ‘Oh, I probably failed!’ Though I didn’t realise who it was at that time, thinking back now, that person was probably the president of the company. We waited outside for around 5 minutes and the others came out from the audition. Just as I was thinking, ‘we would be told whether we made it or not’, he suddenly said to us, ‘You two, go get your photos taken in a studio for a magazine now and you’ll appear along with other Juniors.’ I was like ‘EH?!?!’

MY: It seems like your effort during the break paid off.

TY: I guess so. But rather than feeling really happy about it, it was more like I didn’t really know what was going on. I had the photo shoot around half an hour after my audition. Then when I called my mum and told her, ‘For some reason it seems like I will be appearing in a magazine so it feels like I’ve passed the audition…’ She was surprised and went ‘Eh?!’

MY: How was your first photo shoot?

TY: It was rather intimidating when I first saw the Juniors in the studio.  They already had a certain aura around them. I thought to myself, ‘So this is what showbiz is like!’  I was so nervous that I couldn’t smile at all during the shoot.

MY: That left a certain impact then?

TY: It did. But what happened after that left an even bigger impact. After the photo shoot, the president told us to go to Yoyogi stadium to watch V6’s concert. So Hikaru and I went there. Though I didn’t know much about the entertainment scene then, I did watch ‘Let’s go to school’ so I knew who V6 were. I was really surprised that the number of fans!

MY: How did they (V6) look on the stage?

TY: They looked so cool! Like in a different world altogether! For me to appear on a stage like them was something I could not even imagine.  I was dumbfounded, or perhaps I should say I was just so amazed by their intense presence.

MY: The audition day was quite memorable then.

TY: Yes it was. Since then, I was called up by magazines every now and then. I’ve also started going for lessons and was allowed to do a bit of back up dancing for my seniors’ performances.

MY: Did you see Yaotome as a rival then?

TY: Even though we started out at the same time, he was appearing in more magazines and also had a regular appearance in the TV program ‘Ya-ya-yah’. I was a little frustrated.

MY: At that time, did you have anything in mind that you would like to become?

TY: Not really, though I did think about holding the microphone during my Junior days. My career wasn’t much then and I had no achievements but I really wanted to sing. Up till then, I have not done anything else other than soccer. And in sports, you will be made a regular as long as you’re good. Things like age and competitive experience don’t matter as much. And that was what I thought this (entertainment world) would be like. However I didn’t get to hold the microphone at all and I soon realised that I had to brush up on my skills. In order for others to acknowledge me, I started to work hard during the lessons.

MY: Since you didn’t have any dance experience,  it must have been pretty tough then?

TY: I was frustrated at my inability to dance. The instructor even said to me, ‘You’ll be left out if you can’t dance!’ and that got me riled up. I thought, ‘Even though I had no experience, that doesn’t mean I can’t dance!’   I know I couldn’t get better if I just sit around and complain. Hence I looked for a personal dance instructor outside of my regular lessons at Johnny’s and took up private lessons.

MY: You’ve worked hard on your own. So when did the people around you start to notice your singing?

TY: Sometime after I became a Junior. I was a backup dancer for ‘Tonisen’ then and there were 30,40 Juniors in the backstage resting area. One of the staff members came around and asked if there was any Junior who could sing. I was in the toilet at that time but some Juniors whom I went to karaoke with the day before told the staff member that I could sing. So when I got back, that staff member asked me about it. I remembered saying, ‘I don’t know if I can sing or not but I do like singing’ and they asked me to sing ‘Sekai ni hitotsu dake no hana.’ (A song from SMAP) After that, I was asked to sing it again in front of the president.

MY: And what did he say?

TY:  He said, ‘Okay, since KATTUN is having a live concert in Yokahama Arena the day after tomorrow, I’ll let you sing there too’. I was like ‘EHHHHHH???!!!’ I didn’t get what he meant by that.

MY: That was rather sudden.

TY: Yes. In the end I sang Matchy san’s ‘Yuuyake no Uta’. The one who sang with me was Masuda and we practiced fervently for that performance.

MY: How was the actual performance during the concert?

TY: At that time, Masuda had already spent 5, 6 years in the industry so when he stood up in the Juniors’ corner, he received warm welcome and applause. There was none when it was my turn. It was like everyone was thinking ‘who on earth is this person?’ The concert hall went silent.

MY: But you continued to sing despite this reception?

