ZILLION: Nine Members Reflect on Finding Themselves Through a Year of Auditions and Their Future With Deeply Connected Bandmates
This interview was originally published in Japanese on thefirsttimes.jp. Translated by VK Chronicle.
ZILLION Interview
Nine members—Luna, Taira, Lion, Moka, Kaora, Hiroki, Kashin, Keiji, and Wataru—were selected through “ONE in a Billion,” an audition to find members for a next-generation entertainment group judged by Shota Shimizu. On December 22, they made their pre-debut with the digital single “Timeless” as ZILLION. Having supported and refined themselves through over a year of auditions, these nine members are bound by deep trust as precious “teammates.” We spoke with them about the special experience of ONE in a Billion, the pre-debut track “Timeless,” and ZILLION’s ambitions moving forward.
INTERVIEW & TEXT BY Hissakatsu Tanaka
PHOTO BY Yuki Ohashi
“We’re Rivals, But Somehow We Feel a Family-Like Love”
Q: You went through a very long audition spanning over a year, and because of COVID-19, there were periods of online training and considerable uncertainty. What do you think helped you all maintain mental strength until the very end?
Lion: The online training period was really tough, and it affected us mentally. But from “SHOW2” onwards, we had group evaluations, and being able to communicate with other members became a lifeline. At first, I hesitated to share my struggles with members I hadn’t built strong relationships with yet. But gradually, it became a time where we could all elevate each other, and being in that same emotional space gave me real strength.
Q: It sounds very family-like.
Lion: We’re technically rivals since it’s an audition, but somehow we felt this family-like love. It was strange, but also something I’m grateful for.
Hiroki: I think all of us—the choreographer Sota Kawashima, voice trainer Kana Kondo, all the staff members, and all the candidate members—we were all part of the “ONE in a Billion family.”
Wataru: We had students and working professionals with their own lives, and there were periods where we’d be away from ONE in a Billion for one or two months. To keep our motivation up, we’d send each other dance videos, singing videos, and sometimes just silly messages through our group chat, constantly staying in touch.
Luna & Kaora: There were long periods when we couldn’t meet in person, so we made sure to communicate online, but whenever we could meet, we’d talk a lot during breaks and treasured those face-to-face moments. We kept that mindset throughout the audition.
Kashin: When the audition started, I fell into a very negative mental state, and I caused a lot of trouble for people around me. But ONE in a Billion kept giving me chances. I wanted to be someone who gives people courage, but I couldn’t be, and I hated myself for it. During our first group performance, I opened up to my teammates about having a complex about my smile. They listened warmly and gave me a lot of advice. And after that performance, everyone told me “you had such a beautiful smile,” and with those words, they broke through a complex I’d carried for years. Everything changed after that—the way I saw the world, what I felt. The eight members here, and everyone we fought alongside, supported me like family.
Hiroki: Kashin might be the one who grew the most through the audition, learning the value of teammates and words.
Kashin: I think so. It was my first time working desperately with people chasing the same dream to create something together, so it was definitely a turning point for me.
Q: During “SHOW3,” Kashin was ranked 15th—barely passing—and then got first place in the final evaluation. That really reflected what Shota said about “seeing each person’s future.” Did having your teammates help you not lose heart when you ranked 15th?
Kashin: That was part of it, but I’m also very competitive. Not competitive against others, but frustrated with myself for not giving a 100% performance.
Taira: So that’s where those tears came from.
Kashin: I don’t usually cry, but during ONE in a Billion…
Lion: Kashin cried more than anyone.
Kashin: I’d never really shown my weak side before, so ONE in a Billion let me expose that. It was the year I cried the most in my life.
Taira: I also fell into negative thinking a lot during the online period—”should I really be pursuing this dream?” or “but if I quit, I’ll be disrespecting everyone who’s working hard, and I’ll definitely regret it.” I was always conflicted. But I really did want to be an artist, so the strong feeling that I had to seize this chance is what supported me to the end.
Keiji: —
Luna: Taking the audition itself was a big challenge for me. But online lessons kept going, uncertainty about when evaluation would start, postponements—there was a lot to worry about. There were times I struggled, times when nothing went right. But supported by all my teammates, I pushed through, and when we finally got to do in-person training, I rediscovered my dream. I was able to make it this far with help from everyone.
