is a Japanese

pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, ear ...

duo formed in Tokyo in 1995, consisting of singers

Ami Onuki is a Japanese singer and a member of J-pop group PUFFY, along with Yumi Yoshimura. Career She has co-hosted several Japanese TV shows with the "cool" half of PUFFY, Yumi Yoshimura, including the talk show '' Pa-Pa-Pa-Pa-Puffy'', part of a morn ...

and

Yumi Yoshimura is a Japanese singer, best known as a member of the pop duo PUFFY, along with Ami Onuki. Early life and career She was born in Neyagawa, Osaka, in 1975. She learned that there was a talent search underway in Tokyo. She successfully tried out ...

. In the United States, they adopted the name Puffy AmiYumi to avoid legal naming conflicts with

Sean Combs Sean Combs (born Sean John Combs; November 4, 1969), also known by his stage names Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, Puffy, or Diddy, is an American rapper, actor, record producer, and record executive. Born in New York City, he worked as a talent directo ...

, who also performed under the name Puffy. They sing in Japanese and English. Onuki and Yoshimura were scouted by Sony-affiliated talent agencies and put together in the mid-1990s. Most of their work was produced or co-written by

Tamio Okuda is a Japanese singer, songwriter, and producer. He started his career in 1986 as a member of the band Unicorn. After Unicorn broke up, Okuda moved on to a solo career in 1994 with the single "Ai no Tame ni". He has written and composed many song ...

and

Andy Sturmer Marvin Andrew Sturmer (born March 11, 1965) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and composer who co-founded the rock band Jellyfish in 1989. He was the group's lead vocalist, drummer, and primary songwriter. Following their break-up in 1 ...

, formerly of the bands

Unicorn The unicorn is a legendary creature that has been described since antiquity as a beast with a single large, pointed, spiraling horn projecting from its forehead. In European literature and art, the unicorn has for the last thousand years o ...

and

Jellyfish Jellyfish and sea jellies are the informal common names given to the medusa-phase of certain gelatinous members of the subphylum Medusozoa, a major part of the phylum Cnidaria. Jellyfish are mainly free-swimming marine animals with umbre ...

, respectively. The pair's first release "

Asia no Junshin "Asia no Junshin" (Japanese: アジアの純真, lit. "Asia's Innocence" or "True Asia") is a song recorded by the Japanese pop rock duo Puffy, released in May 1996 as their debut single. It was produced and composed by Tamio Okuda, with lyrics w ...

" (1996) sold a million records. They gained mainstream success in Japan during 1998, following the release of their album '' Jet CD'' and continued with several more full-length releases (totaling 15 million sales in Japan). In 2004, an animated series featuring cartoon versions of Onuki and Yoshimura, ''

Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi ''Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi'' is an American animated television series created by Sam Register for Cartoon Network. Produced by Renegade Animation and Cartoon Network Studios, the series stars fictionalized and animated versions of the Japanese pop ...

'', premiered on the US

Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (often abbreviated as CN) is an American cable television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is a part of The Cartoon Network, Inc., a division that also has the broadcasting and production activities of Boomerang, ...

. Although their characters were voiced by actresses, the singers portrayed themselves for short live-action segments taped in Japan.

History

Early recordings

When she was in high school, Ami sang for a band called "Hanoi Sex". In her sophomore year, the band auditioned during the Sony SD Audition and passed, becoming employees of Sony Music Entertainment. Years went by with little action by either the band or the record label, as Ami took vocal lessons and attended a professional school to learn how to become a better performer. Eventually the band dissolved, leaving only Ami under Sony's employment. She was encouraged to stay, despite lacking a band and a clear musical direction. Separately, Yumi had learned of the Chotto Sokomade talent search underway by Sony Music Artists when she was "around 18". She also auditioned and passed. She moved on her own from Osaka to Tokyo, where she eventually met Ami by chance in the Sony Music offices and then at a concert after-party, when the two hit it off. Both felt alone within the large Sony organization and neither were confident in their abilities as solo artists, so even though Ami had already recorded a solo CD under the guidance of former Unicorn front-man

(it would later become half of

solosolo Solosolo is a village on the northeast coast of Upolu island in Samoa. The village is in the political district of Atua and had a population of 1,851 in the 2016 census and 1,835 in the 2021 census. It is one of the prominent settlements in the a ...

