While international multi-genre collaborations are commonplace, the union between the influential UK producer / DJ TCTS and the enigmatic Japanese artist CHAMELEON LIME WHOOPIEPIE stands out as being utterly unique. When else have two artists from such differing backgrounds joined forces? His crossover UK house and their self-confessed negative pop genres have never before been merged. Just as intriguingly, their collaboration has triumphed over both language barriers and being unable to connect in person.

It’s a culture clash, but one that feels entirely natural within the context of their brand new single ‘RICH GIRL’. TCTS’s production flavours his big room UK production with subtle touches of Kawaii future bass, while CHAMELEON LIME WHOOPIEPIE figurehead Chi-’s vocals explode with personality. Blending lyrics in both Japanese and English, her voice is given a chaotically creative edge with an array of effects, while the repetition of her topline quickly becomes hypnotic.  

TCTS fell in love with Japanese culture during a trip to Tokyo in 2019. It inspired a burning desire to find a way to creatively unite his music with that of Japan’s, and always kept an ear open for the right opportunity to bring that idea to life. Early in 2021, he stumbled across the unforgettably named CHAMELEON LIME WHOOPIEPIE on New Music Friday Japan and immediately knew they were the artist he had been looking for. Quirky, electronic and unmistakably Japanese, they had everything it took to help him bridge UK house with Japanese pop culture.

After reaching out, the two artists began to collaborate via Zoom sessions. ‘RICH GIRL’ was written by TCTS and all three members of CHAMELEON LIME WHOOPIEPIE (lyricist Chi- plus Whoopies No.1 and Whoopies No.2). It was produced and arranged by TCTS, while Whoopies No.1 and Whoopies No.2 edited Chi-’s lead vocal. 

Chi- is the focal point of the ‘RICH GIRL’ video, her shockheaded hair, leftfield fashion choices and beguiling individuality commanding attention. The visual’s distinct style is emboldened with off-kilter animation and surreal props which range from a toy rhino to the smallest toilet imaginable. TCTS is sporadically depicted, most memorably alongside Chi- on a ‘RICH GIRL’-themed banknote.   The video was directed and edited by CHAMELEON LIME WHOOPIEPIE, having been shot by their mysterious background pair Whoopies No.1 and Whoopies No.2.

TCTS, real name Sam O’Neill, is a producer and DJ from Manchester. ‘RICH GIRL’ follows his two big international collabs with the Brazilian artist Nonô: 13 million+ streams of ‘Sorry’, which was followed by repeated Radio 1 plays of the recent ‘Off My Mind’. Having landed his first break by sending a demo to BBC Introducing, TCTS has since accumulated over 90 million career streams to date plus 1.2 million monthly listeners at Spotify. He hosts a key Friday night show at KISS FM, and has remixed or collaborated with an eclectic array of artists including David Guetta, Masked Wolf, Felix Jaehn, CamelPhat, Todd Terry, Alex Metric and Wilkinson.

CHAMELEON LIME WHOOPIEPIE first inspired a domestic following and international attention with their debut single ‘Dear Idiot’. Further sparking curiosity due to their mysterious image, the artist have become a next-generation collective who are able to create all of their music and accompanying video content themselves. They gained further momentum at the start of this year when Spotify Japan named them as one of their select RADAR: Early Noise 2021 artists, and they were subsequently shown on a billboard in Times Square, New York City, as part of Spotify’s EQUAL campaign. They’ve maintained a hectic schedule ever since, dropping their debut EP ‘PLAY WITH ME’ in March and then another six new tracks. Their negative pop genre defies expected genre conventions while also adding a playful nostalgic element.

Follow CHAMELEON LIME WHOOPIEPIE:

Spotify

Apple Music

Author: Andrew Braithwaite

Andrew is the founder and Managing Director of Music Talkers. He's also a keen music enthusiast and plays the guitar.