is a Japanese girl group consisting of Nocchi, Kashiyuka, and A-chan. The group formed in 2000 in Hiroshima, Japan, then moved three years later to Tokyo, where they worked with producer Yasutaka Nakata, who created a technopop identity for the group. Their performances are noted for their choreography and incorporation of technology with futuristic imagery, and Perfume has emerged as one of the most successful Japanese girl groups.
After a slew of indie singles, Perfume made their major label debut with "Linear Motor Girl" on Tokuma Japan in 2005. Their early releases, including Perfume: Complete Best (2006), were met with modest commercial reception, before a breakthrough in 2007 with the single "Polyrhythm". Their debut studio album, Game (2008), began a streak of nine consecutive number-one albums. Perfume's next album, Triangle (2009), produced the number-one singles "Love the World" and "One Room Disco".
Perfume's early music was marked by a post-Shibuya-kei sound; the group later moved towards contemporary electronic dance music, incorporating elements of bitpop, techno, and house music. The group is known for heavily processed vocals with autotune and vocoders. Their best-known songs include "Electro World", "Chocolate Disco", "Dream Fighter", and "Laser Beam".
In 2012, Perfume signed with Universal Music Group to expand their international reach, beginning with their fourth studio album, Level3 (2013). Later singles include "Flash" and "Tokyo Girl". The group released Nebula Romance: Part I in 2024 and Nebula Romance: Part II in 2025 as a two-part concept album in honor of their 25th anniversary.
On September 21, 2025, the group announced that they would go on hiatus by the end of the year.
Name
Because Ayaka Nishiwaki ("A-chan"), Yuka Kashino ("Kashiyuka"), and Yuka Kawashima ("Kawayuka") had the same Japanese kanji character for in their names, they named the group "Perfume" ( in Japanese). The original name was "ぱふゅ〜む" or "ぱふゅ→む" written in hiragana with thirteen strokes. Nishiwaki stated that they wished to follow the success of four-member dance group Speed (thirteen strokes in uppercase), who trained at Okinawa Actors School.
Due to Kawashima's exit and Ōmoto's entry, they gave a new meaning to this name. When asked why they chose it, Nishiwaki replied, "The fragrance of perfume can soothe your feelings or make you feel happy. We aspire to be such artists."
In spring 2003, they moved to Tokyo and joined the management agency Amuse Inc. The management changed the group name to English. They wanted to keep the hiragana name associated with their heroines, Speed, but eventually acquiesced. Ōmoto later said, "The powers-that-be are scary."
History 2000–2003: Formation, early career development and local recognition in Hiroshima In 2000, Nishiwaki, Kashino, and Kawashima voluntarily formed the group inside young talent academy Actors School Hiroshima (ASH), which was run by TSS Production, a subsidiary of TSS-TV Co., Ltd. (formerly called Shinhiroshima Telecasting), and also had a deep relationship with the Tokyo-based management company Amuse Inc. Before the group could even debut, Kawashima decided to pull out of the project to focus on her studies (and later formed another group called Pinkies). Nishiwaki set out to find a replacement, and Ayano Ōmoto ("Nocchi") joined as the third member. The three girls attended ASH as part of the inaugural class of 2000. While Kashino, Kawashima and Nishiwaki were all in the beginner's class, Ōmoto was in the advanced class for her vocal abilities.
In March 2002, Perfume debuted in Hiroshima with the single "Omajinai Perori". They followed up the release with "Kareshi Boshūchū" in November of that same year. Both singles were sold in Hiroshima under Momiji Label, which was operated jointly by ASH and Amuse. Around this time they also met Mikiko, the choreographer who would coordinate all of the group's dances from this point forward.
2003–2005: Bee-Hive era in Tokyo In 2003, following their graduation from Actors School Hiroshima, the trio moved to Tokyo. There, they became a part of Bee-Hive and met Capsule's Yasutaka Nakata who would become their music producer. Between the years of 2003 and 2004, they released "Sweet Donuts", "Monochrome Effect", and "Vitamin Drop" under the indie record label Bee-Hive Records. It was also during this time that they had their first three live performances. Though none of their releases became a hit, their management company chose to give Perfume a major debut.Robson, Daniel, "Will the world wake up to the scent of Perfume?", Japan Times, May 18, 2012, p. 18
From 2004 autumn to 2005 summer, Perfume temporarily set Akihabara as their home ground. They collaborated with voice actress and singer Haruko Momoi providing vocals to her song "Akihabalove", which was produced by her under the alias DJ Momo-i. The song was released on a DVD along with the promotional video. They sometimes held surprise live street performances there, and they used to be considered as "Akiba-kei idols" until the release of their debut album, Game.
