INTERVIEW: Best Selling J-POP Band Perfume Talk Anime Ahead of European Comeback Stage
There are few Japanese pop artists as legendary as Perfume. The multi-platinum trio, consisting of a-chan, NOCCHi, and KASHIYUKA, have captivated audiences around the world with their signature technopop sound that layers perfectly polished autotune on top of a dynamic and infectious beat. Their music is simultaneously futuristic and deeply nostalgic. With seven studio albums under their belt, Perfume’s music has topped the Oricon charts for over a decade since their breakthrough hit “Polyrhythm” on their third studio album GAME. Since then, they have toured the globe a handful of times, had their fifth studio album COSMIC EXPLORER named as one of the “20 Best Pop Albums of 2016” by Rolling Stone, and became the first J-POP girl group to wow the crowds at Coachella in 2019.
From their music to their fashion, Perfume are undeniable style icons, charting a path to the top through the ultra-competitive Asian music scene. Now, after nearly four years, the group is making their comeback to the international stage with two performances at Primavera Sound 2023, one of Europe’s largest music festivals, in Barcelona on June 1st and Madrid on June 8th. Perfume will also be heading back to London for the first time in nine years with a full show titled Perfume LIVE 2023 “CODE OF PERFUME” at the O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire on June 3rd. Tickets go on sale April 14th.
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Ahead of their international appearances, Perfume sat down with Crunchyroll to chat about their favorite anime song to sing at karaoke, that one time their stage caught on fire, and what song they’re most excited to perform for fans again.
Hello! Thank you for sitting down with us today. Could you please introduce yourself to our readers?
All: Hi Crunchyroll!
KASHIYUKA: I’m KASHIYUKA.
a-chan: I’m a-chan.
NOCCHi: I’m NOCCHi.
All: We’re Perfume!
Are you watching any anime right now? What is one series you recently enjoyed?
a-chan [to the group]: What are you watching?
NOCCHi: I love anime so I watch a lot. Most recently, I saw Cyberpunk: Edgerunners.
KASHIYUKA: What?
NOCCHi: It’s an anime based on the video game Cyberpunk 2077. In the world of cyberpunk, they implant systems into the human body which allows humans to run fast or have more power. But you get those superpowers in exchange for humanity. It’s a story about this boy in the Night City, who gets many implants, and a girl who watches over him. It’s so good. Only 10 episodes but I cried so much!
KASHIYUKA: The story completes in 10 episodes?
NOCCHi: Yup!
KASHIYUKA & a-chan: Great for a binge watch.
NOCCHi: I recommend it.
a-chan: But the title…
NOCCHi: Cyberpunk: Edgerunners!
KASHIYUKA: I recently saw To Your Eternity recommended to me by NOCCHi. Fushi is a divine creature who freely takes over and utilizes the natural abilities of the body it comes into contact with. It starts as a simple sphere but changes its form as it meets different creatures. It can freely change its form as it contacts different objects but to do so, that object must be dead. Through its journey it learns how to communicate with humans. But to take in their abilities, it must wait until they are dead. It’s painful but philosophical. Their enemy is called Nokkers and they are shapeless entities.
a-chan: What?
KASHIYUKA: They’re strange tentacles like creatures that attack humans. To protect his loved ones, Fushi battles against them. It’s a story about his journey to find happiness for humans and all living things as he fights for his friends.
a-chan: Are you both into the world of “cyber” things?
NOCCHi: Fantasy and fiction.
KASHIYUKA: The world that only exists in manga and anime.
a-chan: Even the things that you don’t really pay attention to when told by others, when an anime character says the same thing, it sits well. You can accept it more openly. That’s anime. For me, I recently watched SPY x FAMILY.
KASHIYUKA: Love it.
a-chan: Anya is too cute.
NOCCHi & KASHIYUKA: Really cute!
a-chan: I’m not a big fan of peanuts but because of Anya, I started getting some. I’ve been trying different kinds lately.
Favorite anime of all time?
All: That’s a tough one!
KASHIYUKA: I can’t pick one.
a-chan: But all time favorite for now because it might change in the future.
KASHIYUKA: Right.
a-chan: It also depends on the mood I’m in.
KASHIYUKA: True.
a-chan: So current all time favorite. You seem to have one.
NOCCHi: I’ve seen so many and I love them all but I will go with Neon Genesis Evangelion.
KASHIYUKA & NOCCHi: That’s a good one.
