Written by Sky
Hamu Cotton is a Japanese cosplayer and idol based in SoCal. She has a cute and fluffy hamster theme and loves to cosplay during her idol performances. On the second day of Anime Expo 2026, Hamu performed on the AX Crossing stage, delivering an upbeat performance while cosplaying as Haru Urara from Umamusume.
After her performance we asked her a few questions related to her idol journey.
1) How did you discover idols and idol culture?
Hamu Cotton: I grew up knowing about it because I was born in Japan. They were already living in my mind rent free. But ever since I moved here, I never knew there were idols in SoCal. I think around the time Oshi no Ko came out, the SoCal idol scene became so big that I realized, oh, the culture is still alive.
2) How long have you been performing?
Hamu: Starting 2022, so 4 years.
3) Where did your stage name come from?
Hamu: So my name “Hamu” comes from the Japanese word for hamster because I like hamsters. Cotton is because I really like the blue sky, and I was trying to think of something related to the sky, like “Hamu Sky.” “Hamu Blue” sounds too sad. Then I thought, I like clouds when they look kind of like latte art in the sky, so I went from clouds, full of cotton, then “Cotton.”
4) What does idol mean to you?
Hamu: I think it’s a lot of things, but mainly enjoying yourself as well as enjoying it with the fans. I think when you’re an idol, you have love that you want to share through song, and your own love for your songs creates the fans’ love for the songs you perform.
5) What advice would you give to people looking to become an idol and/or improve?
Hamu: First of all, enjoy what you do and always be down to challenge yourself. If I challenge myself with new things and then run over to my old favorite songs, I remember this is where my love came from, and then I go back to challenging myself. So always go back and forth and balance it out.
6) What was the process like behind creating your original song?
Hamu: So my song, “HAMU ENERGY☆,” I actually wrote the lyrics out 2 to 3 years ago randomly from 2 AM thoughts. So when the producers asked me to write the lyrics, I was like, “Yeah, I already got you. It’s already done!” The new part was the rap portion, so that took me a while since I’ve never written rap before, but it helped that I used to really enjoy writing poems when I was in elementary school.
Then I just thought a lot about the Hamu World and the Hamu Galaxy lore that I wanted to include, such as the words Hamustar, Hamu Energy, Hamu Galaxy, and Hamu Time. From there, I sent it to the producer, and they were lovely. It only took us a few back-and-forths to fix everything. I specifically requested Japanese traditional instruments because I personally love those.
Then we flew to Japan and filmed everything, and I think we completed it in about 2 or 3 days. It felt very fast, and I was nervous because I’ve never done anything like this before. It was very fun!
7) How does your cosplay relate to your performances?
Hamu: As you can tell, I’m an otaku. I love anime, so cosplay is basically oshikatsu. Because I love the characters, the anime, the songs, the artists, and the voice actors, the best part is that if you’re on stage, there’s a big speaker, so you can just shout your love to everyone. If you love it together, that’s fun, and if you don’t know it, I get to introduce it to people.
8) Have you ever collaborated in a group before? If yes, how was it, and would you like to be in one again? Or would you prefer to remain a soloist?
Hamu: I have done groups before. I’ve done a Hololive cosplay group, and I’ve done an Ensemble Stars one. I felt happy because I’m very shy and started off alone because I didn’t know anyone. The more friends I make and the more groups I get to be a part of, the happier it makes me. Performing solo is also fun because I get to do whatever I want. So if my friends aren’t interested in a certain anime or game or whatever it is, it’s fine because I can do it by myself. So to conclude, I love both.
If you want to support Hamu Cotton and see her perform live, you can check out Hamufest in Japan from October 4th through 11th. Follow her on social media to stay up to date with her other performances as well.
Please welcome Hamu Cotton to #AX2026 as a Performer at AX Crossing!
Hamu Cotton
is a Japanese cosplay performer and YouTuber based in California. She combines her favorite hobbies and passions – dancing, singing, acting, film, and event coordinating – to bring her… pic.twitter.com/lhOk8fTqd0 — Anime Expo (@AnimeExpo) June 15, 2026
Hamu Cotton
Hamu Cotton is a Japanese cosplay performer and YouTuber based in California.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hamu_cotton/
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/hamu_cotton
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