Weekly Famitsu's "Monthly Harodori" features Hirai Miyo / BEYOOOOONDS / SeasoningS (2021/11/4)

"My goal is to become a performer who isn’t confined in a single genre." - Hirai Miyo

(Hirai Miyo, a member of BEYOOOOONDS with a reputation for her dance, showcases her versatile skills)

---- In BEYOOOOONDS, Hirai-san often plays a boyish role, but today we photographed you in both a boyish and girly look.

Hirai: It's true that in our group activities, I often play male roles, or I'm asked to sing the low notes, adding cool accents into our songs. I admired the male roles in Takarazuka and aspired to become a Takarazuka performer myself, so I am happy to be asked to perform in this way in the group. However, from now on I would like to show that I can do cute things too, but I can't completely swing that way (laughs). There are lots of other cute girls in the group, so I feel inferior. 

---- In the group, Hirai-san is known for her dance!

Hirai: I've learned classical ballet for 14 years, so it is one thing I’m confident in. I self taught hip-hop dance because I thought it would be great if Hirai Miyo has both sides. I admire the dancer Koharu Sugawara and when I saw her dance for the first time, I thought "Why does she look so happy?” Watching her, I finally understood that “Because she is dancing and dancing is fun." My goal is to become a dancer like her, a dancer who can't be defined by any genre.

---- Hirai-san is good at drawing with a ball-point pen, so we asked her to draw us a sketch in between today's shoot. Why did you choose to capture this scene?

Hirai: I usually like to draw nature, but this time I wanted to depict nature and man-made objects together. I was attracted to the seemingly cold but warm, seemingly warm but cold, and the inorganic aspects of both objects. 

(Off-shot from BEYOOOOONDS official Instagram)

---- Are you self-taught in drawing?

Hirai: Yes, I did. When I was a child, my mother praised my drawing, saying "Miyo's lines are really good", and that's when I gained a lot of confidence and started to focus on lines.

(Off-shot from BEYOOOOONDS official Instagram)

---- On your blog you published not only landscapes but also drawings that illustrate concepts.

Hirai: Sometimes I want to express something that can't be put into words or explained, so that's when I draw abstract pictures. Or if my emotions are stirred up, I will write a song. I tend to draw and write songs when things aren’t going well, so I can't write when my life is going well (laughs). Which is why my creative side is inflexible because whether I can produce something good or not depends on my emotions. But it is something I would like to fix so I’ll do my best.

(Off-shot from BEYOOOOONDS official Instagram)

---- Do you play games?

Hirai: I am the type who usually watches from the side. I'm not very good at games but I've played Ratchet & Clank so many times I remember where all the medals and bolts are (laughs). This game was a big hit in the Hirai household (laughs). I'd like to play the new one on Playstation 5 too.

(Off-shot from BEYOOOOONDS official Instagram)