[Signed CDs will be given away! Interview with IBERIs&, a new generation voice actress girls' unit! Debut single "We Don't Stop!" by 8 fresh members released today!

IBERIs& is a new 8-member voice-over girls unit that will make its major debut on March 1.

They are a new voice-over girls unit, born from an audition of 3,347 applicants from all over Japan.

The eight members had never had any contact with each other before, but now they spend their days taking lessons in preparation for their debut!
Afterwards, the members go out to eat ramen together, where they discuss MCing for events and stay overnight to strengthen their unity.

In this issue, we asked the eight members, who are just before their debut, to first introduce themselves and each tell us what to listen to in their debut song "We Don't Stop!" to be released on March 1, 2023.

ーFirst of all, please introduce yourselves and tell us about the works that inspired you to become voice actors.

MOMOKO (Momoko Nishio): "Konnichan Momo! I am Momoko Nishio, a.k.a. "Chan Momo". My pink, round cheeks are my charm point. I have been a samba dancer since I was little, so I am good at dancing!　I love cute girls like the ones in "Pripara," since "Pripara" was the first time I learned about voice acting.

NANAMI (Nanami Hamasaki ) I am the tallest of the IBERIs& at 19 years old. I am the style leader!　The work that made me want to become a voice actor is "Shinkage no Kyojin", so I would like to play a cool character with a strong core like the ones in the show!

HANAKA (Hanaka Ogawa ) I would like to introduce myself at the live performance!　My special skill is shredding cabbage. I am Kappa-chan aka Hanaka Ogawa". I am good at singing, so I hope you will pay attention to my singing. The first thing that made me want to become a voice actor was not an anime, but a song written by HoneyWorks. There was a version of the song sung by a voice actor, and I started listening to it a lot! I thought, "This is the kind of work that voice actors do!

MOMOKA (Momoka Ikeda) My name is Momoka Ikeda. I take the middle two letters of my first name and last name and use "Damo" as my nickname. I have been told by the members and staff alike that I have a strong presence, so no matter where I am, you can always find me by saying, "Damo, there you are! (laughs). The work that got me interested in acting was "Shinkage no Kyojin," and in addition to anime, I also watched foreign serials, so I would like to be in anime, and I would also like to be a voice actor who can be in dubbing as well.

HINANO (Hina ) My name is HINANO, IBERIs& youngest child, 16 years old. My special skill is dancing, which I have been learning for 10 years since I was in the first grade of elementary school. Although I am the youngest, I am the oldest in dance history, so I hope you will pay attention to that!　The reason why I wanted to become a voice actor was because of "Hypnosis Mike-Division Rap Battle-. That is when I realized that I wanted to be a voice actor who can sing, dance and act.

REI (Rei Son oda) My name is Rei Sonoda. Please call me "Rei Rei! I ask people to call me "Rei" at ......, but why are you called "Sonoda" by the members and fans alike? Is it because I am friendly?　My favorite food is sushi from Engawa. I am good at drawing, and since I studied it at university, I can draw illustrations and animations!　I would like to have our members do voice acting and draw animations of it. Pretty series such as "Pripara" are my roots. I love "Pretty Cure" series, "Nintama Rantaro," "Crayon Shin-chan," and other children's works, which energized me, so I would like to act in such works someday and be the one to bring energy to the audience.

HARUKA (Haruka Sanba) I will do the live greeting! Members please!　("Haru-chan is so cute!) I know!" (Haruka Samba) I know! ...... Yes. I'm Haruka Sanba, and my hobby is to make people say "cute" like this. My specialty is making delicious spicy ramen. But when I told her how to make it, she told me not to show it because it looks bad. I am a fan of "WORKING! and "Nurarihyon no Son" were the first anime I watched, and it was the "Love Live! series and "THE iDOLM@STER" series. I got hooked on the female voice actors in the singing and dancing works and became interested in them from there. I am from Okinawa!

MISAKI (Umisaki Ohashi) I would be happy if you could remember my greeting using my name, "The blue sea I want to see with you at the end of the big bridge"! I have been wanting to become a voice actor since I graduated from high school and also attended a training school, so I have been acting for a long time. My motivation to become a voice actress came from the "Pretty Cure" series and the girls in the Jump anime, and I like girls who fight. Then there are the "Love Live! series, I wanted to play hardworking girls. However, it was the "Persona" series that first made me fall in love with two-dimensional things, so I would like to perform in it someday!

Q: Your debut song "We Don't Stop!" is now being released, and there are 9 forms of the CD, 8 of which are solo versions of each of you, so please tell us what to listen to as a unit and solo.

MOMOKO It is our major debut song, but it was also the subject of our audition. The choreography has changed several times since then, and the formations have become more powerful, so when I watch the music video, I think "How did you make it this far? The feelings have grown stronger and stronger since then, and the lyrics, "When I'm lost, I think of the feels I grabbed that day. When you are lost, remember the feelings you had on that day..." and other lyrics seem to reflect the feelings from the audition to the debut!

The solo version is sung in a cute way. I am in charge of cute in the group and I sing in a cute voice, so please feel the difference from the unit version.

NANAMI My first recording was "We Don't Stop!" I didn't know what I was doing right and left, so when I listen to the solo version, I think I am singing very primly. I was very particular about the rap part, and I re-recorded it so much that I don't even remember. This is where I put my heart and soul into the song the most, so please listen to it!

The unit version has different personalities and different charms, but I was able to bring them all together to make a cool song. And the first line "Hello girls How Ya Doin'? The first part of the song is me saying it, and it's also the first part of the music video!