NOCCHi: I saw it when I was 20. I was young and sensitive so I was very influenced by it. That hand drawn anime and the character design…
a-chan: So cool!
NOCCHi: Character designs of the Evangelion and the Angels are really cool.
KASHIYUKA: Agreed.
NOCCHi: Out of all anime, I have the most Evangelion merchandise.
KASHIYUKA: I see.
NOCCHi: Posters and T-shirts…
a-chan: We had our song featured on a car ad once and we appeared as anime characters.
NOCCHi: Illustrated by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto.
a-chan: You must have been in heaven seeing yourself like that.
NOCCHi: For sure.
a-chan: Outfits of our anime characters were out of this world.
KASHIYUKA: Like a bodysuit.
NOCCHi: Yes it was.
a-chan: I wanted [the] real life NOCCHi to actually wear that outfit.
NOCCHi: I was so happy and honored.
a-chan: NOCCHi’s No.1 is Evangelion. I didn’t know that. How about you, Yuka-chan?
Neon Genesis Evangelion image via Netflix
KASHIYUKA: My choice would have to be Spirited Away.
KASHIYUKA & NOCCHi: Yes!
KASHIYUKA: Everyone of our generation loves that film.
a-chan: For sure.
KASHIYUKA: I couldn’t get over that world of Spirited Away that I saw when I was young. It’s a strange world but very Japanese. Pure heart, power to believe and the love for your friends. That film taught me kindness without using battles and action. That’s Ghibli. I love Spirited Away.
NOCCHi: I love Haku.
a-chan: I remember you getting the Haku hair-cut!
NOCCHi: I did.
a-chan: You’re such an otaku. You have so much passion for all anime. It’s a tough question but my all time favorite is Magical DoReMi.
KASHIYUKA: Oh my God, yes!
a-chan: Of course, there are a lot of Ghibli films I love but Magical DoReMi song is insane!
KASHIYUKA: Insane!
All: [sings the opening line of “Ojamajo Carnival!!”]
a-chan: We can all sing [the song]. Do you remember what she says when she works magic?
KASHIYUKA: The spell.
a-chan: I still remember all of it. I was so fascinated by that magic world. I wanted to be Aiko. Because of her, I started liking blue.
KASHIYUKA: Not Doremi but Aiko, right?
a-chan: Yup. I admired her tomboy character.
Magical DoReMi image via Toei Animation Inc.
Do you have a favorite song from an anime?
KASHIYUKA: Actually, I was thinking of Magical DoReMi as my favorite anime song.
NOCCHi: Really?
KASHIYUKA: We’ve been together for over 20 years so there are many anime songs we sang together growing up. Out of all, I think the Magical DoReMi song is my favorite.
a-chan: I see. But we cannot forget Pokémon.
KASHIYUKA & NOCCHi: That’s right.
a-chan: [sings a line from “Can You Say Pokémon? Can You Draw All The Pokémon?”]
NOCCHi: That’s a good one.
a-chan: Also, how about…
KASHIYUKA: Opening theme!
All: [sings a line from “Aim to Be a Pokémon Master”]
a-chan: I can sing the whole song. They’re so catchy that even if you don’t know the anime, you can still enjoy it. Something you want to sing along to. Big part of our memory. And you?
NOCCHi: My favorite would have to be Love Live!. Sometimes I do anime songs only for karaoke. Love Live! songs get everyone going the most.
KASHIYUKA: Is that so?
NOCCHi: It’s about school idol groups competing against schools all around Japan to become the no.1 idol. There is a line in the opening theme that says “our dream is just getting started” but the chorus says “if we can all do our best in a place we love, that new place is our goal.” So it’s already singing about the ending.
a-chan: Sentimental.
NOCCHi: Since they’re school idols, graduation might be the end. This song lingers from the first episode to the last. I love that about it.
a-chan: Transient!
NOCCHi: When I sing, I heat up inside.
a-chan: Inside?
NOCCHi: Yup!
KASHIYUKA: Like it burns inside?
a-chan: People usually let things out when they sing.
NOCCHi: I like to immerse myself.
Do you have a favorite song from your discography?
a-chan: Favorite Perfume song? Too many!
KASHIYUKA: All songs are special.
a-chan: We have almost 200 songs and my current favorite?
KASHIYUKA: Yes, now.
a-chan: There are so many. Are you ready?
NOCCHi & a-chan: Now, right?
NOCCHi: Yes!
a-chan: Ready?
