Aya EightPrince Acting Debut Interview "So Close, Yet So Far Away"
"I had nothing, but I wanted to give people hope"
Aya Eight Prince has been focusing on her new direction ever since the 2nd Generation of BiS disbanded on May 11th. This Summer, she made her acting debut in the Twitter Drama "So Close, Yet So Far Away", and taken a step in a direction no one expected. I spoke with Aya about her story and vision for the future. Days after the disbandment, Aya couldn't walk on her own, and suspended activities due to her poor condition. She was touched by the support she received, and had her first experience as an actress. In her first solo interview, she talks about her feelings on music and singing.
"I think the next thing I do will have a huge impact on my life"
--How did you spend your days over the 3 months after BiS disbanded?
In the first month, I took voice training lessons at Gamushara, and I was able to work with the same Teacher at almost all of the lessons...I just didn't want to have any free time. When I made my debut, I was always busy, so if I suddenly had time to myself, I didn't know what to do. I get scared during the time when there's nothing to do.
(*I believe Aya's referring to her debut in BiS, not her acting debut. Her fear of having nothing to do must have continued after she left WACK)
--How did you feel right after disbanding?
At first, I didn't really feel like we had disbanded. A new BiS was beginning, former members joined new groups, and my new activities were gradually starting. But now I've made my debut as an actress in the Twitter Drama "So Close, Yet So Far Away", and I'm moving in a new direction, so I think I can move forward.
--However, there was an interval until the release of this Twitter Drama. It would have been nice to get another job offer...
Thankfully, I received allot of job offers, but I thought the next thing I do would have a huge impact on my life, so I considered each one carefully. I wanted to be able to meet with fans quickly, but I didn't want to jump into something that wasn't a good fit...and the issue was that my health was in poor condition.
"I couldn't walk, so I had to use a wheelchair and was just miserable"
--Can you talk more about that?
I was in the worst physical condition of my life, and it really effected me. I started suffering from a disease called Ulcerative Colitis early in the Summer. I was also suffering from Gastroenteritus (Stomach Flu), and there were various theories about the cause. One is that it was caused by something I ate. Another is that it was caused by fatigue that had accumulated. I showed signs of hair loss, which is one of the symptoms of alopecia areata, but these symptoms appeared later on, so they might not have been connected. I think that's why I felt so sore. Pour-chan (Pour Lui) told me, "are you possessed by something?" (laughs).
--How bad were the symptoms?
I slept so much, that it felt like my brain was melting. Recently, I've been doing calculation drills to help improve my memory.
--If it really melted, you wouldn't be talking now, so those calculation drills are amazing.
Also, when I was only suffering from colitis, my fever wouldn't go down, and my stomach made it too painful to walk. I didn't even talk a bath for about 5 days, so I was really shabby...Even when I went to the Hospital for intravenous fluids, I couldn't walk and needed a wheelchair. That's why my Mother came with me...it was just no good, and I cried. Normally, it's the reverse. If my parents got sick, I'd have to take care of them. I'm an adult...I was in such a miserable state, but my Mother was kind.
In my despair, I thought "what am I going to do?" and cried allot. When I was active in the group, it was troubling, and I worried allot. I quarreled without listening to what was said, and had to leave the house and live on my own. However, after getting sick, for the first time I thought "I'm glad I chose to be the way I am now". Because I couldn't go to the Hospital without my Mother.
(*This paragraph was a bit tough to translate, so I don't know if I made it clear enough. It sounds like Aya had been living at home with her Parents when she was part of WACK. The stress she was under must have caused problems between them, so she moved out. Her illness must have brought her and her Mother back together)
"Pour-chan's connection to the Drama 'So Close, Yet So Far Away'"
--With the help of your family, you were able to make your debut with the Drama "So Close, Yet So Far Away", but how did you decide to appear in this project?
Pour-chan connected me. An acquaintance of hers was working on the Twitter Drama, and the new Director of the Drama contacted Pour-chan and said "I'd like Aya to play a role". So that's how I ended up appearing in it, even though I'd never acted up to that point. My memories bad (laughs). When the Director asked me "can you act" and I responded "I don't know". However, I applied for some monthly fortune telling from Getters Iida-san and he wrote "taking on many challenges this year is better". I've always had a fondness for watching musicals and plays, so when I received this opportunity, I decided to accept the challenge.
(*Getters Iida started out in a Comedy Duo in 1999. They broke up in 2005, and he focused on various entertainment activities appearing regularly on television as a Fortune Teller. He started holding Fortune Telling parties and Fortune Telling Masquerades which became popular among Married couples. He's in charge of several Fortune Telling columns and even has an official mobile site)
--What about performing in a Play?
The leads, Tano Yuuka and Fujita Tom, have been acting for a long time, but I'm an amatuer, so I felt like I was coming from a place of "what is acting?". The Director and Crew have been very patient with me. They'd told me things like "You don't have to put so much effort into it/you don't have to try so hard. It's okay if it feels rough". As a first time performer, I'm grateful they created such a relaxed environment. It was fun doing my own research. I should be signing up for more Workshops in the future, and I want like to study acting more and more.
"I love the image of Airi Suzuki ~ For me, singing is my life"
--I'm looking forward to see your future as an Actress, but what do you want to do as a Singer and an Artist from this point on?
I want to sing. I'm definitely doing it! Of course I'd like to do my best with Acting and Modeling, but deep down, at my core, I'm a Singer. An easy image to use as an example is my favorite, Airi Suzuki-san. I'm taking on many challenges, but isn't singing the main one? Also, since the 2nd BiS disbanded, I began wondering what singing really means to me. At first, I heard the voices of fans saying "I want to hear you sing", and I have no reason to retire as a singer, so that's why I thought it was natural to continue singing. Since then, I've been doing allot of other things, and I started thinking "is singing what I really want to do?". I came to the realization that, for me, continuing to sing is "my reason for living".
--Being life itself.
If there were no songs in this world, I might be dead. I can't think of life without music, and I can't imagine not singing, so of course I want to sing. I'm just a normal person. I can't do much more than ordinary people. But if I sing, maybe I can make someone happy and they might believe "the world can change ". I want to be someone who can give people hope by singing more and more in the future. I had nothing, but by singing this way, I've become the person I am. You can do it too. I want to show that to people.
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