INTERVIEW | How Japanese Band Shacalanda Use Social Media to Reach New Heights

Building a fan base from scratch is a challenge every new band faces. It helps to have a goal to work towards – and for Tokyo-based two-piece rock band Shacalanda, the aim is admirably bold: "We want to play the Budokan."

Lofty ambitions, indeed. But unlike many bands in their situation – a relatively new band without a record deal or management agency, doing everything by themselves – Shacalanda actually has a plan for how to get there.

Meet Shacalanda

Shacalanda is a two-piece band featuring vocalist Taneko and guitarist Kazuma Seco. Both members have a long history in Japan's music scene. Taneko has fronted the long-running rock band Wakusei Abnormal. Seco has been in bands such as Owarhythm Benkei. Seco joined Wakusei Abnormal as a support guitarist in 2015. As the two musicians grew closer, they decided to form their own band together, Shacalanda, in August 2019.

"I thought there was something about Taneko that other singers didn't have," says Seco. We were chatting over a video call, as he added, "I had been in many bands over the years, but usually with male vocalists. I found the idea of a female vocalist enticing."

For her part, Taneko was excited to have a male songwriting partner for the first time. The pair decided their new band should take a decidedly different approach from what Taneko had achieved with Wakusei Abnormal.

"Wakusei Abnormal's songs were quite dark, with aggressive lyrics about the duality of women and how women experience the world," says Taneko. "But with Shacalanda, I want to make listeners smile, to make them dance. Also, we put a lot of energy into making our shows fun."

Rock and Electronic 'Veering Into Anime Territory'

As a result, Shacalanda's music is an exciting blend of rock and electronic music that sometimes veers into anime song territory. It has an upbeat festival vibe made all the more intriguing by Taneko's sometimes raw, sometimes icy vocals. From early tracks like 2020's Pinch Hitter to 2022's Netsu and 2023's Shinra Bansho Sontoku Kanjo, their songs still probe darker themes, but with a rousing, elated sound that makes overcoming life's hardships sound like a fun thing to do.

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"At first, we focused on making the band feel very different than Wakusei Abnormal. I wanted Shacalanda to be cooler. And we put a lot of attention into crafting songs and lyrics that had a certain worldview," says Taneko. "But more recently, we've shifted to making songs that are fun to hear live. I write all the lyrics, so I'm sure they have a certain consistent feel, but the songs are as poppy as possible."

This being very much not their first rodeo, the duo decided to draw on lessons they had learned from their past successes. In particular, Taneko's learnings from Wakusei Abnormal's management and label staff, borrowing marketing techniques an independent band might not usually think to try. 

Sharing Their Music

Shacalanda releases its own music on Spotify and other streaming platforms, putting out one song at a time. That is rather than saving them up for an album. It's a modern approach, especially among major artists, that allows them to have a constant trickle of new music. They put music videos on YouTube, short videos on TikTok, announce concerts on X (Twitter), and broadcast live on Instagram. It's a considered approach that leverages the strengths of each platform. 

They keep some songs back to be sold only on physical CDs at their concerts. That encourages fans to come to see them live. They sell T-shirts and other merchandise not only at concerts but also online. And they even recently held a completely free concert, which served both as a way to thank their existing fans and encourage newcomers.

All of this and more adds up to a creative, thoughtful approach to growing their reputation. 

Using Social Media

"We don't have a label or manager or marketing team to help us. So it's up to us to regularly create topics for people to talk about so that people will find interest in what we do," says Seco. He is explaining why Shacalanda works so hard to keep releasing music and social media content.

"I learned a lot from the work Wakusei Abnormal's label and management did to market us. And I figured we should at least do the minimum ourselves," says Taneko. "But it's hard. For example, I had no idea about how to use TikTok. So Seco did a lot of research and came up with ideas to try."

"I've made YouTube content in the past, unrelated to music. So I had some experience with editing videos that helped us to make videos for YouTube and TikTok," says Seco. "On TikTok, we look at what is trending on that platform and try to make videos with our own take on that. For TikTok videos, it doesn't matter if it's just something you've shot on a phone, whereas on YouTube you'd expect something more polished."

Making Videos

Making video content can be extremely time-consuming, of course. Scripting, shooting, and editing a music video requires a ton of creative and technical work. Taneko and Seco explain that making the music video for Pinch Hitter was a creative challenge that matched their skills as artists. Nonetheless, it was a draining process to undertake by themselves.

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"For the video, I wrote the script, we shot it ourselves, and then I edited it," says Taneko. "It was really hard work that I would never do again on my own."

Taneko admits that dealing with social media and other self-marketing techniques can distract her from the songwriting process.

