Halcali

Halcali (ハルカリ, Harukari; stylized as HALCALI) is a Japanese J-pop duo composed of Haruka and Yukari from Meguro, Tokyo. The group's name is a portmanteau of Halca (ハルカ, Haruka) and Yucali (ユカリ, Yukari). Their debut album, Halcali Bacon (2003), reached number five on the Oricon Albums Chart, making it the first album by a female hip-hop artist to enter the top ten in Japan. Halcali made their American debut in May 2008 as musical guests of honor at the Anime Central convention; and performed in New York's Central Park on June 1, 2008 as part of a Japan Day festival. After not renewing their contract with Epic Records Japan, the duo were largely inactive from 2013 until 2024. In 2024 their song "Otsukare Summer" (2003) (おつかれSUMMER, Otsukare Samā; literally "Good Job Summer") experienced a resurgence on TikTok; the renewed interest led their label, For Life, to reissue promotional material and release an animated music video in September 2025. The song's renewed success also coincided with surprise live appearances by Halcali at events in 2025, and For Life reactivated official accounts and reissued early singles in January 2026; "Otsukare Summer" also saw a re-release on March 2, 2026. They released a new single; "GUIN GUIN GUIN", on September 2, 2026.