Matsuo Miyu UTB July 2022 Issue Interview

• It's been a year since Myuu appeared on UTB, and speaking of Myuu, I can't help but to mention the daiundoukai that took place this year. It was impressive to see Myuu fans on social media proudly saying, "I'm proud of her!"
  I'm really happy if the fans enjoyed it. I've been saying it for a long time, "I want to do a project that uses my body!". I had never done a physical fitness test before. But I felt embarrassed if I got an average score for something I said I wanted to do, so I secretly made up my mind to go out there and win first place. I was under a lot of pressure, but I was very happy to receive the MVP award."

• I feel the image of "athleticism" will lead to more outside work in the future.
  I would be very happy if that happens! I have always hated to lose, and even if things don't go well at first, I think I can make it happen by working hard (lol). When I was in middle school, I was so disappointed that it took me 7 minutes to run 1 km, so I trained hard and was able to run under 3 minutes the next year.

• I just checked and it looks like the average for high school girls is something like 5:04, so I think the 2 minutes mark is athlete territory (sweat). Now, I would like to talk about your work, but when this issue goes on sale, it is just after the Birthday Live concert at Nissan Stadium. I'm sure that you are opening this magazine with the afterglow of that event still lingering in your mind, and I'm sure it was an unforgettable concert for Myuu as well.
  The last Birthday Live was a live concert with no audience and online streaming, and as a group, we have never performed at such a large venue, so I'm just looking forward to it now. At the time of Birthday Live, I had only experienced a few live performances, and there was a part of me that was anxious, but this time I have a lot of experience from the Under Live performance I was allowed to do just before the last Birthday Live. I hope to show that I have grown from that experience.

• As mentioned in the interview with Kuromi (Haruka)-san in the previous issue, the Under Live held at the end of March was impressive in its enthusiasm and sense of unity, reminiscent of the Under Live in the past.
  Thank you very much. I used to be a bit of a perfectionist, and if I couldn't do something well in rehearsal, I would get anxious about whether I could do it right in the performance. So at the beginning of Under Live, I was too conscious about "doing it perfectly" which may have been one of the reasons why I received a lot of "How are you? Are you okay? from (Kitano) Hinako-san, who has graduated.

• I heard that on the morning of the second day, the staff "scolded" you, and the concert itself changed drastically.
  I think we were able to show some of the best parts on the first day. There were some parts that were praised. But the person in charge of the production asked us with such enthusiasm, "Are you OK performing as it is?" that we couldn't help but choke up as we talked, and we cried, and that's when it all changed. As far as I'm concerned, after the second day, I stopped thinking about the details in a good way. I thought that if I couldn't enjoy my performance, the audience wouldn't be able to enjoy it either, so I sang and danced with all my might while thinking about them, and I had a lot of fun. I was so moved and thought, "This is what it means when the fans and I become one," I hope we can unite with everyone at the large Nissan Stadium, and I will do my best to make that happen. Once again, on our 10th anniversary, I want people to think, "Nogizaka is so fun, cute, and wonderful to watch".

• This will be Myuu's first birthday concert with your seniors, as well as the first birthday concert with the 5ki, who will be Myuu's first juniors.
  Ioki Mao and Tomisato Nao are tall, aren't they? So I have a sense of affinity with them. There was a site we worked on together, and I've always wanted to talk to them, but I never really had the chance. I approached her silently with my hand on her head and they said, "Matsuo senpai! We're comparing heights, aren't we?" and so we did (lol).

• I think the junior members are completely taking the lead. At this rate, I don't think you and (Endo) Saku-chan, whom I check on every year, will make any progress either….
  I keep looking at Sakura-chan. Sometimes I feel like our eyes meet and I smile, and I think Saku-chan is smiling too. The other day, Hayashi (Runa) and I were saying to each other, "Saku-chan's pants pockets have the lining sticking out on one side."

• Did you fix it for her?
  No, I just kept looking at her because she was cute (lol).

• I see (lol). But we hope that one day you will talk to her and get to know her well. Now that you are a university student starting this spring, please tell us about your ambitions for the future.
  I was very much torn between going on to higher education or not, but in the end, the deciding factor was a word from Yamazaki Rena-san who said, "There is absolutely no harm in going on to higher education." I joined Nogizaka because I wanted to be an idol, but I'm interested in many other things besides idols. I feel that the synergistic effects are already starting to emerge, as I'm learning various things at the university, which are giving me hints for my idol activities and inspiring me to come up with things I had never thought of before. I would like to continue to balance my work with my private life and make use of the discoveries I make in my private life in my work.