Kyary Pamyu Pamyu
Kiriko, known professionally as Kyary Pamyu Pamyu', is a Japanese singer, model and tarento. Her public image is associated with Japan's kawaii and decora culture, centered in the Harajuku neighborhood of Tokyo. Kyary's music is produced by musician Yasutaka Nakata of electronic music duo Capsule.
Her 2011 single "PonPonPon" reached the top ten on Japan's Oricon music chart; the 2012 singles "Candy Candy" and "Fashion Monster" followed this success. Kyary has since released five full-length albums: Pamyu Pamyu Revolution, Nanda Collection, Pika Pika Fantajin, Japamyu, and Candy Racer.
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 Kyary as a "Fashion Monster", 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.
As of February 2020, Kyary has sold over 970,000 physical albums and singles in Japan as well as over 2.25 million downloads of her singles.
Early life
Kyary Pamyu Pamyu was born in Nishitōkyō, Tokyo, Japan, in a traditional strict household. She started modeling and appearing as a junior idol when she was just 12 years old, using her real name, Kiriko Takemura. 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.Career
2009–2010: Career beginnings
Kyary started as a fashion blogger, and then began her professional career as a model for Harajuku fashion magazines such as Kera! and Zipper.Her stage name combines "Kyari" ; she later added "Pamyu Pamyu" because it sounded cute. She was inspired to sing by Yasutaka Nakata.
2011–2012: ''Moshi Moshi Harajuku'' and ''Pamyu Pamyu Revolution''
In April 2011 Kyary participated in the charity event "One Snap for Love" to benefit victims of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. In July, she released her first promo single, "PonPonPon", citing Gwen Stefani, Katy Perry and Lady Gaga as inspirations at that time. The music video, a psychedelic tribute to kawaisa and Decora culture, was released to YouTube and became a viral hit. "PonPonPon" entered Billboard Japan's Hot 100 chart at 72 on July 31, 2011. Her debut EP, Moshi Moshi Harajuku, was released August 17, 2011, followed a week later by her autobiography, Oh! My God!! Harajuku Girl.On December 6, 2011, her single "Tsukematsukeru" was digitally released internationally via iTunes. On December 9, Kyary made her American debut in Culver City, California to perform in a fashion show and play two of her songs, as well as her first time performing the single. "Tsukematsukeru" was released physically on January 11, 2012, which included a special edition photobook. It was eventually certified gold in April 2012. In February and March 2012, she represented Japan during Japanese performing arts exhibitions in Shanghai and Hong Kong. She released her second single, "Candy Candy" as a digital download on March 14, 2012. The single debuted at eighty-nine on the Billboard Japan Hot 100, and later peaked at number two. It was released as a CD single on April 4, 2012, and sold 9,913 copies its first week, debuting at number eight on the Oricon weekly singles chart.
Her debut full-length album, Pamyu Pamyu Revolution, was released on May 23, 2012. Along with the announcement of her second single back in February, it was revealed that she was planning to hold her first nationwide tour in June of that year, as well as launching an official fan club. The tour kicked off on June 2 at the Namba Hatch in Osaka. It continued in Hiroshima, Nagoya, Sendai, Sapporo, Fukuoka and finished in Tokyo on June 29. In July 2012, she made her European debut by performing for 13,000 fans at the Japan Expo in Paris. Kyary was bestowed the title of "Kawaii Harajuku Ambassador" on August 30, 2012 by the Mayor of Shibuya. Following a montage of her successes performed on a large screen, she performed several songs in front of a crowd after accepting the award. In early September 2012, Kyary announced that she was collaborating with Japanese budget fashion brand g.u. for her new single "Fashion Monster", which was given a CD release date of October 17, 2012. She was also used as the image character for G.U. after the announcement. Around the same time, Kyary announced her debut world tour titled 100% KPP World Tour, which began in February 2013 and lasted until June. The tour visited the United States, United Kingdom, France, Belgium, Taiwan, Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, and her native Japan.
