Halcali no Okawari
| Halcali | |
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Halca and Yucali at Japan Expo 2007.
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Meguro, Tokyo, Japan |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 2002–present |
| Labels | Epic Records |
| Website | halcali.com |
| Members |
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Halcali (ハルカリ Harukari, stylized as HALCALI), is a Japanese pop and new-school inspired hip-hop duo consisting of members Halca (born April 21, 1988) and Yucali (born July 18, 1987) from Meguro, Tokyo, Japan. Its name is a portmanteau of Halca (ハルカ Haruka) and Yucali (ユカリ Yukari). Their debut album, Halcali Bacon, reached #5 on the Oricon charts, making it the first album by a female hip-hop artist to enter the top ten in Japanese history.
Halcali also made their American debut in May 2008 as the musical guests of honor at the Chicago Japanese culture, manga and anime convention, Anime Central. They performed again in America at Central Park, New York City on June 1, 2008 as part of a Japan Day Festival as part of a Japanese tourism campaign.
On May 30, 2012, Halcali released their fifth original album, Halcali no Okawari. The duo commemorated the album's release by holding a sold-out, one-man live at Shibuya Club Quattro on September 15, 2012. Halcali performed a total of 25 songs, spanning their musical career, and were joined by surprise guests Yosuke@HOME and Scha Dara Parr.
Haruka and Yukari were close friends since elementary school and also attended the same local Meguro dance school. Both girls were only interested in becoming dancers in the future and had no aspiration to become singers. In 2002, Haruka and Yukari noticed a pink flier for an audition to become a "female hip hop unit" which was held by the group Rip Slyme. Yukari admitted that the both of them entered the competition simply to see what it was. Among hundreds of entrants, Haruka and Yukari were chosen to form Halcali. The girls modestly spoke of their formation, saying that although there were many girls cuter than themselves, Rip Slyme and Oshare Toy Factory riskily chose them. Yukari stated, "Sometimes it's like you want to have a piece of really gross gum- Just to see!"
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