TY: Yes. Even though the president said ‘well done’ to me after the performance, I was so nervous throughout. I tried my best but I really had no idea if I sang well or not. I didn’t expect to be singing in front of 12,000 people out of the blue. Even though there was no applause, I didn’t really take notice then as I was too nervous and was just concentrating on being on stage. The realisation that no one knew me came as a shock only much later.

“It was a fan letter that spurred me to continue in showbiz”

MY: You became part of NEWS around 9 months after becoming a Junior. And though it was just 2 months after NEWS was formed, you guys debuted.

TY: Honestly I didn’t know who Ryo-kun was back then. He had blonde hair and was dressed in all black and I thought, ‘Man, this guy’s scary!’ (Laughs) Also, the other members have had 7,8 years in the industry and they all had a certain aura around them. I only had like 9 months of experience and I thought to myself, ‘Can I really do this?’ There was a lot of apprehension and self-doubt. Therefore, when I first participated in the NEWS activities, it was with a sort of ‘I don’t really want to do it but I have to’ feeling. Instead of feeling happy from the debut, I probably felt quite miserable.

MY: It certainly sounds like you had a pretty tough time back then.

TY: Up till then, I was always ahead of others in soccer and in school. But in NEWS, be it in terms of career or abilities, I came in last in everything. I really struggled with that. And I could hear people saying things like, ‘How on earth did he (Tego) get chosen?’ Honestly, during my first year with NEWS, I thought about quitting Johnny’s.

MY: And what held you back?

TY: When I asked my mum if I should quit.

MY: Did she encourage you by saying things like ‘Hang in there’ or ‘work harder’?

TY: Well, if she had said those things, I would probably retort her with, ‘You’ve no idea what I’m going through now!’ But instead she said, ‘If you really want to quit, then that’s not necessarily a bad thing. You can look for other things to do.’ With such an advice, I couldn’t retort with anything else really. In the end, I realised this was something I had to decide for myself.

MY: So it was more like ‘choose your future path on your own’.

TY: Yes. I guess it has always been like this at home for me. Be it for soccer, piano lessons or swimming classes, I’ve only done them because I said that I wanted to. It wasn’t because my parents told me to. They did not force me to do things I didn’t want to, not even once. I think this (decision making) did a lot for my growing up. Even things such as sitting for entrance exams and going to cram schools, those were my own decisions.

MY: So after further thought, you decided to stay on in the showbiz?

TY: Yes, though I didn’t receive too many back then, I did get some fan letters and there was one that wrote, ‘Be it in magazines, TV or on the stage, whenever I see Tegoshi smiling, I would naturally smile to myself too’. So I thought to myself, ‘This fan might be upset if I quit’. It is simple to just quit the job. However, if I choose to quit only because it was tough, and that decision makes someone else upset, then I would feel very bad about quitting. So if not for this fan letter*, I think I would have probably quit there and then.

* To the fan who wrote the letter – Thank you. If it wasn’t for your letter, we won’t have the confident, smiling Tegoshi on stage today

MY: I see.

TY: And then someone else who had a big influence on my decision was something Okada-kun (V6) said. It was when we first met at ‘FNS Song Festival’. He asked, ‘You’re Tegoshi kun right?’ And then he continued, ‘You’ve only just started in this industry so there will be many instances when you feel inadequate, and times when the going gets tough. I think these things do happen. I have been through it all so I do understand. Just hang in there!’* I was very happy when I heard his words and was very much encouraged by them. I thought that no one could understand the challenges I faced at the beginning, so when someone else told me they do understand, that really meant a lot to me.

* The senpai actually said ‘Ganbatte na!’ Thank you senpai!

MY: Once you’ve decided to continue, have you thought about what you could do to try and catch up to the other members, in terms of experience? To lessen the gap between you and them?

TY: Since my skills were inadequate, the only thing that I could do was to strive hard. It’s not something you can run away from. I don’t think the other NEWS members know about this, that apart from private dance lessons, I also looked for a vocal instructor and had lessons once or twice a week. I would go to the karaoke box after school and had vocal lessons there. Since I wasn’t working hard for the sake of showing off to others, I did not tell the other members or the company about these lessons.

MY: I suppose you wanted to compete with others on singing after all.

TY: I had this thought back then, that the only way I could gain recognition and approval would be through singing.

MY: Did you start to like doing NEWS activities after that?

TY: I love doing live concerts. The fact that all members come together to create something. And to create a show, we would meet up to discuss all of our ideas. I think our bond is borne out of all these activities. And during the times when we were doing these concerts, I could feel that the support from fans was gradually getting stronger. I was extremely happy. I think this support from the fans truly helped me.

