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Puffy AmiYumi

December 01, 2023

"PUFFY" redirects here. For the American hip hop artist, see Sean Combs. For other uses, see Puffy.

Puffy (パフィー, Pafī, stylized as PUFFY) 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.

Puffy AmiYumi
Yumi Yoshimura (left) and Ami Onuki (right) performing as Puffy at Japan Expo 2009
Background information
Also known asPuffy
OriginTokyo, Japan
Genres
Years active1995–present
Labels
MembersAmi Onuki
Yumi Yoshimura
WebsitePuffy.jp
PuffyAmiYumi.com

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.[1][2]

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).[3]

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.

History edit

Early recordings edit

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.[4]

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.[5]

As Puffy edit

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."[6]

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.

Puffy in the United States edit

 
Puffy performing in New York City in 2006.

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.[7] 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:[8]

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[9] and performed their songs "Hi Hi" and "Akai Buranko" (Red Swing)[10] 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[11] In January 2017, they announced for the US tour titled Puffy AmiYumi US TOUR 2017: NOT LAZY in April 2017.[12] In the same month, the band made an appearance at Anime Boston for autograph signings.[13] 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 edit

On November 19, 2004, an animated series featuring cartoon versions of Ami and Yumi, Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi, premiered on the United States' Cartoon Network. Despite both of them being voiced by American actresses (though Janice Kawaye, 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 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:[14]

Yumi: The Cartoon Network show has given us a great opportunity to introduce the music to a new audience. When we toured, after the Cartoon Network show started, so many little kids came to our show. We always wanted as many people as possible to listen to the music.

Puffy AmiYumi made an appearance and performed in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2005 where they were also represented by their own Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi float and balloon.[15]

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.[16] 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, which aired on July 8, 2011. They also performed the opening theme to the anime.[17]

Musical style edit

Their music has been largely a collaboration between producer Tamio Okuda, American singer-songwriter Andy Sturmer, and Ami and Yumi themselves. Ami and Yumi's vocals have been likened to U.S. vocal sister group The Roches.[18] They often sing whole songs together with harmonies and their sound borrows heavily from The Beatles and other artists such as ABBA, The Who, and The Carpenters. 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.[citation needed]

Influences edit

They have mentioned Okuda, The Blue Hearts, Boom Boom Satellites, and Blankey Jet City as their main influences, and named their album Jet CD after Blankey Jet City.

Backing band members edit

  • 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 edit

Main article: Puffy AmiYumi discography

Television work edit

References edit

  1. ^ Segal, David (July 22, 2002). "Puffy: Pop With A Japanese Accent". Washington Post.
  2. ^ Weller, Jam (August 26, 2005). "Japanese Beatles". Chicago Tribune.
  3. ^ J!-ENT 50-PAGE SPECIAL FEATURE: Puffy AmiYumi 15th Year Anniversary featuring interviews from 2000-2010 by Dennis A. Amith. Nt2009.com, Accessed December 5, 2010.
  4. ^ "Puffy 10th Anniversary Book 'Ayumi'", Ami Interview Chapters 1 and 2, Sony Magazines Inc., 2006
  5. ^ "Puffy 10th Anniversary Book 'Ayumi'", Ami Interview Chapters 1 and 2, Yumi Interview Chapters 1 and 2, Sony Magazines Inc., 2006
  6. ^ Whelski, Tina. "Feature: Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi" Archived 2006-03-16 at archive.today. WOMANROCK, August/September 2005. Accessed December 7, 2006.
  7. ^ Amith, Dennis A. (March 2001). . nt2009 Entertainment. p. 1. Archived from the original on 24 June 2002. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  8. ^ Bruner, Rob. "Sayonara, Puffy". Entertainment Weekly, April 3, 2001. Accessed December 7, 2006. December 13, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ "Unknown title". YouTube. Retrieved 2016-11-30.[dead YouTube link]
  10. ^ . YouTube. Archived from the original on 2017-04-10. Retrieved 2016-11-30.
  11. ^ "Super-Ultimate Awesome Exploration America 2006 by Tally Hall". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21.
  12. ^ "PUFFY to hold U.S. tour in April". tokyohive. 6Theory Media, LLC. January 4, 2017. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  13. ^ "Guest Info: Puffy AmiYumi". Animeboston.com. Retrieved April 3, 2017.
  14. ^ Fuoco, Christina. " LiveDaily Interview: Puffy AmiYumi " Archived 2006-10-21 at archive.today. LiveDaily, July 19, 2006. Accessed October 16, 2007.
  15. ^ (Press release). Time Warner. 31 October 2005. Archived from the original on 26 November 2005. Retrieved 7 December 2006.
  16. ^ "Puffy appointed goodwill ambassadors to U.S. for tourism" 2006-02-13 at the Wayback Machine, Kyodo News, January 16, 2006. Accessed December 7, 2006.
  17. ^ Jennifer Sherman (2011-08-04). "Rock Duo Puffy to Voice-Act in Usagi Drop Anime". Anime News Network.
  18. ^ . Archived from the original on 2019-02-09.

