Stereopony
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

was a Japanese
pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre and form of rock music characterized by a strong commercial appeal, with more emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than standard rock musi ...
band that formed in
Okinawa most commonly refers to: * Okinawa Prefecture, Japan's southernmost prefecture * Okinawa Island, the largest island of Okinawa Prefecture * Okinawa Islands, an island group including Okinawa itself * Okinawa (city), the second largest city in th ...
,
Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
, in 2007 and disbanded in 2012. The three-girl band consisted of Aimi Haraguni (
lead vocals The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of the ...
and
guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...
), Nohana Kitajima (
bass guitar The bass guitar (), also known as the electric bass guitar, electric bass, or simply the bass, is the lowest-pitched member of the guitar family. It is similar in appearance and construction to an Electric guitar, electric but with a longer nec ...
), and Shiho Yamanoha (
drums The drum is a member of the percussion instrument, percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophones, membranophone. Drums consist of at least one Acoustic membrane, membrane, c ...
). They were signed to the
Sony Records Sony Records was a record label founded by R&B duo Ike & Tina Turner in 1963. It was not affiliated with Sony Group Corporation. Ike Turner produced singles by members of the Kings of Rhythm and the Ikettes on Sony Records. Records on the la ...
music label. The band released 11 singles and three studio albums.


Members

; *Born: September 4, 1990 *Hometown:
Naha is the Cities of Japan, capital city of Okinawa Prefecture, the southernmost prefecture of Japan. As of 1 June 2019, the city has an estimated population of 317,405 and a population density of 7,939 people per km2 (20,562 persons per sq. mi.). ...
,
Okinawa most commonly refers to: * Okinawa Prefecture, Japan's southernmost prefecture * Okinawa Island, the largest island of Okinawa Prefecture * Okinawa Islands, an island group including Okinawa itself * Okinawa (city), the second largest city in th ...
, Japan *Guitar: Fender 60's Telecaster Candy Apple Red ; *Born: September 16, 1989 *Hometown: Shimabara,
Nagasaki , officially , is the capital and the largest Cities of Japan, city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan. Founded by the Portuguese, the port of Portuguese_Nagasaki, Nagasaki became the sole Nanban trade, port used for tr ...
, Japan *Bass guitar: Fender Deluxe Active P Bass Black ; *Born: October 18, 1990 *Hometown:
Nago is a city located in the northern part of Okinawa Island, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. As of December 2012, the city has an estimated population of 61,659 and a population density of 293 persons per km2. Its total area is 210.30 km2. Geo ...
, Okinawa, Japan


