YUTA on HIGHSNOBIETY JAPAN Issue 09+ COVER

YUTA on HIGHSNOBIETY JAPAN Issue 09+ COVER
Released on 2022.09.30
Interview by Kana Yoshida
Translated by @cloudNYT

LOUIS VUITTON
KEEP IT REAL
NCT 127 YUTA

Yuta, a member of NCT and NCT 127, is based in South Korea and is active around the world. This time, he is wearing LOUIS VUITTON's 2022 Fall/Winter collection. He came to Japan for NCT 127's Japanese dome tour. He was very natural as he talked about his impressions of their Tokyo Dome performance and his perspective as a globally active artist. It was an interview that revealed his charms.

How was today's shoot?
YUTA: Every look was fun. The floral sweatshirt I wore in the first shoot was impressive and the white blouson was also cool.

Did you feel different just by wearing the clothes?
YUTA: Completely different. Each look had a different atmosphere, and the way my hair was styled all varied, so each shoot was taken with a fresh feeling. Additionally, it's the first time that I've had the opportunity to shoot in such a natural way, without using lighting and with almost no makeup on, so it was a lot of fun. Of course, I like hair and makeup created with a worldview, but it's nice to have naturalness as it has a different charm.

If you were to buy one item from everything, which one would you choose?
YUTA: It's the white blouson and the floral sweatshirt, of course. The floral pattern would look good while dancing, and I think it would stand out nicely (laughs).

This summer, you had a photoshoot for LOUIS VUITTON while on the street. How was it?
YUTA: It felt very fresh. Most importantly, the weather was great. We shot it in front of Yoyogi Park. I've never done a shoot like that before, so it was a lot of fun. I'm sure everyone will see a new side of me.

How did you feel wearing the clothes while walking the streets of Tokyo?
YUTA: Whether it be sneakers or other forms of clothing, they are all made with considerable detail. All of them are imbued with history and heart, and so by wearing them myself, they also become embedded with new memories of me. This aspect is also wonderful. It's great to feel that you are adding on to something.

The back of the sneakers you wore today also had an elaborate and cute design.
YUTA: The details were amazing. There were so many times when I thought, "So the LOUIS VUITTON motif can even be found in places like this!" I was amazed at how intricately they were made. It felt so wrong to even let the soles of my feet hit the ground (laughs).

Ahaha. Yes, I see why you feel that way.
YUTA: Yes. Also, I think it's cool how a little bit of light blue on the side was used as an accent color. Usually, I only wear black clothes in my private life, so having color in shoes as an accent is very helpful.

Can you tell us what memories you have with LOUIS VUITTON?
YUTA: Before I've even had the opportunity of working with LOUIS VUITTON, I had a LOUIS VUITTON travel bag. I like it because the more I used it, the more its flavor was brought out. I personally don't buy new things right away. Instead, I take good care of one thing and like things with a vintage feel to them, so I would like to continue using it with great care in the future. Even until now, it serves as my partner whenever I travel.
Actually, I have been frequently using the new travel bag that I got recently. I used it when I came to Japan this time. The patch design is very cute. I like it a lot because it's just the right size and I can go anywhere using this bag alone. I would like to use and cherish it for a long time.

How does it feel being clad in LOUIS VUITTON fashion?
YUTA: Since everything is elaborately made, I feel as though I stand taller just by wearing it. It's amazing how fashion can gradually change your state of mind. Because of this, I would like to become a person that suits LOUIS VUITTON. One day… I want to become a dandy man who looks good with a beard (laughs).

Is that so!?
YUTA: It is a great desire of mine. So I would like to become a person who looks dapper in a LOUIS VUITTON suit someday.

What do you pay attention to in your everyday fashion?
YUTA: We do some rather intense choreographies, so the first thing I consider when choosing clothing is if it's easy to move in. Also, clothes that clearly show the body line make movement look cool, so I choose clothes that show the silhouette beautifully. I also like wearing beanies.

Do you like wearing hats?
YUTA: Yes. I feel like a hat alone finishes up whatever outfit I wear. Even when moving, I'd look stylish just by wearing a hat. It's become a habit. So whenever I don't wear one, I feel like something is missing. Also, I make it a point to wear accessories.

Please tell us your favorite accessories.
YUTA: I always wear necklaces, rings, and earrings.

You posted on social media about the pinky ring that you gave as a gift to RYOKI, your co-star in the HiGH&LOW THE WORST X.
YUTA: Yes. RYOKI really likes me. We met again in Japan the other day after such a long time, and it was just RYOKI's birthday recently. So we went together to buy him a gift. Then he said, "I want to have matching ones with Hyung." So I bought matching pinky rings. We happily uploaded it on social media afterwards. I think that the pureness of it all was cute (laughs).

