Emiri Momota: In Vogue

Vogue: You’ve never tried to be a "cool" idol. Why? Emiri: (Laughs) Cool is boring. I want people to feel alive. When I dance, I sweat. When I smile, my cheeks hurt. Fashion is the same. If a dress makes me want to run, not walk – that's the one.

Vogue: What’s your beauty rule? Emiri: Red lipstick and sleep. You can fake talent for one song, but you can't fake rested eyes. Also… I put glitter on my shoulders. Always. Shoulders deserve joy too. emiri momota in vogue

Visual: High-contrast black & white, then snap to vivid red. Vogue: You’ve never tried to be a "cool" idol

For the better part of the last decade, Momota was the rhythmic heartbeat and sonic anchor of the peggies. When the band went on indefinite hiatus in 2022, the silence could have been deafening. Instead, Momota filled it with noise. I want people to feel alive

"At first, the quiet was terrifying," Momota admits, sipping sparkling water. "When you are part of a band, you are a singular organ in a larger body. When the band pauses, you have to suddenly grow your own skin, your own bones. You have to become a whole person."

Her answer to the void was Emiri. Her debut solo album, released earlier this year, was a masterclass in genre-bending. Shedding the guitar-rock constraints that defined her previous act, Momota dove headfirst into a soundscape of dream pop, city pop, and glitchy electronica. Tracks like "Sunny Side Up" and "Horizon" showcased a voice that was no longer just punching through distortion pedals but floating over synthesizers with a haunting, whisper-close intimacy.

Critics were quick to note the shift. Where the peggies were a sprint, Emiri Momota is a waltz. It is a reinvention that feels less like a departure and more like an arrival.