Posted on: Tuesday, May 3, 2005
The real Ami and Yumi say hello, U.S.
By Marian Liu
Knight Ridder News Service
Japanese pop stars Ami and Yumi seem like the cartoons that depict them — incredibly bubbly, wacky and hyperactive.
Cartoon Network "Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi" is a cartoon show about a pair of real Japanese girl (women, actually) pop stars. Cartoon Network • 4:30 and 8 p.m. Fridays, 8:30 a.m. Saturdays, 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Sundays • Cartoon Network Over the phone, they play-fight, finish each other's sentences and create this weird urge to hug them. Puffy AmiYumi, the music group — with its fast guitar riffs and fun lyrics — are like The Donnas on a sugar high.
"We have so much fun playing music and singing in front of people," says Yumi Yoshimura, 30, who performs with Ami Onuki, 31. "We're glad that it transcends to even America."
In their cartoon, there are characteristics of the two that are exaggerated for dramatic effect, says Ami, translated into English from Japanese by Archie Meguro from Sony Music, Japan. "There is a slight essence of those animated characters in us."
In describing each other, Ami says: "About Yumi, like the character in the cartoon, on the outside, she may seem tough and the go-getter, but I know on the inside, she's very sweet and sometimes sentimental."
While Yumi says: "About Ami, she has a big-sister quality to her. When I have something to discuss or want to talk, she's very open and listens to me. She's very motherly sometimes."
Despite their seemingly natural fit, the two didn't set out together as a band. Their record company stuck them together in 1995. Both had submitted their demos to talent searches. A decade later, they act like sisters.
"It's a joy working with them. You hear it in their music and in everything they do," says Meguro, who is also a general manager for Sony International.
Together they were a hit in Japan, spawning legions of copycat fans and selling more than 14 million albums in Japan alone.
But when they descended on America, the duo, formerly known as Puffy, added their own names on to avoid confusion with the hip-hop artist and producer Puff Daddy, who is now known as P. Diddy but previously had the nickname Puffy.
For English songs, they get help from producer Andy Sturmer, from the '90s pop band Jellyfish. And on Japanese songs, says Ami, it's more of a collaborative effort, going back and forth between her and Yumi.
As for the secret to their success, they say, it's their ability to get along.
"I'm the type that gets confused or irritated, but when I talk to Ami, it puts the things into perspective," says Yumi. "There's a trust factor. It's always great to sing and work with that."
The two singers from Japan have star power that has amplified beyond the music scene. While they may be known best for performing the energetic theme song for Cartoon Network's "Teen Titans," they've also reached into fashion and now have their own cartoon, called "Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi."
Japanese pop stars Ami and Yumi: like The Donnas on a sugar high.
'HI HI PUFFY AMIYUMI'
