Kyary Pamyu Pamyu

Early life

Kyary was raised in a traditional strict household, where her parents frequently set early curfews and limited her cell phone access. Her mother was very critical of her fashion sense, to the point where Kyary would have to leave the house dressed normally, and change into Harajuku-style clothing inside a public restroom. She would often return home to find 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.

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. After achieving a measure of fame, Kyary collaborated with the Eyemazing company to produce a line of fake eyelashes called "Harajuku Doll".

Kyary explained her stage name in a Japanese MTV interview. Wearing blonde wigs as a fashion affectation in high school, a friend began calling her "Kyari" because she embraced Western culture and seemed "like a foreign girl". The name stuck. Upon starting her blog, she felt the name "Kyari" — a phonetic Japanese spelling of the Western name "Carrie" — was too short, and "missing something". She added "Pamyu Pamyu" because it sounded cute. She states her full stage name as "Caroline Charonplop Kyary Pamyu Pamyu" (きゃろらいんちゃろんぷろっぷきゃりーぱみゅぱみゅ, Kyarorain Charonpuroppu Kyarī Pamyu Pamyu).

Kyary 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.

She first met Yasutaka Nakata, the music producer of her favorite electropop group Perfume, at his club event. Because he makes music for the fashion industry, he was intrigued by her career and encouraged her to debut as a singer.

2011: Musical beginnings with Moshi Moshi Harajuku

In April 2011, along with Japanese fashion editor and photographer Yasumasa Yonehara and Japanese brand 6%DokiDoki, Kyari Pamyu Pamyu participated in the charity event "One Snap for Love" to benefit victims of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.

In July 2011, Kyary released her first promo single, "PonPonPon", citing Gwen Stefani, Christina Aguilera and Katy Perry 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, leading to it being reported on by MTV and The Huffington Post. The single was produced by Yasutaka Nakata and is the first release from Kyary's debut album, Moshi Moshi Harajuku, which was released August 17, 2011. "PonPonPon" was released on July 20, 2011. On July 31, 2011, the song entered Billboard Japan's Hot 100 chart at 72. American rapper G-Eazy sampled the song on his single "Lost in Translation". "PonPonPon" topped the iTunes Electronic Songs Chart in Belgium and Finland.

On August 3, 2011, her second promo single, "Jelly", was internationally released via iTunes. A week after the release of Moshi Moshi Harajuku, Kyary released an autobiography about her rise to fame titled, Oh! My God!! Harajuku Girl.

2011–2012: Pamyu Pamyu Revolution

On December 6, 2011, Kyary Pamyu Pamyu's 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 "Tsukema Tsukeru". "Tsukema Tsukeru" 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, Kyary Pamyu Pamyu represented Japan during Japanese performing arts exhibitions in Shanghai and Hong Kong. She performed on 24 February in Shanghai at the Shanghai Expo Mart. On 27 March, Kyary performed for 700 fans in Hong Kong at the Kowloonbay International Trade & Exhibition Centre.

Kyary 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. Despite it being her first and only single to chart on the Recording Industry Association of Japan charts, "Candy Candy" remains Kyary's lowest selling single to date.

Kyary Pamyu Pamyu's 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, Kyary 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 30 August 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.

2013-2015: International breakthrough with Nanda Collection and Pika Pika Fantajin

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 17 October 2012. Kyary 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 Kyary's native Japan.

During 2012 and 2013, Kyary 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 Kyary "The Star of Tomorrow" in August. In January 2013, MTV Iggy called Kyary "the coolest girl on the planet" and The Fader called Kyary "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 in its February 2013 issue, and Kyary appeared on the French television show Le Petit Journal on February 11. During this period, Kyary 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, Kyary's television series TV John! was broadcast in France on the Nolife channel. In America, Paper featured Kyary 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 Kyary is working on a documentary film that is due out late 2013 entitled Kyary Pamyu Pamyu The Movie. The film featured one-day limited screening and concert footage from her 100%KPP World Tour. Internationally the same year, Kyary 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, Kyary 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. Mottai Night Land 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 a political unrest. Kyary 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, Kyary 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, Kyary 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, Kyary 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. Kyary 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.

