J-pop Rap Duo chelmico Talk Career Beginnings, Solving Problems Together & More

Billboard Japan chatted with rap duo chelmico for the latest installment of its Women in Music interview series, which features female players in the Japanese entertainment industry, inviting them to share their views on the current landscape. The WIM initiative in Japan began in 2022 in the same spirit as Billboard’s Women in Music that launched in 2007, honoring artists, producers and executives who have made significant contributions to the music industry and empowered women through their work.

Rachel and Mamiko were friends before they started rapping together as chelmico, and they have since checked off many items on their list of career goals including a major label debut, music festival appearances and collaborations with artists they look up to. 2023 marks seven years since the duo’s formation and 10 years since they first became friends. Here, the pair looks back on their career and shares their thoughts on obstacles they were able to overcome because they faced them together.

The two of you have spent a decade together since your late teens, which is an impressionable age for anyone. Could you share how you started working as a duo?

Mamiko: That’s for sure! It was our youth.

Rachel: Yeah, youth! We started rapping together when I had to do this five-minute performance at an event and I asked my friend Mamiko to rap with me.

Mamiko: I was a senior in high school and studying for college entrance exams at the time. Rachel sent me a chat message asking me to do it and I declined at first. But I changed my mind, thinking I’d do it just once as something to look back on someday. We both liked (J-pop rap group) RIP SLYME, and even talked about which member’s verse we liked best and promised to go out for karaoke, so when we started to rap together as kind of an extension of that vibe it turned out to be a lot of fun.

There weren’t too many female rappers at the time in Japan compared to today. Were there any setbacks when the two of you got started?

Mamiko: There were even fewer duos, so I kind of figured we’d make it. But we tended to be underestimated. People thought we didn’t come up with the lyrics ourselves and would ask who did the writing and stuff like that.

Rachel: Part of the reason for that could have been because I’d do things like take photos with an instant camera onstage. I didn’t mind being called an “idol,” but did feel we were clearly being categorized in another genre. We’d sense sarcasm being tossed our way every day, and people sort of looked down on us. But we wrote our own lyrics and were confident that we were doing something cool, so I wanted people to really listen to our songs and see us perform live.

Mamiko: I might have said stuff more aggressively during our shows than I do now. But I don’t remember too many things from those days. I’d never been in a school club before we started chelmico and had never worked in close collaboration with anyone before that, so when we started rapping, it was so much fun and I really got into it. If something pissed me off, I’d vent about it during our shows. For example, if I thought something like, “Why do people call us ‘female’ rappers?” I would say that to the audience.

So that’s how you resolved such things. Did you two ever talk about that discomfort you felt at that time?

Rachel: We talked about it a lot. If we felt we were being looked down upon, we’d hype each other up, saying, “Let’s best them onstage!” We were able to press forward because we were a team.

Mamiko: I think people who work alone are tough because they have to speak their mind on their own. On the other hand, though, sometimes Rachel and I would just keep things contained between the two of us, so in retrospect, I think we should have come up with ways to resolve those issues properly. Like telling people who say insulting things that they’re being insulting.

Rachel: Yeah, because those people won’t understand that the things they’re saying make others feel bad unless they’re told so. The reason I think this way now is because we’ve reached this point by carrying on as a team, but… I’m too friendly now. [Laughs]

Mamiko: We are friendly, aren’t we? [Laughs] If we looked intimidating to begin with, it might not surprise people (if we spoke up) but if we started acting irritated now, it would freak everyone out! Because we’ve been so bright and pop all this time, we’ve made it harder to speak up about certain things. It’s good that people think we’re friendly, but if something needs to be said, it should be said.

I’m sure there are ways to communicate what you want to say that fits who you are, since you did mention going through a period of saying what you wanted during your shows. Would you like to take this opportunity to say something?

