Singer-songwriter Miran from NiEW’s series of exchange diaries with Ban Obara wanted to talk with Ayaka Kutsuna of the promising young comedy group “DAW 90000.” Although the two were friends from elementary school, they didn’t recognize each other. And they were reunited recently.
They are kindred spirits looking in different directions in the sense that their strides are different, but their speeds seem the same. Please take a peek into their adventures through this conversation.
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Miran was chatty, while Kutsuna jumped silently
When did you two first meet?
Miran: We went to elementary school together. I moved in when I was in the 5th grade.
Kutsuna: I moved to the school when I was in the 6th grade. We knew each other, but we were in different classes. I was in class 1 and Miran was in class 5.
Miran: When we entered junior high school, we were never in the same class because there were nine classes in one grade. We both joined the track and field club, and since then we were together almost every day. But the slots for competitions were limited, and seniors had priority, and Kutsuna had a better record, so I switched to the discus throw.
Kutsuna: Miran is a discus thrower, isn’t she? She throws really fast! (laughs)
Miran: Enough to make it to the prefectural competition.
Kutsuna also made it to the prefectural competition in the broad jump, right?
Kutsuna: I was 1 cm short.
Miran: I see, you were so close. Kutsuna also became the head of the department.
Kutsuna: It was all a bit of a flirtation (laughs).
Miran: Kutsuna was the only serious one.
Kutsuna: Miran was always by my side saying, “You should do it this way! Miran was always by my side saying, “You should do it this way!
Miran: I always wanted to get attention anywhere. I didn’t say it out loud, but secretly in my heart, I wanted to be the head of the department.
Kutsuna: Oh, really? I didn’t know that.
Miran: Anyway, I wanted to stand among others. It would be really dull if I became the leader (laughs). The team leader was decided by a vote, so I thought it was impossible for me, because I didn’t practice seriously at all. The discus throw doesn’t involve any running, so there’s not much to practice.
Kutsuna: We were always messing around next to the long jump sand pit.
Miran: We were measuring Kutsuna’s long jump record.
Kutsuna: I was running and jumping while Miran was talking all the time (laughs).
I can picture that. Did you guys become good friends right after you joined the track and field club?
Miran: At first, we became friends because we were in the long jump together, and since we lived close to each other, we started walking to school together.
During the summer vacation of our second year of junior high school, we traveled alone to my relative’s house in Shikoku, we traveled for about four nights.
Kutsuna: Miran jumped off a very high cliff into the Shimanto River! I was too scared to do anything but watch.
Miran: I’m an active person.
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Miran was in tears when Kutsuna was on the stage
Miran: Kutsuna was like this, so I thought although we were separated in high school, she would have a normal high school life after that, go to college, and get a job. I didn’t think she was the type to be on stage, so I watched the ABC (Comedy competition) finals on TV and was surprised when she came out of the blue.
Did you know DAW 9000 before that?
Miran: I think I had seen their name before. When I saw their photo on TV. Kutsuna’s face hadn’t changed at all (laughs). When the comedy started, Kutsuna made a loud voice in the middle of the stage, and I started to cry. She must have been really nervous, but she was doing her best.
Kutsuna: I was so happy to hear that you cried.
Miran: I cried before I thought it was funny (laughs). But I heard that Kutsuna had wanted to act since she was in junior high school. We were together after school all the time, but she didn’t ooze any of those feelings at all.
Born April 10, 1999 in Hyogo Prefecture. A graduate of Nihon University College of Art, she is a member of “DAW 9000,” an eight-member group that has garnered attention for its theater and comedy performances since its formation in 2020. Her lovable and unique character is unique among the members. 2021 M1 Grand Prix quarterfinalist. 2022 2023 ABC Comedy Grand Prix finalist. 2023 ABC Comedy Grand Prix finalist. 2023 M1 Grand Prix quarterfinalist. 2023 M1 Grand Prix quarterfinalist.
Ayaka Kutsuna Twitter / DAW90000 Twitter
Kutsuna: When I was in the third grade or so, I saw a TV drama and thought, “How fun! More than the drama itself, the actors acting in it looked sparkling and happy. I thought, “I want to do this,” but my life in middle school revolved around club activities.
Miran: That’s why you chose a high school where no one you knew would go. You created an environment where you knew no one and started acting.
Kutsuna: I just didn’t have the confidence to say, “I want to do acting.”
Miran: That sounds like a junior high schooler.
Kutsuna: Yes, like a junior high school student.
Miran: You didn’t have any contact information, did you?
Kutsuna: I deleted all my previous contacts in high school (laughs).
Miran: I wasn’t connected to any social networking services, so there was no way to contact you (laughs).
Kutsuna: I went to see a movie called “Love Nonetheless,” and when the theme song was playing at the end, I thought, “I’ve heard that voice before. I looked it up and found that it was Miran. It gave me goosebumps! But I had been you for a long time, and I wasn’t sure if I should contact her or not.
Miran: Sooner or later, DAW was on ABC’s competition, so I was the first one to check out his SNS and send her a DM (laughs). But isn’t it amazing how you can tell just from their voices?
Kutsuna: I remember Miran was a good singer. She used to sing karaoke for me.
Miran: I don’t remember going to karaoke together (laughs).
Have you been composing music since then?
Miran: Not yet. I was into K-pop when I was in junior high school, so I just danced and sang all the time.
is a singer-songwriter born in 1999. Her inclusive voice and songwriting that is both lovely and sharp are appealing. released her 2nd album “Ducky” in March 2022, which includes “Low Airplane” (producer: Keiichi Sogabe), the theme song of the movie “Ai ni natta”. released a new song “Like you like” in March 2011. released her first album “Ducky” in March 2012. ( Twitter )
Kutsuna: I thought you were a good singer, but I didn’t think you were aiming to be a musician.
