Radically different from other clean-cut goody boy groups, Da Pump began to win over a big share of the high school crowd in Japan with their combination of bad boy looks and energetic, synchronised dance moves. Their wild behaviour and energetic dancing during their promotional performances drove teenage girls crazy. Suddenly, Da Pump was a phenomenal success in Japan.
heading to the top
Invitations to appear in television commercials also started flooding in. Soon, Da Pump's unique brand of R&B, Hip Hop tunes invaded Japan's youth haunts from back lanes to cafes and dance clubs.
The icing on the cake came at the end of 1998, when Da Pump was selected for the prestigious Annual Red & White Music Festival, which honours the most popular artistes of the year. Da Pump joined schoolmates SPEED, MAX and Namie Amuro on stage for their first gig event on national TV.
Da Pump's popularity was such that other established groups started to become jealous of their success. The bitterness erupted when these groups refused to share the stage with Da Pump in any variety show performance. However, this did not stop Da Pump; for the group had already established their own Da Pump fanbase.
expanding horizons
Da Pump's "Expressions" concert staged earlier this year was a complete sell-out even before tickets were on sale. Pre-sale bookings and reservations were so strong that a second spree of concerts was planned immediately for August 1999. Appropriately titled "Higher and Higher", the concerts were again a sell-out. At the same time, Da Pump's second album of the same title took the Top 3 spot on Japan's National Albums Chart. To date, Da Pump has scored an amazing eight consecutive Top 10 singles from their two albums.
As for their record sales in Singapore, although the official figures have not been released, James Kang, Marketing and Promotion Manager of Music Street which markets several J-Pop groups including Da Pump, told us that sales of the latest album has been very encouraging for a boyband, since traditionally it's the girl-groups that rule the charts.
Da Pump's success also brought its lead vocalist Issa into the limelight. He was specially hand-picked by a major movie company in Japan for a lead role in one of this year's most anticipated movies "Dream Maker". SPEED's Takako Uehara also stars in this movie soon to be released in Japan. There has also been news that Issa will be starring in more movies in the future. Although currently there are no plans to bring Da Pump to Singapore, let's keep our fingers crossed that they head over to our shores soon!
BY TEENAGE NOVEMBER 1999
Da Pump's subsequent singles "Love Is The Final Liberty", "Stay Together", "Nothing But Something" and "Rhapsody in Blue" all smashed into the Top 10. Their first album "Expression" was in the Top 5 in the first week of release, and sold close to a million copies. Impressive for a debut album. Da Pump also became the first boyband to host their own television variety series. Beside showcasing their own talent, Da Pump also invites other artistes to perform on their show.
Sister group SPEED pushed Da Pump to the front line this year by roping the boys in for their first foray into moviedom. The movie "Andromedia", starring the two hottest groups of the moment expectedly broke all box-office records in Japan. The soundtrack of "Andromedia" also contained Da Pump's first hit "Feelin' Good ~ It's Paradise".
