Interview with Puffy AmiYumi

The duo PUFFY, also known as Puffy AmiYumi in the USA, have been making chart-topping music for over 10 years. In November 2007, they had a five-date tour in the USA promoting their the release of their album out in Japan, honeycreeper.


You have released an enormous amount of CDs. Which would you recommend to people that have never listened to your music before?

Ami: I'd say Splurge... oh, and our debut album. And don't forget to check out our latest album honeycreeper, too.
Yumi: I'd like to recommend all our albums, but if I had to pick, our latest album honeycreeper which just came out in Japan would be perfect to know the PUFFY AmiYumi of right now. If you want to check out our previous songs, I recommend An Illustrated History, which is like our best-of album.

You recently finished your five-concert US tour. What are your best and worst memories from this tour?

Ami: I had great time, but it was a bit hard to adjust to the extreme temperatures.
Yumi: I just had a blast. I was anxious at first to see if people would come as it'd been a while since we last visited the West Coast but it turned out that so many people come and supported us, which made me very happy.

You've performed in the US several times now. Do you have any plans to perform in Europe in the near future?

Ami: We don't have specific any plans, but I'd love to. It would be fun!
Yumi: We want to play in as many places as possible.

Which PUFFY song do you feel is the hardest to sing live?

Ami: New songs are always hard to sing live until we get used to them.
Yumi: English songs are still not easy to sing.

The songs on Hit&Fun were selected by fans through an online survey. What do you think of their choices? What are your personal favourite PUFFY songs and why?

Ami: I was happy to see the result of the survey - the fans' favourite songs are similar to our selection.
Yumi: I'm happy to see that fans choose songs that we often play live as that means they come to our shows. My personal favourite is Red Swing (Akai Buranko), which was one of the top songs on the fans' list. I love this song.

Some of your songs are in English and you recorded Mandarin versions for songs such as Korega watashi no ikirumichi and Ai no shirushi. Can we expect PUFFY to continue to sing in other languages?

Ami: When there's a fun opportunity, I'd like to try.
Yumi: Hmm... I'm not sure about that. I'm still not perfectly comfortable singing in English so I don't know if I can get around to learning any more languages.
(*Note: There are Spanish and Portuguese versions of Hi Hi, theme song for Cartoon Network's Hi Hi PUFFY AmiYumi show. These versions can only be heard on the show in these countries.)

PUFFY already experimented with several types of music. Are there any other music styles you'd like to try in the future?

Ami: Yes, but it's still a secret. We'll decide depending on our mood at the time.

You have recently shot several commercials in Japan, for companies such as Sony x NET JUKE. How did your remix with RYUKYUDISKO come about and were you satisfied with their representation of Closet Full Of Love?

Ami: We bumped into RYUKYUDISKO in a recording studio and asked them to do the remix as we were sure that they'd make something great.
Yumi: I think they did great job.

On Boogie-Woogie No. 5 and Hazumu rhythm, you worked with TOKYO SKA PARADISE ORCHESTRA. How was it working with them?

Ami: We've known the Ska Para guys for a long time, and working with them is always a great experience. It's like we can be little sisters who depended on reliable brothers.
Yumi: Ska Para is one of my all-time favourite bands and we have fun whenever we work with them.

You've done a cover of the song Girls just wanna have fun with Cyndi Lauper on her album the body acoustic. Could you tell us more about this collaboration?

Ami: We had chances to meet her for this project, like doing press events together. It was such an honor that she asked us to be part of the album.
Yumi: We'd never imagined that we'd have a chance to work with her. When we met her she told us she liked the song. (*Note: PUFFY and Cyndi did not record together) It is just so much fun to work with our favourite artists.

In 2002, you released a cover album, THE HIT PARADE. Would you like to release another one? What songs would you like to include in it?

Ami: I want to be covered next time.
Yumi: True. Covering other artists' songs is fun but I'd love to hear other artists singing our songs.

"Pa Pa Pa Pa PUFFY", your variety show, ran from 1997 to 2002 and featured several notable stars from over the globe such as Harrison Ford and Sylvester Stallone. How did it feel to work alongside these famous names?

Ami: We had a chance to meet many famous people through the TV show, and thanks to that I don't get too nervous anymore when I meet someone new. The celebrities that we've met were all very nice.

If you had the opportunity to host a similar TV show today, would you want to? What would you change?

Ami: I'd definitely consider it, but would want to make sure that it wouldn't affect our recording and touring schedules significantly.

Your latest album, honeycreeper, was released in Japan in September 2007. What's the meaning behind the album title?

Ami: If you think of the great writers that we worked with on the album as flowers, we are like honeycreepers, drinking their nectar and flying about. That's where the name comes from.

Splurge, your latest release in the US, is a great album. After the album, what ideas or concepts did you have making honeycreeper?

Yumi: At first we aimed to make an album that surpasses Splurge, but once we got into production, the thought of transcending the previous album didn't matter anymore - we just wanted to make the best album that we could make at that moment.

For fans outside Japan who haven't listened to honeycreeper, can you tell us the appeal of the album?

Ami: The artists who we worked with on the albums are unbelievable (Tamio Okuda, Yousui Inoue, Yusuke Chiba (The Birthday), Sawao Yamanaka (the pillows), and so on). If you are a fan of Japanese music, you know how cool it is to have them on your album. We also worked with Butch Walker again.

You've been announced as the goodwill ambassadors to the US for tourism in Japan and to have your own float at Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, which was broadcasted to over 50 million people. You have your own line of franchise, including a game for the Gameboy Advance. How does it feel to know that you are having such an impact on Western soil?

Ami: It all seems so surreal but I feel a lot of satisfaction in getting all those wonderful opportunities. I feel so lucky to be part of PUFFY Ami Yumi.
Yumi: If those events and opportunities became gateways to our music, I'm very happy.

Your promotion videos are really fun to watch. Do you remember any funny or weird anecdotes about the shooting you'd like to share with us?

Ami: The shoot for our recent video, Kuchibiru Motion, was tough. It was shot in a closed room on a boiling hot day and although you can't tell from watching the video, we got drenched in sweat.
Yumi: I did bungee jumping for the first time in my life for the shoot of the ELECTRIC BEACH FEVER (Nagisa ni Matsuwaru Et Cetra) video in Thailand. I swore to myself that I would never do it again.

Any final word to our readers?

Ami: We're hoping that as many people as possible to listen to our music and come to our shows. We Look forward to seeing you when we visit your town!
Yumi: Thanks for your support!

Thank you very much for the interview!


PUFFY AmiYumi's latest album honeycreeper, is slated for release in the US in 2008.


JaME would like to thank Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc. for making this interview possible.