Singer Iyo Matsumoto, who turned 60 last year, appeared on Tetsuko Kuroyanagi's long-running talk show "Tetsuko's Room" (TV Asahi) on June 4th. She talked about the advice her husband, Hiromi, gave her on what it means to be an idol, and her current obsession with a Korean actor.
At the anniversary concert, after singing and dancing a lot, she said during the MC segment, "I'm so tired. I'm an old lady now," and Hiromi saw it and gave her a lot of criticism afterward.
Hiromi took issue with the "auntie" comment. She was scolded with comments like, "You're an idol who gives dreams to everyone through your singing, so why would you call yourself an auntie?" and "Would Matsuda Seiko call herself an auntie at her own concert?" She vowed to "work hard and fully commit to being an idol," and said that even if she feels like she's being cutesy or that the costumes are a little embarrassing, "I try my best to wear them."
She says she's been a big fan of popular Korean actor Seo In-guk, and that the amount of merchandise she's bought at fan meetings and concerts has been steadily increasing, but she smiles and says it's "really fun." She won a ticket to a fan meeting and was embarrassed to go alone, but she went wearing a mask. She ended up sitting next to strangers and they noticed her mask while they were talking, but she said, "I think they were probably surprised, but everyone treated me very naturally and didn't seem to mind at all."
She says that her fellow fans often tell her about things like, "Seo In-guk will be appearing in this," "He's in this magazine," and "This will be released soon." She says that it's a source of energy for her, saying, "When I get told about it, I feel happy and grateful, and it makes me feel like I can have a fun day because of it."
I haven't told Hiromi at all, but I keep Seo In-guk's cushions and fans at home, so I think she's noticed, which makes me laugh. "She doesn't get angry," and "Hiromi often tells me things after the fact," so I think it's fair game.
She feels that her fan activities have given her many hints on how to communicate with fans, such as how to interact with them, how to line up for two-shot photos, and how to get high-fives when they see them off. She says it has had a positive impact on her own activities, saying, "It has made me realize again that I want to do things that will make my fans happy."
One of her contemporaries who debuted in 1982 was Yu Hayami. After they both got married and raised their children, there was a period when they didn't see each other much, but they reconnected at the home of fellow debutant Hidemi Ishikawa and former Shibugaki-tai member Hirohide Yakumaru, and they started performing concerts together again. Although Yakumaru is a year younger, Hayami is reliable, and they go out to eat and attend concerts together. "I think we'll continue to enjoy ourselves together like this," she said, reflecting on the future.
