BALLOOM (Vocaloid record label)
BALLOOM was an independent Japanese record label that was active for 3 years and formed by Vocaloid producers.
Founding Members
Hachi, Agoaniki, Toku-P, wowaka, OSTER project, Fullkawa Honpo, Nanou, Scop.
Summary
BALLOOM was established on March 5, 2011, as an "Independent label by artists who started from the Internet".
It was established when Toku-P asked 7 Vocaloid producers who had a large fanbase on Nico Nico Douga to join the label. He pitched the idea to his colleagues as a label which is not bound by the major or indie framework but aims for newer forms of music distribution. It was formed with the mindset of helping to bridge the gap between people who want to learn about music and those who have a passion for the Internet.
The label's first release was wowaka's album Unhappy Refrain. Released in CD stores nationwide, it received tremendous success, reaching 3rd place in the Oricon Daily charts, and 6th place in the Weekly charts.
On June 15, 2011, Fullkawa Honpo's first album "Alice in wonderword" was released, and on September 28, Nanou's "Waltz of Anomalies" was released as the label's third major album. Thereafter, the label called on the participation of other creators who were active on the Internet.
The label held its first live concert for Fullkawa Honpo at Mosaic in Setagaya City, Tokyo in October 2011.
On May 16, 2012, Vocaloid producer Hachi released his debut album Diorama under his real name, Kenshi Yonezu, which debuted in 6th place on the Oricon charts. Yonezu left the label in April 2013 to become a major label artist under Universal Sigma.
The label's final album, BALLOOM BEST was released on September 25, 2013 and featured 2 discs. The first disc was primarily featuring songs with Hatsune Miku on vocals and the second was original songs by its founders. Although featured quite heavily on music news websites, the album failed to make strong sales and by 2014, the label ceased activities and its founders disbanded.
Post-BALLOOM
In the years since BALLOOM dissolved, many of its founders have gained further success with music. Its founder Toku-P was already a part of the band GARDNiDELiA with vocalist MARiA since 2010. The group has been signed up with Defstar Records, SME Records, and more recently Sacra Music until contract negotiations failed at the end of August 2019. Though GARNiDELiA's songs have reached the just below the top 10 in the Oricon charts at its peak, their videos posted on YouTube continue to gain millions of views.
Hachi, now performs with his real name Kenshi Yonezu and has taken the Japanese rock/pop world by storm. His songs have consistently been in the Oricon charts for months at a time and his songs get regularly high rankings in karaoke rankings. His single "Lemon" made chart history on both the U.S. and Japan Billboard charts as the first song ever to be named song of the year across multiple years (2018-2019).
OSTER project now produces music for various rhythm games such as beatmania IIDX and is signed with beatnation Records.
Agoaniki, still produce Vocaloid music under the Crypton Future Media label KARENT.
Fullkawa Honpo released 3 albums after leaving BALLOOM. He stopped releasing music at the end of 2015 as he was unsure of what he wanted to do next musically.
Nanou and Scop still produce music but have not released a song since 2013.
Wowaka formed the band Hitorie where they performed at sold-out shows. In April 2019, he died in his sleep due to heart failure. He was 31. A private funeral was held by his family members.
His band still performs and held a memorial concert on June 1, 2019.
Released Albums
| Title | Year |
|---|---|
| Wowaka - Unhappy Refrain | 2011 |
| Fullkawa Honpo - Alice in Wonderword | 2011 |
| Nanou - Waltz of Anomalies | 2011 |
| Oster "Big Band" Project - Gossip Cats | 2011 |
| Agoaniki - Agoagōgōgō | 2011 |
| Scop - Days | 2012 |
| Kenshi Yonezu - Diorama | 2012 |
| Nanou - Unsung | 2012 |
| Nanou - Andloids: All Time Best of Nanou | 2013 |
| Balloom Best | 2013 |