Halcali (ハルカリ,Harukari; stylized asHALCALI) was a JapaneseJ-pop duo composed of Haruka and Yukari fromMeguro,Tokyo. The group's name is aportmanteau ofHalca (ハルカ,Haruka) andYucali (ユカリ,Yukari). Their debut album,Halcali Bacon (2003), reached number five on theOricon Albums Chart, making it the first album by a female hip-hop artist to enter the top ten in Japan.[2]
Halcali made their American debut in May 2008 as musical guests of honor at theAnime Central convention;[3][4] and performed in New York'sCentral Park on June 1, 2008 as part of a Japan Day festival.[5][6]
After not renewing their contract withEpic Records Japan, the duo were largely inactive from 2013 until 2024. In 2024 their song "おつかれ Summer" experienced a resurgence onTikTok and accumulated tens of millions of streams on Spotify; the renewed interest led their label,For Life, to reissue promotional material and release an animated music video in September 2025.[7] The song's renewed success also coincided with surprise live appearances by Halcali at events in 2025,[8] and For Life reactivated official accounts and reissued early singles in January 2026.
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 groupRip Slyme.[9][10] Among hundreds of entrants, Haruka and Yukari were chosen to formHalcali.[11][12].
Halcali debuted at a free concert held byRip Slyme at the Budokan theatre. There, Halcali performed with Rip Slyme and were introduced along with their debut single, "タンデム" (Tandem)."Tandem" was released on January 8, 2003 and was marketed on severalJapanese television networks, along withMTV. The single entered into theOricon Charts at position 19.[13][14]
Halcali performing inCentral Park during Japan Day 2008
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; an airy, self-parody "bubblegum" rap in the vein of earlier groups such asEast End X Yuri. This was evident in their second and third singles, "エレクトリック先生" (Electric Sensei) and "ギリギリ・サーフライダー" (Girigiri Surf Rider) released in mid-2003. Both singles focused on rap rather than pop.
^Epic Records,Sony Music Entertainment Japan, (2007) "Halcali Official Web Site" Epic Records/SONY -- "東京都目黒区出身のHALCA(ハルカ=19)とYUCALI(ユカリ=19)の2人組ガールズヒップホップユニット小学校の頃から都内の同じダンスス クールに通い、「FEMALE RAPPER オーディション」で、見事グランプリに輝き、O.T.Fの全面プロデュースのもと、デビュー。";
^Epic Records, et al. (2007), As a rough translation (In original past-tense) -- "The signing [of Halcali] by O.T.F begins with Haruka (19) with Yukari (19), who commute to the same dance school alongside 2 groups [of girls] from Girl's High School (Puhotsu Puyunitsuto (?) ) to "Female Rapper auditions" where they were chosen from the competition ... [moved to beginning as per grammar]"
^Epic Records, et al. (2007) -- "2002年7月26日 RIP SLYMEによる無料武道館ライブで、メンバーの呼びかけで客席からステージに上がり、1万人の観客を前にデビューシングルとなった「タンデム」を初披露。"
^Epic Records, et al. (2007)., Rough translation (past-tense) "On July 26, 2002 the rap band RIP SLYME announced [live,] on-stage in front of 10,000 viewers that [...] new band Halcali would be releasing their debut single "Tandemu" (Tandem)"
^Epic Records, et al. (2007), -- "2003年1月8日 1st single「タンデム」リリース。プロモーションビデオがCS/BS系ミュージックチャンネル4局(WOW WOW、スペースシャワーTV、MTV、M-ON!)のパワープレイが同時に決定し、話題騒然に。オリコンチャート19位にランクインする。"
^Epic Records, et al. (2007),Rough translation (past-tense) -- "1st single, "Tandem" is announced [for release] on January 8, 2003, with the music video being played on [television networks] WOW WOW, Space Shower TV,MTV and M-ON to coincide with the release of the single. In ranking, it reached position 19 on the Oricon Charts."
