The Zany World of Kyary Pamyu Pamyu - Anime Central Experience
/Kyary Pamyu Pamyu is currently doing her World Tour - KPPP. As a big surprise, one of her stops was Anime Central (ACen) in Chicago, which is the largest Anime Convention in the Midwest and one of the largest in the United States. As soon as Kyary Pamyu Pamyu was announced, it got me more hyped than I already was for Anime Central. The guest list was already stacked but the Musical Guest(s) are the biggest draw. Kyary Pamyu Pamyu choosing Anime Central as one of her tour stops is a big deal as KPP has an extensive fanbase that doesn’t just include anime fans. KPP’s musical style and the representation of Harajuku fashion/culture has had a big impact on the music industry and fashion worldwide. One of KPP’s goals is to spread her music worldwide, gaining fans from all around the world, and she is on her way to doing just that with her most recent tour! Last year, KPP performed at Coachella which expanded her fanbase. Now with performing her World Tour, which not only consisted of Anime Central in Chicago, but LA and NY as well; she was off to Europe next.
First of all, I want to say how lucky I am that I was able to attend Kyary Pamyu Pamyu’s World Tour - KPPP. As most ACen musical guests only perform shorter set lists or split time with the opener, I was pleasantly surprised to see Kyary Pamyu Pamyu had a full set list lasting about 90 minutes!! Not to mention Moe Shop, who recently did a remix of ‘Candy Candy’, was the opener for the show. Moe Shop is a high energy DJ, which prepared the crowd for Kyary Pamyu Pamyu. He brought that energy and succeeded in getting the crowd hyped and ready to go. So hyped to the point that security actually had to step in to do some crowd control before Kyary Pamyu Pamyu stepped out on stage.
Now let's get to Kyary Pamyu Pamyu’s actual concert! LIke I said earlier, I wasn’t expecting a full actual concert from Kyary, but right as the opening sequence started rolling out, I knew we were in for a real treat. First, the stage was prepped, lights went down, and the two giant video screens started to fill with the opening movie (for those of you who haven’t been to a JP concert, most have a special opening movie). Once that opening movie started to draw to a close, music got louder, the dancers came on stage, then after everything was in place, Kyary Pamyu Pamyu showed up full of energy, getting the crowd hyped up for her opening track - Candy Racer. I love how she opened the show, brimming with positive energy and getting the crowd jumping up and down. Kyary was absolutely mesmerizing with her on stage presence, unique and gorgeous outfits, and her catchy tunes. Watching her perform and seeing the crowd reactions to every song she performed was a spectacle. The crowd loved her; they sang along with the tracks, danced with her, and interacted with her. Kyary also had many songs where she interacted with the crowd too; we danced, we swayed, we sang - making it an unforgettable night.
Kyary Pamyu Pamyu’s World Tour KPPP in itself was an unforgettable experience. But to me, there were so many personal stand out tracks that I squealed in joy to hear and see her perform live, and of course one of them was “PonPonPon”. KPP’s “PonPonPon” is one of her most well known tracks due to the attention garnished worldwide. This is also one of the songs that helped me to discover her. It has a cutesy pop feel, fun dance, and the chorus is easy to sing-along to, making it such a fun, crowd pleasing track that everyone can enjoy. “Candy Candy”, “Tsukema Tsukeru”, “Cherrybonbon”, “Fashion Monster”, “Ninja Re Bang Bang”, and “Kira Kira Killer” were a few more favorites that Kyary performed live. I love how during “Ninja Re Bang Bang” she got the crowd involved, and the fact that so many concert goers knew this track and were singing along. Kyary’s interaction with the crowd and how she incorporated the audience's interactions to sing-along and dance with her made it a fun night that I will never forget.
Not only did Kyary Pamyu Pamyu have a concert, but after the concert, there was an offer to purchase a VIP meet and greet pass. Thanks to a friend I made at the concert, I was able to snag a VIP pass to meet Kyary Pamyu Pamyu. I had no idea what to expect as I’ve never done a formal meet and greet in which you had to have a special pass for. I got there early and was very antsy about meeting Kyary Pamyu Pamyu (despite getting to meet her earlier as a part of a Q&A panel). Everyone in line was just as excited and nervous as I was about it, and I got to talk to and make so many new friends while in line. I was one of the first five people in line and it moved quicker than anticipated. When it was my turn, I saw her and was just as impressed with her as I was earlier. She was very kind, cute, and also remembered me! We also had the experience of taking a ‘polaroid picture’ with Kyary Pamyu Pamyu as a memento of the experience. Afterward, several friends I have made, waited outside the meet and greet room, hoping to catch another glimpse, and we did! We got to say our ‘Thank you’, ‘Goodbye’, and ‘Come back again’ to her as she walked away.
Let’s talk about Kyary Pamyu Pamyu’s Q&A session. I was lucky enough to be able to sit in on it, and one of our questions that Ongaku to You submitted was presented and answered by Kyary! As it was a moderated Q&A and I am unsure of whose questions were all whose, I’m going to present this less formal and more as a story then our typical interviews we do. All questions were asked by an Anime Central moderator but all questions had been submitted and approved by various outlets.
