Perfume’s Nocchi Talks Memories, Unagi, and 25 Years of Music
Perfume’s Nocchi dropped by Radio Cube FM in Nagoya for a special pre-recorded chat—solo, thanks to a promotion campaign where the trio split regions by lottery. Nagoya was Nocchi’s draw, and she laughed about how lucky it felt to be close by.
Though she’s never actually performed in Mie, the area still feels familiar: her longtime hairstylist is from the prefecture, and lately she and the members of Perfume been enjoying dinners with fellow J-pop icon Kana Nishino.
The food talk turned serious when unagi came up—crispy-skinned Mie-style eel is Nocchi’s favorite. “That’s the one I love most,” she said, already tempted to make a visit.
Of course, the real reason she’s in town is Perfume’s new album, Nebula Romance: Part II —the completion of an SF-inspired concept project written by Yasutaka Nakata. “It’s like the soundtrack to a sci-fi story where Perfume are the main characters,” Nocchi explained. The album includes “Meguru-pu,” also the theme for Chihayafuru, a franchise Perfume has been tied to for over a decade. The song’s MV features the group in full action-hero mode, dodging drones and beams on a green screen set.
Looking ahead, Perfume will celebrate both their 25th anniversary as a group and 20 years since debut with back-to-back Tokyo Dome shows on September 22 and 23. “We’re cramming everything in—anniversary, the new album… it’s going to be big, but fun,” Nocchi promised.
When asked about Nebula Romance highlights, the host singled out “Teenage Dreams,” calling it a midnight headphone obsession full of bittersweet nostalgia. Nocchi even confessed her own teenage regret—accidentally calling her crush by the wrong name. “If I could redo just that one moment…” she laughed.
As the interview wrapped, Nocchi left fans with a heartfelt message: stream Nebula Romance: Part II now, check out the CD edition for the full story booklet, and don’t miss the Dome shows.
Perfume may be two decades into their career, but as Nocchi put it, “There’s always something to chase with passion—and that’s why we’re here now.”
