Shotaro opened up about his honest reaction to the big change in his career. The former NCT member discussed what it was like to debut in an established K-pop act. Shotaro Osaki then reflected on what he faced when he joined SM Entertainment’s new rookie group RIIZE.

Shotaro Reflects on Moving From NCT to Rookie Group RIIZE

Back in May, SM Entertainment issued a statement regarding Sungchan and Shotaro’s status in NCT. The company revealed that the idols, who joined the group in 2020, will join a new group. Since then, Shotaro and Sungchan went from members of an established group, NCT, to starting over in a rookie group, RIIZE.

But what was it like to make the big change for Shotaro? The Japanese idol discussed his thoughts during RIIZE’s debut event on September 4. First, Shotaro stated that he was proud to have been part of NCT.

“I had been promoting as a member of NCT before and it was such an honor for me to perform in that group,” he said. “I really appreciate the fans and members for supporting me.”

Shotaro continued by admitting he is happy and excited to be a part of RIIZE.

“And now I’m debuting as RIIZE, I’m so happy to debut with the members I practiced with,” he said. “I’m excited for us to show you many things in the coming days. We’re also preparing a lot of things for you, so please look forward to them.”

Jung Sungchan and Osaki Shotaro debuted as part of NCT on October 12, 2020. They were featured as part of the group project NCT 2020 and participated in the album ‘NCT 2020 Resonance Pt. 1’. SM Entertainment initially planned for the two idols to become a part of a new NCT unit.

RIIZE released their debut single album ‘Get A Guitar’ and the title track of the same name on September 4, 2023.