Who is CHERIE®? - An Urahara archives story
Most of us who keep a pulse on fashion & pop culture news were all aware of NIGO’s recent album that was released earlier this year in 2022 “I KNOW NIGO”. Ironically, I want you to ponder those words truthfully, & I challenge you to ask yourself another question, how well do YOU know NIGO?
If you know NIGO, you know that he was a DJ in 1991 before he started A Bathing APE in 1993, but let’s fast forward to 1999 when Bape rose to astonishing heights in Japan. We can name drop several influential musicians & artists not only in Japan, but also in America & the UK, who ultimately helped drive Bape to the forefront of the Urahara Movement. Although, it was James Lavelle’s MO’ Wax label that helped NIGO release his first album & record label APE SOUNDS. It may not be common knowledge, but NIGO went on to sign an artist to his label only a year after releasing his own album & a few singles. This artist goes by the name of CHERIE, a Vocalist, Pianist, Violinist, Producer, & Model.
CHERIE was the first artist on the APE SOUNDS Record Label. Only a year after NIGO’s debut album released, Cherie dropped 3 tracks on an ambient downtempo album titled “Time • Airline”. The production was solely handled by K.U.D.O & Kan Takagi from the legendary Japanese pioneering record label, Major Force.
If you are familiar with APE SOUNDS, you know that the CD & Vinyl Packaging went above & beyond. The same craftsmanship & design detail applied to BAPESTA’S or any other coveted items from BAPE was applied to the packaging & presentation of any APE SOUNDS album release. Time Airline was no exception to this unspoken rule. The album art has a playful aesthetic, with the design being handled by the late great Momoko Sakura. Providing her signature illustrative stick figure characters, with APE’s signature green camo substituting the black outline of the characters.
This album is extremely short, but it does a great job capturing the essence of ambient tunes that is reminiscent of an artist like Bjork. It’s blissful & relaxing, with layered harmonic vocals from Cherie. Despite the album being under the radar in comparison to NIGO’s debut album, the album was good enough for Cherie to perform her very first live performance & tour for NIGO’s APE HEAD TOUR 2000.
In an issue of POPEYE in the year 2000, Cherie is interviewed & speaks on her experience performing & meeting NIGO for the first time. Cherie says “I loved APE even before I met NIGO!! I'm thrilled just remembering it now. I'm sorry that the last show in Tokyo didn't go the best. But I did my best with MR. NIGO!”
“When I first met him (NIGO), I was so nervous because I admired him & I didn't want to get close to him. But now he imitates me and jokes around, so instead of feeling nervous, I don't know what to think anymore (laughs).”
Imagine being a young aspiring musician at a time when BAPE was one of the biggest brands in Japan & being a part of his growing empire! You can feel the excitement in her interview about working with NIGO, & fortunately for her this was just the beginning.
In November, 2001, POPEYE Magazine did a huge issue with NIGO that debuted the legendary FOOTSOLDIERS line that introduced Bapestas for the first time in Japan. CHERIE was one of the models who was shown wearing the legendary sneakers for the first time. In this issue she also gets interviewed again & gives insight into undoubtedly her biggest & most notable album released on APE SOUNDS. Cherie says “I've been recording at "APE SOUNDS” all day. I've been recording with KUDO and KAN for a long time now. I hope to release an album by the end of this year. I haven't been able to talk to NIGO that much lately, but when I see him on the stairs, he asks me if I've gained some weight. (laugh)”
NIGO may have joked with her a lot and seemed distant at times according to her, but it’s evident that he believes in her talent as a musician because in the following year 2002, he executive produced her 2nd self-titled album “Cherie”. This time, NIGO taps his friend KAWS “Brian Donnelly” to design the album artwork. This is truly gratifying seeing KAWS companion wrapped around Cherie, resembling a lot of his early 90s work that gained him notoriety amongst the art scene in New York.
This album in its entirety was the personification of what NIGO was doing with A Bathing APE at this time. This time around, “Cherie” has 10 tracks & she also chimes in on the production credits along with the original production team of Kan Takagi & K.U.D.O. This album doubles down on the ambient, electronic & Bjork vibes and extends some tracks to as long as 8 minutes. So, it’s safe to say if you liked the first album, you get more bang for your buck on this release. NIGO released a series of BAPE designed merch centered around this album that was limited at the initial time of the albums release.