2005–2007: New record label and Complete Best On September 21, 2005, Perfume made its major label debut under the label Tokuma Japan Communications. They released "Linear Motor Girl", which charted on the Oricon charts at number 99. Two singles, "Computer City" and "Electro World", followed in 2006. On August 2, 2006, Perfume released Perfume: Complete Best along with a new track, "Perfect Star Perfect Style". The album reached number 33 on the Oricon charts (later climbing up as high as number 25 with the release of Perfume's second album, Game).
On December 20, 2006, Perfume released an exclusive download song, "Twinkle Snow Powdery Snow". The song later appeared on their single, "Fan Service: Sweet". On December 21, 2006, Perfume had a live concert at Harajuku Astro Hall which was later recorded and released as Fan Service: Bitter.
2007–2008: Commercial success and Game era While almost all of the other Bee-Hive members were getting dropped by Amuse Inc., Perfume was given the opportunity to release another single. In February 2007, they released "Fan Service: Sweet" featuring the fun dance track "Chocolate Disco". This was a turning point for Perfume in which their luck began to change. Although the sales for "Fan Service [sweet]" were not stellar, "Chocolate Disco" did catch the attention of an already well-established artist in the J-pop industry, Kimura Kaela. Kimura then played Perfume's music on her radio show consistently. While listening to Kimura's radio show, a commercial director named Akira Tomotsugi noticed Perfume and decided to use the three girls in an upcoming TV ad. On July 1, the commercial for NHK's national recycling campaign aired, featuring Perfume and a new song, "Polyrhythm". The commercial gave Perfume exposure they could have only dreamed of before. Subsequently, their next live show sold out, and Perfume became the first idol group to perform at the Summer Sonic Festival. On September 12, 2007, Perfume officially released their tenth single, "Polyrhythm". It reached number 4 on the Oricon daily single charts and climbed as high as number 7 on the weekly charts.
In 2008, the group followed up the success of "Polyrhythm" with "Baby Cruising Love / Macaroni". The single reached number 3 on the Oricon weekly charts and sold 50,000 copies. On April 16, 2008, Perfume released their first original album, Game. Game reached number 1 on the Oricon charts upon its release, making Perfume the first technopop group to achieve this since Yellow Magic Orchestra's Naughty Boys in 1983. At the time of the album's release, Perfume: Complete Best, "Polyrhythm", and "Baby Cruising Love / Macaroni" all re-entered the Oricon charts. The album went on to sell over 450,000 copies and is certified double platinum. After the album's release, Perfume First Tour Game was announced. The group toured 10 cities and sold out all tickets. On the final date of the tour, Perfume announced that they would be doing a 2-day show at the prestigious Nippon Budokan in November 2008 as well as the release date of their next single, "Love the World".
2008–2009: Triangle era
"Love the World" was released on July 9, 2008. It became the first technopop song ever to reach number 1 on the Oricon charts. In October 2008, the Perfume First Tour "Game" DVD was announced. Upon its release, it beat prominent artists like Koda Kumi and Namie Amuro for the number 1 spot. Perfume then performed at Budokan for 2 days, November 6 and 7. On the second show, titled "BudoukaaaaaaaaaaN!!!!!", they announced a show at yet another famous venue, Yoyogi National Gymnasium titled "Disco!Disco!Disco!", which was a tour that was one of the few never to be released on DVD or Blu-ray, although a few of the songs performed can be seen on the extra footage included in the Triangle Album + DVD set.
2008 ended with the release of their 13th single, "Dream Fighter", which reached number 2 on the charts. They were also chosen to sing at NHK's 59th Kōhaku Uta Gassen, the prestigious end of the year live TV program. On April 18, 2008 Perfume made a special guest appearance performing "Ceramic Girl" at the ending scene of the drama "Sumire 16 sai!!". The music was theme of the drama, and the DVD of the Game album included the "Ceramic Girl: Drama Another Version" music video with scenes from the drama.
On March 25, 2009, Perfume released their 14th single, "One Room Disco". The single reached number 1 in the charts. In April 2009, Perfume began broadcast of a comedy sketch program titled Perfume's Chandelier House. On July 8, 2009, the group released its "80s-themed" third album, ⊿. The album was another number-one hit for Perfume, selling over 300,000 copies. Perfume then went on their second nationwide tour in order to promote the album.
2010–2011: Overseas activities and recognition; JPN era