External links edit

  • Official Japanese site
  • Official English site
  • Puffy AmiYumi at IMDb
  • J!-ENT Puffy AmiYumi interviews from 2000-2007
Preceded by
Junko Miyama
 Japan Record Award for Best New Artist
1996 		Succeeded by

December 01, 2023
puffy, amiyumi, puffy, redirects, here, american, artist, sean, combs, other, uses, puffy, this, biography, living, person, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, adding, reliable, sources, contentious, material, about, living, persons, that. PUFFY redirects here For the American hip hop artist see Sean Combs For other uses see Puffy This biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification Please help by adding reliable sources Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately from the article and its talk page especially if potentially libelous Find sources Puffy AmiYumi news newspapers books scholar JSTOR November 2008 Learn how and when to remove this template message Puffy パフィー Pafi stylized as PUFFY 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 Puffy AmiYumiYumi Yoshimura left and Ami Onuki right performing as Puffy at Japan Expo 2009Background informationAlso known asPuffyOriginTokyo JapanGenresPop rockpower poppop punkdance rockYears active1995 presentLabelsEpicKi oon MusicWarner Music JapanBar NoneTofuMembersAmi OnukiYumi YoshimuraWebsitePuffy jp PuffyAmiYumi comOnuki 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 1 2 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 3 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 Contents 1 History 1 1 Early recordings 1 2 As Puffy 1 3 Puffy in the United States 1 4 Animated series 2 Musical style 2 1 Influences 3 Backing band members 4 Discography 5 Television work 6 References 7 External linksHistory editEarly recordings edit 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 4 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 5 As Puffy edit 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 6 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 Puffy in the United States edit nbsp Puffy performing in New York City in 2006 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 7 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 8 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 9 and performed their songs Hi Hi and Akai Buranko Red Swing 10 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 11 In January 2017 they announced for the US tour titled Puffy AmiYumi US TOUR 2017 NOT LAZY in April 2017 12 In the same month the band made an appearance at Anime Boston for autograph signings 13 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 edit On November 19 2004 an animated series featuring cartoon versions of Ami and Yumi Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi premiered on the United States Cartoon Network Despite both of them being voiced by American actresses though Janice Kawaye 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 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 14 Yumi The Cartoon Network show has given us a great opportunity to introduce the music to a new audience When we toured after the Cartoon Network show started so many little kids came to our show We always wanted as many people as possible to listen to the music Puffy AmiYumi made an appearance and performed in the Macy s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2005 where they were also represented by their own Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi float and balloon 15 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 16 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 which aired on July 8 2011 They also performed the opening theme to the anime 17 Musical style editTheir music has been largely a collaboration between producer Tamio