Akimoto Yasushi explains how he got the idea for Keyakizaka46's debut single "Silent Majority"

report from Yahoo Japan News, 18 March 2021 

Music producer Akimoto Yasushi (62) appeared live on NHK’s Gogonama. He spoke about the idol group Keyakizaka46 (now Sakurazaka46), which he produces, and revealed that he used their un-idol-like appeal to create their debut single Silent Majority. 

Normally, the image of an idol is to be cheerful and communicative. But when members came together for the Keyakizaka46 auditions “you wouldn’t think it was an idol audition. They didn’t smile and didn’t make up to people. They were strange girls.”

This unpredictable charm gave him the idea that when parents and teachers told them things they did not believe themselves, modern young people may wonder if they might not be able to express their own ideas. That was the beginning of the group’s debut song Silent Majority.

“Although there were people at the time who criticized the paradox that it was an adult who had them sing ‘Don’t let adults tell you what to do’,” he explained, “I thought that was the way of doing it which would be most effective.”

He said that unlike a singer-songwriter, he wasn’t putting his own ideas into the lyrics, but making lyrics from the point of view of the singers.

Managers being recruited for Keyakizaka

Seed & Flower, the Sony company that manages both Keyakizaka groups, has announced that it is recruiting managers for the groups.

Experience favored but not required. Monthly salary Y300,000 (just under $3000). Hours of work 11am to 7:30pm. All social insurance fees paid, two days off a week, three-month trial period, transport costs paid, annual vacation after six months' employment.

English-speakers are not the target audience here, but I have translated the recruitment call, just to let people dream. I'll talk about it more after the translation.

_________________________________________________________

• Major recruitment call for staff of quickly advancing idol groups Keyakizaka46/Hiragana Keyakizaka46!
• Seeking candidates overflowing with ambition, with or without experience, who are interested in the entertainment world, and will convey excitement to fans.
• Those who will spare no effort in dealing with people and who take careful pains in doing their work are especially welcomed.
• Management and administrative personnel are also being recruited.
• Those with experience especially welcomed.

• Large recruitment of managers for Keyakizaka46/Hiragana Keyakizaka46!
• Those with experience especially welcomed.

Nagahama Neru blog: Conversation with Akimoto-sensei; enjoying a TV drama

Dream and Reality, 287

Nagahama Neru
2018.05.04


Hello


Today, Kobayashi, Sugai and Nagahama were on
An all-day contemplation of Akimoto Yasushi songs 2018

(On radio)


We were able to have an unhurried conversation with Akimoto-sensei,
Who said many wonderful, wonderful things.


About Keyakizaka songs, etc.,
His thoughts were almost all things we had never heard before.
The people listening
Must have really enjoyed them, too 

Aki-P once again compares Hirate with Yamaguchi Momoe

Akimoto Yasushi

There's some reaction to a recent interview with Aki-P in which he once again compares Hirate Yurina with the great idol Yamaguchi Momoe.

It's from a series of TV conversations called:
Special conversation - Matayoshi Naoki's "Performers I want to meet before I die," #3: Akimoto Yasushi

...
Matayoshi: In comedians, the standard is basically "are they funny or not?" But when it comes to entertainment talents, there are lots of cute and lots of cool ones. What rule is there for deciding whether they will sell or not?

Akimoto: ...Umm. Probably having things read into them.

Matayoshi: By the people seeing them?

Akimoto: Yes. So, for example, Hirate in Keyakizaka46 or Yamaguchi Momoe, people like that, somehow make you read too much into every little thing they do. Such as when they look downcast.

Matayoshi: They are not ordinary people.

Akimoto: Yes, exactly.
...
source

Aki-P has said this before: that Hirate is someone special, someone whom you can't help reading things into.

Aki-P talks about Keyakizaka46

This is from the October issue of Nikkei Entertainment magazine. A couple of points from the article have been mentioned in English, but I don't think the whole thing has been translated. There are more ideas here that I find interesting, and that give us a glimpse of the big boss's thinking.

___________________________________________________

Special Interview -- Akimoto Yasushi

Akimoto Yasushi is the general producer of both the AKB48 groups and the Sakamichi Series groups. He differentiates between them with the keywords "energetic, powerful, tough" for AKB, and "lycéennes" [French for "high school girls"] for Nogizaka46. As for Keyakizaka46, which debuted in April and has had a rocket start, what sort of vision does he have for them?

In over 40 years doing this kind of work, if I start with the idea in my mind "let's go with this kind of theme," things have never gone well. With Nogizaka46, it was only after writing various kinds of music for them that I realized: "Oh, I've been writing as if they were French schoolgirls."

With Keyakizaka46, whether it was while speaking with the girls who had been selected in the auditions or when I was choosing songs for them, I gradually came to realize what I wanted to do. I didn't write Silent Majority thinking of making idols who don't smile.