In January 2015, Kyary was mentioned by The Hollywood Reporter as one of the "major recent sellers" for Warner Music Group alongside artists including Coldplay and Ed Sheeran.

2015-present: KPP Best, 5th anniversary, and upcoming projects

In March 2015, Kyary released her single "Mondai Girl". In June, Kyary was chosen by the international cosmetic brand MAC Cosmetics as one of its "Global Heroes" and was profiled in an interview on their website. In the following month, Kyary was chosen to represent Japan in Italy at Expo 2015. In June 17, 2015 was released a remake of the movie Nutcracker Fantasy, with a remix of Kyary's song "Oyasumi" as theme song.

On September 2, 2015, Kyary released the Halloween-themed single "Crazy Party Night (Pumpkin no Gyakushū)" and began the "Crazy Party Night 2015 Tour," a nationwide concert tour that lasted until December 2015. On 11 October 2015, Kyary played a one-off international concert at The Roundhouse in London, England. In November 2015, Kyary was featured prominently in advertising for "The World Goes Pop" exhibition at the Tate Modern national art gallery in London.

On May 25, 2016, Kyary's debut compilation album KPP Best was released, featuring her single "Sai & Co" which was released on April 20. Around that time, Kyary announced a third world tour titled the "Five Years Monster World Tour". The world tour visited Singapore, London, Sydney, Melbourne, San Francisco, New York City, Taipei, and Tokyo.

On 27 December 2016, Kyary announced that she will be collaborating with English singer Charli XCX on Yasutaka Nakata's solo track "Crazy Crazy". The song was released on 18 January 2017, along with upcoming single "Harajuku Iyahoi". Both songs were released in January 2017.

Public image

Kyary Pamyu Pamyu's fashion sense is the subject of much media coverage. Kyary is often called "Japan's Lady Gaga", citing Kyary's 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.

Her fashion sense has also been criticized. While being interviewed on TV Asahi's Music Station, Kyary 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. She 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. Pamyu cites "Kawaii" (meaning "Cute" or "Cuteness") as her background style.

Her international success has also received much attention. During an interview with Kyary, she 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 Tsukema Tsukeru. 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 Kyary'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 Kyary Pamyu Pamyu 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."

As a musical entertainer, Kyary Pamyu Pamyu has been recognized as the "J-Pop Princess" or "Harajuku Pop Princess".

Musical style and videos

Since her debut in 2011, Kyary's 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 Kyary under the genre due to Nakata's musical style for her, which is different from his other produced acts.

In the media

As of August 2016, Kyary has gained over 4.4 million followers on the social media site Twitter, making her the most followed female celebrity in Japan. Her debut single "PonPonPon" is one of the most viewed music videos in Japan, garnering over 100,000,000 views as of September 2016. The music video, which has been influenced by '60s and '70s fashion along with the main Japanese theme kawaii, has received huge media attention. American recording artist Katy Perry had tweeted about the music, indicating that she is a fan of Kyary.

Many of Kyary's singles, including "Candy Candy", "Invader Invader", and "Fashion Monster" have generated millions of views on the social streaming site YouTube. Kyary's single "Furisodation", however generated minor controversy in her native Japan, where a citizens' group believed the video encouraged alcohol and smoking, in which her label declined.

Kyary's breakthrough song "PonPonPon" was featured in the American cartoon The Simpsons in the 2014 episode "Married to the Blob".

The character "Sylvie Paula Paula" in the 2016 video game The King of Fighters XIV is modeled after her.

Three of her songs, "Kira Kira Killer", "Ninja Re Bang Bang" and "Koi Koi Koi", are briefly featured in the 2016 animated film Sing, sung by an aspiring girl group composed of five Japanese-speaking red pandas. Kyary appeared at the film's premiere in Los Angeles.

Personal life

Although Kyary knows some English, she is not completely fluent and often has an interpreter while overseas, thus preferring 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 her English studying, she responded that it has been "not very good, not at all".

Kyary dated Sekai no Owari lead vocalist Satoshi Fukase from June 2013 until August 15, 2015.

Kyary 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.

Kyary 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, Perfume members have explicitly stated that they also listen to her 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.

Discography

Concert tours