FAKY is the Real Thing

Japan’s New Girl Group has Global Appeal

Add a pinch of J-pop, a dash of K-pop and a hint of Europop glazed with an American-pop sound and you get FAKY. This five-member, biracial and bilingual girl group consists of Anna, Lil’ Fang, Mikako, Diane and Tina. The dance and vocal group recently released its 1st video, “Better Without You,” featuring a fusion of world-class music with the fashion and culture of Tokyo. Their website describes each of their personalities and backgrounds: Anna - the New Zealand-born leader; Lil’ Fang - an aggressive Tokyoite; Mikako - the “cute” one from Fukuoka; Diane - a half-Japanese/half-American Okinawan beauty and Tina - a half-Japanese/half-American “bohemian” from Atlanta, Georgia.

TJ: I had a chance to listen to your first single and it sounds like it could be a big hit. You must be pretty excited right now. Are you planning on releasing more songs soon?
ANNA: Yes, we sang a new song at A-Nation and shot a new video as well. “Girl Digger” will be on YouTube on November 25. Details on new songs and concerts will be on our website.

TJ: Your lead single “Better Without You” has a stronger European or Western pop sound than traditional J-pop. Do you plan to continue making songs with a Western sound?
ANNA: Yes we do. I think in the future we will begin making more traditional J-pop-sounding music, but overall we want to remain diverse. We’d like to forget about borders: J-pop, K-pop, C-pop or whatever: pop music is pop music, and we’d like to make all kinds of different sounds.

TJ: Are you allowed to have boyfriends or are you like AKB48 where you’re not allowed? Are there a lot of rules you need to live within?
DIANE: No, we’re allowed to have boyfriends. We don’t really have any rules in particular other than don’t do anything dirty or illegal! We have a lot of freedom.

TJ: Who are your idols?
ANNA: I grew up listening to Britney Spears.
LIL FANG: I really like Beyoncé.
DIANE: My idol is Lady Gaga. She’s really original and inspiring; I like her style.

TJ: Is there a Japanese band that you would like to resemble?
ANNA: I think the main goal of the group is to be something really original that hasn’t been on the Japanese scene before.

TJ: What is your favorite fashion brand?
ANNA: I don’t have a particular brand. I just walk around and buy clothes that I like.
MIKAKO: EMODA, MURUA, moussy and SLY. LIL FANG: Vivienne Westwood.
TINA: It’s a brand of shoes, but I like Doc Martens.
DIANE: I’m like Anna because I don’t have a particular brand that I adhere to but I sort of like grungy fashion. The area of Tokyo I live in is like the thrift store capital of Japan.

TJ: Do any of you have dreams of acting?
ANNA: I do. I want to do more acting in the future. A few years ago I was in the movie “Ninja Assassin” as the main character’s first love.

TJ: Oh, were you the girlfriend of the Korean singer Rain?
ANNA: Rain played the older version of the main character. My part was with the younger version.

TJ: Can you tell us about the group’s plans?
ANNA: We just want everyone to listen to our music. Our goal right now is to headline our own concert.

TJ: If you could do a concert anywhere in the world, where would you like to do that?
DIANE: We’d like to do a concert in Turkey. We have a big fan base there and we’d love to perform for them. tj

The complete article is available in Issue #273. Click here to order from Amazon