), they requested Sony pair them as a duo.

As Puffy

Producer and American pop musician

christened them "Puffy", and is considered by Ami and Yumi as "the godfather of Puffy". Ami had previously met Tamio Okuda at a Sparks Gogo concert, and he had produced her then-unreleased solo CD. He was eventually signed on to produce Puffy's first album ''

AmiYumi is a Japanese pop rock duo formed in Tokyo in 1995, consisting of singers Ami Onuki and Yumi Yoshimura. In the United States, they adopted the name Puffy AmiYumi to avoid legal naming conflicts with Sean Combs, who also performed under the na ...

''. Their debut single, "Asia no Junshin", launched Puffy-mania. Asked if they were surprised by the attention after its success, Yumi told an interviewer "... everything that was put together for that song all came together and made it happen, but we didn't expect it. It was luck." As "Puffy-mania" exploded, they became multimedia stars, including hosting their own weekly TV show ''

Pa-Pa-Pa-Pa-Puffy ''Pa Pa Pa Pa Puffy'' (also known as ''Pa-Pa-Pa-Pa Puffy'', ) was a variety TV show which aired in Japan (TV Asahi) from 1 October 1997 to 27 March 2002, and re-aired as a PUFFY 10th anniversary broadcast for a short time in 2006. It was hosted b ...

'' with guests such as

Lenny Kravitz Leonard Albert Kravitz (born May 26, 1964) is an American singer-songwriter. His style incorporates elements of rock, blues, soul, R&B, funk, jazz, reggae, hard rock, psychedelic, pop and folk. Kravitz won the Grammy Award for Best Male R ...

Sylvester Stallone Sylvester Enzio Stallone (; born Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone, ) is an American actor and filmmaker. After his beginnings as a struggling actor for a number of years upon arriving to New York City in 1969 and later Hollywood in 1974, h ...

Harrison Ford Harrison Ford (born July 13, 1942) is an American actor. His films have grossed more than $5.4billion in North America and more than $9.3billion worldwide, making him the seventh-highest-grossing actor in North America. He is the recipient o ...

, and rock band

Garbage Garbage, trash, rubbish, or refuse is waste material that is discarded by humans, usually due to a perceived lack of utility. The term generally does not encompass bodily waste products, purely liquid or gaseous wastes, or toxic waste produ ...

Puffy in the United States

Puffy made their first US appearance as part of Music Japan's "An Evening with Japan's All-Stars" showcase at the 2000

South by Southwest South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, ...

(SXSW) festival in

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

. After their performance at SXSW, attorneys for Sean "Puffy" Combs sent the band a cease and desist letter asking them to change their name. After changing their name in the US to Puffy AmiYumi, they told ''Entertainment Weekly'': After ''Pa-Pa-Pa-Pa-Puffy'' ended production in 2002, Puffy focused on performing in the United States. Several of their previous Japanese albums were released for the US market and they recorded theme songs for the

animated series An animated series is a set of animated works with a common series title, usually related to one another. These episodes should typically share the same main characters, some different secondary characters and a basic theme. Series can have eith ...

Teen Titans The Teen Titans are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, frequently in eponymous monthly series. As the group's name indicates, the members are teenage superheroes, many of whom have acted as sidekicks to ...

'' and ''

SD Gundam Force , is a 2003 Japanese-American anime television series produced by Sunrise. The series was released to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Gundam media franchise, and was the first Gundam series to be entirely animated in cel-shaded 3D computer ...

''. They have also done a cover version with

Cyndi Lauper Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper Thornton (born June 22, 1953) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and activist. Her career has spanned over 40 years. Her album ''She's So Unusual'' (1983) was the first debut album by a female artist to achi ...

of her hit "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun". They were also interviewed on ''

Jimmy Kimmel Live! ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'' is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, broadcast on ABC. The nightly hour-long show debuted on January 26, 2003, at Hollywood Masonic Temple in Hollywood, California, as part of ABC's ...

