Perfume’s Kashiyuka on Voice, Vision, and 25 Years of Future Pop
FM Osaka turned into a time capsule and a telescope all at once when Perfume’s Kashiyuka stepped into the studio alone. For fans used to seeing her flanked by A~chan and Nocchi, the familiar “3人合わせてPerfumeです” (“Together, we are Perfume”) greeting felt suddenly fragile — half a ritual, half a ghost story. Yet Kashiyuka’s warmth and humor turned the strangeness into charm: “Perfume is our home, and that’s why we can each go out and do the things we love,” she said.
Solo Strength, Shared Future
The conversation quickly circled back to Kashiyuka’s solo projects, especially her turn as a TV news program partner during one of Tokyo’s rare snowstorms. The host confessed that watching her calmly deliver updates, weaving in memories from her Hokkaidō childhood, gave him courage when he wasn’t sure the trains would even run. For Kashiyuka, it was proof that after two decades together, the members can now explore their own paths without ever losing Perfume as a foundation.
Nebula Romance: When the Voices Lead
The heart of the interview was Nebula Romance, Perfume’s ambitious two-part album. Long known for treating vocals as just another sonic ingredient, Kashiyuka revealed that Yasutaka Nakata shifted focus this time: “The demos already had vibrato, already had direction — he wanted the emotion in the voices to come through.” The result? Songs where vulnerability and strength echo equally, carried by the members’ distinct tones.
The record isn’t just an album — it’s an SF-inspired soundtrack to a parallel universe. Music videos expand the lore, blurring lines between Perfume’s real history and their fictional avatars. Fans who know the group’s journey from Hiroshima’s actor school days will spot the hidden callbacks. As Kashiyuka explained: “It’s like you realize — maybe this whole world has been connected the entire time.”
Expo Tech and 100% Expectations
Talk turned to their collaboration with the upcoming Osaka Expo. At NTT’s pavilion, audiences can experience Perfume in augmented space — footsteps, formations, even the tension of silence before the first beat. For Kashiyuka, it’s less about spotlight and more about precision: “We’re not the main characters there. The technology is. For us, being perfect is the bare minimum — 100 is just expected.”
It’s a motto that could be etched into Perfume’s DNA. Twenty-five years in, their blend of discipline and daring remains intact.
Recharging Underwater
Even idols need to breathe. Kashiyuka described sneaking summer early on a diving trip to the Philippines, swimming with dugongs, whale sharks, and even descending to sunken ships. When pressed about her famously glossy hair enduring seawater, she laughed: “It tangles, it gets rough… but in the ocean, I don’t care. That’s freedom.”
The Road to Tokyo Dome
All paths now point to September’s Tokyo Dome shows, where Nebula Romance: Episode Tokyo Dome will unfurl. The concept? A complete staging of the new album, followed by a whirlwind retrospective of Perfume’s 25 years. “It’s the climax of both the story in the music and our own story as a group,” Kashiyuka teased. The setlists are still being shaped, but the promise is clear: maximalist spectacle, strict time limits, and no wasted seconds.
Teenage Dreams, Timeless Resolve
When asked if Perfume’s teenage dreams have been fulfilled, Kashiyuka didn’t hesitate: “We’ve gone far beyond. We’re living futures we couldn’t even imagine.” The song “Teenage Dream” may live on the record, but the reality — performing at World Expos, building multi-layered concept albums, filling Tokyo Dome — is even larger.
Before signing off, Kashiyuka chose her personal favorite from Nebula Romance to play: “再起動世界” (Restarting World). With its galloping intro and A~chan’s opening line, she said it feels like a story leaping toward its final destination — perfectly capturing both the album’s momentum and Perfume’s current chapter.
[Eng sub] 160606 WINNER at FM Osaka “Love Flap” — OkiDoki (おきどき) Circle Correction: On 15.24, Seungyoon said “For us, we think that the time when our fans the most beautiful is when they’re laughing” and not “For us, we think that the time when our fans laughing is the most wonderful“.
fm osaka: 「 love flap 」 ♡ 151117
dj: we're looking forward to seeing you again so, when you're in japan next year please do visit kansai again!
taemin: (jokingly) okay, we got it.
dj: do you promise?
taemin: yes.
jonghyun: promise.
dj: ... really?
jonghyun: (jokingly) it's okay if only minho comes, right? (minho laughs) right?
dj: (laughs) no, i would like it if everyone would come because i want to see onew and key, too ...
jonghyun: (jokingly) are you sure? you're laughing so much right now.
dj: no, really, i would like it if everyone, the five of you, will come to visit again.
minho: thank you
dj: then, will each of you give us some final words. with whom should we start?
jonghyun: from minho ...
minho: ah, everyone, shinee will continue to work hard so please always support us.
jonghyun: hai~.
taemin: please come and see us during our tour next year and please listen to our album.
jonghyun: (jokingly) okay, from now on..., this has been shinee. (everyone laughs) because what i wanted to say has been said already!
minho: "sing your song" ...
jonghyun: (jokingly) ah, please listen to it, even though you just listen to it awhile ago ... [translator's note: jonghyun was being jokingly tsundere throughout the last part of the interview.]
(source: keihissi (i / ii) via the linked) (do not edit, repost or screencap. please ask permission directly from the translator first before you post elsewhere and, after doing so, keep full credits (including the op credits) and translation notes intact.)
fm osaka: 「 love flap 」 ♡ 151117
dj: you have a concert on valentine's day. in korea, during valentine's you also receive chocolate, right? it's the same as in japan, so will you have a valentine-like concert?
jonghyun: we haven't really decided yet. so, let's decide now.
minho: okay.
dj: decide now?!
jonghyun: do you have any ideas to suggest?
minho: presenting everyone with a song?
dj: ah, yes. please.
taemin: that's right. normally, during valentine's, the girl has to give a boy something (in korea) but, with us, during our concert, we want to give something instead.
dj: ah, so you guys would give the girls (attending) a present. as expected. (claps) taemin, that's really good.
jonghyun: something sweet.
dj: something sweet, i see.
(source: keihissi via the linked) (do not edit, repost or screencap. please ask permission directly from the translator first before you post elsewhere and, after doing so, keep full credits (including the op credits) and translation notes intact.)
