Halcali (????, Harukari^?) (a portmanteau of the names Halca (???^?) and Yucali (???^?)) is a Japanese Hip-hop duo consisting of members Halca (born April 21, 1988) and Yucali (born July 18, 1987) from Meguro, Tokyo, Japan. They were signed to Oshare Track Factory on July 26, 2002 when lead singers Halca and Yucali, now both graduates from Meguro, attended an audition for "female rappers" held by the group Rip Slyme, and were chosen out of several applicants as the singers for the band. Their first single, "Tandem" which was released on January 8, 2003 was marketed on several Japanese television networks and MTV at the time of its release and entered into the Oricon Charts at position 19. The following 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.

Halcali made their American debut in May 2008 as the musical guests of honor at the Chicago-area 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 the Y?koso Japan tourism campaign.

The time between the release of their first single to that of their debut album Halcali moved away from mainstream J-pop and toward a style combining pop and rap, with what can be called an airy, self-parody "bubblegum" rap in the vein of earlier groups such as East End X Yuri. This was evident in their second and third singles, "Electric Sensei" (?????????^?) and "Giri Giri Surf Rider" (????????????^?) released in mid-2003. Both singles focused on rap rather than pop.

The latter song attracted attention from Western audiences when it appeared on Adam and Joe Go Tokyo.

Debut album: Halcali Bacon

Halcali Bacon (????????^?) had tracks featuring guest singers in Japanese pop, who provided vocals as well as song collaborations. The album peaked at #5 on the Oricon charts, becoming the first album by a female hip-hop artist to enter the top ten. It remained on the charts for a total of twenty weeks. "Tandem" was such a successful hit, that the Latin American MTV featured this song in some spots.

Track listing

1. "Intro. Halcali Bacon"
2. "Tandem" (????^?)
3. "Giri Giri Surf Rider" (????????????^?)
4. "Ah, Halcali Sensation" (?????????????^?)
5. "Otsukare Summer" (????Summer^?)
6. "Halcalism "Candy Hearts"" (?????? "Candy Hearts"^?)
7. "Conversation of a Mystery"
8. "Peek-A-Boo"
9. "Hello, Hello, Alone"
10. "Style Style" (??????????^?)
11. "Electric Sensei" (?????????, Electric Teacher^?)
12. "Tsuzuki Mayonaka" (??????????^?)

Second album: Ongaku no Susume

Ongaku no Susume (??????, Recommended Music^?) shows a greater variety of musical styles than the group's first album. A British magazine said in a review of Ongaku no Susume that the album was "something which De La Soul wished it could be." However, there was criticism that Halcali's albums were being produced in an attempt to try and market towards their target audience.^{[citation needed]}

Track listing

1. "Introduction"
2. "Fuwafuwa Brand New" (???????????, Airy Brand New^?)
3. "Marching March" (????????^?)
4. "Strawberry Chips" (??????????^?)
5. "Hare Tokidoki" (?????, Sometimes It's Sunny^?)
6. "Oboroge Copy View"
7. "History"
8. "Shibafu" feat. Tanikawa Shuntaro (???feat.?????, Lawn^?)
9. "Wakakusa Dance" feat. Uta Maru (Rhymester) (??DANCE?feat.??? (Rhymester), Fresh Grass Dance^?)
10. "Baby Blue!"
11. "Densetsu no Futari" (???2?, Legendary Duo^?)
12. "Continued" (????????^?)

Remix album: Halcali Mix

Halcali Mix (????????^?), released on March 16, 2005, is a collection of remixes of Halcali songs.

First major album: Cyborg Oretachi

Released on July 18, 2007, Cyborg Oretachi (???????, We, the Cyborgs^?) is Halcali's first major label album, third original album, and fourth album release overall. The first press limited edition came with a bonus DVD. This is Halcali's first album to be released in both CD only, and CD+DVD formats.

This album was originally rumoured to be titled Drive My Dreams, however the title was changed when official release information became available through their website.

Cyborg Oretachi also includes productions by O.T.F, Utamaru (Rhymester), Natalie Wise, Honestly, and Fantastic Plastic Machine, as well as collaborations and guest performances from Dr.kyOn (ex Bo Gumbos), Ramrider, Your Song Is Good, Polysics, Skaparahorns, and Kendo Kobayashi.

Even though the single "T?genky? / Lights, Camera. Action!" was listed as being a double A-side, "Lights, Camera. Action!" is not on the album.