History


2007–2010

Before their major debut, the band was named Mixbox. Under that name, the girls won the grand prize at the 2007 Young People Music Festival. Later, they renamed the band Stereopony and took part in the 2008 Okinawa Sound Stage with the song , which was supposed to be released as their debut single on September 24, 2008, but was canceled. The band gained their first opportunity on the Japanese rock radio program ''School of Lock!''. Their major debut was officially announced in June 2008. Their song " Hitohira no Hanabira" was the 17th ending theme for the
anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...
series ''
Bleach Bleach is the generic name for any chemical product that is used industrially or domestically to remove color from (i.e. to whiten) fabric or fiber (in a process called bleaching) or to disinfect after cleaning. It often refers specifically t ...
''. The single was released on November 5, 2008. It ranked No. 25 on the
Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics Statistics (from German language, German: ', "description of a State (polity), state, a country") is the discipline that ...
weekly singles chart and won second place in Rocochoku's Newcomer Competition in the same month. Their second single was " Namida no Mukou", released on February 11, 2009, which was used as the second opening theme for the second season of the ''
Mobile Suit Gundam 00 is a Japanese anime television series, the eleventh installment in Sunrise studio's long-running ''Gundam'' franchise comprising two seasons. The series is set on a futuristic Earth and is centered on the exploits of the fictional paramilit ...
'' anime series. Their third single, "I Do It", is a collaboration with fellow Sony Music Japan singer Yui, and was released on April 22, 2009. Yui's musical producer, Hisashi Kondo, produced and directed the single. On March 21, 2009, the band performed at SXSW 2009 in
Austin, Texas Austin ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat and most populous city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and W ...
, as part of the
Japan Nite Japan Nite is an annual music event in North America which began in 1996, featuring Japanese rock, pop, and alternative music artists. Originally centered on South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, the event expanded in later years to include multi ...
event. A few months later, Stereopony released their debut album, '' Hydrangea ga Saiteiru''. It debuted at No. 7 on the Oricon weekly album chart. The song "Seishun ni, Sono Namida ga Hitsuyou da!" from the album was featured in a Japanese
Lipton Lipton is a brand named after its founder, Sir Thomas Lipton, Tom Lipton, who started an eponymous grocery retail business in the United Kingdom in 1871. The brand was used for various consumer goods sold in Lipton stores, including tea from 1 ...
iced tea Iced tea (or ice tea) is a form of cold tea. Though it is usually served in a glass with ice, it can refer to any tea that has been chilled or cooled. It may be sweetened with sugar or syrup, or remain unsweetened. Iced tea is also a popular pac ...
TV commercial A television advertisement (also called a commercial, spot, break, advert, or ad) is a span of television programming produced and paid for by an organization. It conveys a message promoting, and aiming to market, a product, service or idea. ...
. Shortly after, the band went on their first tour, ''A Hydrangea Blooms''. Along with the tour goods, there were 50 signed Score Band books in each venue for purchase. In August 2009, Stereopony released their fourth single, "Smilife". "Smilife" was used as the theme song for the 2009 anime film '' Yatterman: Shin Yatter Mecha Daishūgō! Omocha no Kuni de Daikessen da Koron!''. Their fifth single, " Tsukiakari no Michishirube", was released on November 4, 2009. "Tsukiakari no Michishirube" was the opening theme to the 2009 anime series '' Darker than Black: Ryūsei no Gemini''. It was their second single to reach the top ten Oricon singles chart, peaking at No. 8. Stereopony's sixth single, "Hanbunko", was released on September 17, 2010; "Hanbunko" is a cover originally released by Bivattchee in 2002. Stereopony's seventh single, "Over Drive", was released on May 12, 2010, and was used for the opening theme for the Japanese drama ''Pro Golfer Hana''. In June 2010, Stereopony released their second
studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...
, '' Over The Border'', and performed at AnimeNEXT, the first
anime convention An anime and manga convention (often called just anime convention) is a fan convention with a primary focus on anime, manga and Japanese culture. Anime conventions are commonly multi-day events hosted at convention centers, hotels or college cam ...
the band performed at in the United States. ''Over The Border'' was released on June 9, 2010, and ranked No. 12 on Oricon. Stereopony's national tour, ''Stereopony TOUR 2010 'Over The Border (which was planned to start on July 26), was postponed due to Shiho's aggravated
tendinitis Tendinopathy is a type of tendon disorder that results in pain, swelling, and impaired function. The pain is typically worse with movement. It most commonly occurs around the shoulder ( rotator cuff tendinitis, biceps tendinitis), elbow ( tenn ...
. Their eighth single, "
Chiisana Mahō "Chiisana Mahō" is the eighth single by the Japanese rock group Stereopony. It was released on December 8, 2010, under Sony Records. The main track was the first opening theme for the anime '' Letter Bee Reverse''. Chart performance The single ...
", was released on December 8, 2010, and the title song was used as the first opening theme for the anime '' Tegami Bachi: Reverse''.


