is a Japanese

boy band A boy band is loosely defined as a vocal group consisting of young male singers, usually in their teenage years or in their twenties at the time of formation. Generally, boy bands perform love songs marketed towards girls and young women. Ma ...

made up of lead vocalist, Issa Hentona and MCs Ken Okumoto, Yukinari Tamaki and Shinobu Miyara. The band formed as students at

Okinawa Actors School is a school in Ginowan, Okinawa which has another branch in Osaka. It was founded in 1983 by Masayuki Makino who became the first principal of the school. Notable alumni * Namie Amuro * Hitoe Arakaki * Rina Chinen * D&D * Da Pump * Folder 5 * ...

in 1996. They made their debut on the Avex Trax

subsidiary A subsidiary, subsidiary company or daughter company is a company owned or controlled by another company, which is called the parent company or holding company. Two or more subsidiaries that either belong to the same parent company or having a ...

avex tune under the guidance of producer

Akio Togashi , better known by his stage name is a Japanese musician, rapper, singer and record producer with Avex Trax. He graduated from Hokkaido Sapporo Tsukisamu High School and the Hokkaido University of Education. His debut single as m.c.A·T, " ...

on June 11, 1997, with "Feelin' Good - It's Paradise". As one of the few male bands unassociated with

Johnny's Entertainment is a Japanese talent agency, formed by Johnny Kitagawa in 1962, which trains and promotes groups of male entertainers known as . History 1962–1989 In 1962, Kitagawa launched his first group, Johnnys. In its early days, Kitagawa's agency rente ...

, they were the first to gain major popularity reaching their peak in 2001 with the release of ''Da Best of Da Pump''. On April 7, 2006, Shinobu formally left the band following a hiatus due to a drunk driving incident in 2005. The band went on an unofficial hiatus at the end of 2006. On December 18, 2008, it was announced that Yukinari was leaving the band and that Ken and Issa were actively looking for his replacement. Within hours, their management company announced a brand new Da Pump with seven new members and a new concept as a multimedia entertainment group. The band will start their official comeback on July 15, 2009, with the new single, "

Summer Rider is a Japanese boy band made up of lead vocalist, Issa Hentona and MCs Ken Okumoto, Yukinari Tamaki and Shinobu Miyara. The band formed as students at Okinawa Actors School in 1996. They made their debut on the Avex Trax subsidiary avex tune u ...

" and a tour in the fall. It was announced on December 5, 2009, that Ken Okumoto had left Da Pump to pursue a solo career, leaving Issa the only original member left. Da Pump now consists of Issa, Kenzo, Tomo, Kimi, Yori, and U-Yeah. Da Pump made their comeback in May 2018 with the hit single, " U.S.A.", a song originally written by Italian singer Joe Yellow.

Biography

Famed for their ability in both dancing and singing, Da Pump's debut came in 1997, with the song "Feelin Good - It's Paradise" and breaking through with "Rhapsody in Blue" (and using the song as their entry on the "white" team during the 1998

Kōhaku Uta Gassen , more commonly known simply as ''Kōhaku'', is an annual New Year's Eve television special produced by Japanese public broadcaster NHK. It is broadcast live simultaneously on television and radio, nationally and internationally by the NHK net ...

). The band originally came from

but are now part of the Avex Network and are produced by

. Their songs tend to have a quick tempo and often include elements of rap. Da Pump often appears in

TV show A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed bet ...

movie A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

s, and

magazine A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combinatio ...

s throughout Japan. Issa has stated that he is a fan of the long-running

Kamen Rider Series The , also known as ''Masked Rider Series'' (until Decade), is a Japanese superhero media franchise consisting of tokusatsu television programs, films, manga, and anime, created by manga artist Shotaro Ishinomori. ''Kamen Rider'' media generall ...

tokusatsu is a Japanese term for live action film or television drama that makes heavy use of practical special effects. ''Tokusatsu'' entertainment mainly refers to science fiction, war, fantasy, or horror media featuring such technology but is som ...

programs, and has contributed to the soundtracks of ''

Kamen Rider 555 is a Japanese tokusatsu television drama. It is the 13th installment in the Kamen Rider Series. It is a joint collaboration between Ishinomori Productions and Toei, and was broadcast on TV Asahi from January 26, 2003, to January 18, 2004. This se ...

'' with its opening theme "Justiφ's" and its film's theme "Justiφ's -Accel Mix-" as well as the theme for the film '' Kamen Rider: The Next'', "Chosen Soldier". As a band, Da Pump had performed the theme to the film '' Kamen Rider: The First'', "Bright! our Future", and Issa played the role of a Shocker commander in the film. In 2018, he and Japanese singer Shuta Sueyoshi of AAA fame collaborated on the single ''Over "Quartzer"'', the opening theme for the 20th anniversary series of the Kamen Rider franchise,

Kamen Rider Zi-O is a Japanese tokusatsu drama in the Toei Company's ''Kamen Rider'' franchise. It is the twenty-ninth ''Kamen Rider'' series overall as well as the twentieth and final series in the Heisei period. The show premiered on September 2, 2018, follo ...