2013–2014: ''Nanda Collection'' and ''Pika Pika Fantajin''
During 2012 and 2013, she began receiving more attention in Western media. Sputnikmusic listed Pamyu Pamyu Revolution as number one on their "Best Pop Albums of 2012" list. Britain's Dazed & Confused magazine became an enthusiastic supporter. Kyary was photographed by Matt Irwin for the magazine's December 2012 issue, styled by Nicola Formichetti. The magazine also cited her video for "Furisodation" in their "Video of the Week" category in January 2013, and named her "The Star of Tomorrow" in August. In January 2013, MTV Iggy called Kyary "the coolest girl on the planet" and The Fader called her "the most exciting person making music". Furisodeshon's video was also named by Stereogum as a "Video of the Week" in January. Elle France promoted Kyary Pamyu Pamyu in its February 2013 issue, and she appeared on the French television show Le Petit Journal on February 11. During this period, she also appeared in the Swedish newspaper Svenska Dagbladet and was interviewed on the British radio station Monocle 24. February also saw the release of Kyary's first concert DVD/Blu-ray, Dokidoki Wakuwaku Pamyu Pamyu Revolution Land, recorded live in November 2012 at the Nippon Budokan in Tokyo. A month-long exhibition in March 2013 titled "Kyary Pamyu Pamuseum" was held in Tokyo's Roppongi Hills complex, showcasing all costumes from her music videos and live performances. In April, a deal for American distribution was reached with Sire Records, and "Fashion Monster" was re-released in the United States. In summer 2013, Pamyu Pamyu's television series TV John! was broadcast in France on the Nolife channel. In America, Paper featured her in its July issue, and she received her largest American exposure to date in a lengthy profile in The Wall Street Journal the same month.Kyary performed her songs "Invader Invader" and "Ninja Re Bang Bang" at the end ceremony for the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards Japan Awards, where she also received the awards for Best Pop Video and Best Karaoke! Song for "Fashion Monster". In late June, it was revealed that she was working on a documentary film entitled Kyary Pamyu Pamyu the Movie. The film received a one-day limited screening and featured concert footage from Kyary Pamyu Pamyu's 100% KPP World Tour. Internationally the same year, she was nominated for Best New International Pop Artist by Fuse TV and Best Japan Act at the 2013 MTV Europe Music Awards. Kyary's second studio album, Nanda Collection, was released on June 26, 2013. In September 2013, she announced a second world tour titled Nanda Collection World Tour and a new single "Mottai Night Land" was released in late October and received positive reviews from Western media outlets. The single was released on November 6. The world tour visited the United States, Canada, Australia, England, France, Germany, Taiwan, Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Kyary's native Japan, lasting from February until November. It was originally to last until June but was postponed due to political unrest. She was interviewed by or was the focus of articles in internationally renowned publications such as The Guardian, Time Out London, Sydney Morning Herald, and VICE. in April 2014, Kyary made her Australian television debut on the program Sunrise and was the focus of Australian news programs such as ABC News. In May 2014, she appeared in the British fashion magazine i-D. In July 2014, Vogue premiered Kyary's first English-language song, "Ring A Bell," in the United States. In October 2014, she was the focus of an article and photoshoot in the American fashion magazine Nylon.
In February 2014, Kyary announced her single "Yume no Hajima Ring Ring" in which her theme would be "evolution" which provides a theme relating to graduation. The music video was uploaded to YouTube on February 19. The single was released on February 26. In March, she announced that her upcoming single "Family Party" will be used as an ending theme for the movie Crayon Shin-chan: Serious Battle! Robot Dad Strikes Back. Kyary has stated that this is her first original theme song for a film. "Family Party" was released on April 16. On May 9, she announced her first limited-run single, "Kira Kira Killer", which was released on June 11. The single was featured in commercials for au's "Lucky" campaign. Also in May, Dazed & Confused announced that Kyary was working with international musicians Sophie and Yelle on new upcoming music. she announced at her Zepp Tokyo concert that she would be releasing her third full album, titled Pika Pika Fantajin on July 9, 2014. Along with the album announcement on May 18, Kyary also announced that she would be holding an arena tour after her hall tour in Japan. Both nationwide tours were held after the Nanda Collection World Tour. The Hall tour consisted of 17 shows in 13 cities, visiting Saitama, Tokyo, Miyagi, Matsudo, Hokkaido, Tochigi, Niigata, Ishikawa, Yamanashi, Chiba, Hiroshima, Kagawa, and Aichi, and lasting from July 27 until September 22. The arena tour consisted of nine shows in five cities, which ran from October 18 to November 9, visiting the cities of Makuhari, Osaka, Nagoya, Fukuoka, and Yoyogi.