Nowadays, it’s a rarity to come across anything from the Cherie x Kaws collaboration & when you do, they are definitely up there in price. T-shirts alone can range anywhere between 200$ - 800$. For true collectors, the album itself is a grailed collectible, with most collectors never having even opened the CD, mostly to preserve the legendary contributed artwork from Kaws.
Mind you, that in 2002 even the iconic major rap group Teriyaki Boyz, weren't on the label at this time. All APE SOUNDS record releases pre 2005 were only distributed in Japan with Japanese distribution company, Toy’s Factory. So In 2002, it was extremely hard to get your hands on any APE SOUNDS music in America. 20 years later & these albums are still sought after till this day. According to discog.com, you can see listings of Cherie’s self-titled album reselling for no less than 100$, with currently, at the time of publishing this article, no indication of any of her albums being released on streaming platforms. All of these combining factors makes obtaining any of Cherie ‘s albums one of the most satisfying items to collect within the proximity of APE SOUNDS. With that being said, It’s assuring to know that select APEHEADS around the globe preserves the honor & integrity of this album.
After the release of her album in 2002. Fans of Cherie could see her model for BAPE a lot more in BAPE’s own Magazine series that covered season collections & “MINI” a magazine that focused predominantly on women’s style. For the most part, things got quiet for Cherie up until 2005.
BAPE in 2005 has now fully transitioned in the American market. This is the “quote on quote” prime time for BAPE as most of us in the west have come to adore over the years. Having American artists like NERD, Clipse, Kanye West, & so many other artists pushed BAPE to the forefront of American pop-culture. NIGO just released (B)ape sounds a year prior in 2004 that exclusively featured Japanese rappers that weren’t notable in the west. The only notable Japanese act on the album was the Teriyaki Boyz, but because of BAPE’s iconic website in the early 2000s. Classic instrumentals such as “YEAR 3978” & “PLANET OF THE BAPES“ from American producers NEEK RUSHER & The Neptunes had a impact on BAPEHEADS worldwide and (B)ape sounds set the tone musically for what BAPE would do in fashion for the next 3 years at that time. We bring this up to lead into Cherie’s Final album “NEW MUSIC”
Maybe because of the relatively successful release of (B)ape sounds, BAPEHEADS for the most part still to this day don’t even acknowledge that this album ever existed. Even though NIGO outdid himself with the art direction this time around. The cover has Cherie’s face covered in a beautiful camo pattern color not ever seen before at this time. This same year, what we personally dub as “Cherie Camo” pattern would appear in some of Bape’s 2005 products, spanning over several seasonal releases, but we can safely assume that this album spurred this camo color pattern onto the world of Bape designs.
One of the highlights about this particular CD packaging, are the liner notes. There are glossy paper slides with Sylvania Blue Dot MAGICUBE Diamonds that spell out “CHERIE NEW MUSIC”. Out of all of the releases APE/BAPE SOUNDS released, you will be hard pressed to find any other release as luxurious as Cherie’s “New Music”. It’s truly jaw dropping the amount of care and design work that went into the presentation of the albums art direction. Getting into the album itself, you may be disappointed or satisfied to hear that once again this album reestablishes musical themes that were set in Cherie’s last two albums. More ambient downtempo tracks, & a song cover or two, the most notable being “FOR THE LOVE OF YOU” by the Isley Brothers. NIGO is the executive producer for all of Cherie’s albums and it’s evident he had a distinct model and vision for how Cherie’s music sounded & looked.
Despite CHERIE releasing three albums to our knowledge, she has never made a music video. Outside of written interviews referenced throughout this article, Cherie has never been interviewed on TV or by any internet platforms to tell APEHEADS about herself or her experiences with APE SOUNDS. True fans over the years have questioned who CHERIE is. With one of the main questions that follows being asked if “Cherie” is even her real name? Fans chat in forums & Instagram DM’s in hopes of possibly finding her account on Instagram just to see what she is up to nowadays.
Hopefully this write up has brought some form of satisfaction, being able to streamline and extrapolate the discography and information we have on Cherie so far. NIGO’s APE SOUNDS Label very first Artist & one of the most mysterious unspoken female related entities associated with NIGO's Bape empire.
Even though NIGO is long removed from Bape as a whole and long gone from the origin of his record label, at best maybe one day soon the world will be able to finally listen to her albums on streaming platforms. To more so reflect on the evolution of Bape & pivotal contributions made within the Urahara Movement.
TOKYOMILKSHOP is a vintage magazine enthusiast-based blog that provides context on the Ura-Harajuku fashion movement of the 90s & 2000s.
