Kyary Pamyu Pamyu

Kiriko (葉山 桐子), known professionally as Kyary Pamyu Pamyu (Hiragana: きゃりーぱみゅぱみゅ), is a Japanese tarento, singer, and model.

Her public image is associated with Japan's kawaii and Decora culture, centered in the Harajuku neighborhood of Tokyo.

Kyary's music is produced by musician Yasutaka Nakata of electronic music duo Capsule.

Her 2011 single "PonPonPon" reached the top ten on Japan's Oricon music chart; the 2012 singles "Candy Candy" and "Fashion Monster" followed this success.

In April 2011 Kyary participated in the charity event "One Snap for Love" to benefit victims of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.

In July, she released her first promo single, "PonPonPon", citing Gwen Stefani, Katy Perry and Lady Gaga as inspirations at that time.

The music video, a psychedelic tribute to kawaisa and Decora culture, was released to YouTube and became a viral hit.

"PonPonPon" entered Billboard Japan's Hot 100 chart at 72 on July 31, 2011.

Her debut EP, Moshi Moshi Harajuku, was released August 17, 2011, followed a week later by her autobiography, ''Oh!

My God!!

Harajuku Girl''.

On December 6, 2011, her single "Tsukematsukeru" was digitally released internationally via iTunes.

On December 9, Kyary Pamyu Pamyu made her American debut in Culver City, California to perform in a fashion show and play two of her songs, as well as her first time performing the single.

Kyary has since released five full-length albums: Pamyu Pamyu Revolution (2012), Nanda Collection (2013), Pika Pika Fantajin (2014), Japamyu (2018), and Candy Racer (2021).

Though most of her success as a recording artist has been in Asia, she has also gained popularity in Western countries due in part to Internet videos which have gone viral.

Media outlets have referred to Kyary as a "Fashion Monster", and she has been photographed for magazines such as Dazed & Confused.

"Tsukematsukeru" was released physically on January 11, 2012, which included a special edition photobook.

It was eventually certified gold in April 2012.

In February and March 2012, she represented Japan during Japanese performing arts exhibitions in Shanghai and Hong Kong.

She released her second single, "Candy Candy" as a digital download on March 14, 2012.

The single debuted at eighty-nine on the Billboard Japan Hot 100, and later peaked at number two.

It was released as a CD single on April 4, 2012, and sold 9,913 copies its first week, debuting at number eight on the Oricon weekly singles chart.

Her debut full-length album, Pamyu Pamyu Revolution, was released on May 23, 2012.

Along with the announcement of her second single back in February, it was revealed that she was planning to hold her first nationwide tour in June of that year, as well as launching an official fan club.

The tour kicked off on June 2 at the Namba Hatch in Osaka.

It continued in Hiroshima, Nagoya, Sendai, Sapporo, Fukuoka and finished in Tokyo on June 29.

In July 2012, she made her European debut by performing for 13,000 fans at the Japan Expo in Paris.

Kyary Pamyu Pamyu was bestowed the title of "Kawaii Harajuku Ambassador" on August 30, 2012 by the Mayor of Shibuya.

Following a montage of her successes performed on a large screen, she performed several songs in front of a crowd after accepting the award.

In early September 2012, Kyary announced that she was collaborating with Japanese budget fashion brand g.u. for her new single "Fashion Monster", which was given a CD release date of October 17, 2012.

In 2013, she signed a distribution deal with Sire Records to release her material in the United States.

As of February 2020, Kyary Pamyu Pamyu has sold over 970,000 physical albums and singles in Japan as well as over 2.25 million downloads of her singles.

Kyary Pamyu Pamyu was born in Nishitōkyō, Tokyo, Japan, in a traditional strict household.

She started modeling and appearing as a junior idol when she was just 12 years old, using her real name, Kiriko Takemura.

She writes in her autobiography, ''Oh!

My God!!

Harajuku Girl'', that her father was more supportive of her, although they had their fair share of quarrels.

Kyary Pamyu Pamyu started as a fashion blogger, and then began her professional career as a model for Harajuku fashion magazines such as Kera! and Zipper.

Her stage name combines "Kyari" (acquired in school because she embraced Western culture and seemed "like a foreign girl"); she later added "Pamyu Pamyu" because it sounded cute.

She was inspired to sing by Yasutaka Nakata.