Pornography – DJ Mao Porn Star

When Mao Hamasaki mixes a reference from the world of anime into her songs, the audience regularly goes crazy. A passage that the dancing crowd always waits for at Hamasaki’s performances goes like this: “Kaamee! Haamee! Haa!” The whole hall then screams, throws their hands in the air, cheers. And Mao Hamasaki, the slim woman at the mixing desk, laughs, waves and continues mixing.

Every fan of anime, the extremely popular Japanese animation culture, knows the battle cry “Kamehameha!” worldwide. It always sounds when Songoku, the protagonist of the very successful series “Dragonball”, attacks in one of his fights. And Mao Hamasaki has long since made this reputation her trademark. Wherever she enters a club or a concert hall, at some point someone shouts: “Kamehameha!”

“People kind of love it,” says the 31-year-old on a rainy afternoon in a café in Tokyo. Her fans, especially outside of Japan, liked the references to Japanese pop culture. »People all over the world watch anime, they grew up with it. And all of these jingles and exclamations that appear in the series often have something melodic about them. That’s why it’s well received.«

So good that Mao Hamasaki is regularly spoken to on the street – even when she’s not wearing her flashy outfit of today: a shimmering pink-silver bomber jacket with the inscription “DJ Mao.” Although you might think, for someone like this woman It’s nothing special to be recognized on the street. After all, almost half a million people follow her on Instagram.

But for the Japanese DJ, it’s the how that matters. Lately it has been mostly women who have approached her and asked if she was DJ Mao. “And then they often rave about my music.” After all, DJ Mao, who is currently one of the more popular disc jockeys in Japan, doesn’t just have her 462,000 followers on Instagram alone through her music.

Until a few years ago, the woman with short, dyed blonde hair and almost always smiling eyes was best known for the many films in which she appeared. There have been hundreds over the last 14 years. In almost all of them she has sex. In addition to her work as a musician, Mao Hamasaki is one of Japan’s most popular porn actresses.

Hamasaki made her first film at 18 after being approached by a scout. »As a young woman, I just wanted to have more money. Then I thought I’d take a look at the whole thing,” she remembers and smiles. “The studio that was shown to me was much cleaner and tidier than I would have expected given the clichés that people have.” She became curious. »And then I had fun too.«

nd.DieWoche – our weekly newsletter

With our weekly newsletter nd.DailyWords look at the most important topics of the week and read them Highlights our Saturday edition on Friday. Get your free subscription here.

In the porn business, Mao Hamasaki has done just about everything you can do over the years, she says. And she doesn’t regret any of it. “I learned an endless amount about people and human psychology,” says Hamasaki, while her manager, who is only responsible for her musical marketing, sits next to her and listens attentively.

“Sexuality is really something fascinating.” Because the things that can get people excited are completely different from person to person, but know no boundaries. Similar to music: some like jazz, others techno, others like hits or just ASMR (music that causes a kind of head tingling). »It’s similar when it comes to sexuality. I’ve made films where I just wiggle my toes. Or where I just show my armpits.”

The porn industry is much better than its reputation, she feels in good hands, says Hamasaki. “I can always refuse if I don’t want to do something.” But as in any job, sooner or later you are ready for new challenges. »At some point, after a few years, you’ve done everything once. And then maybe you’ll look around and see what else you could do.”

For Mao Hamasaki, the point was reached shortly before the pandemic. And as a porn actress, she wasn’t a red flag in other industries. Quite the opposite. She didn’t have to look long for new job opportunities. A momentous opportunity for her came naturally when an event organizer from Singapore made a joke – and invited Hamasaki to play music at a concert on a ship.

A porn star makes music? Mao Hamasaki laughs out loud when she thinks back. “Of course the organizer thought that this could only end well: no one has any musical expectations of me, but everyone wants to see a porn star perform.” So the show, for which the porn star Mao Hamasaki was announced, was sold out in advance. »And then I was really bad. I had no experience.”

But this new experience in the spotlight made her ambitious. Just like you learn acrobatic sex in front of the camera, you can also become good at DJing. Music producer Yami, a quiet man from Hong Kong who sits next to her today and manages her schedule, thought so too. »When I heard about Mao, I thought: They have to be trained. This could be great.”

Hamasaki began dividing her life between Hong Kong and Tokyo. She learned from DJs Yami knew and also learned Mandarin. And all with success. Today DJ Mao performs worldwide, from London to Hong Kong to Tokyo, filling halls for 400 to 4,000 people. This is also remarkable because she continues to pursue her career as a porn actress at the same time and doesn’t hide it either.

»In many Asian countries, porn actors are seen more as artists. We’re also seeing this in Southeast Asia.”

Yami Manager

Something like this has so far been difficult to achieve in Western countries. Paulita Pappel, porn producer and author of the book “Pornopositiv”, published by Ullstein in 2023, says this from experience: “When actors or music people have made porn, their industries often attract discriminatory attention afterwards. For example, actors are no longer given roles, or only those with nudity, and are no longer taken seriously.«

In the West, porn is often a career killer in other industries. Pappel, who was born in Spain, sees the Christian influence as an important reason here: sex is taboo as mere entertainment to this day. But things are different in Japan, which is hardly Christian, and in other countries in East and Southeast Asia. In Japan, for example, people not only admit to consuming porn, but also talk to friends about their favorite stars and genres.

Mao Hamasaki’s manager Yami believes that there is more respect for porn actors than in Western countries: “In many Asian countries, porn actors are seen more as artists. We’re also seeing this in Southeast Asia. At the beginning, her porn career even helped Mao Hamasaki get into the music business. »The profile of the DJ today is very demanding. You have to be able to dance well and entertain at the same time. Mao immediately had a kind of unique selling point.«

Other people have also experienced that being active in porn does not have to destroy a career in Japan – for example the baseball player Kazuhito Tadano. In 2004, the top talent moved to the USA, to the world’s leading baseball league. When it came out that he had starred in a gay porno, his sporting career in the USA came to a halt.

Tadano later returned to new engagements. Today he is part of the coaching staff of the Nippon Ham Fighters from Sapporo, a top club in Japan. Mao Hamasaki – now almost better known as DJ Mao – knows the story of Tadano. She gave her courage back then. Even she says: “In recent years I’ve tried not to dress too sexy at concerts so that I can be recognized for my music and not for my looks.”

It still happens that organizers ask her whether she would go to the hotel with the boss after her performance. “I don’t like that.” The good thing, however, is that Mao Hamasaki is booked even if she rejects such requests. Because in Japan today she is also in great demand as a musician.

We-don’t-give-each-other anything

Our Christmas campaign not only brings the joy of reading, but also warmth and festivity into the house. With the three-month trial subscription you get a pair of left socks from Socks with attitude and a bottle of sparkling wine Social Sector – perfect for a relaxed winter time. A gift that informs, warms and supports the dropout program EXIT Germany supports. Order a We Don’t Give Each Other Gift now.