Aidolizings is back!

The number of Youtube Idols increase every year. Just as the number of Youtube Idol groups are formed every year. Some of them become one for fun, others do it for a few minutes under the spotlight while others hope for a future doing something they love.

My first encounter with the KRP28 or the Kira Kira Project was quite accidental. I was browsing through Youtube and I suddenly came across a video called, “Closer” by Team R. It turned out to be an original song by a then new idol group called, KRP28. The concept reminds me of another familiar idol group, AKB48 in a way that the they take ordinary girls and ease them to become better idols.

KRP28 is composed of four groups. These are: Team K, Team R, Team P and Kira Bubbles.

I’ll first start with Team K composed of Team Captain Raaina; the members Kali, Misuzu, Mai, Sunny and Mayumi. They sing the group’s pop releases and their image leaned towards the ‘cute and bubbly.’ They have yet to release original music, but they have began advertising their release ‘Unrequited Love II.’

Being a fan of cute and fluffy things, I was definitely looking forward to this release. I am sure I am not alone. I had the opportunity to exchange words with the group’s manager and composer, Katana-Niara AKA “YoroshiQ”. She had been kind enough to reveal a few things to expect from the release.

YoroshiQ: “I wrote the song [Unrequited Love II]. It’s about that time in everyone’s life in which you havesuch strong feelings for a person, but can’t get the courage to tell them how you feel, or even talk to them normally. That’s why it’s an “unrequited” love. Unfortunately, It’s not reciprocated and the feelings are not mutual.

“It’s almost like you appeared from nowhere, unexpectedly”

The girl in the song originally viewed her crush as just another random person, but then she started to notice them more, and ultimately fell in love.

“I wish upon those stars in the sky, to truly meet you.”

She wishes to at least become friends with her crush, so she can warm up to them enough to eventually tell them how she feels.

This song [Unrequited Love II] is connected to a future song entitled [Say It!], in which the same person finally gets the courage to tell her crush about her feelings.”

REPRESENTING TEAM K …

I had the pleasure of interviewing one of the group’s most hard-working members and Team K Sub-captain. Representing Team K for ‘Know Your Youtube Idol’ this week is, Kali!
One thing I can say honestly is that I was definitely nervous for this interview. Which is probably ridiculous since Kali seemed quite relaxed despite claims that she had been nervous herself. It makes me feel a little silly since I am supposed to be the professional in this interview.

Aidolizings: When did you start getting interested in performing in the net?
Kali: Once about a year ago, I saw Beckii Cruel and KimonoTime and I thought it looked really fun, so why not give it a go? And I made a channel and I found all the idol groups and stuff so that is when I started doing stuff like that.

A: I see. So it started just last year? I actually saw your audition for ‘Otaku Owls’ [Another idol group]. You posted that around a year ago I think. How long have you been interested in idols [Shoujo Jidai, Morning Musume and AKB48]?
K: That must have been a couple of years ago, cause it certainly takes a long time to build up the courage to make my own channel. And I saw Beckii’s documentary on TV and I thought, “This looks fun!” So I did my research on all the idols and stuff. So, that was probably a while ago.

A: So, I guess that Beckii was really an inspiration. I think I also saw the same documentary last year. Who or what are three things that inspire you?

K: I’d say, people like Beckii again. I’ve noticed that she gets a lot of hate and people who dislike her. She seems to completely disregard them and carry on with what she is doing. That really, really stands out for me because that is how we can get through stuff and just to not care because you like what you’re doing.

And then there’s the people like, Kimonotime because they are so good at what they do.
And the people around me who support me and motivate me, definitely.

A: Could you name a few of your favorite idol groups?
K: Morning Musume! Obviously, I guess they are everyone’s favorites. AKB48 and SNSD [Shoujo Jidai] is apparently an idol group and they are one of my favorites. I’d say those three.

A: Could you name a few of your favorite songs?
K: My favorite … Morning Musume song I believe is ‘Resonant Blue.’ From AKB48, ‘River’ … and SNSD. That’s really hard, but probably ‘Romantic Street’ or ‘Chocolate Love’.

A: What are the three things inside your bag that you can’t live without? Don’t cheat!
K: Definitely, my Ipod. I can’t go a day without listening to music. I would just sit there crying without it. I need music! And probably — money? You can’t be without money. Lastly, I guess my phone. My mom would kill me if I never had my phone in my bag.

A: What is this to you? Would you consider it a hobby? Or is this a serious career path for you? For some, this is actually a serious career path.
K: I’d say, just a hobby. If I thought of it as a job, for me it would take the fun out of it. I love doing it and it is a big part of the things I am into and I don’t consider doing it in the future to be honest.

