hara
chan
A Norwegian guy making Japanese city pop from a tiny studio in Oslo — and now, Tokyo.
Born in Oslo.
Named in Tokyo.
Harachan is the artist name of Harald Furuholmen — Norwegian writer, director, and musician, currently based in Tokyo. The name was handed to him on his first trip to Japan by a group of drunk salarymen who couldn't get their tongues around "Harald Furuholmen." It stuck.
Self-taught in Japanese, Harald makes city pop that sounds like it was pressed to wax in 1983 Yokohama — warm, synth-soaked grooves with personal Japanese lyrics built for late nights and open train windows. He writes, performs, and directs everything himself.
His debut EP Paradise, produced with Oslo-based producer Magnus Bechmann Hansen, arrived in August 2025 on Brown Cheese Records. It quietly blew up — racking up nearly 200,000 streams in just 90 days, a music video that hit 383K views with 34K likes and close to 2,000 comments, and an audience that keeps growing.
Paradise EP
Four tracks. Japanese lyrics. Written and recorded in Oslo, made for Tokyo. Paradise is a synth-soaked postcard from another time — classic city pop grooves with the kind of forward momentum you only get when someone falls genuinely in love with a genre and decides to live inside it.
Produced and mixed by Magnus Bechmann Hansen. Mastered by Fredrik Eliassen. Released August 2, 2025 on Brown Cheese Records.
The limited-edition vinyl — ocean blue see-through, 10", with an Obi strip, pressed in an edition of just 300 — is available via Diggers Factory.
- Yokohama01
- Paradise02
- Kimiko (君子)03
- Yamashita (山下)04
Going to Japan
A new single and music video — coming soon. An ironic twist on the familiar fantasy: the idea that everything will be better once you get to Japan. Featuring a cast of Japan-focused creators with a combined following of over 8 million.
The numbers.
The "Paradise" music video has crossed 383K views with extraordinary engagement — 34,000 likes and nearly 2,000 comments. Streams are accelerating, with over 200,000 in the last 90 days alone.
The new video features eight Japan-focused creators with a combined audience of over 8.4 million followers — all appearing organically, not as paid placements.
All music videos written, directed, and produced by Harachan — no label, no production company. Just a Norwegian guy with a camera and a very specific aesthetic vision.
In the conversation.
Let's talk.
- Website haraldfuruholmen.com
- Spotify harachan on Spotify
- Apple Music harachan on Apple Music
- Bandcamp harachan.bandcamp.com
- Vinyl Paradise — Diggers Factory
- Instagram @haraldfuruholmen