Stereopony was an all-female Japanese pop rock band from Okinawa. The trio consisted of Aimi (vocals, guitar), Nohana (bass) and Shiho (drums). The group formed in 2007 and disbanded in 2012. Before its professional debut, it performed as Mixbox and won the grand prize at the 2007 Young People Music Festival. The band’s first opportunity came through the Japanese rock radio program SCHOOL OF LOCK!
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Debut and anime themes
The band’s debut single, “Hitohira no Hanabira,” was released on November 5, 2008. It was the 17th ending theme of the anime Bleach and ranked No. 25 on the weekly Oricon chart. The second single, “Namida no Muko,” was the second opening theme of the second season of Mobile Suit Gundam 00 and reached No. 2 on the Oricon chart.
Stereopony also performed theme songs for Darker than Black: Gemini of the Meteor, Eureka Seven: AO and Letter Bee Reverse. In 2009, the members appeared in animated form to promote “Sumairaifu,” the theme song of the film Yatterman: Shin Yatter Mecha Daishūgō! Omocha no Kuni de Daikessen da Koron!
As of April 2012, the band had released two studio albums, A Hydrangea Blooms and Over the Border.
Performances in the United States
Stereopony performed at SXSW in March 2009. In 2010, the band played at AnimeNEXT, its first anime convention in the United States. In April 2012, the group returned for Sakura-Con in Seattle on April 6, followed by dates in San Francisco, Hollywood and Santa Ana.
The 2012 breakup
In October 2012, the members announced that the band would disband. Stereopony was already on a one-month break because of throat polyp surgery for Aimi. During that period, Shiho and Nohana went abroad to study music. After the break, the three discussed their next steps and decided to end the band. A concert was held on October 6 at Shibuya Club Quattro in Tokyo, where the members spoke with fans about the breakup.
After Stereopony
Shiho and Nohana released a single on October 24, 2012 with musician Evan Taubenfeld under the name Evanpony. Aimi formed the band ALiCE IN UNDERGROUND in 2014, began a solo career in 2016 and founded the label OHELLO RECORDS in 2019.
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