Interview with PUFFY in Paris

PUFFY is a well-known female duo who probably needs no introduction. With a career going on fifteen years now, last summer they released the album Bring It! in June and its European release followed the next month. The duo took some time to answer our questions about the album, their experiences in France, and their future plans when they performed at the Japan Expo in Paris.


Hello, could you introduce yourselves for our readers who may not know you yet?

Yumi: I am Yumi, from Osaka. I’m thirty-four years old. I like to eat, uh…soba (Japanese buckwheat noodles).
Ami: My name is Ami. I’m from Tokyo and I’m thirty-five. I like to eat corn and yakitori (grilled chicken on sticks).

Ami, in one word, how would you describe Yumi? And the same question for Yumi about Ami.

Ami: Ah, that’s difficult…The fact that she can’t be summed up in a word, that’s Yumi!
Yumi: Timidity!

You came to France for the first time for a live and for Naruto Festa, how did you find the experience?

Ami: At first we thought no one knew us. We had like an interrogation on the subject. We thought no one would really come, so we were a little worried at first. But in the end we really enjoyed ourselves because a lot of people came, it was a great surprise for us!

Ten years before that, did you imagine you’d come to Europe?

Yumi: No, not at all. Ten years before, we didn’t even know if we’d still exist in another ten years. We asked ourselves if we’d even do a second album! We really didn’t imagine it…

Which artists do you like?

Ami: Vanessa Paradis.
Yumi: For the album she sang in English, right?
Ami: Yes, but there’s also a live album she did in French.

How did you find the French fans? Are they different from American or Japanese fans?

Yumi: We couldn’t see all of the audience, but the first thing that comes to mind is that the French listen very attentively to the songs, and afterward they applaud a lot. We were happy to see them react like that.

You started off the concert with your first single, Asia no Shushin (1996). Was there a particular reason your started with that?

Ami: Basically, this song is sort of an introduction to us. Like you said, it represents the beginning of our career, and everyone knows it in Japan. We wanted to see if the French audience also knew it.

Are you going, or did you already go, to Paris?

Yumi: I already needed a rest tonight. But A-chan (Ami) was able to see the Louvre Museum and L’Arc de Triomphe. She really liked the scenery and ambiance of Paris. I, on the other hand, was in bed asleep.

Do you think you’ll come back for another European tour? Is an American tour also on the horizon?

Yumi: First we’re doing a Japanese tour and we’ll be participating in some Japanese festivals. For the moment, we’re just thinking about that and we’re not sure beyond that, what will happen in the future.

Do you think you might include live footage from Japan Expo on a DVD or something?

Ami: We haven't thought of that!

Now we’d like to return to your album Bring It!, which just came out. It has diverse musical styles: rock (All Because of you), pop-Latino (Wedding Bell), retro-jazzy (Hare onna), and so on. Did you want to make this album as eclectic as possible?

Ami: The concept of the album was to invite musicians and composers that we adore to compose songs for PUFFY with their vision of the group. So we didn’t know what we’d end up with when we started. It was a real discovery, but we knew we were going to like it!

Did you have a message or theme you wanted to transfer through this album?

Yumi: Not really, you could say the theme of this album was the live. The order of the album could actually be a set list for a concert. That's how we created this CD. Now if people listening to it have a positive image, or if they can find a moral, we’d be really happy, and that’s also what we’re looking for.

You interpret some of your songs in English now. Have you thought about singing in other languages, like French?

Ami: (laughs) Actually we’d have a question then: Do you think we should sing in French?

For a song it could be a good idea, in the sense where the French audience would feel more interest, for example. You can also tell by the reactions from the audience in the room whenever you speak in French, they love that!

Ami: (laughs) Yes, that’s true! Well then, we’ll try our best! (laughs)

For this album you collaborated with Butch Walker, among others. Could you talk a bit more about him?

Yumi: We’ve known Butch Walker since 2006, and he collaborated with us on the last two albums. He’s a really nice guy, someone we appreciate a lot.
Ami: He’s even become indispensable for PUFFY!

For the song Hiyori hime, composed and written by Sheena Ringo, you did a PV where you appear as yakuza women. Where did this idea come from?

Ami: Originally, it came when we were discussing what to do with our video director, and he mentioned we’d never used the yakuza theme in our videos. So Yumi and I said, why not do it now?!

How did the shooting turn out, where we see you kill each other, coming from two rival clans?

Ami: Actually we shot this clip in one day. We filmed a lot of scenes that have the impression of being filmed over several days, but it was really fun.

Why did you cover a song from 1981 by the trio Sugar, Wedding Bell?

Yumi: We approached this song like a generic song for a drama. This song was already very well known in Japan, so what we were concerned with was how to arrange it and make it our own. While working on it we found the CE style we’d been looking for, and we appreciated it so much we couldn’t help including it in our album.

What are your musical projects for the future?

Ami: Ah, that’s tough! (laughs)
Yumi: For that we’re mostly focusing on the release of Bring it! It’s an album we’re really satisfied with, so we’d like to have it released in other countries!

Do you think you’ll explore other musical styles in the future?

Ami: Ah yes, we’d like to…I should add, in the end we’re having more and more fun with live performances, so it’ll be more styles that will serve the live shows.

Are you interested in appearing in films or dramas?

Yumi: I’ve already participated…but it’s not really something I’m looking to do anymore, my life as a musical artist is my priority. But I can say I profited from those past experiences!

Which artist would you like to collaborate with in the future?

Ami: There’s a Japanese producer named Tamio Okuda, and he’s the one who sort of launched us and produced for us from the beginning, but he couldn’t for Bring It! We’d really like to work with him again.

What do you do outside of music, to give yourself a change?
Yumi: On days without work, I stay home, to tidy up or just relax.
Ami: I stay with my kids and we go fishing! (laughs)

What album are you each listening to at the moment?

Yumi: Bring It! (laughs)
Ami: Inside the album, there’s a song called Bring It On, and the composer has a new group now whose CD I’m listening to. (The composer is Takeshi Okumi, ex-Ellegarden and now member of The Hiatus).

Is there a country you’d really like to go to?

Yumi: To Peru! To sight-see! (laughs) Let’s all go together right now!
Ami: There are a lot of European countries I’m interested in, like Italy, Spain, Germany.

Any particular message to bring to the attention of your fans?

Yumi: This album is our most beautiful achievement, so we hope it will be appreciated to the max by the French and Europeans!


JaME would like to thank PUFFY as well as their management, SONY MUSIC JAPAN, and WASABI RECORDS for this interview.