Moka: Online lessons continued, we couldn’t see each other, couldn’t see friends, couldn’t go on trips, couldn’t refresh ourselves—and I was still worrying about ONE in a Billion. I ended up isolating myself for long periods. But all the ONE in a Billion members were going through the same thing, and because we supported each other through it, we have this bond. And I really feel the depth of the bonds that came from doing this audition during COVID-19.
Lion
Hiroki: Going through an audition during COVID was experiencing a new kind of hardship that no previous era has faced—suffering that no one had ever experienced before. During COVID, no one knows all the countermeasures; we had to pioneer our own path and just push through. We spent a year fighting in this world without answers. And it connects to ZILLION’s concept—we want to be icons of the next generation, pioneers who deliver new concepts and messages through music. The idea that we have to overcome walls even when we don’t know the answer was always in my heart. I think I was able to truly face myself as a person because of this COVID period, and I feel like each of us has become deeper as human beings.
Kashin
Keiji: I was doing music activities in Hokkaido before this, but the stimulation I got there and the stimulation from the 23 candidate members of ONE in a Billion were different in quality. I was surrounded by people with passion beyond my imagination. During “SHOW3,” I said it—there were so many people around me with weapons I didn’t have, and I wanted to take in that heat and refine myself.
Three of us—me, Hiroki, and Luna—had no dance experience, so we had to climb up from the bottom. We had to keep showing our grit and strength.
Hiroki: As far as hunger goes, being inexperienced might have meant the three of us had an extra determination not to lose.
Kaora
Keiji: In a normal audition, that would be a disadvantage, but off-camera, Wataru told me “we’re not enemies! let’s go!” and those words really drove me. Instead of kicking each other down, everyone was thinking we’d do this together. It was a warm audition.
Q: When Keiji was selected, Shota told him to “find your position in the group.” How did you take that?
Keiji: Rather than taking it negatively, I took it forward-thinkingly—I still have room to grow. Because my teammates support me, I can push forward with confidence no matter what direction I go.
Wataru
Q: Shota said things during the audition that really struck people’s hearts. What was the most memorable thing he said to you?
Lion: For me, it was “I trust you.” I think trust is the most important thing in this kind of activity, so I was really happy to hear that. Keiji mentioned it too, but “find your position in the group” also resonated. It made me want to be the kind of member who makes people feel safe and stable just by being there. He said it again in the final, and now as ZILLION’s leader, those words are my strength.
Moka
Wataru: For me, it was “don’t worry” during “SHOW3.” At that time, I was confident in my performance, but I was ranked last. But hearing “don’t worry” made me want to get stronger and rise higher toward the final.
Q: And then at the final, he said “you’re perfect.” The power of words to move people is amazing.
Kaora: For me, during “SHOW3,” he said “you’re a colorful person, and I admire that.” I think “colorful” meant I can dance with any concept to fit any song, but at that time I was feeling negative about my performance. Hearing “that’s what I admire” erased all my negative feelings. I’ve been supported by those words ever since.
Q: At the final, you were called a “mood maker.”
Lion: Just Kaora’s presence makes the whole atmosphere better.
Kaora: That makes me happy.
Kashin: During “SHOW3,” he said “Kashin, you’ve grown,” and that one sentence made me feel like all my efforts had meaning. My ranking before that was low enough that I should have been eliminated, so I knew I had to give my best performance to move forward to the final. Giving everything I had on that stage, hearing “you’ve grown” really saved me.
Taira: I also heard during “SHOW3” that “Taira seems very tight.” I interpreted that to mean I work hard within my limitations, but my range of expression is narrow. I knew I was just trying to be energetic and powerful, but nothing more. Hearing it so bluntly made me think, “yeah, that’s true,” and I studied a lot before the final. After my final performance, he told me “I could tell you really thought about a lot of things,” and that was a turning point for me.
Hiroki: When you perform in front of Shota, you absolutely cannot lie. If there’s any doubt or hesitation inside, he sees right through it.
