Perfume and Girls' Generation

K-Pop, Korean pop music, is very popular in East Asia and Southeast Asia including Japan, now.

But I'm not interested in K-Pop, because most of K-Pop musicians, who come to Japan, are so commercialized and their music doesn't touch me at all. Of course all of pop music is more or less commercialized, but I'm looking for the music with soul.

I can understand that Girls' Generation (少女時代), who is the most popular K-Pop girls' group, want to make it in the music industry and in fact they provide well-made entertainment. But I can't feel what they want to express through their music. They don’t play music but “work” music. In this sense I sympathize with them, but I don't want to listen to their music.

My views of music might be out of date and the fans of Girls' Generation might just enjoy their performance.

But it doesn't mean that I don't listen to girls' pop music at all. I like Perfume and Puffy, who are Japanese girls' pop group (Puffy isn't girls now).

All of Perfume's songs are produced and written by Yasutaka Nakata, electro DJ. In the same way, all of Puffy's songs are Tamio Okuda's work, one of the most respected rock musicians in Japan. The members of Perfume trust Yasutaka Nakata and the members of Puffy trust Tamio Okuda.

Yasutaka Nakata and Tamio Okuda make good music, so songs sung by Perfume and Puffy are worth listening to.

At the same time they aren't just puppets of their producers.

Yasutaka Nakata have his own unit, Capsule, but I think that the songs sung by Perfume are much more excellent compared to that of Capsule's. It can be said that Perfume is the best of Yasutaka Nakata's works.

Puffy has their own characters. Tamio Okuda wrote songs, which only Puffy could sing well, for them. Puffy express their music world.

I'm looking forward to female K-pop groups with their own soul and originality.

"Mr. Taxi" sung by Girls' Generation


“Love me naturally”(ナチュラルに恋して) sung by Perfume written by Yasutaka Nakata


Love me naturally and kiss me naturally, please.
Love me naturally and I wanna keep holding your hand.
Love me naturally and huddle together naturally.
Love me naturally. This natural feeling is most real.

You do nothing,
though today is our anniversary.
You're watching TV and clock hands keep going.

Your mobile phone is busy now.
Well, who sends you e-mails?

I'm anxious that you are so popular.
But I feel easy with your smile.

Love me naturally and kiss me naturally, please.
Love me naturally and I wanna keep holding your hand.
Love me naturally and huddle together naturally.
Love me naturally. This natural feeling is most real.

I keep trying watch the movie that you like on your side.
I feel sleepy and sleep on your shoulder.

I'm anxious that you are so popular,
But I feel easy with huddling together.

Love me naturally and kiss me naturally, please.
Love me naturally and I wanna keep holding your hand.
Love me naturally and huddle together naturally.
Love me naturally. This natural feeling is most real.

Love me naturally.

"This Is the Way We Live" (これが私の生きる道) sung by Puffy written by Tamio Okuda


We feel really nice, now.
We say "I'm sorry and thank you".
We see ourselves as the best part of fresh fruits.
And we can keep feeling nice.

If you feel anxious, we could help you.
Whether you do well or bad, it’s the way you live.

We feel nice about our passion.
It’s the proof of living. We can see the world more.
You should see yourself as the best part of fresh fruits.
Changing the angle, we feel nice.

We feel anxious a little, and it's the way we live.
We feel really nice, now.
We say "I'm sorry and thank you".
We've not felt best yet.
See us at the end, and don't get in our way.
We see ourselves as the best part of fresh fruits.
Let it be, and we can keep feeling nice.
And we say "good-bye".