KASHIYUKA: “MY COLOR!”
a-chan: “Flow!”
NOCCHi: “Spinning World!”
KASHIYUKA: Mine is “MY COLOR.” All time favorite.
a-chan: Love the lyrics.
KASHIYUKA: It lingers to me everytime I sing it and I feel like we’re all connected wherever we are. My long-time favorite.
a-chan: That song brings back so many memories.
KASHIYUKA: From concerts.
NOCCHi: Mine is “Spinning World.”
a-chan: Turn! Turn!
NOCCHi: I love that mechanical doll image and I also love Perfume in red outfits.
a-chan: Red is becoming one of our lucky colors. I chose “Flow.”
KASHIYUKA: Good choice.
a-chan: That’s my current no.1 and it makes me cry everytime I listen to it.
KASHIYUKA: As more time passes by, the more I like the song. Since the release, through live shows and the album, it has become more meaningful to me. There were times when I really felt that this song was written for a time like this.
What is one song you are super excited to perform again?
a-chan: This is a tough one, too. We like to perform what our fans like to hear. So if we were asked what song we wanted to perform…
NOCCHi: True.
a-chan: But since we have a show coming up, let’s name a song we want to perform there. OK?
KASHIYUKA & a-chan: Together?
NOCCHi: I wonder what your choices are.
a-chan: Ready?
KASHIYUKA: “Spinning World!”
a-chan & NOCCHi: “Edge!”
a-chan: Same!
KASHIYUKA: My choice was “Spinning World.” I want people to see the choreo. The gap between that mechanical doll-like part and the hip hop, groovy part is interesting. International fans haven’t seen it live so I hope they like it.
a-chan: I see. Mine is “Edge.”
NOCCHi: The excitement in the house when the intro comes on is crazy. The repeating lyrics are intoxicating, too. So I can’t wait to perform it live again.
a-chan: This song is also one of our classics. We sang this at so many important moments of our career. There are so many versions of the song, like 8 minute, 6 minute and 5 minute versions. That’s how much we have performed this song in so many different arrangements. I want to perform this again abroad.
Can you tell us a little bit about your upcoming tour? Are you excited about doing an international show and music festivals again?
a-chan: Super excited!
KASHIYUKA: It’s been almost 3 years since we traveled abroad together. I can’t wait to see our international fans and enjoy music together.
a-chan: Me, too.
NOCCHi: I’m really happy to perform at an international festival. In Japan, a lot of people got to know us through music festivals. So I hope people will find us and get to know us outside of Japan, too. Also, I’ve been wanting to go to Spain for so long.
a-chan: So true.
NOCCHi: We had a lot of fans asking us to come to Spain and we’re finally going.
Is the preparation process this time different than before? How long does it take to prepare the choreography for a tour?
KASHIYUKA: I think the process is the same but it’s been almost 10 years since we last toured Europe. So we hope to show them all that has happened to us in the last 10 years. That’s how we put the setlist together.
a-chan: There are new songs, some old classics, and some songs we did at our last European shows. We want people to see who we are now. So the setlist is different from the ones in Japan. It’ll be a combination of our best programs rearranged into something new.
NOCCHi: We have released 3 albums since then. We want to perform songs from those albums. I can’t wait for you to see us at our current best.
KASHIYUKA: How long do we spend on choreo?
a-chan: Yup.
KASHIYUKA: To choreograph a new song, it usually takes about 2-3 hours but for an entire tour…
a-chan: Maybe a week?
KASHIYUKA: A week to 10 days.
a-chan: We would have intense rehearsal for about a week and do a runthrough at a bigger location. And the day before the show, we would do a general rehearsal.
KASHIYUKA: Which is doing an entire show with staff and the set just like the actual show. Then we review it.
a-chan: And make final adjustments for the show. I don’t know what’s “normal” but…
KASHIYUKA: We don’t know.
a-chan: I think our rehearsal time is shorter than other artists who dance. At least among fellow Japanese artists. I heard that some spend a month putting together a show. We don’t change our choreo for different shows. We adjust it to match the duration. But as long as we are in sync, we’re good. That’s our rehearsal. We only have a few new songs so our rehearsals don’t take that long.
KASHIYUKA: I agree.
a-chan: We also practice on our own.
Your shows and music videos always feature eye-catching outfits that give each album a signature look and feel. Can you tell us a little bit about your outfit plans for the upcoming tour?
a-chan [to the group]: What did we decide on?