'' by

Jimmy Kimmel James Christian Kimmel (born November 13, 1967) is an American television host, comedian, writer, and producer. He is the host and executive producer of ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'', a late-night talk show that premiered on ABC on January 26, 2003, ...

and performed their songs "Hi Hi" and "

Akai Buranko Akai Buranko (赤いブランコ ) (Red Swing) is the 16th single released by Japanese pop duo Puffy AmiYumi is a Japanese pop rock duo formed in Tokyo in 1995, consisting of singers Ami Onuki and Yumi Yoshimura. In the United States, they ...

" (Red Swing) on the show. They came back to the US in 2006 for their Splurge Tour, and also toured with

Tally Hall Tally Hall is an American rock band formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in December 2002. The band is known for upbeat melodies and whimsical lyrics. The members originally described their musical style as "wonky rock," later redefining their soun ...

for Super-Ultimate Awesome Exploration America 2006 In January 2017, they announced for the US tour titled Puffy AmiYumi US TOUR 2017: NOT LAZY in April 2017. In the same month, the band made an appearance at

Anime Boston Anime Boston is an annual three-day anime fan convention held in the spring in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Anime Boston was created and is run by the New England Anime Society, Inc., a Massachusetts-based non-profit organization. Pro ...

for autograph signings. After their appearance at Boston Anime Convention they undertook a three city USA Tour which they called their 'Not Lazy Tour' of the cities of San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Dallas, Texas.

Animated series

On November 19, 2004, an animated series featuring cartoon versions of Ami and Yumi, ''

'', premiered on the United States'

. Despite both of them being voiced by American actresses (though

Janice Kawaye Janice Hiromi Kawaye (born April 4, 1970) is an American voice actress known for her roles as Jenny Wakeman in '' My Life as a Teenage Robot'', and Lysithea in the ''Fire Emblem'' series. Early life Kawaye was born in Los Angeles, California, U ...

, who plays Ami, is of Japanese descent), the real Ami and Yumi star in short live-action segments taped in Japan. The show also featured some of Puffy's music. Cartoon Network's Japan service started airing episodes of the series (in English with Japanese subtitles) in 2005. In October of that year,

TV Tokyo JOTX-DTV (channel 7), branded as and known colloquially as , is a television station headquartered in the Sumitomo Fudosan Roppongi Grand Tower in Roppongi, Minato, Tokyo, Japan, owned and operated by the subsidiary of listed certifie ...

began airing a Japanese-dubbed version of the series, which eventually also went to CN Japan on January 8, 2006. Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi also debuted in other countries such as Mexico, dubbed in Spanish, and Brazil, dubbed in Brazilian Portuguese, both transmitted on Cartoon Network. Yumi said in an interview with

LiveDaily LiveDaily was a music and entertainment site owned by Ticketmaster, created in 1998 and seen in the United States, Canada, and United Kingdom. It provided news updates, tour announcements, and ticketing information relative to Ticketmaster. Its ...

'': Puffy AmiYumi made an appearance and performed in the

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is an annual parade in New York City presented by the U.S.-based department store chain Macy's. The Parade first took place in 1924, tying it for the second-oldest Thanksgiving parade in the United States wit ...

in 2005 where they were also represented by their own ''Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi'' float and balloon. On January 16, 2006 Ami and Yumi were appointed goodwill ambassadors to the United States as part of the Japanese government's campaign to encourage tourism in Japan. They kicked off their 10th anniversary tour in Japan on April 14, 2006, then toured the East Coast of the United States with the PuffyAmiYumi Tour '06 Splurge! Splurge! Splurge! from July 8 to July 19, 2006, coinciding with the premiere of their new television show, '' Hi Hi PUFFY Bu''. Ami and Yumi also performed cameo voice overs in an episode of the 2011 anime series, ''

Usagi Drop is a Japanese manga series by Yumi Unita. The plot follows thirty-year-old Daikichi as he becomes the guardian of Rin, the illegitimate six-year-old daughter of his grandfather. ''Bunny Drop'' was serialized in Shodensha's monthly ''jose ...

