Hey there friends! Shei here. :)
About a week ago, I posted something about Tegoshi Yuya, my favorite Japanese idol/performer, leaving his group he has been with for more than 15 years. There were a lot of rumors and unanswered questions with regards the issue.
Things like... why did he leave without talking with the other members? Why didn't he wait for the final concert to end before leaving the group? What's his reason for leaving?
Some fans were even angry at him for being selfish. A lot of them bashed him for going out to party during the pandemic... and all other stuff. However, these questions were answered during his conference.
Above is a collage of screenshots I took while watching his conference last time. Of course, it was in Japanese and I only understand bits and pieces of it. However, some people are translating the questions and answers on Twitter while the live conference was ongoing, so I could confirm my understanding.
One of the important points is that, he didn't go to parties. Those were actually business meetings initially approved by his agency. He was there to discuss some charity works and ways to help during the pandemic. Unfortunately though, in order to save the agency's face, they washed their filthy hands and put every blame on him. They even suspended him.
He also wasn't allowed to talk to the other members prior the decision. He did mention how he loves NEWS, the other members and the fans. He wanted to stay until the completion of story, but then the management told him that he can end his contract earlier instead of March 2021. Thus, making the concert be cancelled instead of just being postponed due to the pandemic.
Upon clearing the issue, a lot of fans felt sorry for him. He was just a victim of the tabloid and the management. Despite that, he said his gratitude towards Tackey (the current head) and Julie (the person who managed him and his group). There were a lot of speculations that someone aside from these heads were behind everything. It's crazy, though!
IMAGE FROM @yuyategoshi1054 on Twitter
What I am grateful about despite this issue is that he is now active on social media which was originally forbidden when he still belonged to the company. Now, he uploads pictures and videos everyday for his fans to update us with his activities.
He's also actively helping out in some volunteer works like providing the needs of single mothers in Japan and he's using his platform to raise awareness for his cause.
IMAGE FROM @yuyategoshi1054 on Twitter
He also mentioned that he will continue to sing and perform as a solo artist. On some videos he shared on Twitter, he gave messages to his fans by singing some lines. Being able to listen to his singing voice again gives me courage. It allows me to move forward and give my best in everything that I do.
His honesty and being true to himself made me admire him more. It made me realize that it's alright to have mistakes in life for as long as you use those mistakes as steps to bounce back even higher.
His Twitter posts and hopefully YouTube posts in the days to come bring me joy. I will continue to be inspired by him and of course, I'd have to support him continuously as well.
As for the remaining members of NEWS, they're also a huge part of my existence... so I hope everything will be OK for them. I hope they still create songs of joy, encouragement, moving forward and a lot more.
It might be impossible, but hopefully someday, they'll get to perform on the same stage again... even if it's not as NEWS... but as performers, idols or singers who aim to inspire people through their songs. Hopefully, it will happen.
I'll end this post here for now. Thanks a lot for dropping by! Have a great one!