KASHIYUKA: We will be wearing lots of different outfits.
NOCCHi: That’s right!
KASHIYUKA: The one from Reframe show…”Spinning World” and “Polygon Wave” outfits and the mirror one.
a-chan & NOCCHi: A lot of outfits!
a-chan: Many, many, many, many! We plan to wear a lot.
NOCCHi: If you have ever seen our show before, maybe you will recognize them.
a-chan: Our signature style, decorative ones, and delicate pleated flowy ones. Some with very Japanese or Asian colors and shapes, too. We will wear our best outfits. But we haven’t made our final decisions yet.
What should fans look forward to in your upcoming tour?
a-chan [to the group]: You?
KASHIYUKA: I want people to see our new choreo and images from the last 10 years we’ve been away. Everything from outfits to production. It’s not an album tour or concept show. It’s the mixture of everything Perfume at present. I hope you can enjoy that with us. It’s been a while since we played a show where people can shout so I’m looking forward to that as well.
a-chan: I think we’re looking forward to the show more than our fans.
NOCCHi & KASHIYUKA: It’s been too long.
a-chan: We want them to look forward to it but sorry, we are more excited than you are!
Image via Perfume Official Twitter
Could you share a funny story from touring abroad in the past?
a-chan: Our set caught on fire.
NOCCHi & KASHIYUKA: It was some event! What a story!
a-chan: We were invited to perform at this event and it happened during the rehearsal. Right?
KASHIYUKA: Yes.
a-chan: We sang a song and we were about to move to another stage. Then all the sudden, we heard people shouting but didn’t understand anything. We looked back and saw a flame going up. Then I saw a staff at FOH running toward us as fast as he could and he stepped on the set to put out the fire.
KASHIYUKA: No fire extinguisher. He was using a blanket and his feet.
a-chan: We were surprised but we are not the type to panic. So we made sure we were all safe and said “ok, let’s evacuate.” Our chief manager was also there and he saw us standing by the fire. I remember him personally coming over to show us the way out.
KASHIYUKA: I think he felt responsible to keep us safe.
a-chan: But we were fine. Maybe that knocked the wind out of his sails a bit.
KASHIYUKA: That was quite a story.
a-chan: Also that time when my mic dropped below the stage and my heel got caught in the crack and I danced barefoot. There are so many funny stories.
KASHIYUKA: We once had an incorrect stage plan so we could only build a 2-story set when it was supposed to be 3-stories.
a-chan & NOCCHi: Yes.
KASHIYUKA: We had to make last minute choreo arrangements.
a-chan: Because we rehearsed for a 3-story set but..
KASHIYUKA: Instead of coming down the stairs, we walked in from the sides.
a-chan: But that second floor was so close to the light and the ceiling. Our heads were burning!
KASHIYUKA: Also, communication between the Japanese and local staff took longer than anticipated. That day, we only had time to rehearse a song or two.
a-chan: We usually rehearse for 2 to 3 hours before the show. But that day, it was like ten, maybe even five, minutes.
KASHIYUKA: But we told everyone that we’re OK.
a-chan & NOCCHi: That’s us.
KASHIYUKA: We can do this.
Before we say goodbye, do you have anything else you would like to say to your fans?
a-chan: I’m so looking forward to the shows. We were overjoyed when it was confirmed. I still remember your faces from 9 years ago. Your faces and your passionate voices and how crazy you were all going! We used to get requests from you to put together the setlist. We were touched by so much love you have shown us. If you decide to come see us again, we promise to put together a program that you can truly enjoy. As for us, we are looking forward to having fish-and-chips. And a lot of pastries! Ham and cheese, too.
NOCCHi: Love them!
a-chan: There are so many things we’re looking forward to. Please come see us!
Whether you grew up dancing to “ELECTRO WORLD” and “FLASH” or you just discovered them now, you won’t want to miss seeing Perfume on the big stage again. Tickets for their London show on Saturday, June 3rd go on sale April 14th at 10 a.m. GMT. You can also catch them at Primavera Sound 2023 on June 1st at the Parc del Fòrum in Barcelona or June 8th at the ARGANDA DEL REY in Madrid.
You can watch the full video interview on our YouTube channel now! Perfume’s outfirst are styled by Yohei Ohno with accessories styled by e.m..
Kristine Don is a Senior Manager on the Editorial team at Crunchyroll. She oversees our global newsrooms in Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Italian, Arabic, and Russian.