'', which aired on July 8, 2011. They also performed the opening theme to the anime.

Musical style

Their music has been largely a collaboration between producer

, American singer-songwriter

, and Ami and Yumi themselves. Ami and Yumi's vocals have been likened to U.S. vocal sister group

The Roches The Roches were an American vocal trio of sisters Maggie, Terre and Suzzy Roche, from Park Ridge, New Jersey. Career In the late 1960s, eldest sister Maggie (October 26, 1951 – January 21, 2017) and middle sister Terre (pronounced "Terry" ...

. They often sing whole songs together with harmonies and their sound borrows heavily from

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

and other artists such as

ABBA ABBA ( , , formerly named Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid or Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Frida) are a Swedish supergroup formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. The grou ...

The Who The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...

, and

The Carpenters The Carpenters (officially known as Carpenters) were an American vocal and instrumental duo consisting of siblings Karen (1950–1983) and Richard Carpenter (born 1946). They produced a distinct, soft, musical style, combining Karen's contr ...

. Both Ami and Yumi themselves have openly admitted that their music is hard to put into just one genre because of the many different influences.

Influences

They have mentioned Okuda,

The Blue Hearts was a Japanese punk rock band active from 1985 to 1995. They have been compared to such bands as the Sex Pistols, The Clash and the Ramones.

Boom Boom Satellites were a Japanese electronic music duo consisting of guitarist and vocalist Michiyuki Kawashima and bassist and programmer Masayuki Nakano. They were signed to Sony Music Entertainment Japan, with whom they had released all of their albums in Japa ...

, and

Blankey Jet City Blankey Jet City was a Japanese rock trio from Aichi Prefecture, active from 1987 to 2000. It consisted of Kenichi Asai on vocals and guitar, Toshiyuki Terui on bass, and Tatsuya Nakamura on drums. History Blankey Jet City was formed in 1987, ...

as their main influences, and named their album ''Jet CD'' after

Backing band members

*Fumio Yanagisawa - lead guitar, backing vocals *Takeshi Tsuji - keyboards, backing vocals *Hiroharu Kinoshita - bass, backing vocals *Takashi Furuta - drums, percussion *Junichi Fujimoto - rhythm guitar

Discography

* ''AmiYumi'' (1996) * ''SoloSolo'' (1997) * '' Jet CD'' (1998) * '' Fever Fever'' (1999) * '' Spike'' (2000) * '' The Hit Parade'' (2002) * '' Nice.'' (2003) * '' 59'' (2004) * '' Splurge'' (2006) * '' Honeycreeper'' (2007) * ''Puffy AmiYumi x Puffy'' (2009) * '' Bring It!'' (2009) * ''Thank You'' (2011) *The Puffy (2021)

Television work

*1997–2000: '' Saku Saku Morning Call'' *1997–2002: ''

'' *2003–2006: ''

'' theme *2004–2006: ''

'' *2006: '' Hi Hi PUFFY Bu'' *2009: ''Dareka Ga'' for '' Naruto Shippuden the Movie: The Will of Fire'' *2011: ''

'' (Episode 9 voiceover) *2013–present: '' Teen Titans Go!'' theme

References

External links

Official Japanese site

Official English site
*
J!-ENT Puffy AmiYumi interviews from 2000-2007
{{DEFAULTSORT:Puffy Amiyumi All-female punk bands Japanese girl groups Japanese pop punk groups Japanese pop rock music groups Mandarin-language singers of Japan Musical groups established in 1995 Musical groups from Tokyo Ki/oon Music artists Sony Music Entertainment Japan artists Sony BMG artists Columbia Records artists Epic Records artists Warner Music Japan artists Atlantic Records artists 1995 establishments in Japan Japanese musical duos Rock music duos Female musical duos