"We're completely distracted all the time," she laughs, adding, "We need to do this stuff when we also want to concentrate on making music or preparing for a concert. And it's hard to do it all. There's never enough time. Or people, or money!"

Borrowing From 'Idol' Culture

Ah yes, money. Over the past couple of decades, the shift to digital downloads and more recently to streaming has made it really, really hard for an up-and-coming band to make money from their recorded music. Streaming in particular pays very little. But bands use it as a loss-leader, to gain fans who may later buy concert tickets or merchandise.

"It's a big problem, but I've recently come to terms with it," says Taneko. She has seen the presence of streaming grow throughout her decade-plus in show business. "A lot of musicians have expressed their concerns over losing a vital revenue stream (from record sales). The only solution is to make our concerts an experience that fans won't want to miss. And to make cool merchandise they'll want to buy, and ways for them to make memories. That's just the era we're in."

One of Shacalanda's solutions is to offer something you'd usually expect to see at a concert by an idol group rather than a rock band: Polaroids. After each show, fans can pay to take a Polaroid photo together with Taneko and Seco. That gives them a unique souvenir to take home after the show.

"It's definitely something we learned from idol culture," says Taneko. "For fans who come again and again to multiple shows, you can't keep selling them CDs and merchandise because they already have them. But they want to take home a souvenir unique to that show. And photos give them a reminder. Our fans look so happy when we take a photo together, so we do it for them."

Opening the Door for New Fans

In February 2024, Shacalanda held a solo concert at the Daisy Bar in Tokyo with completely free entry. Renting a live house in Tokyo can be cripplingly expensive, so bands usually charge for tickets. Entry at Daisy Bar is typically priced at around ¥3,000 JPY (about $20 USD). But by holding a free concert, Shacalanda was able to lower the barrier to entry, encouraging their fans to bring their friends.

"Live houses in Japan can be scary to enter," considers Seco. "They're often underground, and a lot of people find them off-putting. So we hoped to lower the hurdle even a little bit.

"It was a great success for us," says Seco. "There were a lot of people who came to see us for the first time. We'd like to find a way to do that more regularly. But we'll have to think creatively because of the costs involved."

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"We considered putting a donations box on our merchandise stand to help offset the costs of renting the venue," says Taneko. "But we decided it would go against the concept of showing our gratitude. So we decided to bear the costs ourselves."

Solo Show in October

Now, Shacalanda is planning another solo show on October 31 at Club251 in Shimokitawaza, Tokyo. (They're known in Japan as "one-man" concerts because the band performs alone without support.) But as you'd expect, they have a plan for building towards the show to maximize its impact. Ahead of the October show, they will also perform at the same venue in July, August, and September. However, this time they'll perform with a lineup of hand-picked support bands that change each time.

"We want to keep turning up the voltage from show to show. And to get our audience match fit before the one-man concert in October," laughs Taneko. "We'll invite different bands to perform with us each time for the three shows in July, August and September. That includes some popular artists who we haven't played with before. So each event will have its own color, and you can discover great new bands you didn't know before."

She explains that after these warmup shows, the main solo concert in October will be a "special show." Taneko and Seco will be joined by additional band members. While they usually perform live as a three-piece with a drummer, they promise this expanded lineup will bring their songs to life more vividly than ever before.

Joy of Making Music

Shacalanda's artists hope their efforts will eventually land them a record deal. And they also hope to tour overseas someday. But for now, writing great songs and playing for a satisfied and growing audience is reward enough.

"Being able to play live shows regularly and to delight an audience is our main goal," says Taneko. "Eventually we want to play at the Budokan. If we could play at the Budokan, the world would open up for us. So we want to build towards that."

Above all, Shacalanda is a forward-thinking band making really cool music. Taneko's strong charisma and her playful rapport with Seco on stage make them a memorable live act. And their music has soundtracked much of the past four years for me. To find out for yourself, you need only fire up Spotify, or iTunes, YouTube, TikTok, X (Twitter), or Instagram. Or head down to a Tokyo club. 

"We work hard to make music and put on concerts that will bring a smile to your face," says Taneko. She adds, "We have a lot of music on streaming services, and our sound will be familiar to fans of anime theme songs. We're on social media a lot and we always have our DMs open, so why not say hello?"

Catch Shacalanda's Live Peformance

Shacalanda performs at Club251 in Shimokitazawa, Tokyo, on October 31. Warmup shows at the same venue are titled Super Revelry on July 16, August 19, and September 19. To find out more and for links to their music, visit their official homepage at https://shacalanda.wixsite.com/oshaca

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Author: Daniel Robson

Daniel Robson is the chief editor of videogame news site IGN Japan. Read his artist interviews and Gamer's World series on JAPAN Forward, and find him on X (formerly Twitter).

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