In the eagerly anticipated first episode of PRODUCE 101 JAPAN THE GIRLS, viewers were surprised to learn that trainee Sakurai Miu was previously in contention for the final line up for Newjeans.
In the first session, the trainees were separated into teams that performed in front of the coaches in order to determine their placement for the promotional song. In the end, trainee Sakurai Miu was selected as the center for the song LEAPHIGH! ~Ashita he, Me Ippai~.
While she was talking with one of the coaches, Sakurai mentioned that she had been a trainee under ADOR, which is the agency that debuted popular girl group Newjeans. In fact she revealed that not only did she train with them, but she had once been under consideration to debut with the group as part of their original line up.
She also later revealed that this caused her self-confidence to drop. When asked about her performance with fellow members Hidaka Hazuki and Yamamoto Suzu covering the aespa song Spicy, Sakurai mentioned
"While I was preparing for this song, I didn’t really believe in myself. In fact I was also anxious over the fact that I felt like I was not particularly thinking about my team either. As someone who had missed her chance to debut with a group, I now realize I have to build up my self-confidence and create a version of me that I can believe in."
Be sure to check out the YouTube channel for the group to catch the official English subtitles when they come out!
