The Harajuku Girls performing on the Harajuku Lovers Tour 2005

The Harajuku Girls are four young women who were hired in 2004 as backup dancers for American singer Gwen Stefani's Love. Angel. Music. Baby. album. The Harajuku Lovers Tour 2005 was a Concert tour in support of Gwen Stefani 's first solo album Love A backup dancer is a performer who Dances with or behind the lead performers in a live musical act The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Gwen Renée Stefani (born October 3 1969 (ˈgwɛn stɛˈfɑːni is an American recording artist and Fashion designer Stefani fronts the rock band No Doubt Love Angel Music Baby is the debut solo album by the American pop and rock singer Gwen Stefani, released by Interscope Records The "Harajuku Girls" have continued to appear alongside Stefani, and are featured in the music videos for "What You Waiting For?", "Rich Girl", "Hollaback Girl", "Luxurious", "Crash", "Wind It Up", "The Sweet Escape", and "Now That You Got It". " What You Waiting For? " is an Electropop song written by Gwen Stefani and Linda Perry for Stefani's 2004 debut solo album Love " Rich Girl " is a pop - Ragga song performed by singer Gwen Stefani featuring Eve. " Hollaback Girl " is a pop song written by singer Gwen Stefani and Pharrell for Stefani's debut solo album Love " Luxurious " is a pop song written by Gwen Stefani and Tony Kanal for Stefani's debut solo album Love " Crash " is a pop song written by Gwen Stefani and Tony Kanal for Stefani's debut solo album Love " Wind It Up " is a song written by Gwen Stefani and Pharrell originally for inclusion on Stefani's Harajuku Lovers Tour 2005. " The Sweet Escape " is a pop song written by Gwen Stefani, Akon, and Giorgio Tuinfort for Stefani's second solo album The Sweet " Now That You Got It " is a Pop rap song written by Sean Garrett, Gwen Stefani, and Swizz Beatz for Stefani's second album They have also toured with Stefani. Coincidentally, both Love and Music have worked with Namie Amuro at some time, Music as a member of the group Super Monkeys and Love as Amuro's dancer for a period. is a Japanese Singer, Dancer, and former Child actor / singer, who at the height of her popularity was referred to as the "Teen Queen Super Monkey's was a Japanese J-pop group that went through several name changes as their members changed Super Monkey's, Super Monkey's 4

The Girls

Maya Chino

Maya Chino ("Love") during a stage performance of Harajuku Girls

Maya Chino (stage name "Love") grew up in Tokyo. Love Angel Music Baby is the debut solo album by the American pop and rock singer Gwen Stefani, released by Interscope Records officially, is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan and located on the eastern side of the main island Honshū. She started out doing ballet when she was three years old. Ballet is a formalized form of Dance with its origins in the French court further developed in France and Russia as a Concert dance Before dancing with Gwen Stefani, she was a backup dancer for South Korean singer BoA. Boa Kwon (born November 5, 1986) have contributed to her commercial success in South Korea and Japan and her popularity throughout Asia All of the Harajuku girls' biggest fan is Cassidy Gazaway. ^[1]

Jennifer Kita

Jennifer Kita (stage name "Angel"), born 1986, is a Japanese-American from Los Angeles, California. are Americans of Japanese heritage Japanese Americans have historically been among the three largest Asian American communities but in recent decades have become the sixth largest group Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West After graduating high school, Jennifer moved to San Diego and studied hip-hop at Mesa College. She later joined the dance troupe Culture Shock San Diego, and performed with them for two years. Love. Angel. Music. Baby. <- gwen's harajuku girls]</ref>

Rino Nakasone

Rino Nakasone (stage name "Music"), born June 10, 1979, grew up in Okinawa. Events 1190 - Third Crusade: Frederick I Barbarossa drowns in the Sally River while leading an army to Jerusalem Year 1979 ( MCMLXXIX) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1979 Gregorian calendar) is one of Japan 's southern prefectures, and consists of hundreds of the Ryukyu Islands in a chain over 1000 km long which extends southwest from Kyūshū She became interested in dance after watching music videos by Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson and mimicking their moves. Michael Joseph Jackson (born August 29 1958 is an American musician entertainer and businessman Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16 1966 is an American recording artist and entertainer At the age of nineteen, she went to Los Angeles to study dance. She later taught dance at a performing arts centers, and formed the dance group "Beat Freaks". ^[2]

Mayuko Kitayama

Mayuko Kitayama (stage name "Baby"), born February 17, 1983, grew up in Osaka. Events 1500 - Battle of Hemmingstedt. 1600 - Philosopher Giordano Bruno is burned alive at Campo de' Fiori Year 1983 ( MCMLXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar) is a city in Japan, located at the mouth of the Yodo River on Osaka Bay, in the Kansai region of the main island of Honshū She eventually moved to New York, where she practiced in several dancing studios, after dancing in Japan for several years. New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous She is also the youngest of the four Harajuku Girls. ^[3]

Criticism

In an interview in the January/February 2006 edition of Blender magazine, American comedian Margaret Cho calls Stefani's Harajuku Girls a "minstrel show" that reinforces ethnic stereotypes of Asian women. Blender is an American music Magazine that bills itself as "the ultimate guide to music and more" Margaret Cho born Moran Cho She has won awards for her humanitarian efforts on behalf of women Asians and the LGBT community The minstrel show, or minstrelsy, was an American entertainment consisting of comic skits variety acts dancing, and Music, Stereotypes of East and Southeast Asians are Ethnic stereotypes that are found in many Western societies. ^[4] Writer Mihi Ahn said of Stefani's "Harajuku Girls": "Stefani has taken the idea of Japanese street fashion and turned these women into modern-day geisha. or are traditional female Japanese Entertainers whose skills include performing various Japanese arts such as classical music and dance "^[5]

References