Perfume was formed in 2000 by Ayaka Nishiwaki (A-chan), Yuka Kashino (Kashiyuka) and Yuka Kawashima, who knew each other through school. The group’s name is a translation of the kanji 香, which means ‘fragrance.’ This kanji is found in the first names of the original members.
Just before their local debut, Yuka left the group to focus on her studies, getting replaced by Ayano Omoto (Nocchi). With this line-up they released their first two singles Omajinai perori and Kareshi boshuchu through Momiji, only in Hiroshima.
After finishing their education, the girls moved to Tokyo where they drew attention with their energetic performances. In 2003, they started working with Yasutaka Nakata, a well-known producer/songwriter. To this day Perfume is still working with him.
In 2005, the single Linear Motor Girl signaled their major debut. The following singles resulted in Perfume receiving the label ‘technopop of the future,’ partly because of their science fiction-like themes and partly because of their potential. Their first album Perfume: Complete Best, released in 2007, is a compilation of their six most recent singles, and reached the 33rd rank in the Oricon Charts. After releasing their second album, this album re-entered the charts, doing better than the first time with a 25th rank.
Polyrhythm, used in a NHK recycle campaign, was the first commercial hit for the group. It reached fourth in the Oricon Charts. After another successful single, a second record-breaking album was released. Game reached the top of the chart, the first technopop album to rank first since 1983, when Yellow Magic Orchestra made big with Naughty Boys. In the end Game received double platinum, with over 500.000 copies sold.
Three months after the release of this big hit, the single Love the World was released, which again ranked first, and again broke the record set by YMO, who had their single Kimi ni, mune kyun at first place in 1983.
Since then, everything Perfume has done has turned to gold. In autumn 2008, two concerts were held in Nippon Budokan, which is an honour for every artist. Their third album Triangle received platinum, and by then the girls had enough fans to host their very own variety show called "Perfume’s Chandelier House," which aired on NTV.
With Perfume’s success, many brands want to see their name connected with the cheerful tunes and stylish image of the trio. Natural ni koishite is a tie-in with the Japanese brand ‘Natural Beauty Basic’ and Pepsi NEX uses them in their campaign, in which they cover The Cardigans’ Lovefool. Other commercials they have worked for include Nissan en lida phone.
In 2010, Perfume got their first international attention when their song Monochrome Effect was used in an episode of "American Dad!" (episode "May the best Stan win").
In 2011, Perfume will be a decade old, yet their spirit seems as vibrant as ever. As long as their music contains that catchiness and the girls have that energy, the technopop trio is sure to experience many more years of prosperity.