Okuda American singer songwriter Andy Sturmer and Ami and Yumi themselves Ami and Yumi s vocals have been likened to U S vocal sister group The Roches 18 They often sing whole songs together with harmonies and their sound borrows heavily from The Beatles and other artists such as ABBA The Who and The Carpenters 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 citation needed Influences edit They have mentioned Okuda The Blue Hearts Boom Boom Satellites and Blankey Jet City as their main influences and named their album Jet CD after Blankey Jet City Backing band members editFumio Yanagisawa lead guitar backing vocals Takeshi Tsuji keyboards backing vocals Hiroharu Kinoshita bass backing vocals Takashi Furuta drums percussion Junichi Fujimoto rhythm guitarDiscography editMain article Puffy AmiYumi 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 edit1997 2000 Saku Saku Morning Call 1997 2002 Pa Pa Pa Pa Puffy 2003 2006 Teen Titans theme 2004 2006 Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi 2006 Hi Hi PUFFY Bu 2009 Dareka Ga for Naruto Shippuden the Movie The Will of Fire 2011 Usagi Drop Episode 9 voiceover 2013 present Teen Titans Go themeReferences edit Segal David July 22 2002 Puffy Pop With A Japanese Accent Washington Post Weller Jam August 26 2005 Japanese Beatles Chicago Tribune J ENT 50 PAGE SPECIAL FEATURE Puffy AmiYumi 15th Year Anniversary featuring interviews from 2000 2010 by Dennis A Amith Nt2009 com Accessed December 5 2010 Puffy 10th Anniversary Book Ayumi Ami Interview Chapters 1 and 2 Sony Magazines Inc 2006 Puffy 10th Anniversary Book Ayumi Ami Interview Chapters 1 and 2 Yumi Interview Chapters 1 and 2 Sony Magazines Inc 2006 Whelski Tina Feature Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi Archived 2006 03 16 at archive today WOMANROCK August September 2005 Accessed December 7 2006 Amith Dennis A March 2001 Prepare for the Puffy Invasion nt2009 Entertainment p 1 Archived from the original on 24 June 2002 Retrieved 1 December 2021 Bruner Rob Sayonara Puffy Entertainment Weekly April 3 2001 Accessed December 7 2006 Archived December 13 2006 at the Wayback Machine Unknown title YouTube Retrieved 2016 11 30 dead YouTube link YouTube YouTube Archived from the original on 2017 04 10 Retrieved 2016 11 30 Super Ultimate Awesome Exploration America 2006 by Tally Hall YouTube Archived from the original on 2021 12 21 PUFFY to hold U S tour in April tokyohive 6Theory Media LLC January 4 2017 Retrieved January 14 2021 Guest Info Puffy AmiYumi Animeboston com Retrieved April 3 2017 Fuoco Christina LiveDaily Interview Puffy AmiYumi Archived 2006 10 21 at archive today LiveDaily July 19 2006 Accessed October 16 2007 Cartoon Network Unveils Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi Float For the 79th Annual Macy s Thanksgiving Day Parade Press release Time Warner 31 October 2005 Archived from the original on 26 November 2005 Retrieved 7 December 2006 Puffy appointed goodwill ambassadors to U S for tourism Archived 2006 02 13 at the Wayback Machine Kyodo News January 16 2006 Accessed December 7 2006 Jennifer Sherman 2011 08 04 Rock Duo Puffy to Voice Act in Usagi Drop Anime Anime News Network Hi Hi Puffy Amiyumi Expanded European Edition Archived from the original on 2019 02 09 External links editOfficial Japanese site Official English site Puffy AmiYumi at IMDb J ENT Puffy AmiYumi interviews from 2000 2007Preceded byJunko Miyama Japan Record Award for Best New Artist1996 Succeeded byRina Chinen Portals nbsp 1990s nbsp musicPuffy AmiYumi at Wikipedia s sister projects nbsp Media from Commons nbsp Data from Wikidata Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Puffy AmiYumi amp oldid 1186003295, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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