HANAKA This song is a statement of our determination, and I think you can see my cool expression in the music video. I am also in charge of singing in the unit, and since I am given more solo parts, I would be happy if you think "it's nice to have Ogawa".

For the solo version, please listen to the rap. This is my first attempt at rapping, and MOMOKA is in charge of rapping in the unit. So you can hear my rap for the first time here, so please enjoy it. I was very careful with the pronunciation, so I hope you will think "Ogawa's English is cool.

MOMOKA There is a phrase in the lyrics, "My mood is up and down but I won't give up. During the audition period, I was depressed because of things I couldn't do. When I listen to the song and think back to that time, I realize that I can be with these 8 people because I have not lost! It reminds me of how I felt at that time. I think that the listeners also have their own lives, and even if they stumble in some way, they don't want to give up! I want them to listen to this song when they feel like that. I want you to listen to this song when you feel like that.

I have always loved K-pop and have listened to rap music a lot, and I have also listened to Western rap music. So I was excited to think that I could rap too. However, this was my first recording session, so I was both excited and anxious at the same time. But I think it turned out to be a solo version where I was trying my best in a primitive way, so please listen to it (laughs).

HINANO This song has a great rhythm, but I am especially attached to the lyrics. The lyrics are a source of energy that encourages us to dream, so I hope you will pay attention to them.

The solo version is a rap song. I'm not very good at English at school. ...... Is this how it's supposed to be? I thought, "Is this how it's going to be like?" But I did my best in English, which I'm not used to doing in rap, so I hope you will pay attention to that!

REI The pre-debut song "Catch the SUN" was difficult to record because of its high key, but when we sang "We Don't Stop! I was so full that I sang the song with a lot of energy. The recording staff said, "That's great!　I want you to listen to my solo while eating the pizza and thinking that I was eating pizza! (Laughs).

Also, for this music video, I have colored my hair this color (pink). So I want you to see the colorful music video and pay attention to my cute hair color!

HARUKA I think this song has a different taste from other voice-over artists. The first time I heard it was during my audition, and at the time I thought, "They are taking on a new challenge," so I was happy to be able to sing such a song as my debut. It is a bright and catchy song, so we would like to sing it to the best of our ability to give power to those who listen to it. Also, in the choreography, there is a line dance before the final chorus. I think it shows our strength as we move forward, so I hope you will come and see our performance!

The solo version took a long time to record. It took so long that the staff asked me to go for a walk once. ...... That's how many different feelings were put into it. I have a powerful singing style when I sing. I think that is the gap between the unit song and this song, so it is my guess!

MISAKI "Catch the SUN" was about us working hard toward our dreams, but "We Don't Stop! But in "We Don't Stop!", the lyrics not only show us running through, but also acknowledging our depression. For example, "My mood is up and down, but I won't give up. I think this song is perfect for our future. There are also lyrics such as "It's magic only for girls" that are sung to girls, so I hope lots of girls will listen to this song.

I wanted to make the solo version cool, so I sang it really hard. But the chorus is sung in a calm tone, so please enjoy the gap between the two.

Q: When it comes to a unit that dances, sings, and also works hard as a voice actor, there is "i☆Ris," which is your senior at the office, isn't there? Is that one of your goals?

Everyone Yes, of course!

REI They are the performers of "Pripara," so I have always admired them.

MOMOKA But while they are our goals, we hope to bring out a different charm from that of i☆Ris. We would like to become a girls' voice-over unit that is unique to IBERIs&.

Q: Finally, what kind of unit do you want IBERIs& to become?

HARUKA One of our main goals is to become artists who can sing many OP/ED themes for anime. Also, I have been saying this for a long time, but I want to aim for the world!

ーーYou can see that some of the members are not good at English at .......

HINANO I am not good at English, but I am a high school student, so I will learn it from now on!

HANAKA We want to become a unit that can also be cool. You think that in order to sell as an artist, it is absolutely necessary to be able to show a consistent performance in both dancing and singing. Right now, our strengths are all different, so I would like to be able to be seen as a group where everyone is good at dancing and singing, and where all of our strengths are gathered together.

NANAMI We want to go global, but before that, we want to go around Japan!　I would love to do a triumphant return live concert...I want to make lots of people smile with the eight of us, and I want to eat delicious food.

HANAKA I have already been to Hokkaido and Okinawa for an event.

HANAKA We already went to Hokkaido for an event. I was very surprised because I didn't think I would be able to go there. But at the end I said "I will do my best to perform here again," so now that I have said that, I would like to perform at a bigger venue. I think the biggest one would be a dome. ......

HARUKA There is no dome in Okinawa, so I guess the Okinawa Convention Center.

MOMOKA I also want to perform at big anime events!　As a voice actor artist, that is my goal, so first I want to win the OP/ED theme and then perform!

(Reporting, writing, and photography by Junichi Tsukagoshi)

Product Information

■IBERIs& debut single "We Don't Stop!

CD MAXI

Release date: March 1, 2023

Price: 1,000 yen each (tax included)

＜Contents (common to all 9 formats)

We Don't Stop!

IBERIs& disc, and 8 other CDs including each member's solo version, for a total of 9 formats to be released.

Outline of Present Campaign

<Prize

One lucky winner will receive "We Don't Stop!" (IBERIs& disc ) autographed by each member!

• <Entry requirements
• Entry period: March 1, 2023 (Wed) - March 8, 2023 (Wed) 23:59
• Number of winners: 1
• Announcement of winners: Prizes will be shipped to winners.
• Prize shipment: Prizes will be sent out sequentially ・Please fill out the application form below.

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