Are you the type who likes direct expressions of affection?
YUTA: Not really. I don't like it too much when people come to me aggressively. But RYOKI is good at keeping a sense of distance. I'm sure that he's someone that will be liked by everyone.

How do you dress yourself at home?
YUTA: I wear tank tops at home. Dressing like that helps me rest my mind.

Has it always been like that?
YUTA: Yes. Well, simply because it's hot. That's why I have a lot of tank tops. I wear a tank top and a pair of pants in my room, but I don't take off my necklaces and other accessories until before going to bed.

Do you only take them off when you're about to sleep?
YUTA: Yes. I want to look cool at all times, even when brushing my teeth. So I always wear accessories.

That's a nice mindset to have.
YUTA: It's very important, isn't it? If you let one thing slip away, then everything will start crumbling down from there. I always try to keep it cool.

When did you first get into this mindset?
YUTA: A long time ago. When I was in elementary school, I started applying hair wax earlier than others (laughs). I also chose green for my school bag, which was a rarely picked color.

You were the type to always do things differently from others.
YUTA: Right. I wanted to bring a little bit of quirkiness. These days, I think face masks are very important. I try to choose masks that look best on my face. I always pay attention to how I present myself and how I look.

Do you ever find it tiring?
YUTA: I don't. I find it fun. I wonder who I got it from… (laughs).

Your parents?
YUTA: Actually, my parents are not the type to care about beauty and fashion (laughs).

Ahaha. Then was there someone you've always admired?
YUTA: Ever since I was little, I always thought that Takuya Kimura was cool. Even now when he's grown older, he's still very attractive. There are a lot of genderless and feminine style these days, and I think that it's a very good thing. I also admire Kimura-san's dandy coolness.

Talking to you now, I think you are a very self-disciplined person. Do you think so yourself?
YUTA: Well… I'm the type to manage my physical condition very well. I also get up very early. Most of all, I hate it when I don't wake up an hour before I have to leave. Even if I have to leave at 5AM for work, I try to wake up at 4AM.

What do you do from the time you wake up until you have to leave?
YUTA: First, I put on some jazz music and have coffee. I make it a habit to get my mood in order there. I don't like rushing when having to leave the house. Even though I know the stylists are there to get my hair and makeup done for work, I can't allow myself to leave the house with my bedhead on.
Basically, I want to give myself some leeway. Maybe it's because I'm not very good at being asked to do something so suddenly. I prefer preparing for something to a certain extent, then gradually bringing it out from there. I'm not good when being told, "Now, please do it." I think that this is also something I need to work on a little more.

Basically, you're the type to prepare properly and show perfection.
YUTA: If not, then I think I'd feel uneasy.

In that case, it's better not to ask you to do something so suddenly?
YUTA: I would break into cold sweat (laughs).

Would it be okay if it were your members asking?
YUTA: Of course. Because a relationship of trust has been established to this extent, I'll switch to, "Well, okay." (laughs). Basically, I'm the type to have few but deep relationships. When I get along well with someone, I think I'm the type to reveal a side I haven't shown.

What type of person do you allow yourself to confide in?
YUTA: As for the members, I trust all of them. Up until now, a lot of things have happened, and they have seen me cry. I think that the only people who have seen the entirety of me are my family and my members. I'm glad to have been together with the members until now, and after the Tokyo Dome performance, our bond has grown even deeper.

Shotaro, who is also Japanese, seems very close with you…
YUTA: He is close to me (laughs). He is always smiling. The same is true with our team in that as long as there is a member like this, the team's atmosphere will liven up, and everyone can make it work. I'm always smiling when I'm with Shotaro, so he's very precious to me. Also, we often play games together, and he really hates losing.

Who would always win?
YUTA: Me (laughs). But I'm not really that good? It's just that he plays so bad. (laughs). Comparing it to world rankings, I'm really weak, but we're only about five members playing together, so we compete for rankings in our small world (laughs).

How did you feel when you stood on the stage of Tokyo Dome, which has been your goal for so long?
YUTA: I mainly felt gratitude. When I was standing on the stage, it made me really happy thinking how so many people liked us and were waving their lightsticks so earnestly! Also, during the live performance, the manager and sound engineer who have always supported us, and all the staff who created this performance together with us, said to us in our in-ear monitors, "This is the last song, so do your best." When I heard those words, I felt really grateful to all the people who were working so hard for us behind the scenes. Of course, I have never forgotten that feeling of gratitude, but I realized then that I needed to value it even more. When I'm busy or things don't go well, there are times when I can't help but show it on my face, but it's the same for everyone. When I think about the people who are working hard in places that can't be seen, and think about all the fans, my heart fills up with the feeling of gratitude.

