J-pop star Kyary Pamyu Pamyu reveals her greatest fear

Kyary Pamyu Pamyu's love affair with the macabre is best reflected in the music video for her 2011 debut hit song PonPonPon, which sees her throwing up eyeballs.

Even her favourite movies - shark thriller Jaws (1975) and slasher flick The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) - suggest she is quite the fearless starlet.

But her brand of creepy-cute music is where her morbid fascinations end.

The 21-year-old J-pop star, who met the media and her fans at Funan DigitaLife Mall yesterday ahead of her concert tonight at The Star Theatre, is afraid of many things.

For instance, the recent AKB48 slashing has shaken her badly. Last month, two members of the mega J-pop girl group were attacked by a saw-wielding man at their fan handshake event in Japan.

Kyary, whose real name is Kiriko Takemura, told The New Paper via a translator in a voice tinged with anxiety: "I feel so sorry about that incident because according to what the accused said, he just wanted to slash anybody.

"I feel pain that it happened to AKB48. At the same time, I feel that it could have been me. So I can't just be passive about it."

Kyary, who was also in town last year to perform, then gamely revealed her biggest fear, which she actually relives pretty often, being the celebrity that she is.

She revealed: "I'm scared of the sound of footsteps following me. Like the sounds of people running after me and people coming up to me, I get traumatised by that."

Taiwanese fans are the ones who have shocked her the most as she said they waited at the airport for her when she visited Taiwan in the past and followed her to the restaurant she went to.

Calling them her most "passionate and aggressive" fans, she explained that meeting them came as a surprise as getting "chased" is not something that happens to her in Japan.

But when fans do get out of hand, she makes sure she shows her firm side.

Recently, Twitter user @Naomi12K tweeted in Japanese: "I saw Kyary in front of Shibuya Parco! It is Kyary, right? I told her 'Keep up the good work!' and she acted so cold. She was walking really fast and had this attitude like she didn't want you to come closer. Wow how not cool."

Kyary "replied" via a retweet, which included the user's Twitter handle: "I'm not cool with people who are like this. I even told you not to take pictures of me."

ANOTHER TWEET

And in a second tweet posted nine minutes later, Kyary wrote: "I'm so happy when you guys say stuff to me and when I have the time, I'm OK with autographs and handshakes.

"But I turn down taking photos with everyone... so I'm sad when you take them. I know you're pointing your cameras at me..."

The fan, who also posted in the same tweet a picture she took of Kyary during the incident, has deleted her account.

But local fan Jae Liew (right), who was one of the lucky few who were chosen via an MTV Asia contest to take a picture with Kyary onstage, said: "I think it's important for the idol and fan to have a mutual sense of respect.

"While the idol will understand the excitement, it's the hope of idols that fans also understand when they say that they're not comfortable with having their picture taken."

The 24-year-old lead actress of the Michelle Chong-directed local film 3 Peas In A Pod (2013) added: "This is the first time I'm meeting Kyary up close. She inspired me because when I was younger I was into cosplay and a lot of people would look at me funny and think this girl is so weird."

3 things about Kyary

Kyary Pamyu Pamyu shared three things about herself with the local media and fans at yesterday's event.

What were you like as a student?

My worse subject was mathematics, while my favourite subject was Japanese history.

I wasn't a model student at all. I wasn't good at studying, but I was good at learning something that I liked.

That was why I excelled in Japanese history because I was interested in it.

Do you feel the pressure of being the face of Harajuku fashion?

While I'm a 'Harajuku kawaii ambassador' (a representative for the Harajuku style) and I'm well-known for my Harajuku style, when I ask myself if my fashion sense is always of that style, I'm sceptical about it.

Not everything I wear is necessarily of that style.

Can you tell us something that most people do not know about you?

One of the things that surprises people is that I only get up five minutes before I leave the house.

I just wake up, put on my contact lenses and brush my teeth. Sometimes, I even just go out in my pyjamas.

I'm not like other women who have to wake up half an hour or an hour before they go out.

This article was first published on June 21, 2014.
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