Vanilla Beans (band)
| Company type | Independent label subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music, entertainment |
| Founded | 2007 |
| Headquarters | Japan |
Area served | Japan |
| Parent | Tokuma Japan Communications (Flower Label), later T-Palette Records, then Avex Trax |
, also referred to as Vanibe, was a Japanese idol girl duo established in 2007 under the independent label FLOWER LABEL, a subsidiary of Tokuma Japan Communications.
The group's membership became stable in March 2008 when Rika exited and Lisa joined the lineup. In June 2011, Vanilla Beans was among the inaugural artists signed to the newly launched idol label T-Palette Records, alongside Negicco.
Following a four-year tenure with T-Palette Records, they made their major label debut in August 2015 by affiliating with the well-known avex trax label.
Rena, an original member and enthusiastic idol follower, hosts the program on the Kawaii Girl Japan platform, where she conducts interviews and covers other musical acts.
2007-2009 : Initial phase under Flower Label
Formed in mid-2007 by Rika and Rena—who later joined Idoling!!!—and managed by talent agency LesPros Entertainment, the duo debuted under the indie Flower Label, a Tokuma Japan Communications sub-label. They branded themselves as a "next generation idol" act. Prior to recording, they showcased their concept and artistic projects at the Embassy of Japan in Denmark on July 4, 2007.
Their debut single, "U ♡ Me" ("You love me"), was issued in two editions on October 3, 2007 in Japan; it reached only 189th on the Oricon weekly Singles Chart for a single week. This release was the sole one featuring the original lineup.
In March 2008, Rika departed to concentrate on her education. After holding auditions, Lisa (also known as Risa) joined, and the group released their second single "nicola" on May 21, 2008; it peaked at just 198th on Oricon. The group suspended physical releases until late 2008 but stayed active digitally with online singles.
Their third single, "Sakasaka Circus," was released on January 28, 2009 but failed to chart. On February 25, 2009, they issued their self-titled debut album "Vanilla Beans," which compiled their first three singles but did not enter Oricon rankings. Following these commercial challenges, they achieved better results with their fourth single "LOVE & HATE," launched September 9, 2009 in two editions ("Love Version" and "Hate Version"), reaching number 79 on the Oricon Weekly Singles Chart.
2010-2011: Vanilla Beans II and new affiliation with T-Palette Records
In 2010, Vanilla Beans released the mini-album Def & Def in May, which attained number 79 on the Oricon Weekly Album Chart with first-week sales of 1,155 copies. The EP's main track, "D & D," was utilized in a deodorant commercial featuring modified lyrics; the group also appeared in its promotional video.
For the 2010 FIFA World Cup, they re-recorded "Re-Sepp-Ten" in Danish to support Denmark’s national team despite Denmark competing against Japan in their final group match. Renamed Re-Sepp-ten: Vi er røde, vi er hvide, this version included a music video starring Denmark’s ambassador to Japan, Franz-Michael Skjold Mellbin, directed by Emil Langballe.
September 2010 saw the release of their compilation album VaniBest, which peaked at number 160 on Oricon with first-week sales of 887 copies. This marked their final album under Flower Label Group. In June 2011, Vanilla Beans signed with T-Palette Records, an idol label newly created by Ikuo Minewaki, president of Tower Records Japan, along with fellow idol group Negicco.
Under T-Palette Records, they debuted with an unofficial single titled "Tengoku e no Kaidan," a cover of Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven," released on June 29, 2011. This single reached number 82 on Oricon and served as promotion for their second album Vanilla Beans II, which came out on July 20, 2011. However, this album peaked at only number 110 on Oricon and remained charted for one week. It was also the first album released by T-Palette Records.
Members
- Present members
- Rena (レナ) (originating from Shiga Prefecture)
- Lisa (リサ, also known as Risa) (native to Tokyo)
- Previous members
- Rika (リカ) (born August 14, 1988); departed from the group in March 2008.
Albums
- Studio albums
| Album Title | Release Information | Highest Chart Position |
|---|---|---|
| Japan | ||
| Vanilla Beans (バニラビーンズ) |
|
— |
| Vanilla Beans II (バニラビーンズII) |
|
110 |
| Vanilla Beans III (バニラビーンズIII) |
|
46 |
| Vanilla Beans IV (バニラビーンズIV) |
|
50 |
| Vanilla Beans V (バビーンズV) |
|
43 |
- Compilation albums
| Album Title | Release Information | Highest Chart Position |
|---|---|---|
| Japan | ||
| Vani Best |
|
160 |
| Vani Best II |
|
77 |
Extended plays
| EP Title | Release Information | Highest Chart Position |
|---|---|---|
| Japan | ||
| Def & Def |
|
79 |
Singles
- Physical singles
| No. | Single Title | Release Date | Chart Performance | Track Details | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oricon Weekly Singles Ranking | ||||||||||||
| Physical singles | ||||||||||||
| 1 | U Love Me (U ♡ Me) |
October 3, 2007 | 189 | 'U ♡ Me' 'a little criying' 'U ♡ Me (instrumental)' 'a little criying (instrumental)' | ||||||||
| 2 | nicola (ニコラ) |
May 21, 2008 | 198 | 'nicola' 'Nostalgia' 'nicola (instrumental)' 'Nostalgia (instrumental)' | ||||||||
| 3 | Sakasaka Circus (サカサカサーカス) |
January 28, 2009 | unranked | 'Sakasaka Circus' 'Tic Tac' 'Sakasaka Circus (Instrumental)' 'Tic Tac (Instrumental)' | ||||||||
| 4 | LOVE & HATE (LOVE & HATE) |
September 9, 2009 | 79 | 'LOVE & HATE' 'Gamla stan' 'Koi no Theory' 'Gamla stan (Rena Solo Ver.)' (Love version) 'Gamla stan (Risa Solo Ver.)' (Hate version) 'LOVE & HATE' (Instrumental) 'Gamla stan' (Instrumental) 'Koi no Theory' (Instrumental) | ||||||||
|- | align=center | —
|- | align=left | "Tengoku e no Kaidan"
(天国への階段) |- | align=right | June 29, 2011 |- | align=center | 89 |- | 'Tengoku e no Kaidan'
'Baby Portable Rock'
'nicola'
'a little criying' |- |-
|- | align=center | 5 |- | align=left | "Toki no Kakera"
(トキノカケラ) |- | align=right | January 18, 2012 |- | align=center | 34 |- | 'Toki no Kakera'
'Yes? No?'
'Stop Rock'n'Roll' (Rena ver.)
'Hoshi ni Natta Uso' (Risa ver.)
'Toki no Kakera' (instrumental)
'Yes? No?' (instrumental) |- |-
|- | align=center | 6 |- | align=left | "Choco Mint Flavor Time"
(チョコミントフレーバータイム) |- | align=right | April 11, 2012 |- | align=center | 26 |- | 'Choco Mint Flavor Time'
'Hitotsu no Uta'
'Choco Mint Flavor Time' (Instrumental)
'Hitotsu no Uta' (instrumental) |-
|}
References
External links
- Japanese electropop groups
- Japanese girl groups
- Japanese idol groups
- Japanese pop music groups
- Japanese house music groups
- Musical groups formed in 2007
- Musical groups disbanded in 2018
- Tokuma Japan Communications artists
- Japanese musical duos
- Pop music duos
- Female musical duos
- Musical groups disestablished in 2018