A: What is the hardest part about being in this fandom?
K: I would say it is the busy-ness. There is a lot involved in this. You need a lot of time and to put a lot of effort into it. It’s very time-consuming hobby but if you make time for it, it is really fun.

A: What made you decide you wanted to do this? Be a net idol.
K: I saw Oishii!Project and I thought that it looked a lot of fun and I actually did try to audition for Oishii!Project but I don’t think my video even got noticed and I was really sad. But I just thought that even if I didn’t get in, it wasn’t the end of the world. I auditioned for Otaku Owls and I made it to the first round. Then, YoroshiQ sent me a video and asked me to audition for KRP and it looked fun. I didn’t have to go anywhere either, so why not?

A: There are so many girls in the project, what makes you stand out/different?
K: I guess we all have our own little personality. Every week, I think … we have to upload a photo to our page that tells a story. What we did during the week and I try to look decent for most of them. I fear uploading a really stupid picture of me, so I don’t put on a cute-kind of facade. I’d like to be who I am as well and I am fairly crazy.

A: When I approached YoroshiQ about wanting to interview a few of the members in the group. She recommended three members and one of them is you. It made me curious to why. What role do you play in Team K?
K: I am actually the co-captain. If the captain doesn’t have time to do something then I will help her. And I have been told that I am the motivator of the group. Sometimes, the group has competitions. The object of the game is to see which team finishes first. We get to win a song or a spotlight. I always try to get Team K to finish first.

A: Does anybody outside your online life know about your being in the KRP28?
K: No. There’s one person who knows. She’s one of my friends at school and only because she is kind of into anime and k-pop star. I told her. My parents don’t even know but … I think my mom knows since she sees bits of paper with KRP on them. I haven’t told anyone else. I don’t have the courage to tell them yet.

A: You mentioned that a friend knows about it, right? How did she react?
K: Well, I was excited myself. A couple of weeks later, I decided to tell her when we meet at school. She was amazed and very proud of me and very supportive. Then next day, after I told her she made me cupcakes with a ‘K’ on them. It was really cute.

A: That is just so cute!
K: Yeah! I love cupcakes.

A: Who doesn’t? I love cupcakes. You mentioned earlier that you had your own personality in KRP. What sort of character do you play?
K: Actually, YoroshiQ had helped me before. She said that I was the ‘genki’ character. The energetic and crazy character. When I first meet people, I am quite shy. A few weeks later, they would be saying that I’m a bit crazy. I’m a little bit weird.

A: What are your goals while in the project?
K: I hope to release Team K’s single [Unrequited Love II] by the end of the year. We were meant to release ours first but we had a competition. We ended up coming last. Also hoping to release more singles.

A: I’m excited for it. I’m always excited to hear a group release something. I am always one of the first to watch. Go Team K!
K: Woohoo!

A: You have ten seconds. What is the first thing that pops up in your mind when I say, “Kiwi”?
K: Kiwis!

A: (Laughs) Okay! Obviously!
K: Because she actually changed her name.

A: Oh? What does she go by now?
K: Misuzu.

A: … and what is the first thing that comes to your mind when I say, Misuzu?
K: Very cute and very caring. Very sweet.

A: Next is, Mayumi.
K: She is so friendly! She really wants to get to know people. She would message you and ask, “Where do you live?” or something like that. I think it’s very sweet.

A: And Mai?
K: Very energetic.

A: Mia? She’s Mai’s twin, right?
K: They both look out for each other. It’s really cute. I want a twin.

A: Raaina
K: Raaina is my big sister. She’s very peaceful and she is very sisterly. She would call you things like, dear. She is very kind.

K: Sunny is very sweet. I don’t know if she feels the same but I consider her my bestfriend in KRP and she is just so pretty and happy. She recently got into personal problems and she got through them very well. I’m really proud of her.

A: What message would you like to give your fans?
K: I love them very much and I hope they stick to KRP. We’ll bring great things in the future. I hope that if we do something bad, which we won’t — they’ll keep supporting us. I love them very much for being always there for us.
THOUGHTS …

She still has a few things she can improve on. One of them is her confidence and another is the more advanced techniques to capture the attention of whoever her audience is. KRP28 is probably a good experience for her then. She is still young, there is still time to learn them and experience is actually the best teacher. I can’t wait for the day she finally lets her confidence shine and take her stage. That is really something to look forward to. At the same time, it is nice to see that she is also just your regular girl.

I like that she promised us great things in the future. I can’t wait for them to deliver. See below for more information about Kali and Kira Kira Project. Also watch out for Team K’s debut single, Unrequited Love II coming soon.

KRP28 Youtube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/KRPofficial
KRP28 Tumblr: http://krp28.tumblr.com/
KRP28 Website: http://kirakira-project.webs.com/
Team K Tumblr: http://krp28teamk.tumblr.com/
Kali’s Youtube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/xChyuuKali