Miran: I was in my second year of high school when I saw Sakura Fujiwara and Pistol Takehara and thought I wanted to write my own songs. I wanted to become a childcare worker and was planning to go to college to get a certification, but just before I decided on a career path, I realized that I couldn’t abandon music. My parents said, “Why don’t you just do music after you get your certification,” but I couldn’t resist what I wanted to do now. Kutsuna, did you ever think about getting a job?
Kutsuna: Before I joined Daw, I thought about becoming a dressmaker. But when I did my first play in high school, I thought, “Oh, this is it! and it was a lot of fun. I’ve been doing it ever since.
Miran: I think the biggest thing for me is that I enjoy being on stage more than for the audience.
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Something cool about Miran Kutsuna only knows
Miran: We started keeping in touch, and Kutsuna came to see me perform last December. Afterwards, we went out for drinks and talked a lot about work.
Kutsuna: Yeah, We had a really big catch up. It was a strange feeling.
Miran: I started playing music when I was about 18 years old, so most of the people I met were older than me. So, being with Kutsuna brings me back to my old senses, and I think, “This is how I used to feel.”
Kutsuna: That’s right. It reminds me of that feeling in junior high school.
Miran: In this kind of work, I have many opportunities to meet people I admire. Some people are just as sparkling in person as I imagined them to be, but I feel much more empowered when I meet people who have gone through hardships and are standing in the public eye, hiding what they are hiding. I was able to share this feeling with Kutsuna.
Kutsuna: Yes, it made me happy (laughs). I don’t talk about this kind of thing with the members of DAW, so it was a new experience for me. They talk about music, so it’s a different angle from those who do comedy. But I could understand what they were talking about, so I thought we had something in common.
Miran: We share the same daily problems, such as how to get up every day, how to motivate ourselves to work hard, and how “it’s tough, isn’t it? Like, “My skin gets rough right away.”
Kutsuna: I remember Miran gave me a soap when I was in junior high school.
Miran: Really? Did I do something that? (laughs)
Kutsuna: It was probably something your mom made (laughs). I had been asking Miran about beauty since then.
Miran: I wonder how someone can be so beautiful in the entertainment industry, which is so irregular and busy.
Kutsuna: That’s true.
Miran: It’s so nice to have a friend who I can talk to about this kind of thing, who is not involved in the music business.
Kutsuna: Can I tell you a cool story about Miran?
Yes, please do.
Kutsuna: Miran came to Tokyo just the other day and asked me, “I’m moving to Tokyo tomorrow and don’t have anything yet, but do you wanna come over?” Even on the first day, you would at least have essentials such as a devut or table. When I went to her place, there was literally nothing there!
Miran: I moved to Tokyo with just my guitar and suitcase (laughs).
Kutsuna: That was very Miran-like and cool, wasn’t it?
Miran: What surprised me was that it was raining so hard enough for a heavy rain warning. So, I thought she wouldn’t come, but she said, “I’m ready to go.”
Kutsuna: You invited me on my first day in Tokyo! I couldn’t be happier that you invited me over for such an memorable day!
Miran: You came soaking wet, didn’t you?
Kutsuna: We had dinner on the carry case. There was nothing to do, while staring at the wall the whole time (laughs).
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I want to write a song for DAW 90000
Kutsuna: When I saw Miran’s live performance for the first time, she was in charge of everything because she was a storyteller. She was reading the audience’s mood and creating a wonderful atmosphere. Even after the song ended, she talked to the audience all by herself.
Miran: If I had an MC, it would be a lot less work (laughs). It’s harder for me to figure out how to talk and make people feel at ease than to sing.
Do you feel embarrassed when your childhood friends see you perform live?
Miran: Not at all because we shared more embarrassing adolescence. Also, I don’t feel embarrassed to anyone by nature.
Kutsuna: The other day at “Yatsui Fest,” Miran came to see DAW as we performed on the same day, and I was a little embarrassed (laughs) but she said it was funny, which made me happy.
Miran: I don’t cry anymore like I did at ABC, but I was on edge.
Kutsuna: Just like a mother (laughs).
Miran: I would like to go see the solo show next time.
Kutsuna: I would get nervous if you come, so please don’t tell me that (laughs).
Miran: You are part of a group of eight members, but do you want to work alone in the future?
Kutsuna: Yes, I hope that each of us will be able to play an active role in various areas.
Miran: I started out as one person, and now I’m in a band, so I guess it’s the other way around.
Kutsuna: I think it’s great that Miran is playing with people I listen to on a regular basis these days.
Miran: So, Gen Hoshino went to see DAW’s live performance the other day, right? How amazing.
Kutsuna: Music and comedy are completely different, but they are connected somehow.
Miran: The same goes for “Yatsui Fest”. Lately, I feel that more and more musicians and comedians have been performing together.
Kutsuna: I went to see a show by A-masso and KID FRESINO, and it was really cool! KID FRESINO also did comedy. There was a lot of laughter and moments when the audience got into the music.
MiranI: I imagined myself on the stage with DAW, but I don’t think I could do much comedy because of the chaos (laughs).
Kutsuna: You should just go out as you usually do, Miran.
Miran: I’d like to do that.
Kutsuna: Hasumi-san will write.
Miran: I’m sure Hasumi-san can write it. DAW has various artists writing theme songs for each solo show, so I’d like to do that too. I once gave a song to a friend for her birthday in high school, so I’d like to do something like that.
