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Hakushi Hasegawa

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Hakushi Hasegawa
長谷川白紙
Born (1998-12-21) December 21, 1998 (age 26)[1][2]
Tokyo, Japan[2]
Genres
OccupationSinger-songwriter
Instrument(s)Vocals, piano, synthesizers
Years active2016-present
Labels
Websitehakushihasegawa.com

Hakushi Hasegawa (Japanese: 長谷川白紙, Hepburn: Hasegawa Hakushi, born December 21, 1998)[1] is a Japanese singer-songwriter born in Tokyo, Japan.[2] After releasing music on Soundcloud,[5] and signing to netlabel Maltine Records they made their debut with the release of their first EP iPhone Six Plus in 2016. They followed this up with Somoku Hodo in 2018 and Air Ni Ni in 2019. In 2023 Hasagawa signed to American record label Brainfeeder and released their third album Mahōgakkō in 2024.

Hasegawa identies as nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns.[6]

Early life

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Hakushi Hasegawa was born in Tokyo, Japan on December 21, 1998.[1][2] They began taking piano lessons at a young age and later in life found themself in online chatrooms discussing electronic music. There they were introduced to artists such as Nyolfen.[7]

Career

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On August 31, 2016, Hasegawa would release their debut single Hadairo No Kawa (肌色の川, Flesh Colored River) on Soundcloud,[5] which would go viral in Japan, grabbing the attention of the founder of Maltine Records, Tomohiro Konuta, who would sign them to the label.[7] A year later Hasegawa would release their debut EP, iPhone Six Plus, through Maltine Records.[3]

This in turn got them the attention of independent record label Musicmine, which oversaw the release of Hasegawa's follow-up EP Somoku Hodo (2018). Less than a year later Hasegawa released their debut album Air Ni Ni which garnered positive reviews, with multiple domestic outlets calling it their "Album of the Year".[2]

Hasegawa performed at the Secret Sky Festival held by American musician Porter Robinson as a response to the restrictions COVID-19 put on live music.[2]

In May of 2020, Hasegawa released Bones of Dreams Attacked!. Described as a "stylistic U-Turn"[6], the entire album is composed of stripped back cover versions of J-pop and J-rock songs as well as a cover of "A Whole New World" from Disney's 1992 film Aladdin.[7] Artists covered include bands such as Sōtaisei Riron, Sakanaction and Sambomaster, among others.[6][8]

After drawing the attention of American producer Flying Lotus he invited Hasegawa to perform at his 2021 online live-music event The Hit. In July of 2023 Hasegawa announced their signing to Flying Lotus' record label Brainfeeder.[8] They are the first Japanese act to be signed by the label.[7]

In July 2023 Hasegawa released the single "Mouth Flash", enlisting the video production group Tsuribu Tokyo for a music video.[4]

May 2024 saw the release of two singles for the upcoming album: "Boy's Texture" and "Departed". Both of which were accompanied by music videos animated by digital artist Gauspel.[9][10] "Departed" also landed on Pitchfork's "Selects", a weekly curated playlist.[11] On July 24, 2024, Hasegawa released their third album Mahōgakkō. In an interview for Bandcamp, Hasegawa talks about their newfound interest in experimenting with their voice, citing Alvin Lucier's I am sitting in a room as inspiration. In the same interview they describe Mahōgakkō as "meaner" than their earlier work and voicing the prediction that it will "likely go down as [their] most disorganized, distorted [and] chaotic album".[7]

Influences

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Hasegawa cites labelmates Iglooghost, Jameszoo, Thundercat and Hiatus Kaiyote as musical and creative influences.[12][8]

Discography

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Studio Albums

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  • 2019 – Air Ni Ni
  • 2020 – Bones of Dreams Attacked!
  • 2024 – Mahōgakkō

EPs

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  • 2017 – iPhone Six Plus
  • 2018 – Somoku Hodo

Singles

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  • 2016 – "Hadairo No Kawa"
  • 2020 – "Otogasuru" (with yuigot)
  • 2020 – "Sukuinote" (with Yukichikasaku/men)
  • 2021 – "Uni"
  • 2022 – "Thunder in Bud" (with KAF)
  • 2024 – "Wonderful Christmastime"

References

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  1. ^ a b c "長谷川白紙 Hakushi Hasegawa on X: "豆売るゲームしてたら25歳なってた(T-T)(T-T)(T-T)"". X (formerly Twitter) (in Japanese). December 21, 2023. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Hakushi Hasegawa / Artist / Ninja Tune". Ninja Tune. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Maltine Records - [MARU-168] 長谷川白紙 - アイフォーン・シックス・プラス". Maltine Records. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  4. ^ a b "Hakushi Hasegawa signed with Brainfeeder and released "Mouth Flash" | NiEW". NiEW. Retrieved September 11, 2023.
  5. ^ a b "Stream 肌色の川 by 長谷川白紙". Soundcloud. August 31, 2016. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  6. ^ a b c Hadfield, James (August 2, 2024). "Electronic wiz Hakushi Hasegawa pulls back the curtain". The Japan Times. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  7. ^ a b c d e Patrick, St. Michel (September 5, 2024). "Hakushi Hasegawa Questions The Shovel". Bandcamp Daily. Bandcamp. Retrieved January 6, 2025.
  8. ^ a b c Miyauchi, Ryo (October 2, 2023). "Tone Glow 106: Hakushi Hasegawa". Tone Glow Substack. Retrieved January 7, 2025.
  9. ^ Murray, Robin (May 28, 2024). "Hakushi Hasegawa Introduces New Album 'Mahōgakkō'". Clash. Retrieved January 6, 2025.
  10. ^ "The Magical World of Mahōgakkō: An Interview with Hakushi Hasegawa". Kaltblut. August 12, 2024. Retrieved January 6, 2025.
  11. ^ "Charli XCX, Nourished by Time, NewJeans, and More: This Week's Pitchfork Selects Playlist". Pitchfork. June 4, 2024. Retrieved January 6, 2025.
  12. ^ Kent-Smith, Jasmine (July 27, 2023). "Brainfeeder at 15: Label family and friends reflect on their favourite ever releases". Crack. Retrieved January 6, 2025.
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