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When Sakurazaka46 took the stage at Anime Festival Asia Singapore 2025, they brought more than just their signature dramatic performances. During their visit, we had the opportunity to have an exclusive interview with five members of Sakurazaka46, talking about their music, their creative process, and what it means to celebrate five years as a group. Morita Hikaru, Ozono Rei, Karin Fujiyoshi, Tamura Hono, and Ten Yamasaki shared their experiences through a translator who conveyed their responses (in third person), offering fans a glimpse into the work behind their emotionally charged music videos and performances.
The Art of Making Music Videos
For Sakurazaka46, creating a music video goes far beyond learning choreography. Each project brings a new director with a unique vision, and the members see understanding that vision as their main responsibility. Morita Hikaru explained how the members approach this aspect of their work. “So often music videos are directed by a variety of directors so every time they film a new music video they have to understand what the director wants and they really have to match their dance skills and everything of what they wanted. The most important part is how deep they will understand what the director is wanting and how they will be able to express that in the music video.”
Ozono Rei emphasized the value of these pre-shoot discussions. The practice days give the members time to communicate with each other and with the director, sharing thoughts about what they want to achieve.
“So for a few days before they take the music video they obviously have a few days in order to practice their dance and when the director visits them they always have the chance to communicate with each other,” she said.
She added that improvisation plays a role during filming.
“And also, even while performing, there are some times where they have to improvise their dance moves as well. But since they have all this time together, they are able to express their thoughts into the dance.”
Behind the Scenes of “Unhappy Birthday Koubun”
The group’s 13th single, “Unhappy Birthday Koubun,” released last month with a music video full of memorable moments. Karin Fujiyoshi recalled a particularly fun scene where the members gathered for a group photo resembling a school picture. The catch was that they had to make faces that weren’t typical for idols. “Of course, in order to make funny faces, they also had to think a lot about it. I guess that was the fun part for me,” she shared.
Tamura Hono described how the main dancing sequence, filmed on top of a cake, created an unexpected sense of teamwork. As the camera spun around the set, the entire crew moved in sync with it. “So while they were dancing, they really felt like they were making a music video together. They felt this connection between the staff and the dancers,” she explained. Between takes, the group played a decision-making game during rest breaks, adding to the lighthearted atmosphere on set.
Balancing Opposite Emotions
The title “Unhappy Birthday Koubun” reflects the song’s exploration of conflicting feelings. Ozono Rei explained that the music video intentionally creates contrast between the unhappy protagonist and the celebratory atmosphere around them. “What they want the audience to see is the gap between the happy person and the birthday kid,” she said, describing it as a balance between two opposite emotions.
Ten Yamasaki highlighted a particularly challenging scene where the members had to celebrate the protagonist’s birthday while their expressions revealed their true feelings. “You can really tell in their faces that they’re actually not happy for the protagonist. In order for them to actually think of how they can express that emotion, that difficult emotion to their faces, that’s very difficult for them,” she said.
Five Years of Growth and Connection
As Sakurazaka46 marks their fifth anniversary this year, the members reflected on their journey with gratitude. Karin Fujiyoshi acknowledged the challenges they’ve faced but emphasized the support system that helped them through. “In the past 5 years they have faced a lot of walls that they have to break a lot of problems that they have to solve as well but since the fans and the staff around them are very supportive to them so they feel very blessed to work with them and make great music,” she said.
Morita Hikaru pointed to recent achievements as evidence of the group’s progress, including their five-day performance run at Tokyo Dome and their invitation to AFA. “The members are actually feeling that each of their members’ effort is actually coming to shape,” she said. The group is welcoming new members and looking forward to growing even stronger in the coming years.
“So they’re really hoping that even next year, the network can actually be even stronger. And there’s new group members in the idol group coming in. So they’re hoping that this idol group can get bigger and bigger in the future.”
A Message to Fans
The members expressed deep appreciation for the fans who have made their international appearances possible. Tamura Hono was direct in her gratitude. “Firstly, I would like to say thank you for everyone’s support for our performances. They said this is not a joke at all. They were really able to come here because of all the fans’ support,” she said, promising that the group will continue working to make fans happier through their performances and future concerts.
Morita Hikaru addressed both longtime supporters and newer fans, recognizing how important both groups are to the group’s journey. The turnout of overseas fans at AFA surprised them and reinforced their desire to perform internationally more often. “Not just Japan, but being able to perform overseas, so that they can give power and happiness to more fans around the world,” she said, summing up the group’s hopes for the future.
