9-tie

### Members

Suzune Miyama, Rena Hananoi, Ao Yodogawa, Nagisa Imau, Hiromi Hamaguri, Nodoka Yagi, Mako Toma, Shiori Yamaga, Uta Koizumi

### Founded

Episode 11

**9-tie** (pronounced as "cutie") is a unit created through the SELECTION PROJECT anime. It was founded by the nine contestants of Season 7 after they were disqualified from the show.

Later in the project, 9-tie joined back into the show and won it as a group.

## Background

In the third round of Selection Project, the contestants had to make the difficult choice to eliminate two of their fellow aspiring idols to continue to the next round. In an act of defiance, each girl voted for herself, meaning that no contestants would be eliminated that round. When Sumipanda announced that the vote would be held again and that two members had to go, the girls held firm and refused to back down. They argued that they had only made it to the third round by working together and had become close friends, and it was too cruel to throw away that friendship just because the show executives said they had to. In response, the network disqualified all nine girls and ended the show prematurely.

The contestants did not let the shock of their disqualification end their dreams. Shortly after the 7th Season ended, the girls got together and decided to try to become idols their way. At first, Rena acted as a coach and guide for the other girls, but in the end was persuaded to join as an idol. The group was named 9-tie to celebrate their friendship and the strong bonds they had.

Becoming an idol group was a struggle. Having agreed not to use any resources from Selection Project, 9-Tie had to start over from the beginning. They ran into opposition from former fans and idol hopefuls, who felt that the girls' act of rebellion was a slap in the face of everyone who had wanted to stand on the stage but failed. The members took to social media, posting video clips of their training and performances in public venues to garner attention. Their spare time was spent handing out flyers and writing their own music and dance routines while Shiori created costumes. They wanted to convey their feelings and intentions for sticking together through the song and help people understand why they made the choice that led to their disqualification. They called the song Itsuka Kanau Yume.

Eventually, 9-Tie gained momentum and were approached by Selection Project with an offer: if the girls returned to the show and earned 2 million Yells in one performance, the label would allow them to debut as a group. The girls accepted the challenge and returned to the show.

9-Tie worked hard to learn the routine for Glorious Days and make amends both with show staff and their supporters for their disqualification. Unfortunately, the stress wore on Suzune as she worked herself harder than any of the others and ended up in the hospital the day of the live challenge. Splasoda° and GAPsCAPs performed a few songs and stalled for time by asking each other what their favorite foods were (with some input from Sumipanda), then finally appealed directly to Suzune, begging her to wake up and recover in time for their debut. At the last minute, Suzune recovered and arrived at the studio with Rena. The performance of "Glorious Days" earned the 2 million Yells needed and 9-Tie officially debuted as an idol group with Jun as their manager.

## Singles

1. Only one yell
2. Glorious Days
3. SELECTION HEROINE
4. Naked Blue
5. Itsuka Kanau Yume

## Trivia

* The group name is a portmanteau of the Japanese pronunciation of the number 9 (九 *kyū* ) and "tie", representing the bond between the nine girls.