Never Over the Boyband Fever
Click to viewSo hi there, 90's. And well, I finally have reason to blog in the fangirliest way I can. *Points up* they're my new Avex obsession and by new, they are 'very, fairly, *pristine*' new. Da-iCE. They're not a Kpop band, they just seem like it music-wise and well, dance-wise but the kind of sound they make has been around Jpop for ages (see W-inds., Flame, Lead, Daichi Miura, Matsushita Yuya et al for reference---maybe even the older groups like Globe among others). It's invalidated if you say this group steals from Kpop when in fact, Kpop is influenced by this kind of sound along with that of the Western world's kind of r&b-pop sound. And apart from Dae Guk Nam Ah/TheBOSS/Daigoku Danji, yes, I'm not going to venture in Kpop, ever. I'm the typical case of that one who got into Jpop, Jrock and Jindies and never got out of it enough to explore Kpop and other Asian pop music other than some of my own (OPM), western pop and Japan's.
Anyway, yes, Da-iCE (pronounced 'daisu' like 'dice' in Japanese)...they started their activities last year as themselves, 2011. They only have performance videos on Avex's channel at the moment but they have merchandise (no singles yet nor a mini-album/EP) in their Mumo page. Now, why do I like them? They have a cooler sound compared to Dream 5, that's one. They're all boys?! Well, I am a girl so... They dance really good---typical of a Jboyband hence they give me a lot of young W-inds. feelings (W-inds, when they were younger, were somewhat like this). They have really cool-voiced vocalists, I can't wait when they release stuff they record---Hanamura Sota is my favorite vocalist and dancer (guy in red pants, yes, the one and only). But the 'favorite' dancer part is something is something he shares with Kudo Taiki (that baby with the dotted white and red shirt inside his black blazer/jacket, who looks eerily like Watanabe Shu from Amuse) and even Wada Hayate (that one who's wearing a white shirt inside his black blazer/jacket with sparkly silver lining) a.k.a. Da-iCE's baby boy. And they have the rhythm and blues, bluesy pop sound. In summary, they have the cool package going on and I can't hold myself on that kind of image. Cool is just...my weakness. Oh and Ohno Yudai/Udai and Kudo Taiki are just my age. :D 1987 babies :)
Their activities? They're sharing opening act slots with the younger Dream 5 in AAA's 777 tour which, I think, hasn't finished yet. AAA's 777 tour is just halfway at the moment? I'm not sure. They also open for AAA et. al at the A-Nation Music and Fes weeks. That's 2 weeks of A-Nation. They perform in smaller venues yet and open perhaps for other Jartists so if you want to know more of their activities, it would be better to head to their ameblo. Here's me, baiting: head to their youtube playlist on the Avex channel if you've just become as much a fan of them as I currently am.
Hmn...apparently four of them had said on their profile pages translated at the Da-iCE LJ community I joined recently that they're into songwriting. If they really are, then they just boosted themselves up 20x more than AAA and a few others have in my book. I really like those who don't just sing and dance but songwrite as well.
Da-iCE's been the current cause for my inability to read anything related to my troublesome English Literature MA subjects...wait...I'll get there. Just lemme finish watching and re-watching the video above because it's my current, well, obsession. Thank you, Da-iCE, for rendering me unproductive for a couple of days now. Now I wish I could go to AAA's concerts and A-nation just to watch these guys, Dream 5 and of course, AAA. I think it's easy to mistake this group as one from Vision Factory since a ton of such groups with the R&B sound are there but really, Avex already has Jamosa and a few others with the similar sound Da-iCE makes. They're not the only R&B-tinged group Avex has at the moment.
Reminds me...I nearly forgot this one. A day late Happy Birthday to my pristine new bias/baby, Hanamura Sota!!!! :D
(photo source: heiseiraidaa at tumblr)
This cute Da-iCE baby boy just turned 22 yesterday :) Apparently, he had cake and ate it in celebration of his 22nd year from this blog entry.
So, I've blabbed quite a ton about Da-iCE...time for me to go back to re-watching Five in their youtube channel then read or at least get ready for the day. Still annoyed I can't somehow get that Chinua Achebe essay I need to get online. I'm out. :)
kg*
PS
Yes, you can consider this a lengthy Da-iCE pimp post. It's really just a primer on the group but whatever.