Japanese mannequin duo FEMM comprises sentient mannequins RiRi and LuLa. Their first album ‘Femm-Isation’ entered the Top 10 of Billboard’s World Albums Chart and was featured in the Best Indie Albums section at HMV stores across Britain, while their pioneering ’90s-pop-punk-infused track ‘We Got Each Other’ ranked on the influential Mediabase Activator Chart in the United States for 12 consecutive weeks.
FEMM has previously declared that they will split up at the end of 2023, their 10th anniversary. Now, FEMM has announced their final EP, ‘CHERRY,’ which will be released on November 15. The lead track is ‘CHERRY on TOP,’ selected as the theme song for a rap battle series ‘Freestyle Nihontouitsu’ on TV Asahi.
The EP includes production from MYLK, with whom FEMM collaborated on their releases ‘Plastic’ and ‘80s/90s J-POP REVIVAL’; and Radical Hardcore Clique, who worked with FEMM on ‘THE SIX’ and ‘ID:T1G3R’. It also includes RiRi and LuLa’s first-ever solo songs, ‘Living in the Spotlight’ and ‘Butterfly to the Moon’.
The lyrics to the lead track and the solo songs were written by the members of FEMM themselves. The EP title ‘CHERRY’ has two meanings: Like the cherry on top of a cake or a parfait, it is a final gift from FEMM to their fans, while it also represents RiRi and LuLa together as one.
‘CHERRY on TOP’ is a song bursting with feminist power, reminiscent of FEMM’s signature track ‘Fxxk Boyz Get Money,’ a smash hit among teens in the United States and Europe.
‘SUN’ is a song about the hope that shines like a ray of light in difficult times. The five songs on the EP are rounded out by FEMM’s first ever solo songs in their 10-year career, ‘Living in the Spotlight’ and ‘Butterfly to the Moon,’ along with ‘We Flood the Night (MYLK Remix),’ a re-rub of their 2014 track that marked their first meeting with MYLK.
Riri’s solo song ‘Living in the Spotlight’ is about her determination to live life in the spotlight, even if it is a confined space, while LuLa’s song ‘Butterfly to the Moon’ is about moving on while embracing the things that matter most, and is filled with gratitude to FEMM’s fans, known as Agents.
As they deliver this EP as a parting gift to the Agents around the world who have supported them over the years, the members of FEMM gave the following comments.
Comment from RiRi
I’m sure many of our Agents are surprised to hear that the title of our final EP is ‘CHERRY.’ We wanted to be ourselves right until the very end, which is why we have created this last EP. Its production brought a series of challenges, as we were involved in writing the lyrics ourselves, and we each created a solo song for the first time, but we made it with the hope that it would reach all of you. This may be our last EP, but remember that our songs will be with you forever. Thank you so much for these past ten years.
Comment from LuLa
As a surprise gift to the Agents who have shown us so much love, we made this EP with all our hearts. ‘CHERRY’ is an EP that we were deeply involved in creating from beginning to end, and so it holds particular importance for me. I hope FEMM’s songs can give you even just a little strength. In my first solo song, I tried to convey the message and the sound that expresses my feelings. I think it sounds pretty different from other FEMM songs, so please check it out 😉
Digital EP ‘CHERRY’ released November 15, 2023
Tracklist:
1. CHERRY (theme song for rap-battle series ‘Freestyle Nippon Toitsu’)
2. Living in the Spotlight
3. Butterfly to the Moon
4. SUN
5. We Flood the Night (MYLK Remix)
Latest album ‘Tokyo Ex Machina’
Download and streaming links: https://avex.lnk.to/TokyoExMachina
Download and streaming links (Europe and UK): https://jpurecords.com/products/femm-tokyo-ex-machina
The album gathers together a cast of producers who are active across Europe and the United States, such as Jenna Andrews, who has worked on music for BTS; John Ryan, who has worked with Maroon 5 and Rita Ora as well as on many songs for One Direction; Kool Kojak, who has worked with Doja Cat; Danny L Harle, who has worked with Charli XCX and Rina Sawayama; and Woo Min Lee, who has worked with TWICE.
FEMM Links
YouTube: https://bit.ly/2THLXBn
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/femm____/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/FEMM____
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@femm____
Official website: https://femms.jp/
