An Introduction to Da-iCE | Group of the Month December 2018

Hey there, idol fans! I can't believe it's December already. Or Da-iCEmber as we're calling it here on DIG (I'm sorry, haha). That's right, our featured group this month is Da-iCE! Click here to see last month's group, ANTIME and be sure to subscribe to the Dansei Idol Girl newsletter to be ready for the first newsletter and Group of the Month of 2019. But anyway, let's get to getting to know Da-iCE (that was kind of a weird sentence)!


Da-iCE (pronounced 'dice') is a 5-member Jpop boy group under Avex made up of two vocalists and three dancers  (called 'performers'). They made their indie debut in 2012 with the self-titled mini album "Da-iCE". Their major debut though, was in 2014 with the single "Shout It Out". The idea behind the group's name is that each of the five members represent five sides of a dice, and the sixth side is represented by their fans.

The 'a-i' in their name ('ai' meaning 'love' in Japanese) is written in lowercase to represent the love from their fans, and fans of the group are known as a-i. They are a very well-loved group among overseas fans (and Kpop fans too), probably due to their modern-sounding songs, impressive vocal range and dance skills, and their accessibility and eagerness to gain fans outside of Japan. Their songs are available on iTunes and Spotify, and in 2016 they even performed live at an anime convention in the US.


The music video for "Hush Hush", the group's third major single.


Members


Wada Hayate


Position: Performer

Date of Birth: 1994.02.03

Hometown: Gunma Prefecture
  • The baby of the group.
  • Despite being the youngest he's the most experienced dancer.
  • Known for being very quiet and shy.



Hanamura Souta


Position: Vocalist

Date of Birth: 1990.08.15

Hometown: Hyogo Prefecture
  • Probably the member that gets bullied by the others the most.
  • Known for his high yet powerful voice.
  • Is nicknamed Murata but hates it, he prefers the nickname HanaSou (but no-one actually calls him that).



Ohno Yudai


Position: Vocalist

Date of Birth: 1989.04.01

Hometown: Aichi Prefecture
  • He was the one who came up with the group's name and the idea behind it.
  • He was previously a member of an acapella group called Fukkin Gakuen.
  • He's also an actor and acted alongside fellow member Hayate in the drama "Asuko March".
(Fun extra: I find it kind of amusing that his name sounds like "oh no you die" in English)





Kudo Taiki


Position: Performer

Date of Birth: 1987.06.28

Hometown: Hokkaido
  • The leader of the group.
  • Nicknamed Taikimen (Taiki + ikemen) because of how handsome he is.
  • A fanboy of idol groups such as Nogizaka46.



Iwaoka Toru


Position: Performer

Date of Birth: 1987.06.06

Hometown: Chiba Prefecture
  • The oldest member of the group.
  • He speaks the most English among the members.
  • "My name is Toru but I am not tall."




Check out the music video for Da-iCE's most recent single, "Kumo wo Nuketa Aozora" (released 2018.11.21) below!


Official Links:

Website
YouTube
Twitter
Facebook
Instagram


Da-iCE was one of the very first non-Johnny's Jpop boy groups I ever discovered. I remember I was randomly scrolling on JpopAsia one day when I came across their music video for "WATCH OUT" and I fell in love with it instantly. The song was catchy as heck and as soon as I found out it was on iTunes I bought it straight away. Da-iCE are a great group to get into if you're just getting started with Jpop boy groups; their songs are always infectious, their vocals and dancing are to a high standard, and they're also very open to their non-Japanese fanbase, making them quite accessible for new fans.

What do you think of Da-iCE? Let me know in the comments!





Sources:
Da-iCE's official website
Da-iCE Wikipedia page
ai-da-ice
JpopAsia

2 comments:

  1. i love da-ice!! im glad its not only me who thought oh no you die lmao and he was born on April fool what an amusing coincidence

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I didn't notice that he was born on April Fool's Day but you're right, that's funny lmao

      Thanks for your comment ^^

      Delete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...