You cried on the first day. What did you feel at that time?
YUTA: Actually, my mom came to watch that day.

That must have made you happy.
YUTA: I was very happy. My parents were always the ones who would send me off, so they have cried a lot because of it. But this time, their tears looked different, and it hit me. I was also reminded of the history of our group so far as so many things have happened. In Japan, we started out in hall venues, then held a tour in arenas, and it was thanks to everyone that we were able to make it to the dome. I've also fought with the members along the way (laughs). To be honest, there were moments when I wanted to go back to Japan.

What made you decide against it?
YUTA: I felt that it would be such a waste. With just one action, I would betray myself that has worked hard up until this point. I have endured so many things, I thought about whether it was okay to just let it end here. My mom's words also played a big part.

What did she say?
YUTA: She told me, "You can come home anytime you want." To me, those words sounded like, "Keep going." Of course, right now, I genuinely feel happy. I think there will be times in the future when I would feel down, but even so, just as I feel happy now, I will rise again.

It seems that whenever you feel down, you confirm what you really want to do and whether what you're doing is right?
YUTA: Right. But I've never felt that it was wrong. I love singing, dancing, and standing in front of everyone. I also love having my picture taken and getting dressed up. I'm sure that these feelings will never change.

Even so, only a handful of artists are able to stand on the dome, so you must have discovered something new.
YUTA: I felt that I didn't want to stop there. Up until now, one of our goals has been to stand on Tokyo Dome, but this is only one stop in our journey. From now on, I want to share even bigger dreams with the fans, and I want to realize them together with the members. Along with the staff who have been with us until now, I would like to go to a new stage together with more people.

On the second day of the Tokyo Dome concert, you said, "Being surrounded by Czennies made me feel at ease, and I couldn't help but smile."
YUTA: Seeing everyone was like seeing the sun. There was a big beam of light shining on stage and seeing everyone under that light was so beautiful. That moment, I couldn't help but smile.

Was it the first time that you felt that?
YUTA: Yes. I was greatly influenced by our performance director, Rino Nakasone. Rino puts great importance in digging deep into each movement, and asking, "What does this movement mean?", "Why do we breathe?", "Why do we close our eyes here?" We haven't really paid much attention to that until now. Instead, we were more focused on aligning our movements. However, in our solo stages, I felt that the level of performance I put out was raised even higher after performing with that thought in mind.
Rino is one of the people who has resonated with me artistically. I don't think I would have smiled at that time if I had never met Rino.

You focused more on dancing rather than showing emotion before?
YUTA: Yes. We went through countless discussions before we came to this. Then, I gradually began to move on my own. To be honest, I'm afraid of letting my emotions explode. But recently, I feel like that shell is starting to crack. From here on, I feel like I can do anything.

In a way, it may have been a turning point moment.
YUTA: Right. When I think about it, I'm very grateful to have had the opportunity of working with Rino. I was able to break free from my preconceived ideas and thought, "Isn't it also good to do it like this?"

Rino is a very amazing person.
YUTA: Yes, she is. She's different from a hot-tempered teacher. She does not deny others. Instead, she encourages to find solutions by asking, "How should I guide you so that you reach the full extent of your abilities while also preserving who you are?" She guides people without erasing their individuality.

What moment allows you to reset yourself in your private life?
YUTA: It's when I'm taking a half-body bath. I've been staying in Japan for nearly a month now, and I took a half-body bath every day except for concert days. That moment of rest after working hard all day is very relaxing.

How long do you usually take?
YUTA: I like to soak for more than 30 minutes. Recently, I've been using a Japanese cypress scented bathing essence from a brand called KITOWA. I originally would wear this brand of fragrance. There are a lot of brands of fragrances overseas, but very few fragrances come from Japan, and so their position in expanding overseas resonated with me, and I found it appealing. I was definitely thinking of buying it the next time I went to Japan, then when I went to their store, I noticed that there were bathing essences, so I bought some to try. They smelled very nice, and I loved them.

Will you be bringing them back to Korea?
YUTA: Korea doesn't have a bathtub soaking culture like Japan does, so bathing additives aren't used that often. That's why I like to take a lot of baths while I'm in Japan. If it originally calls for 3 drops of bathing additive, I would put 5 drops in (laughs).

In doing activities as part of NCT, when do you relax yourself?
YUTA: When I'm not thinking about work. This is also a know-how that I have learned from experience, but when I first debuted, I was the type to push myself too much. I would constantly think about work like, "Would it be better to do this?", "Would it be better to do it that way?" There were times when I would put in too much effort, only for it to all end in vain. But once I calmly took a look around me, I found that the members surprisingly didn't push too much, and they worked with a very natural flow.
I've come to feel more relaxed on stage. That's why when I feel nervous, I do things like listen to other music. Now that I feel at ease, I feel more relaxed.

