YUTA on Forbes JAPAN – 2022 October Issue COVER (2022 Forbes JAPAN 30 UNDER 30)

YUTA on Forbes JAPAN – 2022 October Issue COVER (2022 Forbes JAPAN 30 UNDER 30)
Released on 2022.08.24
Text by Michiyo Nishimori
Translated by @cloudNYT

COVER STORY – NCT 127 YUTA

"There is definitely an environment wherein you can fully showcase your abilities!"

The beginnings of the K-POP star that made the world go crazy.

Traveled to South Korea alone at the age of 16, he became a member of the global group NCT 127 and captivated the world with his presence. Yuta, who has risen as a top artist through his dedicated efforts, is the lead story for Japan's "Generation of Under 30 Who Are Changing the World." In order to trace the origins of what made this star shine, we conducted a special interview with the "30 UNDER 30" awardee.

The trajectory of becoming a top star

"If you are bounded by one place and one way of thinking, then you may feel like that is the only way to live. However, if you try and take a step outward, you will realize that there are other places and other ways of thinking that exist. If people can get this kind of feeling from our performances, then I think that there is meaning in us doing activities around the world."

This is what Yuta (26), a member of South Korea based global group NCT 127, said. "Take a step outward…" It is a phrase that parallels his life.

Yuta, who went from Osaka to South Korea on his own at the age of 16, debuted as a member of NCT 127 in 2016. Three years later, NCT 127 embarked on a world tour and mobilized 330,000 people in 10 countries around the world. Last May and June this year, the group also successfully held their first Japanese dome tour.

[skipped text about the growth of Korean entertainment industry]

Driven by the words "Do not come back"

In 2012, 16-year-old Yuta entered the steadily expanding Korean entertainment industry. He said that seeing TVXQ's performance on television inspired him to go to South Korea.

"I was blown away by the perfection of their dancing and singing. For the first time, I felt that I also wanted to become a person who could deliver something like that to others."

Yuta was born and raised in the residential area of Osaka. "It is okay to have different values from the people around you," he said as he carried his little green bag to elementary school and spent his childhood days playing soccer.

"If you want to do it, then do it to the end. Do not run away from something that you've already decided to do. This was what my father taught me growing up. Although these days we live in a world where it is okay to stop when things get hard, the spirit of not giving up no matter what happens was probably fostered in me by my father."

At the age of 16, he made the decision to audition. He challenged the global audition held in Japan by SM entertainment, a top entertainment company in South Korea of which TVXQ also belongs in. Because possibly passing the audition meant leaving Japan, he couldn't tell his parents about it. He had no experience and confidence in singing and dancing, but Yuta successfully passed. He told his parents about going to South Korea to become a trainee right before he was about to leave the country. After hearing his decision, his father shed tears and sent his son away with the words he had always taught him.

"If you want to do it, then do it well. If you go to South Korea, work hard with the intention of not going back."

Yuta became one of the few Japanese trainees in SM Entertainment at that time. Although the passing rates are not disclosed, it is said that more than 100,000 young people from all over the world participate in the auditions each year. After passing the audition, Yuta became a trainee and trained diligently in singing and dancing for four years.

"When I was a trainee, there was an evaluation every month. There were times when I would cry because I could not completely see the results of what I practiced for. There were also times when they would not listen to my singing all the way through. Fellow trainees who diligently attended lessons beside me were gone after a week. It was such a severe world at that time."

Yuta said that there was also a time when his ranking dropped during evaluation and was prepared to return home. It was the words of his parents in Osaka that motivated him during those times. His father said, "Do not go back." And over the phone his mother said, "If you give up now, you will never know what you've worked hard for."

A staff who has seen many Japanese trainees in the past said, "The parents of children who come out victorious in fierce competition are, in a good sense, laissez-faire parents." Because they have absolute trust in their children, after leaving their parents, all the decision-making is left to the individual.

Words I want to say to "people who are unable to do their best"

South Korea, a neighboring country only two and a half hours of a plane ride away from Tokyo, has a different culture. For example, the way of communicating and the sense of distance between people are different. In Japan, not interfering in other people's business is seen as caring. In Korea, on the other hand, they care for others even if it means meddling.

"In the beginning, I wanted to be alone. But as I spent more time living in South Korea, I began to appreciate this depth in affection. It is not love if you are unable to convey it. Let's say someone wants me to correct something about myself. If they do not properly tell me what they want me to correct, then I won't be able to understand their love for me. People in South Korea show their love by directly expressing their thoughts."

Yuta calls it "unconditional love". The adults around him who directly give him advice, the fans who look forward to him, and the members who grow with him as they learn from each other – each person has an existence of giving him "unconditional love, and his sensibility allows him to accept it as such.

After being selected to debut in SM ROOKIES among the trainees, Yuta debuted as a member of NCT 127 in 2016.

NCT 127 is a group that carries a unique style that diverts from the conventional K-POP image established. Their music is complex, and their performances are radical and avant-garde. They have an esoteric worldview that may have caused people to distance themselves from it. But from the very beginning, they were able to establish their presence with a musical identity and a degree of perfection that is completely different from other artists. Their album "Sticker" released in 2021 topped four US Billboard charts and ranked third in the main album chart. Yuta's Instagram quickly exceeded 8 million followers, making him the top Japanese male artist.

"I am happy that we've entered the Billboard charts, but this is simply the result of what we've worked for so far. To me, the memory of greater importance is the experience of riding the bus across the US with the members and having fun. Being number one on Instagram is the same. I think that it is an accumulation of the things that I have done so far. The people who took interest came to follow me and from this were the results produced."

Yuta probably isn't just saying this out of humility. Billboard achievements stand on the foundation of the history of people before them that have made K-POP be known to the world. The number one most followed artist based in South Korea is LISA with over 80 million followers. From this, one can see the Korean entertainment industry's reach to the world.

Yuta also reacted calmly when he was regarded as "the pioneer who paved the way for Japanese people to enter to K-POP."

"There are many seniors like L'Arc~en~Ciel (Japanese rock band) who are influential and had activities in South Korea, so it wasn't only me who paved the way. However, if there are people in this generation who think our performances are cool after watching us and subsequently follow in our footsteps, then that would make me very happy."

According to a survey, Generation Z, which is the generation after Yuta, has a tendency to be afraid of failure. When we told him about this, his face became sad. He pondered on it and spoke.

"If there are people who are unable to hold onto their dreams, or have dreams but are struggling to make things work, or people who are unable to do their best, it would really be better to change one's environment. Each one of us definitely has an environment in which we can fully showcase our abilities."

At that moment, Yuta straightened up from his chair.

"Right, it's the environment. This is what I wanted to say the most!"

Comment from SKY-HI (music producer, 2022 Forbes JAPAN 30 Under 30 Advisory Board)

"During a period of stagnation in the Japanese entertainment industry, there wasn't a particular outlet for people to showcase their talents. In this time, he aspired to become a dance and vocal male talent. He successfully made his debut in South Korea, the best place [to be as a dance and vocal male talent], and secured his place as a world star. I think that there are a lot of talented people in Japan that realized "I don't have to give up singing and dancing" because of Yuta's existence."

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You can also watch YUTA's special video interview by Forbes JAPAN here.