Luna: During “SHOW1,” he really complimented my singing, but then said “even if your singing is 100, if your dancing is 1, it’s not okay.” After hearing that, my mindset changed and I engaged more with dance. But then during “SHOW3,” he said my singing was no good. I’d gotten so focused on dance that I neglected my singing. He told me “keep working hard, stay strong,” but my singing and dancing both suffered, and I spiraled into negativity. I got through it because of my teammates’ support until the final, and I reconfirmed that to achieve my dream, I need to keep working hard at everything—singing, dancing, and beyond.
Moka: For me, it was when I first met Shota in person. He said, “What we’re looking at isn’t skill—it’s your individuality, who you are as a person.” I’ve always been the type to go along with others. During my first group evaluation in “SHOW2,” as we were creating something together, I started losing sight of myself. That’s why “SHOW2” was disappointing for me. During “SHOW3,” I remembered his words and decided to be fully myself. When I performed the way I wanted to, he said my smile was “more than enough—it’s beautiful.” At the same time, he told me I needed to raise my skill level. Going into the final with both those words in my heart, I think I gave a performance I was satisfied with.
Hiroki: After the semifinal evaluation, I was told “you have to become more of an ‘idol’ from the heart,” and that really resonated with me. I’d been getting good evaluations up to that point, but I wasn’t satisfied with my own performance or expression at all. I had constant doubts—”is this really okay?” But I realized Shota could see that doubt through my performance. I think that doubt will follow me even after we debut, but I should be confident in what’s been praised, polish it more, and truly become an “idol” as a performer. That’s what his words made me realize.
Q: And at the final, he said “become a superstar.”
Hiroki: Yeah. Those words also gave me a sense of timeline and progress, and since he was still evaluating me positively, I realized I was at a new stage.
Keiji: The biggest help for me was when he first said “you’re outstanding.” My years of doing music alone weren’t wasted, and I felt rewarded. That’s why I could get a strong start.
Q: As the ONE in a Billion family, you all supported each other. But as is the fate of auditions, some of your precious teammates were eliminated. When you finally debuted as these nine people, what were your honest feelings?
Keiji: I think it’s something everyone who chases a dream experiences. Rather than focusing on the reality that irreplaceable teammates were eliminated, we felt a determination and resolve that we have to work hard for them too.
Lion: We thought we can’t lose, and even though we were rivals during ONE in a Billion, now we want to be good rivals who support each other.
Q: Your pre-debut track “Timeless” was the final evaluation’s assignment song. You re-arranged it and re-recorded it with these nine members. How does the new “Timeless” feel to you?
Lion: During the final, we felt “Timeless” was showing everything from the past year. But the new “Timeless” is us saying “this is where we begin.” The arrangement and choreography completely changed, and the choreography came from Sota, the person who trained us the whole year and understands us so well.
Q: Watching the MV, you can see the choreography was made to earnestly convey the lyrics about bonds with teammates and hope for the future. It’s really moving.
Hiroki: Thank you! There’s a lyric “all of it is precious,” and we really wanted to express that preciousness.
Lion: Sota and Kana gave us so much love. We received harsh feedback too, but I believe it all came from love. So just like the lyric “all of it is precious,” we’re inheriting their love and expressing it through “Timeless.” That was the most important thing.
“Everyone Is the Star, and We Treasure Each Person’s Individuality”
Q: ZILLION is now stepping into a music scene full of talent. What do you think is necessary to succeed here? What’s your greatest weapon?
Lion: Our concept is that everyone is the star and we treasure each individual’s personality. Of course we work on vocals and dance, but we also have members who can write and compose. We want to specialize in our individual strengths—maybe doing three-member units or solos—and rather than a group with one fixed direction, we want to create new paths as a generation Z group.
Kashin: We’ll definitely raise our performance quality, but I think the co-ed makeup is a key point. We’ll change our composition based on different strengths, and underneath that sits the deep bond we built through the audition—that’s our weapon. We want people to see us having fun together creatively while trusting each other.
Hiroki: I want to be an artist that keeps transforming and changing.
Profile
ZILLION – Born from Sony Music’s “ONE in a Billion” audition, ZILLION is a next-generation nine-member co-ed dance vocal group with an average age of 19, selected from over 5,000 applicants through roughly one year of auditions and training. They made their pre-debut on December 22, 2021, with the digital single “Timeless.”
Release Information
2021.12.22 ON SALE
DIGITAL SINGLE “Timeless”
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