Those breaks are very important.
YUTA: I really think so too.

What values of yours have not changed from the days when you'd overexert yourself?
YUTA: My sense of self. For example, when it comes to hairstyles, I stick to what I like. I like rock music and its fashion. But because we have concepts to follow for every activity, there aren't a lot of opportunities where I can wear those styles of clothing. So I compromise by wearing things like necklaces and have fun by combining our concepts with the things that I like.

Perhaps it's something you won't ever give up in order to express yourself.
YUTA: Yes. The concept is of course very important, but I think that there is nothing sadder than seeing a performer lack confidence when standing in front of everyone. This is why I value having discussions and making compromises, and I try to bring my own spice to it.

You must have experienced a great deal of change to be able to say that.
YUTA: Yes. I don't force myself to laugh anymore. For a while, I had trouble communicating, so I read a lot of books like "The Courage to Be Disliked". And as a result, I realized that not everyone will like me, so I learned to value the people who do like me. My life has been so much easier since then.

Going to South Korea by yourself was a huge challenge in itself. Looking back, how do you feel about it?
YUTA: I didn't really think about it that much at that time. Objectively speaking, if someone other than me did the same thing, I would probably think, "That's amazing!" But at that time, I really wanted to go to South Korea, and I had no feelings of hesitation. I know it was a big decision, but I didn't think about it that deeply. I was just like, "Go!" (laughs).

Do you still have that same mindset of "just try it" until now?
YUTA: I like trying new things. So I had a lot of fun in today's shoot.

Are you ever afraid of trying new things?
YUTA: I do get afraid, but I think it's good to enjoy it. Recently, I've added "have fun" as a principle of mine.

Is there anything you want to try in your private life now?
YUTA: I want to try rock climbing. I've always liked physical activities and often go to the gym, but I've never tried rock climbing, so I would like to challenge it. I would also like to collect Bearbricks. I saw my friend collecting them and suddenly became interested. But I'm hesitant because there are so many of it (laughs).

What's the interior of your room like?
YUTA: It's very simple. I don't like having too much clutter, so I don't have much stuff at home. I've also been interested in indirect lighting recently. I'd like to make it into a stylish room.

This is your first visit to Japan after a very long time, where would you like to go to next time?
YUTA: I want to go to the US. We had a lot of fun when we went there for our last world tour. After all, we have the most fun when we're doing concerts. So I want to hold concerts with fans from various countries.

How does it feel coming to Japan after such a long time?
YUTA: As expected, I feel at ease. I'm from Osaka, and whenever I go to residential areas that resemble my hometown, I feel very at home. Also, when I see people riding bicycles, I feel, "I'm back in Japan~!" (laughs). Because Seoul has a lot of slopes, riding bicycles can be difficult.

I see. Then how do you get around?
YUTA: There are many who use electric kickboards these days. They're everywhere on the streets, so I rent them to ride. Even on roads crowded by taxis, I can get around easily with a kickboard, so I often use it.

Maybe we can run into Yuta riding a kickboard while in Korea?
YUTA: Right. I think you'd see him driving around with a cool face (laughs).

What would you like to do next time you come to Japan?
YUTA: I'd like to appear on a Japanese TV show. I really like Nobu-san from Chidori. His retorts are the best. I really want to see him do it right next to me (laughs).

Do you like Chidori?
YUTA: I love them. Recently, I've been hooked into the "King of Love" in "Chance Time" and watch it all the time (laughs).

Is that so!?
YUTA: Yes. Also, I want to go to a hot spring. I moved to South Korea when I was 16, so I haven't had much fun around in Japan. I haven't experienced youthful things, so I want to do them.

For Yuta, youth is…?
YUTA: I don't know (laughs). All I ever did was practice. But in a way, maybe that is youth too.

Up until now, you've been conveying your message through your songs and performances. What kind of message do you hope to convey in the future?
YUTA: Nothing has changed. I am clumsy, and sometimes I make mistakes in the way I communicate, and my attitude can be misunderstood. But I want to honestly write lyrics that reflect how the clumsy self of mine thinks. I don't want to just write lies.

You want to keep that core.
YUTA: Yes. I think it would also be great if I could write songs that can cheer everyone up.

Is that because you usually get energy from everyone?
YUTA: Yes. I want to give back what I have received and deliver it to everyone. I'm basically the type that strives to do my best for others, so I hope to continue delivering my gratitude and energy to everyone.

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