2011–2012

On January 14, 2011, fellow all-girl rock band and label mate
Scandal A scandal can be broadly defined as the strong social reactions of outrage, anger, or surprise, when accusations or rumours circulate or appear for some reason, regarding a person or persons who are perceived to have transgressed in some way a ...
announced on their official
Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...
account that Stereopony and Scandal would be performing at
Shibuya-AX Shibuya-AX (stylized as SHIBUYA- AX) was a concert hall in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan, near the Yoyogi National Gymnasium. Layout Shibuya-AX was the only purpose-built concert hall or "live house" in the Tokyo metropolitan area that could accommod ...
with supporting acts from ByeByeBoy, Cossami and Hi-Lab. This collaboration, , was scheduled for March 11, 2011. However, due to the
2011 Tōhoku earthquake Eleven or 11 may refer to: *11 (number) * One of the years 11 BC, AD 11, 1911, 2011 Literature * ''Eleven'' (novel), a 2006 novel by British author David Llewellyn *''Eleven'', a 1970 collection of short stories by Patricia Highsmith *''Eleven'' ...
, the performance was postponed to June 26, 2011. Stereopony performed at
Anime Boston Anime Boston is an annual three-day anime fan convention held in the spring in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Anime Boston was created and is run by the New England Anime Society, Inc., a Massachusetts-based non-profit organization. Pro ...
2011 as special guests at the
Hynes Convention Center The John B. Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center is a convention center located in Boston, Massachusetts. It was built in 1988 from a design by architects Kallmann, McKinnell & Wood. It replaced the John B. Hynes Memorial Auditorium, als ...
on April 23. They played a wide selection of songs from both albums and their latest single, as well as a cover of
Green Day Green Day is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Rodeo, California, in 1987 by lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong and bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, with drummer Tré Cool joining in 1990. In 1994, their majo ...
's "
American Idiot ''American Idiot'' is the seventh studio album by the American rock band Green Day, released on September 21, 2004, by Reprise Records. The album was produced by Rob Cavallo in collaboration with the group. Recording sessions for ''American ...
". Shortly after returning from their appearance at Anime Boston, the group announced they would be providing the theme song to the 2011 film . Stereopony attended a press release event for the upcoming film, for which they are providing the theme song. Stereopony collaborated with the band Kariyushi58 to produce the single , released on August 10, 2011. Stereopony contributed the song on the
Zone Zone, Zones or The Zone may refer to: Places Military zones * Zone, any of the divisions of France during the World War II German occupation * Zone, any of the divisions of Germany during the post-World War II Allied occupation * Korean Demilit ...
tribute album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track or cassette), or digital. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century a ...
, released on August 10, 2011; "Akashi" is a cover of Zone's 2002 single. On July 16, 2011, Aimi officially started an Ameblo
blog A blog (a Clipping (morphology), truncation of "weblog") is an informational website consisting of discrete, often informal diary-style text entries also known as posts. Posts are typically displayed in Reverse chronology, reverse chronologic ...
. The band's tenth single, , was released on September 28, 2011. The
music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...
for "Arigatō", released on September 1, 2011, features film actor Hiroshi Abe; he is also on the cover of the version B release of the single. Stereopony released their third studio album, ''More! More!! More!!!'', on December 7, 2011. Their song "I Am A Hero" from the album was featured as the third ending theme of '' Pokémon Smash!''. Their 11th single, "Stand By Me", was released on May 30, 2012; the title song was used as the ending theme of '' Eureka Seven: AO''. Stereopony attended as special guests for Anime Festival Asia: Indonesia 2012. Stereopony contributed the song " Again" on the Yui tribute album ''She Loves You'', released on October 24, 2012; "Again" is a cover of Yui's 2009 single. After the band took a one-month break during Aimi's throat polyp surgery, the members decided to disband in October 2012. Their 12th and final single was released as the split single "Just Rock With Me / Namida Nante Mishite Yannai". "Just Rock With Me" is the debut single of Evanpony, a band consisting of the members of Stereopony and
Evan Taubenfeld Evan David Taubenfeld (born June 27, 1983) is an American singer and musician, best known for being Avril Lavigne's lead guitarist, music director and frequent collaborator. Taubenfeld's debut album, '' Welcome to the Blacklist Club'', was relea ...
. A compilation album titled ''Best of Stereopony'' was released on November 21, 2012. Stereopony's farewell concert was at Akasaka Blitz in Tokyo on December 27, 2012.


Discography

;Studio albums * (2009) *''Over The Border'' (2010) *''More! More!! More!!!'' (2011) ;Compilation album *''Best of Stereopony'' (2012)


References


Further reading

* * * * *


External links


Official website

Stereopony's blog

Stereopony's former blog

Stereopony staff blog

Aimi's personal blog
{{Authority control Japanese all-female bands Gr8! Records artists Japanese pop rock music groups Musical groups established in 2007 Musical groups disestablished in 2012 Musical groups from Okinawa Prefecture Japanese musical trios Sony Music Entertainment Japan artists