RiRi and LuLa are mannequins with emotion from New Tokyo. Mannequin rap duo FEMM caught the attention of influencers in the United States, Europe and around the world with their breakout anthem ‘Fxxk Boyz Get Money’. It was announced that the previously stiff FEMM1.0 mannequin units had received a firmware update to FEMM2.0, allowing them to achieve convincingly humanlike levels of emotional expression. ‘Level Up feat. Duke of Harajuku’, which marks the beginning of Chapter 2 in FEMM’s story, was released on November 6th.
On November 20, FEMM released a brand-new six-song EP titled ‘404 Not Found’ that means “brand-new music that doesn’t exist (yet), no matter how hard you search for it”. The EP offers radical rap styles over fierce industrial tracks, pulling in elements of ‘dark pop’, a style that combines musicality and message and is now sweeping the world’s music scene.
Congrats on the release of your 4TH EP, “404 Not Found”! How does this EP compare to the previous releases over the past few years or so?
LuLa: Thank you!! 🙂 Our new EP ”404 Not Found” has a meaning that you can’t find this sound anywhere. Even on the net. It’s been a while since we released, but we have been in the studio making new tracks. We are so happy to deliver it now.
RiRi: Really strong beats and vibes. Dark feel, but strong lyrics. We like it that way!!
What kind of artistic direction were you going for in the new EP?
LuLa: In this pandemic era, we think it’s important to stay strong more than ever. This EP has lots of dark and edgy beats, that kind of fits this time. It’s the sound that we want to hear right now.
RiRi: Industrial, chaos, hyper pop and Gothic are the elements. And of course Girl Power is always our main theme.
“Boss” has been my favorite so far. Any tracks on the EP that you personally like?
LuLa: Awesome choice! My fav is ”Level Up,’’ which we made with Duke of Harajuku. It was a new experience to co-write a song together!
RiRi: “Peach” !! Anyone who loved our “Fxxk Boyz Get Money” would go ape shit for this song♡ A new Girls Anthem!
Now for the title track “Level Up feat. Duke of Harajuku”, how did this collaboration come about?
LuLa: First of all, I met Vick from Tokyo Vitamin at Faline Tokyo in Harajuku. After a year or so, we heard that Vick’s teammate Duke of Harajuku was interested in working with us and the collab started.
RiRi: We hope u love the MV too! It’s a story of us getting updated to FEMM 2.0. Running through memories of our past in various locations in Tokyo, we are now ready to step forward.
Between the “Level Up” and “Peach” music video, which scenes were your favorite to film?
LuLa: I did the styling in “Level Up” and “Summer Dream.” It was a new experience for me and I hope u guys enjoy the fashion in these videos!
RiRi: I love that we are wearing peach and cream hair in the MV for “Peach.” This crazy visuals are made by super talented visual artist Weirdcore and we are so honored to work with him!
FEMM 1.0 has upgraded to FEMM 2.0, would you like to explain the concept of it?
LuLa: Our basics have not changed. Some people think we are not mannequins anymore, but we still are. lol Our movements have got more smooth and more emotion on our vocals, maybe. hehe
RiRi: We have always been studying about humans, since it’s our goal to unite with them! In the process of this journey, we got more closer to human. It’s all for the good.
What are some goals you have set as a duo for the next few years, musically, performance, etc.?
LuLa: We want our agents (fans and supporters) to enjoy this EP and new tracks that we are making right now. That makes us happy really.
RiRi: We wish that this pandemic world comes to peace soon, and be able to meet our agents all over the world!
You’ve recently released a music video for ‘Sit Down’, which resembles a lot like a live production show! Can you give us a breakdown on the visuals?
RiRi: This MV was actually filmed about 2 years ago. It was at an event called “Live Entertainment Expo” and we collaborated with the best creative team AVC and BRDG. It was cool to interact with our other selves in the screen that was super huge. lol
