Sakiko Matsui The piano confronted me with reality and made the most of me!

■ Profile

Born December 10th, 1990 in Warabi City, Saitama Prefecture. Graduated from Toho Gakuen Junior College. Became a member of AKB48 in 2008. Graduated in August 2015. Currently, she is a regular on TV Saitama's "Alluring Allure: Ima Doki! Saitama," NACK5's "Matsui Sakiko's Curious Child," and Wallop Broadcasting Station's "Matsui Sakiko's Hilarious Crescendo." At the end of last year, she launched the piano concert "Blooming Piano," and is actively utilizing her piano skills.

"Being a music college student, a pianist, and an AKB48 idol" is both a strength for Matsui Sakiko and a source of inner conflict. "The piano is a tool for expressing my emotions," she says, continuing to take on new challenges with a positive and cheerful attitude. What are her thoughts and what kind of life has she led? We spoke to her now that she is 30 years old.

■ Aiming to become a pianist, the piano confronts me with reality

　I was a really normal kid in elementary school. I loved Morning Musume, so I learned their choreography and performed in front of people, but I wasn't the type to stand out. I never imagined I'd become an idol, and seeing my mother, a piano teacher, made me want to work in a piano-related field. I started playing the piano at age four. Then, in junior high school, influenced by my older brother, who attended a high school attached to a music college, I decided I wanted to go to a high school attached to a music college and become a pianist. The entrance exam for the attached high school required a practical piano test, so I practiced the piano every day in junior high to prepare for the exam. I played the piano all day on my days off, and even practiced piano after school instead of hanging out with friends. I was also in the choir, so between singing and playing the piano, looking back, I was immersed in music every day.
　After devoting myself to piano and practicing diligently, I was successfully accepted into the Tokyo College of Music High School. However, I learned that even if I entered a high school attached to a music college, only a small percentage of people would become pianists, and there were many people who were better at piano than me, which forced me to face reality. Still, I thought that if I took piano, I would lose all my redeeming qualities, so I thought that even if I couldn't become a pianist, I would work in a music-related field. At that time, my mother had applied for an AKB48 audition, and I was suddenly told that there would be an interview. I had no desire to become an idol, so I reluctantly attended the audition, but I passed and my path to becoming an idol was opened up.

■Juggling school and work during his time with AKB48 was difficult

　At the time, there were few AKB48 members who attended high school or university, and AKB48 wasn't well known at school, so I couldn't bring myself to tell my friends at school that I was an idol when I was in high school. After I entered university, I became busy with idol activities and wasn't able to go to school very often. I was given the catchphrase "Music College Student Idol," which was easy to remember, and I was getting work, so I was always worried, "Is it okay to call myself a music college student when I'm not even going to school?"
Despite all that, I was able to continue balancing my work as an idol and my studies thanks to the AKB48 members and fans. "It's easy to quit when times are tough, but if you can overcome this, good things will definitely come. As long as there are people who support me and who accept me, I want to keep working hard." With that in mind, I worked hard every day. I'm not good at singing or dancing, so it was hard, but by doing the things in front of me, I could feel my experience increasing, and it was fun.
　What I like about AKB48 is that everyone works hard for the team. All the members acted "for AKB48" rather than "for themselves." There was no atmosphere of trying to push each other down, and everyone was conscious of how to make the most of their individual strengths. On top of that, it was important to have a unique character that was different from others, and I wanted to use my strengths as a "university student and pianist" for AKB48.
　In the end, I took a leave of absence from university and ended up quitting, focusing solely on my work with AKB48, but when I was 25, I re-enrolled in a junior college. There, I met people of a wide range of ages, including those who had finished raising their children and were relearning, which was very inspiring. I was able to re-learn about music in depth, which was a lot of fun.

■I want to be a bridge between classical music and idol (pop music)

　I'm now 30 years old, and I'm having so much fun every day doing what I want to do and taking on new challenges. There's still so much I don't know, and I believe there's a lot I can do within that. I recently released a photobook, and it's an experience I wasn't able to have when I was in AKB48, so I was happy when I heard about it. I'm grateful to the many people who have told me, "I wasn't a fan when I was in AKB48, but I became a fan later and bought the photobook." It gave me courage, making me realize that "there are still things I can try even at 30."
　My dream is to convey the charm of classical music to idol fans, and to get classical fans to fall in love with idols. I believe that being a bridge between these two fields is "a job in music that only I can do."
　For me, the piano is a tool for expressing my emotions. When I'm playing the piano, I can express my feelings, and many people tell me that their image of me has changed after listening to my piano performance. Sometimes I play the piano to relieve fatigue from playing the piano, and I also play the piano when I want to change my mood. I still have a lot to learn about music, and my dream is to one day write a song for AKB48.

■Message

　I envy you all because I wasn't able to live a typical university life when I was a university student. So, enjoy it to the fullest so that you have no regrets. Although your time is limited, there is a lot you can do. It's never too late to start something, and if you think about your future, now is the youngest you'll be. So don't rush, and do what you want while developing your strengths. Some of you may think you can't do anything, but there is always something. Sometimes it's not you who finds it, but the people around you, so have confidence. Let's do our best together.

Student Newspaper Online February 6, 2021 Interview by Reina Matsumoto, 3rd year student at Tsuda University