Puffy AmiYumi
| Puffy AmiYumi | |
|---|---|
Yumi Yoshimura (left) and Ami Onuki (right) performing as Puffy at Japan Expo 2009
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| Background information | |
| Also known as | Puffy |
| Origin | Tokyo, Japan |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1995–present |
| Labels |
Epic (1996 - 2005) Ki/oon Music (2005 - 2013) Warner Music Japan (2015 onwards) Bar/None, Tofu (US) |
| Website |
Puffy.jp PuffyAmiYumi.com |
| Members |
Ami Onuki Yumi Yoshimura |
Puffy (パフィー Pafī?, romanized as PUFFY) or Puffy AmiYumi is a Japanese pop/rock duo formerly signed to Sony Music Japan under Epic Records and Ki/oon Music, later transferred to Warner Music Japan in 2015. The group continues to go by the moniker of PUFFY in Japan, but in order to avoid legal naming conflicts with Sean Combs, have adopted the name Puffy AmiYumi in the United States. They sing in Japanese and English.
Ami Onuki, whose nickname is Jane, and Yumi Yoshimura, nicknamed Sue, were scouted by Sony-affiliated talent agencies and put together in the mid-1990s. The band gained mainstream success in Japan during 1998, following the release of their Jet album and tour in support of it.
Their first release "Asia no Junshin" sold a million records and their success has continued with several more full-length releases (totaling 15 million sales in Japan).
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.
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.
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