The Tragedy and Triumph of killwiz April 8, 2026
In 2021, a hyperpop band called Dr. Anon—led by the artist then known as Ponika—hit the underground scene in Japan, but by 2023, they had disbanded.
In 2024, Ponika returned as killwiz, releasing a number of singles and EPs, starting with Kilakila. Eventually, she revealed that she was struggling with schizophrenia and released an EP by the same name.
killwiz has opened up about her dark past in several interviews, as well as on her recent EP, GENOME.
Her father was a deadbeat, a drunk driver, and an abuser to both her and her mother. He attempted to murder killwiz when she was just a child, but she was saved by her mother, who eventually left him and remarried.
Unfortunately, the violence didn't stop there. In elementary school, she was severely bullied and told to kill herself. She didn't receive much support from her mother, who was suffering from depression at the time. Occasionally, she was beaten at home or held underwater in the bathtub—something she tragically began to view as normal discipline.
At the age of 18, killwiz (originally from Hokkaido) moved from Sapporo to Tokyo with only 20,000 yen (about $130 USD) in her pocket. She experienced homelessness, stayed in an abandoned house in the woods, and relied on friends for shelter.
killwiz also used to self-harm and has the scars to show for it; her arms and legs serve as physical reminders of that painful past.
Yet, she seems to have not only embraced her past self, but has actively used her vulnerabilities and negative experiences as strengths, turning her tragedies into triumphs.
killwiz is one of my favorite artists. I'm deeply inspired by her story, her will to survive, and her music. She often collaborates with NGA, a talented music producer, composer, and mixing/mastering engineer.
Their experimental hyperpop sounds blend together flawlessly, and I eagerly look forward to their future releases.