HAL

HΛL is a Japanese producing and remix team famous for working with artists such as Ayumi Hamasaki, Every Little Thing, Shonentai, Kinki Kids and Ami Suzuki. From 2000-2002 they were their own musical group with lead vocalist HALNA.

Members

* Umesaki Toshiharu (Keyboard, guitar)
* Shimizu Takehito

Former Members

* HALNA (Vocalist)
* Sato Atsushi (Music, Keyboard)
* Nakano Yuuta

HAL has been arranging and producing music since the 1990s. They formed in 1996, and in 1999 they began working with Hamasaki Ayumi when her popularity skyrocketed.

After holding an audition for a female vocalist in 2000, then 20-year-old Hamada Haruna was chosen. Before HAL's debut as a group she made her stagename HALNA. The group was then composed of three members, including HALNA, Umesaki Toshiharu, and Sato Atsushi. They released two albums and seven singles during this time, including a best-of compilation in 2003, with HALNA writing all of their lyrics. Before their disbanding in February 2003, the song Free & Easy by Ayumi Hamasaki won the group an award for their arrangement.

In 2003, Nakano Yuuta and Shimizu Takehito joined and the group became an arranging team once more. Although their productions were mainly avex artists, they also worked with Aya Ueto. Nakano later left the team in 2004 to get away from the spotlight, leaving HAL a duo. From there they began arranging a select number of Konami artists, including Ute Manami, and they did the opening theme of the Konami game "Enthusia Professional Racing" in 2005. Their latest work with Konami has been a remix of the TERRA song "STARS☆☆☆".

Songs arranged by HAL include BLUE BIRD, Glitter, and Fairyland (among others) by Ayumi Hamasaki, ENDLESS STORY by Yuna Ito, To Be Free by Ami Suzuki, and MESSAGE by Aya Ueto. · close