Track listing

1. "Doo the Hammer!!"
2. "It's Party Time!"
3. "Koi no Bububun" (??????, The Vroom Vroom Vroom of Love^?)
4. "Twinkle Star"
5. "Endless Lover's Rain"
6. "Look": Special Edition
7. "Cyborg Oretachi" (???????, We, the Cyborgs^?)
8. "Driver's License" (????????????^?)
9. Fes de Ouissu! (?????????^?)
10. T?genky? (???, Paradise^?)
11. "Tip Taps Tip "
12. "HaruKari Michi": 19 no Yoru (???: 19??, 19 Nights on Halcali Road^?)

DVD Track Listing

1. "Tip Taps Tip"
2. "Twinkle Star"
3. "Look"
4. "T?genky?"
5. "It's Party Time!"
6. "It's Party Time! Making"

The new style

In winter 2003, Halcali released their fourth single, the Christmas-themed "Strawberry Chips" (??????????^?). This single continued to show the fluctuation between rap and J-pop.

After the release of "Strawberry Chips", Halcali's visual style shifted, along with the layout and lyrical style of their songs. Their fifth single, "Marching March" (????????^?), was the first to showcase this new style. This change in style is attributed to Halcali's coming-of-age, however it also represents the changing of fads that occurred in Japanese teens at the time and was necessary to retain their fanbase.

Their sixth single, "Baby Blue!", was an instant cult hit. The album art and video featured the character Hanpanda, a trend by Japanese artist Nagi Noda, which has since become popular.

Halca

Halca (???, Haruka^?), portrays herself to be the more mature of the pair in her PR and personal blog entries. She shows focus for performances, commentating seriously on those commenting on her in TV appearances. She has recently became more focused on fashion, and has appeared in Barfout, a fashion magazine, along with Yucali.

Yucali

In the past, Yucali (???, Yukari^?) would portray a child-like image, which gave the group's image a more school-aged look. She wore a tilted baseball cap or some other sort of head apparel as was the fad at the time. Her current image is now more adult-like.

Halcali's sound has been progressively and markedly different from their period of inception- initially being focused upon peppy, high-energy beats with equally fast and furious lyrics, moving onto more creative songs which seem to weave between genres and sounds, a la ?????? (Ongaku no Susume), and more particularly ??????? (Cyborg Oretachi), which included musical genres ranging from rap, pop, electrocore and rock.

As Halca & Yucali have matured, they have taken on the role of writing their own rhymes & lyrics and composing their own music. Their 3rd album, ??????? (Cyborg Oretachi), featured many tracks which were written or co-written by Halcali. Every single after this album has also been written by or co-written by Halcali as well.

The girls are currently playing various lives to promote their music. They're also hard at work on their upcoming 4th album; their blogs also hint that they've been in the studio writing new songs.

Several songs by Halcali have been used as opening or ending themes in anime television series.

• "Tip Taps Tip" – Eureka Seven, 3rd Ending theme
• "Look" – Demashita! Powerpuff Girls Z, 2nd Ending theme
• "Lights, Camera. Action!" – Getsumento Heiki Mina, Opening theme
• "Tandem" – Ga-Ra-Ku-Ta: Mr. Stain on Junk Alley, Ending theme
• "Long Kiss Good Bye" – Naruto Shipp?den, 7th Ending theme

References made in Halcali videos

• "Tandem" – Super Mario Bros. (Stage 1-1)
• "Electric Sensei" – "Stepper's Delight" by Rip Slyme.
• "Tandem" – "Automatic" by Utada Hikaru.
• "Giri Giri Surf Rider" – Michael Jackson's "Beat It" video.
• "Candy Hearts" – Chad Jackson - "Hear the Drummer (Get Wicked)"; "Candy Hearts" makes a reference to "Peace, love, unity and having fun" from the song.

Singles

Albums

Download only songs

DVD

Others

• '??Covers' (Magokoto Covers) September 1, 2004
  • 3. ?
• 'G.Lasts... Tribute to Godzilla 50th' December 3, 2004
  • 7. GODZILLA is coming to town! ????????????? Bank$ feat. Halcali
• ??? (Kuchiroro) album 'Golden Love' August 22, 2007
  • 3. Cosmic Dance featuring Halcali
• '?????????' October 24, 2007
  • 6. ????? (Disc.2)
• The Hello Works 'Payday' December 5, 2007 (Performed in the Chorus)
• ?????????????????????? September 24, 2008
  • 2. ??????? (Suki Suki Song) / Halcal with Nona Reeves
• ????@Home '????' single's b-side '?????' (Performed in the Chorus)

• The Official Halcali Website
• ThePPN: HALCALI
• J!-ENT Special Feature Interview (English) by Dennis A. Amith
• Diary Translations and Breaking News