For many Japanese wannabes, South Korea is the promised land. They go there to make their dreams of stardom come true. But not many Koreans do the opposite. Lee Siyeon, the newest member of Japanese idol group NMB48, is among the few who did.
Based in the Namba district in Osaka City of Osaka Prefecture, NMB48 debuted in 2011 as AKB48’s second sister group. They have a theater in the basement of the Yes-Namba Building, which serves as their official headquarters and performance space. NMB48 has sold millions of CDs in Japan. Their latest single “Shidare Yanagi” peaked at No. 1 on the Oricon Daily Singles Chart.
Siyeon introduced herself to the group’s fans at the NMB48 LIVE 2021 in Hatsu Natsu ~HATSU NATSU! HATSU RATSU!~ concert, which was held at the Osaka-jo Hall on August 14. She opened the show with a solo rendition of the song “Yume wa Nigenai,” which was originally performed by NMB48 trainees back in 2018.
Since she only joined the group this year, Siyeon herself is still a trainee. In Korea, trainees are hidden from the public until their agencies decide they’re ready to debut. But in Japan—especially within the 48 Group, to which NMB48 belongs—it’s believed that trainees’ developing skills make them more endearing to fans.
In the NMB48 system, trainees are known as “kenkyuusei” or “research students,” and they’re allowed to perform with the rest of the group like regular idols even though they’re still in training. That’s why Siyeon was able to take the stage by herself despite her status. If she had chosen to pursue her dreams in South Korea, she wouldn’t have been allowed to do that. Now that she’s in Japan, Siyeon has become one of NMB48’s 51 active members, 13 of whom are also kenkyuusei.
Siyeon is 21 years old and her birthday is on May 16, 2000. She originally auditioned for NMB48 last year, but thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, she was unable to travel back to Japan for her final audition. But Siyeon refused to let that stop her. Last March, she auditioned again and finally won a spot in NMB48’s 7.5th generation.
After making her debut, Siyeon revealed that she’s been a big fan of the 48 Groups since she was a little girl. Like former member Sashihara Rino, who was a fan before she became part of AKB48 and HKT48, Siyeon had always dreamed of going to Japan to try her luck at becoming a member. Now that her childhood dream has finally come true, her eyes are set on an even bigger prize.
“I knew I wanted to be in NMB48 since I was young. I’m aiming to be at the top of the group, and I want to participate in the Kouhaku Uta Gassen with NMB48’s seniors,” she said.
The Kouhaku Uta Gassen is a yearly New Year's Eve TV special produced by Japanese public broadcaster NHK. Aside from appearing on that show with the rest of her group, Siyeon wants to act and model. She loves to eat (she’s particularly fond of doughnuts, Japanese sweets, and rice) and her special skills include AKB48 trivia and speaking Japanese.
Lee Siyeon is only the second Korean ever to join one of the 48 Groups. The first one was also named Siyeon—Jeong Siyeon, to be precise—and she was a member of SDN48 (short for “Saturday Night 48”), which had a mature concept. Sadly, SDN48 disbanded in 2012.
K-Pop—with its catchy songs, rigorous standards, and worldwide reach—has always been attractive to aspiring singers from Japan. But it appears that Koreans are realizing that they can kick-start their dreams in Japan too.