Mamiko: Well, I suppose I’d like to say that it’s not okay to compare artists to other artists. It’s disrespectful to both the person you said it to and the person you’re comparing them to. I think it’d be more fun if you tried to be more conscientious about the things you’re listening to, instead of categorizing music like that. That way you’ll discover what kind of music you like and start seeing things more clearly by branching out from there.

“Easy Breezy” became a major hit in 2020. Rachel, you became a mom the following year. Motherhood is a big life event. Did chelmico change in any way afterwards?

Mamiko: Not really. When Rachel told me about it, I was just so happy for her! I knew she really loved doing chelmico stuff and that she wouldn’t want it to stop. I also knew that she loves me a lot, too, and figured she’d think she was inconveniencing me, so I just stayed the same and kept things normal.

Rachel: I was so glad she kept things normal. It was around the time when we couldn’t do any in-person shows because of the pandemic, but we kept doing online concerts and did the best we could.

Rachel, has motherhood changed your own mindset in any way?

Rachel: I’ve always based my actions on being the kind of person I’d like to see, and since becoming a mom, I’ve also started to think a bit more about my position in society. The basics haven’t changed, but I’ve also started to imagine what kind of music would be nice to see being popular in my kid’s future. And then I wrote a song called “300 Million Yen” because I thought, “I need money!” You get a one-off childbirth allowance when you give birth, but it’s not enough at all! [Laughs] Has anything changed for you?

Mamiko: I think I worry less about what other people think of me. As I grow older, I find it easier to be honest. When I first started writing lyrics, I felt a bit embarrassed, but found that people liked it when I put myself out there and it also made me feel better. That’s something I’ve learned by keeping at it. It’s kind of scary how I don’t care what people think anymore. I surprise myself sometimes when I notice I’m actually singing so loudly in front of such a big crowd. [Laughs]

Rachel: You speak your mind now without worrying about the reactions from others around you. I’m grateful I can rely on you.

Mamiko: You’ve become gentler. You were always kind, but you used to say things a bit flamboyantly and there were moments when your performance was edgy, but you’ve mellowed out.

Rachel: I think I know what you mean. But I kind of feel frustrated as well, because I think it’d be easier to just say things and make decisions without thinking about others like I used to. I suppose that’s how the two of us are gradually meeting each other halfway.

From what you’ve said, it sounds like you’ve been able to notice the changes in each other because you’ve been together, and those changes also help you get along. After experiencing such changes, what advice would you give your younger selves?

Rachel: I’d say, “You should write more songs.”

Mamiko: Yeah, that! [Laughs]

Rachel: “Don’t bother covering other people’s songs and write more original stuff or you’ll have a hard time at shows!” I didn’t care at all at the time and didn’t fret about it, either.

Mamiko: The other would be, “Don’t compare yourself to others.” I used to stress myself out comparing myself to people in both good ways and bad, but it’s better to believe in yourself than to do that.

During the seven years you’ve been making music, the two of you have fulfilled various dreams. Do you have any future goals?

Mamiko: Make more songs that lots of people listen to. I’d love to be told, “Your song’s been at No. 1 for x number of weeks straight!”

Rachel: I simply want us to be more popular. But I don’t really know what the definition of “being popular” is exactly, so I’d like to work with Mamiko and our team to figure it out. We’d also love to tour overseas.

The Billboard Japan charts have been dominated by male artists for years. What do you think should be done to make it easier for female artists to thrive in Japan’s music industry?

Rachel: Lots of music festivals and events still don’t have many female acts on their rosters. I’m grateful to be able to perform under such circumstances, but it’s important to raise visibility for women if we want to increase their participation in the industry. Being able to think, “Maybe I could do that, too” opens up more opportunities.

Mamiko: We’d probably be more conscious of the gender balance if we were to host events ourselves. 

Rachel: I’d love to do that! There are so many interesting artists out there.

This article by Rio Hirai (SOW SWEET PUBLISHING) first appeared on Billboard Japan.