Now, about the audition itself. First, I’ll explain how the application process works.
目次
Communicating via LINE
After filling in the required information on the official website’s form and submitting it, you’re taken to “LINE@,” where you add them as a friend.
After that, all communication and exchanges are done through LINE.
Wow, we really do live in a convenient age.
First, they confirm things like your “name,” “phone number,” and “whether you belong to an agency” via LINE.
Confirming Your Preferred Audition Date and Venue
Once that confirmation is done, the office says they’d like to call to coordinate the schedule.
Just when I was thinking, “Wow, the world really has moved forward,” because they were using LINE, the next step was suddenly a phone call…
They called me, and I arranged the schedule with the person in charge.
In my case, it was easier for me to have them give me several possible dates first and then choose a time I could make, so I told them that directly.
Then, later that same day, they quickly sent over candidate dates by venue.
Still, that was fast…
“I live in Hyogo Prefecture, so I’d prefer the Osaka venue. I’d like ○:00 on ○/○. (In reality, I listed several preferred dates.)”
That’s how I replied on LINE with my preferred dates and times, and then they sent me the audition date, venue, and other details.
Application Successfully Completed!
And just like that, my audition application was complete.
From the initial application to scheduling, it seems like the whole thing takes about one or two days.
When I looked over the details they sent, it said that a producer would also be at the audition venue.
I had assumed an interview with the producer would be in the second or third round or later…
Apparently there would also be a singing audition in front of the producer. What should I sing…?
I applied mostly out of curiosity, but now I was starting to feel a little nervous.
The First Audition (Singing Test)
I also received a confirmation LINE the day before the audition.
I imagine there are quite a lot of applicants, but they seem to run things very carefully.
They said I didn’t need to bring anything and that everyday clothes were fine, so I really went to the venue empty-handed in my usual outfit.
The Osaka office is on the 4th floor of an office building in Shinsaibashi, and that’s where the first audition was held.
The Venue Had a Unique Atmosphere
There were a lot of people in the waiting room who seemed to have come for the audition, but talking between audition participants was completely prohibited, so the room was silent and had a slightly unusual atmosphere.
From what I could see, many of the participants were young. Their outfits and makeup were very polished, and a lot of them seemed to be seriously aiming to become singers.
A 40-year-old guy who had casually shown up in everyday clothes with nothing in his hands stood out completely…
I checked in at reception and filled out the documents they gave me.
What Should I Sing for the Singing Test?
I can’t share the detailed contents, but the document had a section for “the song and artist you will sing for today’s singing test.”
Come to think of it, I hadn’t decided what to sing…
So I hurriedly thought about it on the spot.
It would be a cappella, using my natural voice, but since this was a pop audition, I couldn’t exactly sing classical music or Japanese art songs…
On the other hand, songs that need a backing band or microphone would be hard to sing too…
And since the time was limited, a song that was too long would also be a bit much…
So I decided to sing something that felt somewhere between classical and pop, with a short first chorus, and chose Kyu Sakamoto’s “Ue o Muite Arukou.”
Was that song choice really okay…?
How the Audition Worked
After that, they explained the audition flow.
I can’t write the details about this either, but I think it was a fairly standard audition format.
However, the time allotted to each person was extremely short!
That makes sense, since there were so many participants…
Once the audition started, voices could be heard leaking into the waiting room.
It was probably the singing test, but I could hear loud voices, high voices, and even some voices that sounded close to shouting or screaming.
I wondered if I had chosen the wrong song… but I had already submitted the form I filled out, so I couldn’t change it now.
Finally, My Audition!
At last, it was my turn.
I knocked on the door, said “Excuse me” loudly, and entered the room.
That’s the absolute basics of an interview, so I guess it has become second nature to me.
When I entered the room, the judges were seated at a long table.
Among them was the famous producer mentioned on the website…
Even at that point, I was a little moved, thinking, “They really are here…”
Of Course, It Started with a Self-Introduction…
So, with my excitement rising, the audition began right away.
Actually, I’m pretty good at giving short speeches within a set time.
I introduced myself by summarizing my name, hometown, age, occupation, musical experience, reasons for applying, and so on.
Singing aside, this is one area where I’m confident I won’t lose to someone around 20 years old.
If I do say so myself, I think I put it together pretty well.
The Singing Test…
Now, about the important singing test. Since the allotted time was short, I thought about it a bit.
“Ue o Muite Arukou” originally repeats the A melody twice before going into the chorus, but I decided to sing the A melody only once and then go straight into the chorus.
After all, I wanted them to hear the chorus.
So I sang a shortened version of “Ue o Muite Arukou,” and I managed to make it through to the end without stopping. (Although making it to the end wasn’t really the point…)
How did it actually go…? I have no idea…
The Audition Ended Without Any Issues
After that, there was a short Q&A, and that was it for the day. Considering how long I had waited, it felt like it was over in an instant.
Personally, I’m glad I got to have such an interesting experience.
Results Announcement～～!!!
Apparently, the audition results would be sent by LINE the next day.
The results came out pretty quickly. Or rather, I suppose they were probably deciding who passed or failed for the most part while holding the auditions.
The LINE message I received said this↓
“Thank you for attending the first screening the other day. After careful consideration, you have passed the singing test.”
Ohhh!
It seems I successfully passed the singing test.
Thanks to Kyu-chan, I guess.
But just as I was feeling relieved, I was told there would be a second audition right away…
(To be continued)
