Yamamoto Suzu

## Yamamoto Suzu山本(やまもと) すず

Yamamoto Suzu, December 2023

**Yamamoto Suzu** (山本すず) is a Japanese idol as a member of ME:I, the group formed in PRODUCE 101 JAPAN THE GIRLS. She made it in the final lineup after placing 5th in the finals. She is also a former trainee of Source Music.

## Biography

### Early Life

Yamamoto Suzu was born on December 16, 2006 in Tokyo, Japan.

### 2020s

In the 2020s, she attended K-POP STUDIO FANCY, a Japan-based K-pop school that DXTEEN member Hiramoto Ken also attended. Through that, she became a trainee for Source Music.

### 2023

On September 3, Yamamoto was revealed to be a contestant of PRODUCE 101 JAPAN THE GIRLS.

On December 16, she placed 5th in the finals, making her the center of ME:I.

## PRODUCE 101 JAPAN Participation

### Teams

* **Audition Team:** Wing Bell Moon
* **Group Battle Team:** New bud (center/rapper 2)
* **Position Battle Team:** Space7 (sub dancer)
* **Concept Battle Team:** NALALA (sub vocalist 2)
* **Debut Evaluation Team:** CHOPPY CHOPPY (sub vocalist 4)

### Rankings

Online votes
* **Week 2:** 1st place
* **Week 3:** 3rd place (-2)
* **First Ranking Announcement:** 5th place (-2)
* **Week 6:** 5th place (=)
* **Second Ranking Announcement:** 5th place (=)
* **Third Ranking Announcement:** 14th place (-9)
* **Final Ranking Announcement:** 5th place (+9)

On-site votes
* **Group Battle:** 3rd place in team, 18th place overall
* **Position Battle:** 2nd place in team, 20th place overall
* **Concept Battle:** 4th place in team (tied), 4th place overall (tied)

### First Voting Period

Yamamoto is revealed in Wing Bell Moon, a trio of former trainees in Korean entertainment agencies. She is evaluated by the other trainees as 15th. To her shock, the trainers recognize her talent and evaluate her at **A** class, which she keeps after the level reevaluations.

In episode 3, Yamamoto is voted by the other trainees to sing a solo line in the show's theme song. Later on, Yamamoto is originally picked by Motohashi Meika, but is stolen by Sakurai Miu. Yamamoto is chosen as the center for the team and places 18th place overall in the group battle.

While she places 1st in episode 1, by episode 5 she places 5th after receiving 1,572,508 total votes.

* **First Ranking Announcement (Hint):** "放送開始前から注目を集めていた練習生です。" (This trainee has been attracting attention even before the show starting aired.)
* **First Ranking Announcement:** Quote needed.

### Second Voting Period

In episode 6, Yamamoto chooses to perform "Rocketeer" for the position battle. Despite being slightly discouraged by seeing that Ishii Ran also chose the song and criticized by YUMEKI for lacking expression, she works her best and also incorporates karate in the choreography. She places 20th place overall.

Yamamoto is the last trainee to be revealed to perform "&ME" in the concept battle. Later on, she places 5th once again in the second ranking announcement.

* **Second Ranking Announcement (Hint):** "振り付けでチームを引っぱった練習生です。" (This trainee led her team with her choreography.)
* **Second Ranking Announcement:** "第１回順位発表式では５位。その翌週も５位。そして今回も同じく５位となりました。実力は認められながらも表現力はゼと厳しい指摘を受けたポジション評価不安と焦りを見せましたが特技の空手を振り付けに加えステージで個性際立つ「Rocketeer」を爆発 させました。" (She placed 5th at the first ranking announcement ceremony. In the following week, she ranked 5th. And this time as well, she came in 5th place. Although her ability was recognized, she was harshly criticized for her lack of expressiveness, and although she showed anxiety and impatience over the position battle evaluation, she added to her special karate choreography and stood out when she performed "Rocketeer" on stage.)

### Third Voting Period

In episode 8, Yamamoto stays as a member of "&ME". At the end of the concept battle, she places 4th overall, having tied with Kato Kokoro.

To her shock, Yamamoto drops out of the debut range, placing 14th place. When choosing her position in the debut evaluation afterwards, she takes Sakuraba Haruka's sub vocalist 4 position and puts her as sub vocalist 5.

* **Third Ranking Announcement (Hint):** "初回から常にデビュー圏内をキープしていた練習生です。" (This trainee had always been within the debut range since the first week.)
* **Third Ranking Announcement:** "(not finished)&MEのベネフィットで2万5,000票を獲得。(not finished)" (She received the "&ME" benefit of 25,000 votes.)

### Final Voting Period

In episode 11, she performs "CHOPPY CHOPPY" and "FLY UP SO HIGH" She manages to place in the debut range again at 5th place, being the best birthday present she has received.

* **Final Ranking Announcement (Hint):** "どんなコンセプトでも品の良さを感じさせる練習生です。" (This trainee exudes quality no matter the concept.)
* **Final Ranking Announcement:** "ステージでスイッチが入った瞬間１６歳と思えない大人っぽさと高いスキルを見せつけました。今日はすずの１７歳の誕生日！国民プロデューサーからという人生最高のプレゼントが送られました。デビュー確定そしてお誕生日おめでとう！" (The moment she turned a switch on stage, she showed off her maturity and high skills, making it hard to believe she was only 16 years old. Today is Suzu's 17th birthday! The best present of her life was sent to her by the national producers. Congratulations on her confirmed debut and happy birthday!)

## Personal Life

* Friendships
* Nicknames

Yamamoto Suzu is very close to her audition teammates Sakurai Miu and Hidaka Hazuki. She views Sakurai as an older sister from her time practicing with her.

The following list are nicknames that have been used to refer to Yamamoto Suzu:

* **Suzu-tan** (すずたん) : Most common nickname used by fellow trainees and fans.

## Trivia

* Her hobby is to watch dramas.
* Her special skill is karate.
* She is the second member in the series to have debuted on their birthday. The first one is Tsurubo Shion from JO1.
* Her pledge for debuting in the top 11 was seeing the first sunrise of the new year with the other members.
* She said that one thing she gained from karate was having a strong spirit until the end.
* She likes to eat natto with green onions. This is how her mother also liked eating it.
* She likes to wear cool outfits.

### PRODUCE 101 JAPAN Achievements

* She is the only trainee who hadn't been in the public eye prior to the show to place 1st in the show.

## References

1. ↑ "👏「日本人 合格者 映像」韓国芸能事務所 オーディション 일본 오디션 합격자 영상" YouTube. 2021-12-23.
2. ↑ STUDIO FANCY Website Front Page" (in Japanese). STUDIO FANCY Website.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "PRODUCE 101 JAPAN THE GIRLS Profile" PRODUCE 101 JAPAN. 2023-09-04.

 Agency

 Extended Plays