MY: And have you thought about quitting since then?

TY: Not even once.

MY: If you could either return to your Junior days or your first year in NEWS, which would that be?

TY: Since I only had a short stint as a Junior, I think I probably did not learn all the things that I should have as a Junior. Eventually I learnt them through the hard way. As it was such a short period of time, it was probably the reason why I had to work as hard as I did. Besides, I think I probably would not feel so apprehensive during the debut if I had more experience as a Junior. Though the short Junior phase probably had its own pros and cons, it was undeniably an important period and had contributed to who I am today.

‘There was dance choreography for Miso Soup’

MY: TegoMass was formed in 2006, wasn’t it?

TY: Yes, I was very thrilled about it.

MY: And your debut song was Miso Soup.

TY: At first, there was dance choreography for Miso Soup. Then I had a discussion with Masuda about whether it was meaningful for TegoMass to be doing the same things as NEWS. If we are to perform similar things, then I think it would be better for us to do them as NEWs. After all, there is more impact when you have 6 members!  And if it’s just the two of us (TegoMass), I felt that we should be thinking about doing things that NEWS would not have done. Since NEWS is always about singing and dancing, we thought that perhaps TegoMass should concentrate on only singing. Hence instead of forcing dance choreography into the song, TegoMass concentrated on singing alone.

MY: You’ve put in much thought into TegoMass’ activities.

TY: I did. After all, I don’t really want to be doing the same things as others and I’d like to do things that only I could. I’m not that scared of failure.   I would prefer to have tried and failed than to not try at all. Even for concerts, it was like ‘Let’s try to do it in this way’ and constantly challenged ourselves. So now even if I’m told that certain stage setup or things can’t be done, I would always try to work if there are ways around it. I would try and see if it can be carried out and if it doesn’t, well, at least I have tried. I can then look for other solutions knowing that I have already explored that option. It’s the same as my love confessions in elementary school – at least I tried*.

*You never know till you’ve tried eh?

MY: (laughs) Yes, it’s the same … By the way, what are your views on love and marriage now?

TY: Though I really wanted to get married back then, it isn’t so much the case these days. (Laughs) I did think about that till I was around 20 years old. I really value my personal time now, so much that I am often told that I won’t be able to get married. However, sometime in the future, I would still like to get married. (Laughs) But for now, if it’s a choice between friends and a relationship, I would choose friends.

MY: What is your ideal type of girl?

TY: I would prefer someone who’s thoughtful and natural. Like when the food is brought out, she would help to dish out the food. A natural, ‘good person’ sort of girl would be my ideal.

‘Regardless of what age I’m at, I still want to be an idol’

MY: What would you like to do from now on?

TY: I’d like to work hard in singing and dancing, TV and variety programs. It might sound greedy but that’s because I don’t have a specific goal or genre in mind. I’m always aiming to do my best, as long as it keeps the fans happy. Even if they are going through difficult times, I hope that I would be able to cheer them up with what I’m doing. I hope that I will always be smiling too. I don’t want to be just the ‘cool’ type of persona. Regardless of what age I’m at, I still want to be an idol.

MY: You were surprised when you first saw V6 at their concert. What sort of feelings do you have now when you see yourself from the sidelines?

TY: There’s a feeling of disbelief, like I can’t quite believe it. That I was given the opportunity to hold concerts in different cities and even overseas, that so many people would come and watch us.

MY: I see.

TY: Since we are human beings, there will be a day when we breathe our last. Hence I think for us to be together in the same space and time is something that’s really rare. For us (NEWS), that would be to see the faces of our fans during concerts. While fans get to know more about us, we also get the chance to meet them. And if the fans can grow together with us and believe in us, I think that would be a lovely thing.

MY: Lastly, how many points would you give yourself out of 100 points?

TY: I gave myself 3 points when I was asked this question at the time TegoMass was formed. Currently...  perhaps 15 points? I’ve still got a long way to go. I have set a goal in my mind. I want to thought as ‘the one that people in Japan like’. It might seem really far but I’ve always set high goals for myself.

My afterthoughts

Given his strong will and character, I could only imagine his frustration in those first couple years in Johnny’s. From being an elite in school and sports to being the last in everything in NEWS. I truly admire his fighting spirit and ‘can do’ attitude and am proud to be a NEWS/ TegoMass fan.

I’ve enjoyed translating this interview, albeit a little long. Thank you for taking the time to read it; I hope you’ve enjoyed it as much as I did.
 

creditos y agradecimientos (chrisyamapi)