Kyary Pamyu Pamyu
Kiriko Takemura (竹村 桐子 Takemura Kiriko, born January 29, 1993), known by her stage name Kyary Pamyu Pamyu (Kanji: きゃりーぱみゅぱみゅ), is a Japanese singer, model, and blogger. Her public image is associated with Japan's kawaisa and decora culture, centered in the Harajuku neighborhood of Tokyo. Pamyu Pamyu's music is produced by musician Yasutaka Nakata of electronic music duo Capsule.
She is well known for her 2011 single "Pon Pon Pon", which reached the top ten on Japan's Oricon music chart; the 2012 singles "Candy Candy" and "Fashion Monster" followed this success. Pamyu Pamyu has since released three full-length albums: Pamyu Pamyu Revolution (2012), Nanda Collection (2013), and Pika Pika Fantajin (2014).
Though most of her success as a recording artist has been in Asia, she has also gained popularity in Western countries due in part to Internet videos which have gone viral. Media outlets have referred to Pamyu Pamyu as "Harajuku Pop Princess", and she has been photographed for magazines such as Dazed & Confused. In 2013, she signed a distribution deal with Sire Records to release her material in the United States.
Pamyu Pamyu was born on January 29, 1993 in Tokyo, Japan. Throughout most of her childhood life, she was raised in a traditional strict household, where her parents frequently set early curfews and limited her cell phone access. Pamyu Pamyu's mother was very critical of her fashion sense to the point where she would have to leave the house dressed normally and change into Harajuku-style clothing inside a public restroom. Pamyu Pamyu often returned home and found that her mother had disposed of her fashion accessories, which led to further quarrels. She writes in her autobiography, Oh! My God!! Harajuku Girl, that her father was more supportive of her, although they had their fair share of quarrels as well.[8] Pamyu Pamyu writes in her autobiography that in her childhood, she took dance lessons. Later, different sources report that, around the age of 12, she appeared in a video series called Imouto Club (いもうと倶楽部), and in another titled Kasumi, in which she was filmed posing while wearing a school-issued bathing suit among other things.
As a musical entertainer, Pamyu Pamyu has been recognized as the "J-Pop Princess" or "Harajuku Pop Princess".
Her fashion sense is the subject of much media coverage. She is often called "Japan's Lady Gaga", citing her similar use of fashion to attract attention. According to a review of her London concert, a press release stated "[Kyary] is not supposed to be musically talented. She is more about image featuring her creative fashion sense as one of the main subjects of her career, not just the music." She has recently cited American singers Gwen Stefani, Katy Perry, and Lady Gaga as her inspirations in both music and fashion. Pamyu Pamyu's fashion sense has also been criticized. While being interviewed on TV Asahi's Music Station, she was wearing an oversized ribbon on her head, which blocked Japanese boy band Kanjani8 from being seen on camera, angering fans of Kanjani8 by her outrageous fashion style. Pamyu Pamyu later stated that when she is being interviewed on television, she will restrict what she is wearing. Her fans, however, defended her wearing the outfit.[98] Pamyu Pamyu cites "kawaii" (meaning "cute" or "cuteness") as her background style.
Her international success has also received much attention. During an interview with The Fader, Pamyu Pamyu was asked if she meant to make music outside of Asia, where she responded; "At first, I didn't think about global markets at all. But even in Japanese, my lyrics don’t make any sense and have a kind of mystery, like on "Pon Pon Pon" and "Tsukematsukeru". I can feel that what I'm doing in Japanese is catchy to global audiences anyway." Keiichi Ishizaka, chairman and chief executive officer of Warner Music Japan Inc, commenting on Pamyu Pamyu's image to The Japan Times, says "[Kyary] is a person who came directly out of Tokyo's Harajuku culture, and there is a growing international interest in Japan's kawaii culture,". Many critics and publications noted the increase of popularity within the Japanese popular culture outside Japan, such as its fashion and animation, and she is serving as its global ambassador. Ishizaka believed that with the advent of the Internet, there is no difference in time and distance among countries anymore."
Since her debut in 2011, her music has been exclusively produced by musician Yasutaka Nakata of electronic music duo Capsule, which also produces music for girl group Perfume and once for singers like Meg, Ami Suzuki, and SMAP. Despite this collaboration with technopop artists and charting on electronic music charts, most media outlets do not classify Pamyu Pamyu under the genre due to Nakata's musical style for her, which is different from his other produced acts.
"I love grotesque things. My concept is scary things that become traumatic with their cuteness. There are so many 'just cute' things in the world, so I add grotesque, scary and even shocking materials like eyeballs and brains to balance out the cuteness. Kyary Pamyu Pamyu; interview with The Fader"
Although Pamyu Pamyu knows some English, she is not completely fluent and often has an interpreter while overseas, and prefers to speak in Japanese for interviews. As of 2014, she has been studying English and spoke to the audience in brief bits of English during her concerts in London, United States and Australia, and on the NHK World show Moshimoshi Nippon. When asked in an interview in 2016 about Pamyu Pamyu's progress of studying English, she stated, "Not very good, not at all".
She dated Sekai no Owari lead vocalist Satoshi Fukase from June 2013 until August 15, 2015. Pamyu Pamyu is friends with members of Perfume, as they both share times during recording with their producer Yasutaka Nakata. In a July 2014 live interview with Space Shower TV, she stated that she frequently communicates with the members either through Line or e-mail. On the other hand, the members of Perfume have explicitly stated that they also listen to Pamyu Pamyu's songs, specifically member Ayaka Nishiwaki, who admitted that some of her songs sound identical to theirs but still enjoys listening as by crediting Nakata working with other artists.
She is an anime and manga fan and has mentioned that her favorite anime show and manga is Crayon Shin-Chan. She has also mentioned that she is a Vocaloid fan.