One of the first questions asked by Anime Central staff was a must in Chicago, which was ‘Did Kyary eat Chicago Style Pizza?’. Yes, she did eat it and thought it was very tasty.
Next up was another Chicago-based question, ‘Are there any other spots she was interested in visiting in Chicago?’. Kyary stated she was very interested in visiting the Chicago Theater and Chicago Museum but it was a little far from Rosemont. She was a little apprehensive about traveling down there due to traffic and an unpleasant past memory. However, she was able to check out the Chicago Fashion Outlets, where she found these cute little sequins she was wearing.
Another great, Chicago-based question and two-fold at that, which were ‘What about Chicago is special to you? Do you have any memories or moments to share here?’. Kyary stated she loves the historical buildings and feels there is so much history. She’s very interested in checking out the buildings and taking photos with them. When she left the Fashion Mall Outlet, walking back to the hotel and seeing all the ACen attendees in really cool outfits personalized to themselves, Kyary fell in love with Chicago even more.
Kyary talked about how she got into being an model/Influencer back when she was 18. She was walking along Harajuku and was asked if she could take a photo such as the snap photos like the popular fashion magazines such as KERA does. She became a model/influencer after that, which led to Asobi Systems finding out about her. Once working with Asobi Systems, they asked her about doing music. When she first got discovered she had very loud, fun clothes on along with gyaru makeup. She would have absolutely blended in with everyone at ACen back then.
Kyary was asked in regards to her love of music about what influenced and inspired her. She discussed that when she was young, her father would put his favorite songs and music videos on loop, which is how she discovered Katy Perry and Gwen Stefani. When she saw them, she said it was like a dream - the world was created. This led her to meeting with Yasutaka Nakata, who is part of the group ‘capsule’ and also produces Perfume. She loves a lot of his music and what he has created, and she never thought she would be part of the singing aspect of it.
Kyary was surprised how many in the United States knew about Japanese fashion. In her live performance “Pink is very Kawaii”, everyone knew what “Kawaii” is and that made her happy. When she first started 13 years ago, that word “Kawaii” was not well known. The spreading of love for anime and fashion has grown since then. She is very happy at how well known Japanese fashion is and that the word “Kawaii” has become more well known in this time period.
Kyary discussed how Japan and America can be very different fashion-wise. For example, when she was leaving New York, she was wearing a blue showy type coat; someone said that is very cute, I like that. A lot of times in Japan, she wears types of clothes like that, people would laugh or snicker. When she came here to the event, she got a warm response that gave her such power. She is a little bit envious as people seem to be more accepting here, and she has been getting a lot of power from all the fans she's met. She wants to give that power back to all her fans as well.
Kyary was asked about her collaboration with Charlie XCX, and if there are any other particular artists she’d like to collaborate with in the future. With CharlieXCX, they didn’t actually work together in the studio. Charlie laid down her track first then after that Kyary came back down and added down hers in. She thought it was so different due to the tone of their voices as Charlie’s is more powerful and edgy while Kyary’s is more fluffy and airy. But adding the two together, it was almost like they created a new genre of music.
As far as collaboration, she doesn’t have anyone particular in mind. She said while she was at Coachella, she had so many people that came up to her stating, ‘Hey, I’m such a huge fan, I love your music’. She’d love to create friendships with various people, have that mutual respect, and collaborate together.
Kyary was asked about what she would like to still accomplish in her career, and what were some of her biggest accomplishments she felt thus far. She stated how she has so many things she’d like to accomplish - a laundry list of things such as working with a band, a live orchestra. But one thing that is very exciting is she worked with Cirque du Soleil. They were in the back dancing and had an amazing experience. Even Kyary got to be a part of the show. While she was singing, it was like magic - being split in half, etc - on stage similar to a magic show. Everyone was very surprised by it. This happened at an event in Japan.
This is the only question that Ongaku to You chose as a team and was included in the interview. We asked a two-fold one: Is there a venue that you performed at that you’ll never forget? Also is there a dream venue that you would like to perform at?
As far as favorite live venue, the one she was at in New York is a very old historical venue and holds about 1,000 people. So it was relatively big, but also had an at-home atmosphere where you could look and see the second floor and they would all hear the message she was portraying.
As far as where she’d like to perform - coming to ACen was for an important reason. Most times people come to shows because they know an artist's music; for ACen however, if you have an ACen ticket, you are allowed to go and see the show. When she saw the line for the concert, she didn’t know if they’d all fit in the venue. She didn’t know if they all knew her music, but they were going for the experience of the concert. Which led her to think that she’d love to do more festivals, where people don’t know her whole catalog, but could be exposed to her music.
The experience Anime Central and Asobi Systems provided for Kyary Pamyu Pamyu was unforgettable. Kyary Pamyu Pamyu performing a full live concert, the meet and greet, and Q&A session were such a memorable and fulfilling experience. Also, not just being able to be part of this event, but making many new friends thanks to the Kyary Pamyu Pamyu experience is something I will always have with me.
