[Interview] Sakurazaka46

2026/3/15 (Sun)

The 5th YEAR ANNIVERSARY LIVE will be held on April 11th (Sat) and 12th (Sun) at MUFG Stadium (National Stadium)!

To commemorate their 5th anniversary, Sakurazaka46 will hold their anniversary live concert, "5th YEAR ANNIVERSARY LIVE," at MUFG Stadium (National Stadium) on April 11th and 12th. What did the members think when this largest-scale concert to date was announced?

Yamazaki Ten: "At first, it felt so unreal, like it was a prank, and my main concern was whether we could really fill that venue."

Rina Matsuda: "Of course I was happy, but the next moment I started thinking, 'Will it really be filled? Isn't it still too early?' There was some time between when we were told and when the announcement was made, so I think that was a big reason why it didn't really sink in. But after the announcement and when we started receiving congratulations from so many people, I gradually became more determined and started thinking that we should become a group worthy of performing at the National Stadium."

Sakurazaka46 had previously performed at the same venue a few years ago as part of a music program.

Matsuda: "I remember being surprised when I looked up at the stands from the field and thought, 'Wow, it's so big!' But at that time, I couldn't have imagined that we would be able to return to the National Stadium a few years later to perform our own concert."

Yamazaki: "That's right. It was a really big venue, and the outer perimeter was really long. I was impressed that there was such a large venue in Japan! But at the time, it didn't seem realistic at all to imagine ourselves performing a live show there."

Sakurazaka46 officially began their live performances in 2021, right in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although various restrictions were in place at the time, they still managed to showcase their overwhelming performance skills, storytelling through their dance, and immersive stage productions."Once you see them perform live, you'll fall in love with them."They have reinforced the impression that "Sakurazaka46 = live performances" to such an extent that it makes people say things like that.

Yamazaki: "We've been particularly conscious of this over the past two or three years. In order to let more people know about us, we want to showcase our individuality and charm in the live performance setting, and create something that will definitely captivate anyone who sees us... We are confident that live performances are Sakurazaka46's greatest weapon, and we have no worries about that."

Matsuda: "Many members of Sakurazaka46 are active in variety shows and other programs, but we approach all of that with the hope that 'ultimately, people will come to our live shows.' In order for people to come to our live shows, they first need to get to know us. So, we hope that people will become interested in us through our live shows, as well as our individual activities and variety shows, and then come to our live shows. That's how much importance we place on live performances, and we put our all into every activity to achieve that. Of course, we also really enjoy variety shows themselves (laughs)."

Yamazaki: "Actually, all the members of Sakurazaka46 are really interesting girls."

Matsuda: "And Ten-chan too (laughs). On variety shows she's hilarious and goes all out, but when it comes to live performances she has a cool expression and delivers a sharp performance. I love that contrast in the members, so if possible, I'd like people to get to know both sides of them. I think that watching variety shows before live performances, or live performances before variety shows, will help people appreciate the members' charm even more."

We asked these two about the turning points in Sakurazaka46's live performances.

Yamazaki: "For me, it was when we created the song 'Do You Want Another Song?' (a track from our 9th single 'Jigyoujitoku' in 2024). I think that once this song was added to our live performances, Sakurazaka46's rock side really blossomed."

Matsuda: "I felt that we finally started to see the unique style of Sakurazaka46 during our 2022 national tour, '2nd TOUR 2022 "As you know?"'. It was also a time when we were adding more diverse types of songs as a group, and for the first time in the live performance, we had the audience turn off their penlights for the first five songs. There were various effects such as lighting, the members' performances, and moving stages, but I felt that we were finally able to create a world that was uniquely Sakurazaka46 there, and although I don't know what the audience thought, I personally felt that we were able to draw them in."

Sakurazaka46's concerts are often held in arenas and domes, and it is expected that over 100,000 people will attend the two stadium performances. What do they keep in mind when performing in such an environment?

Yamazaki: "Personally, I focus on dancing with big movements, singing loudly, and waving with all my might to those in the far seats, conveying the message, 'I can see you!' I believe that by doing so, people will understand that I'm not leaving anyone behind, regardless of whether they're close or far away. If there are people who feel they can't fully enjoy a live show because their seats are too far away, I want to deliver a performance that will dispel those feelings."

Matsuda: "For me, dancing with big movements is a given, and I also try to wave my hands with all my might towards the upper seats in the stands. Also, depending on where your seat is, some people may have trouble seeing the stage, so I always try to keep in mind that 'I'm thinking of everyone.' I don't know if my feelings are reaching everyone, but I want everyone there to enjoy themselves as much as possible."

So, what kind of mindset would they want first-time attendees of a Sakurazaka46 concert to have? We asked the two of them to share some important points for fully enjoying a Sakurazaka46 concert.

Yamazaki: "I'm sure that for first-timers, there will be many things they don't know, like 'This is how you call out to this song' or 'These are the colors of the penlights.' It's fine to prepare beforehand, but I think the most important thing is to just enjoy yourself freely and from the bottom of your heart."

Matsuda: "If you don't have a penlight, clapping is fine, and it's perfectly okay to watch quietly without making any noise. As long as you follow the rules and manners, we'd be happy if you could watch in the way that you find most enjoyable."

On March 11th, their 14th single, "The growing up train," will be released. Furthermore, it has been decided that they will be performing the opening theme for the second season of the TV anime "Yozakura-san Chi no Daisakusen," which will air in the April season. It looks like Sakurazaka46 will be making even more of a splash this spring.

Yamazaki: "Having reached the milestone of our 5th anniversary, we want to deliver an even newer Sakurazaka46 to many people, so please look forward to what's to come!"

Matsuda: "This will be our first single since our 5th anniversary, so we want to create an even bigger explosion of energy, and after our live performance at the National Stadium, we want to deliver activities that will make people even more excited about the future!"