Ami Onuki’s memories of her J-pop band Puffy’s early experiences in the U.S. market sound like scenes straight from a cartoon caper.
The musician, 51, recalls playing shows with her bandmate Yumi Yoshimura, now 49, at the South by Southwest festival in Texas — where people danced on bar counters, someone stole the duo’s English cue cards mid-set, and rock legends ZZ Top stopped by — and that was before Sean “Puffy” Combs sent the act a cease-and-desist request over its name.
Looking back on these early 2000s jaunts overseas, though, the moment that still blows Onuki’s mind is when she and Yoshimura were approached to star in an animated series.