Паффи: История японского поп-рок дуэта

Japanese pop rock duo

Puffy (パフィー) 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 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 and Andy Sturmer, formerly of the bands Unicorn and Jellyfish, respectively. The pair's first release "Asia no Junshin" (1996) sold a million records. They gained mainstream success in Japan in 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, premiered on the US Cartoon Network. Although their characters were voiced by different voice actresses, the singers portrayed themselves for short live action segments taped in Japan.

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 Tamio Okuda (it would later become half of solosolo), they requested Sony pair them as a duo.

Producer and American pop musician Andy Sturmer 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. 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 with guests such as Lenny Kravitz, Sylvester Stallone, Harrison Ford, and rock band Garbage. On July 13, 2005, their song はじまりのうた (Song of Origin) was used as the ending theme of the eighth Pokémon movie: Pokémon: Lucario and the Mystery of Mew.

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 (SXSW) festival in Austin, Texas. 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:
Yumi: It doesn't bother us at all. We respect the fact that Puff Daddy is Puffy in the U. S. Ami: The bottom line is that we don't know what puffy means. We were given our name by somebody else six years ago, and we really don't have a clue. 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 Teen Titans and SD Gundam Force. They have also done a cover version with Cyndi Lauper of her hit "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun". They were also interviewed on Jimmy Kimmel Live! by Jimmy Kimmel and performed their songs "Hi Hi" and "Akai Buranko" (Red Swing) on the show. They came back to the US in 2006 for their Splurge Tour, and also toured with Tally Hall 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 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.