Perfume to Go on Hiatus in 2026: What Made Them a Global Phenomenon?

Origin of the Group’s Name: A Shared Fragrance

Perfume is a trio of former classmates: Kashino Yuka (Kashiyuka), Nishiwaki Ayaka (Ā-chan), and Ōmoto Ayano (Nocchi). Kashiyuka and Ā-chan were attending Actors School Hiroshima, a talent-training academy, when they first formed the group in 1999 with Kawashima Yuka. The name Perfume was inspired by the fact that all three original members had the character 香 (“fragrance”) in their names. Kawashima later left, and in 2001 the lineup took its current form, with Nocchi joining. Incidentally, the trio were all part of the school’s inaugural class, which has produced numerous entertainers. Su-Metal (Nakamoto Suzuka) of Babymetal is also among its alumni.

The following year, in 2002, the three released their first CD under the title “Pafyūmu,” rendered in hiragana. As interest began to grow in regional idol groups in 2003, they moved to Tokyo and adopted the romanized name Perfume, releasing the single Sweet Donuts. The track’s composer, arranger, and producer Nakata Yasutaka would go on to create all of Perfume’s music, soon taking on all lyric-writing duties as well.

Masterful Production Behind the Scenes

Above all, Perfume’s greatest appeal lies in the sheer quality and originality of their music. The team behind the group showed remarkable foresight in choosing to have the three sing technopop and in recruiting Nakata Yasutaka as their producer. In 2003, technopop was far from mainstream in Japan. Yet just three or four years later, in the late 2000s, electronic dance music, including technopop, would surge in popularity across the globe. As a result, Perfume’s sound suddenly found itself on the cutting edge of the international music scene.

Another hallmark of their early career was the distinctiveness of their vocal effects. Beginning around 2005, vocal processing became a worldwide trend, and Nakata was the first in Japan to harness it so skillfully. This approach culminated in the 2007 breakout hit “Polyrhythm.” When Nakata first instructed the members to have their vocals processed or to “sing with minimal inflection,” they reportedly pushed back hard. But as they gradually came to understand that everything is for the quality of the music, the trio forged ahead with him, creating works driven by a music-first philosophy that challenged conventional notions of what an idol group could be.

Perfume receives the Entertainment Division Award at the fifty-third Best Dresser Awards, Tokyo, November 27, 2024. (© Kyōdō)

Another essential element of Perfume’s artistry is their distinctive lyrical world, one in which futuristic imagery and abstract language still allow each member’s personality to shine through. Their songs often portray a love far broader than romance between men and women. The purity and sincerity that characterize these lyrics resonate strongly not only with listeners of their own generation, but also with many in Gen Z who came after them. As you listen to the trio sing gently about such pure, delicate emotions, it becomes clear that Perfume is carrying forward the legacy of Japanese technopop not only in sound, as is often said, but also lyrically. In this sense, they stand as true inheritors of the tradition that began with Yellow Magic Orchestra.

Mikiko’s Choreography: Another Pillar of Perfume’s Appeal

Because all of Perfume’s music is created in collaboration with Nakata, their catalogue possesses an extraordinary degree of cohesion, one of the defining qualities of the group. That same sense of unity extends to their choreography. Nearly all of Perfume’s dances are created by Mikiko, whose connection with the trio dates back to before the group even formed. Her choreography was strikingly original and visually captivating from the very beginning, drawing immediate attention. As video-sharing platforms spread, odotte mita (“my dance take”) videos, in which fans imitate artists’ choreography, became hugely popular among young people in their teens and twenties. Perfume enjoyed overwhelming popularity in this movement as well, emerging as pioneers of the artist-as-dance-trademark phenomenon. In countless ways, they proved remarkably attuned to the spirit of their era.

Another core aspect of Perfume’s identity lies in their visuals, which include album jackets, music videos, and other imagery. Most of these have long been directed by visual creator Seki Kazuaki, ensuring a consistent and unified aesthetic. Their stage productions reached new heights of originality after they teamed up in 2018 with Rhizomatiks, led by Manabe Daito, incorporating cutting-edge technology to expand the creative possibilities of their live performances. These two highly cohesive facets, the visual and the technological, are also major pillars of Perfume’s appeal. The trio have often stated that “live performance is at the heart of our work,” and indeed, their live DVDs and Blu-ray releases rank among the top sellers in Japan. This speaks to how fans view each Perfume concert as a work of value in its own right. It is also worth noting that their visual aesthetic and technologically driven stagecraft resonate with elements of Japanimation and with the broader mythos of Japanese technology, which has undoubtedly bolstered their popularity overseas.

A Disciplined Commitment to Styles and Looks

Perfume’s sense of unity was further reinforced by their unwavering commitment to their individual hairstyles and assigned costume styles, such as miniskirts, one-piece dresses, and shorts. They vowed not to change these “until we’ve succeeded and people remember us,” and they maintained this promise even after their breakthrough. Their disciplined dedication to being members of Perfume above all else, consistently placing the group before themselves, is something that can be hard to imagine for some European or American artists.

Yet when each member appears individually through interviews or other live media appearances, their personalities often differ sharply from the sleek, futuristic image the group projects. This contrast has become one of the key surprise elements—the “gap appeal” of the performers—that captivates fans. Onstage and in conversation, the three speak frankly and unpretentiously, sometimes even with a sharp wit that surprises those who only know their polished performance persona. Their sincerity, honesty, and genuine affection for their fans have won hearts not only in Japan but around the world. Perfume is a group built on a series of remarkable coincidences and strokes of fortune, although the greatest miracle of all is that these three particular members came together in the first place.

Decades of Appearances at Major Festivals Worldwide

Perfume made their major-label debut in 2005 with the single “Linearmotor Girl.” Their breakthrough came in 2007 with “Polyrhythm.” In August that year, they captivated audiences at the large-scale music festival Summer Sonic 2007, becoming pioneers as one of the first idol acts to appear on the lineup of a major rock festival. They went on to achieve milestone after milestone: a solo concert at Nippon Budōkan in 2008, a solo Tokyo Dome performance in 2010, and their first overseas tour in 2012, with stops in Taiwan, Hong Kong, South Korea, and Singapore. From then on, they held several tours across Asia, Europe, and North America. In 2015, they headlined SXSW (South by Southwest) in Austin, Texas, a global festival celebrating music and technology. In 2019, they became the first Japanese female artists to appear at Coachella, one of the largest music events in the United States. In 2023, they were invited to perform at Primavera Sound in Barcelona, Spain. Their participation in such major international festivals demonstrates just how far their influence has spread. For a female group, their 25-year career has been nothing short of unprecedented—a succession of achievements that few could ever hope to match.

Ā-chan (Nishiwaki Ayaka), who announced her marriage on November 11, 2025, photographed in Shibuya, Tokyo, April 25, 2024. (© Jiji)

Two days after announcing their hiatus, on September 23, 2025, the three members bid their fans a “temporary farewell” during a concert at Tokyo Dome. While nothing has been decided regarding when they will resume activities, they have expressed that this period of rest is meant to ensure they can continue as a group for the rest of their lives. That sentiment alone suggests that fans will one day be able to enjoy the next chapter of the miracle known as Perfume. A few years from now, when AI and other technologies will likely have advanced even further, the Perfume team will no doubt return with experiences and surprises that surpass anything they have presented before. After all, no one wishes for such a future more strongly than Kashiyuka, Ā-chan, and Nocchi themselves.

(Originally published in Japanese. Banner photo: From left, Perfume’s Kashiyuka, Ā-chan, and Nocchi in Shibuya, Tokyo, on April 25, 2024. © Jiji.)