This time I'll talk about a very special trio of incredibly talented singers: Kalafina.
Wakana, Keiko and Hikaru - From the album 'Seventh Heaven'
Produced by famous japanese composer Yuki Kajiura, Kalafina started as group of two singers, Wakana and Keiko (from the composer's FictionJunction project), that would sing the themes for the seven movies of Type-Moon's anime series Kara no Kyoukai, released on japanese theaters.
After releasing their first single 'oblivious' in the beginning of 2008, the girls were praised for their beautiful vocals and harmonization. In May 2008, Yuki Kajiura held an audition to choose two more members for Kalafina. The selected ones were Hikaru and Maya. Right after the auditions, the group released their second single 'sprinter/ARIA', in which both new members appeared in the music video.
'sprinter''s Music Video - still one of the fans' favorite songs
Continuing the releases of the movie's themes, Kalafina released another single in 2008, called 'fairytale'. But fans were surprised as Maya's vocals weren't heard in the song and she wasn't shown on the music video. Hoping for her return, fans continued to support the group normally, until their next single 'Lacrimosa' was released (in the same day as their first album 'Seventh Heaven'), when Sony made a post on their site confirming that Maya would no longer participate in Kalafina's activites.
'Lacrimosa''s Music Video - Kalafina without Maya
Despite Maya's departure, the group had a successful year, releasing two more singles, now for different animes or TV shows, as their first album contained the last of the Kara no Kyoukai's themes. In 2010, the girls released their second album, 'Red Moon'. Presenting a darker atmosphere and experimental sounds, the album impressed fans with its superior quality.
'Red Moon''s cover (I really wanted to post a song from it but Sony's been removing the yt videos related to it...)
After the album's release, Kalafina held a tour to promote it. Fans weren't disappointed as the girls proved their spectacular vocals in a wonderful performance. Their next single, 'Kagayaku Sora no Shijima ni Wa' was only released half a year later, in September 2010. In December, Kalafina released their first Live DVD from the Red Moon tour.
Kagayaku Sora no Shijima ni Wa (once again, Sony's removed the music video x.x)
For 2011, Kalafina has announced a single release in February called 'Magia'.
These girls don't fail to impress me! I love this group to bits and I hope you can enjoy it too! I really recommend the album 'Red Moon' and their DVD. If you like it, please remember to support the group! Aren't these girls awesome? *0*
I heartly agree, my dear blog-writing and asian pop music advisor. Kalafina is indeed a fine draught of quality music, inspiring vocals and exquisite lyrics.
oh I would rather recommend Seventh Heaven before Red moon but everybody has it own opinion.
Seventh Heaven is also a fantastic album indeed! It's just that it took me much longer to appreciate it than Red Moon, which just impressed me right during the first listening ^^ But thanks for commenting!