FEMM (sometimes recognized as an abbreviation for Far East Mention Mannequins) was a Japanese electronic dance music duo, composed of Emily "RiRi" Kaiho and Todo "LuLa" Hiro. The group signed with the Avex Group Holdings Inc. sub-record label Maximum10 and their distributing label Avex Music Creative Inc.; they signed a deal with London label JPU Records for European distribution. After a series of singles between 2013 and 2014, FEMM released their debut studio album Femm-Isation in October 2014 as a digital release. FEMM's major debut and first physical release, Pow!/L.C.S., was released in February 2016.
FEMM is a music project that portrays "real-life mannequins", with RiRi and LuLa acting as the leaders of the FEMM Agency Syndicate, an agency that supports the independence and rights of mannequins (hypothetically their fan base). RiRi is managed by agent Honey-B, and LuLa is managed by agent W-Trouble. Portrayed by the same performers as their alter egos, Honey-B and W-Trouble communicate on RiRi and LuLa's behalf.
Despite the group's lack of charting success, FEMM have received coverage by several Western websites. The group has been widely commended for their fashion style and commercial appeal. FEMM have been cited as the world's "first mannequin duo", and have been highlighted by publications including The Huffington Post, Marquis, and Perez Hilton.
Career
2013–early 2014: Formation and early work
FEMM consists of RiRi and LuLa. Little is known about FEMM's formation or meeting prior to being signed; in an interview on February 24, 2016, W-Trouble stated that her and Honey-B "met at FEMM's Agency Syndicate. Details are top secret." In October 2013, the group launched a YouTube channel and uploaded a teaser video; The video shows RiRi and LuLa walking around the streets of Japan, talking about their quest of rescuing mannequins. This teaser was used to launch FEMM's website, which uses interactive elements to communicate with their fanbase. FEMM signed with the Avex Group Holdings Inc. sub-record label Maximum10 and their distributing label Avex Music Creative Inc.
In February 2014, FEMM premiered two music videos; "UFO" and "Astroboy" on their YouTube channel; the former track is a cover song originally recorded in 1977 by Japanese pop duo Pink Lady, whilst the latter track featured guest vocals from FEMM's agents, Honey-B and W-Trouble. Despite the initial lack of popularity, FEMM included both songs in the group's debut extended play (EP) Astroboy on April 2, 2014. "Astroboy" was recognized by Western critics as FEMM's first original song by the group.
Mid-2014–2015: Femm-Isation, international recognition, and further promotion
On April 12, 2014, FEMM released their debut single, "Wannabe", from their then-upcoming studio album. This marked their first single handled by Western producers and composers; "Wannabe" was produced by Australian production team Dreamlab, and Avex Music Creative Inc. hired several more Western producers for the album. The second, third, and fourth singles from the album; "Kiss the Rain", "White Noise", and "We Flood the Night" were released on April 30, May 7 and 14 that same year. Avex Music Creative Inc. had hired European producers, such as Swedish producer Andreas Carlsson and Danish production team GL Music. At the end of May, FEMM released their fifth single "Kill the DJ" alongside an accompanying music video on their YouTube channel. The music video, alongside the recording, was the beginning of FEMM's international recognition and received a large amount of favourable feedback, praising the concept, its convenient use of cosplay and otaku culture, and choreography.