YURIYAN RETRIEVER Talks Debut Solo Single & Ambition to Become a Genre of Her Own

YURIYAN RETRIEVER has carved out a unique position in Japanese entertainment as a prize-winning comedian, Netflix star, voice actor, TV/radio personality and occasional rapper. The versatile entertainer is now adding solo recording artist to her long list of titles, kicking off her latest endeavor with a debut single called “YURIYAN TIME.” The catchy new track was co-written by yonkey, producer of ATARASHII GAKKO!’s hit singles “OTONABLUE” and “Suki Lie,” based on the things Yuriyan currently has to say or is angry about. The 34-year-old multi-hyphenate — whose stage name as a singer is stylized in all caps — has been based in the U.S. since last fall, and she chatted with Billboard Japan about her new single and future as an artist in this new interview.

First, tell us about your musical history. Did you always like listening to music?

Yes. When I was in elementary school, I dreamed of becoming a comedian someday, but also always wanted to join (J-pop girl group) Morning Musume. I have a sister who is two years older than me and used to borrow Avril Lavigne and Britney Spears CDs from her when I was in junior high. As soon as I got home from school, I’d spend time playing those CDs and looking at the lyrics on the liner notes. I lived in a rural area, so there was nowhere to go after extracurricular activities and my only pastime was to sing (at home).

I think the first CD I bought was Sum 41’s Chuck (2004). I thought they looked cool, so I bought it even though I didn’t know their songs. In high school, I was pretty much into (dance and vocal group) EXILE. I met someone I liked in my senior year and he loved EXILE. I wanted him to notice me, so I put a boombox in my bag and listened to EXILE during lunch time close to where he was hanging out.

I imagine the battle rap show Freestyle Teacher was also a turning point for you.

I’d never rapped before that show. [Japan’s top hip-hop artists coached participants with no prior rapping experience to eventually face off in freestyle.] I was in a street dance club in college, and hip-hop is my favorite genre. I like Morning Musume and J-pop and band music, but hip-hop in particular really gives me a boost. You can say what you want through rhymes, and be like, [says in English] “This is exactly what I wanna do!” It makes me stronger. Honestly, I like freestyle battling because my opponent will eventually forget what I said during a bout and by the time I get home, I never remember what they said, either.

Later on, I was invited to rap on Awich’s “Bad Bi*** Bigaku Remix.” When I was listening to the recording of the track on the Shinkansen bullet train, it was so soul stirring that my eyebrows began to rise and I found myself glaring at the people around me, like, “Just you wait and see, got that?” Even though everyone was just peacefully eating their lunches and stuff. [Laughs]

How did that eventually lead to your debut as a solo recording artist?

I often talk with my manager about what I want to become. I just say stuff without thinking at all about practicalities, so one day I said, “I want to be like Ariana Grande.” And my manager was like, “Let’s talk to Universal about that.” Then I found myself in a meeting with them, and yonkey agreed to work on a song with me and… My life is being assembled through low-key “Then we’ll help you be like that” “Cool, I’ll do it” turn of events, but it’s still hard to believe.

So things worked out quicker than you expected. What do you like so much about Ariana Grande?

Just hearing that Ariana is going to do something is exciting, isn’t it? I don’t want this to be like, “Oh, YURIYAN RETRIEVER (the comedian) is releasing a song.” I want people to know that there’s someone called YURIYAN RETRIEVER in this world. I remember talking about how it’d be great if YURIYAN’s existence would spread and she’s reimported back to Japan. I’m really happy that people recognize YURIYAN RETRIEVER as a comedian, but while that’s my foundation, I don’t want to set any limits. In the end, I want to become a genre called “Yuriyan Retriever.”

What thoughts went into “YURIYAN TIME”?

yonkey put together the thoughts and feelings that I sent him to make it into a song that introduces me. Like, “This is the kind of person I am, so shut your trap.” The message is, “People may say all kinds of things about me, but this is who I am so just shut up,” and yonkey expressed it in a pop, yet powerful way. I have fun singing it and it cheers me up.

The lyrics are full of things that have made me who I am today. For example, the word “bigaku” (aesthetics) comes from Awich’s “Bad Bi*** Bigaku Remix,” and my life changed a lot after playing the professional wrestler Dump Matsumoto in Netflix’s The Queen of Villains, so yonkey included her name. Also (physical trainer) Tomo Okabe, who helped me with my body building. I owe her my life. The song is really like a series of flashbacks of my life so far.

The way the song suddenly shifts to an enka-like melody [enka is a genre of Japanese popular ballads] is striking.

It was exciting how such a cool, uptempo song suddenly becomes enka-like and I was like, “yonkey, you’re too good!” It reminds me of Kill Bill in that it sounds like it’s joking but it’s being done in an exquisitely cool way, and I’m so pleased about that.

How do you feel now that you’ve made your debut as a solo recording artist?

I never imagined… I still find it hard to believe. I’d first like to thank the people at Universal Music Group for saying, “Let’s do it together” when I went to them and said something nuts like, “Excuse me, I want to be Ariana Grande.”

Right now, [says in English] “I’m in Los Angeles,” so I want to perform at Coachella! That’s a dream of mine, and I hope we can make it there together. I do want to be Ariana Grande, of course, but from now on I want to be like a circus, not someone who is like another person. I want to be a one-woman art collective, not just a comedian or a rapper. I’m not making sense anymore [Laughs], but I hope to be a fun person.

Your debut track is sung in Japanese, but considering you’re based in the U.S. now, can we expect to hear English songs from you in the future?

Kim Kardashian’s daughter North West raps in Japanese on a song she’s featured in, and I was like, “Maybe the Japanese language will become a trend.” I’m open to performing in English eventually, but since I’m in the U.S., I thought it’d be nice if people took interest in Japanese and tried to sing it. Like the way I wanted to sing Britney’s songs back in junior high although I didn’t understand what was written on the liner notes, it’d be great if people take interest in singing in Japanese even if they don’t understand it, because they find it cute and interesting, and the song is fun and cool.

Lastly, what kind of person would you say YURIYAN is?

I’d say she’s more than a handful. [Laughs]

This interview by Atsuo Nagahori first appeared on Billboard Japan.