Haruhi Kobayashi

Artist in Residence2024

Dec 18

she/her

Haruhi Koboyashi | Artist in Residence 2024 | Photo Credit: Maxwell-Thomas

Haruhi Kobayashi is fascinated by the malleability of the medium of sound and its ability to evoke diverse perceptions and sensations.

Originally a J-pop singer-songwriter, she now explores the themes of identity, tradition, love, fear and humanity while seeking to liberate sound from its fixed meanings. Her work is an intersection of experimental pop, classical composition and avant-garde songwriting through voice, bass, and electronics.

She invites audiences to engage with both familiar and unexpected sonic textures.

Artist Haruhi Kobayashi, sporting bright pink hair and wearing a patchwork top, sings into a microphone while adjusting a knob on a mixer with her right hand. Behind her is a projection with historical footage of a fire truck in a parade. — Haruhi Kobayashi performing at the premiere of Solar Eulogy, 2024 | Photo by Ry Thiel

The Fellowship Project

Through Monolid Eyes (pending title) is Haruhi Kobayashi’s debut solo album, departing from her J-pop singer-songwriter roots. Released by the Chicago-based label Monastral, the album represents a culmination of her evolving sonic practice, blending elements of experimental pop, electronic music, classical composition, and avant-garde songwriting. The work delves into emotional and sonic complexities, exploring themes of nature versus the human-made, love, fear, humanity, and tradition.

Rooted in her deep connection to tradition and a neo-electronic landscape, Through Monolid Eyes is also profoundly shaped by her hometown of Tokyo—its vibrant, hyper-electric energy contrasting with the raw, unprocessed sounds of vocals, bass, and taiko drums. The album unfolds through a narrative of discovery, touching on the emotional highs and lows of new loves and new fears.

Artist Haruhi Kobayashi is outdoors at a table filled with electronics and cords (laptops, mixers, microphones, etc.). She is adjusting dials with both of her hands. Behind her is a wooden fence supporting vines and other greenery. — Dance Sound Sound Dance, 2024 | Photo by Isaac Yuquan Duan

For her 2025 fellowship project, she will develop a live reimagining of this album as a theatrical concert experience. Through collaboration with movers and dancers to enhance stage presence, lighting designers to transform the atmosphere of each scene, and other musicians—such as vocalists and drummers— the album's energy will be brought to life.

By focusing on the intersection of performance and sonic experimentation, this project will showcase the trajectory of her artistic practice, resulting in a performance that is both intellectually engaging and emotionally resonant while opening her work to a wider audience.

December 13th 2022, Empty Bottle, Chicago IL | Performance with (left to right) Maxwell-Thomas, Haruhi Kobayashi, Steven Hess, & Kiku Hibino | Photo by Gift

The Initial Project

HCL also supported Haruhi Kobayashi in the development of Sonic Playground, an evolving multi-channel sonic sculptural artwork. Haruhi’s explorations revolved around the pursuit of acoustically intricate sonic sculptural forms, enriched by collaboration and cultural diversity. Through extensive experimentation, she probed the acoustic properties of spaces to find balance between content and environment. By removing the body from the voice, Sonic Playground allows the listener to move through space to connect with each voice individually and as part of an ensemble. Through incorporating voices that embody various cultures and backgrounds, the personal memories and connotations one is feeling from the content is accentuated.

Over the course of 2024, Haruhi’s work shifted from sound art installation to electronic performance, and the HCL residency supported the research and development of her evolving practice as she explored the liminal space in between sound art installation and electronic performance.

Sonic Playground IV (2023) | Performed July 14th, 2023 at Elastic Arts.

About the Artist

Haruhi Kobayashi is a Chicago-based sound artist and vocal performer from Tokyo. Originally a J-pop singer-songwriter, she now explores the themes of identity, tradition, love, fear and humanity while seeking to liberate sound from its fixed meanings. Her work is an intersection of experimental pop, classical composition and avant-garde songwriting through voice, bass, and electronics. She has received an AA in Music Production from the Los Angeles College of Music and a BFA in Fine Art from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and is currently in residence with High Concept Labs.

For more information, visit haruhikobayashi.com