. Following a

DUI Driving under the influence (DUI)—also called driving while impaired, impaired driving, driving while intoxicated (DWI), drunk driving, operating while intoxicated (OWI), operating under the influence (OUI), operating vehicle under the infl ...

arrest in 2005, Shinobu temporarily suspended all activities from the band. However, on 7 April 2006, he officially announced that he left the group. The remaining members of Da Pump continued with three members. On December 18, 2008, it was announced that Yukinari was leaving the band and that Ken and Issa were actively looking for his replacement. Within hours, their management company announced a brand new Da Pump with seven new members. Ken left the group in 2009. In 2014, the band returned with their first single in three years, "New Position". Then after an absence of four years, Da Pump returned the hit single, " U.S.A.", in 2018. To celebrate Trans Media 19th Anniversary, Da Pump was a special performance (alongside

Super Junior Super Junior (; stylized in all caps), also known as SJ or SuJu, is a South Korean boy band formed by Lee Soo-man, the founder of SM Entertainment in 2005. They are also dubbed by the media as the "King of Hallyu Wave" due to their promine ...

, Johnny's West, and

Eriko Imai is a Japanese pop singer, actress and politician. She made her debut in the early 1990s as part of the group Speed, which disbanded in March 2000. Eriko began her work away from Speed during 1998, performing "Tsumetaku Shinai de", under the st ...

), with their single hits ''Dragon Screamer'', ''Joyfull'' and ''Corazon''. That means

Captain Tsubasa is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yōichi Takahashi. The series mainly revolves around the sport of association football focusing on Tsubasa Oozora and his relationship with his friends, rivalries with ...

was broadcast back on

Trans 7 Trans- is a Latin prefix meaning "across", "beyond", or "on the other side of". Used alone, trans may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Trans (festival), a former festival in Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom * ''Trans'' (fil ...

, since September 2020 (before cartoon ''Treasure Trekkers''). On April 1, 2021, Daichi announced he would be leaving the group by the end of the month due to worsening of his chronic hernia. Later the same day, the Kansai University of Social Welfare posted a music video, in collaboration with DA PUMP, for a song titled "Believe in your dream", co-written by Issa and m.c.A·T.

Members

Current members

* (Born: December 9, 1978) (1996–present) * (Born: January 21, 1985) (2008–present) * (Born: February 2, 1981) (2008–present) * (Born: April 14, 1983) (2008–present) * YORI (Born: February 9, 1980) (2008–present) * (Born: September 17, 1983) (2008–present)

Former members

* (Born: February 15, 1980) (1996-2005) * (Born: November 5, 1978) (1996-2008) * (Born: December 17, 1979) (1996-2009) * (Born: March 6, 1984) (2008–2013) * (Born: December 4, 1988) (2008–2021)

Discography

Studio albums

* 1998: ''Expression'' * 1999: ''Higher and Higher!'' * 2000: ''Beat Ball'' * 2002: ''The Next Exit'' * 2004: ''Shippuu Ranbu -Episode II-'' * 2005: ''Lequios'' * 2022: ''Da Pop Colors''

Other albums

* 2001: ''Da Best of Da Pump'' * 2001: ''Da Best Remix of Da Pump'' * 2003: ''Da Best of Da Pump Japan Tour 2003 Reborn'' * 2006: ''Da Best of Da Pump 2+4''

Notable singles

* 1997: "Feelin' Good -It's Paradise-" * 1999: "We Can't Stop The Music" * 2000: "If..." * 2009: "Summer Rider" * 2014: "New Position" * 2018: " U.S.A." * 2019: "P.A.R.T.Y. ~Universal Festival~"

Solo projects

Issa

Singles

* "Justiφ's" (12 March 2003) - Opening for the series, ''

''. * "Play, This, Satisfy" (23 April 2003) * "Chosen Soldier" (17 October 2007) - Theme for ''

Kamen Rider The Next is a 2007 Japanese tokusatsu superhero film directed by Ryuta Tasaki and written by Toshiki Inoue. The film was released on October 27, 2007. The film borrows elements from the '' Kamen Rider V3'' television series and is a sequel to the '' Kamen ...

'' * "Breathe" (22 September 2010, ISSA × SoulJa) * "4 chords" (9 March 2011, ISSA × SoulJa) * "i hate u" (12 October 2011, ISSA × SoulJa + Rola) * "Over Quartzer" (23 January 2019 ( Shuta Sueyoshi feat. ISSA)) - ''

'' Opening theme * "Dragon Screamer" (18 November 2001, ISSA} First Opening of '' Captain Tsubasa: Road to 2002''

Albums

* ''Extension'' (21 May 2003) * ''ISM'' (29 February 2012, ISSA × SoulJa; with tracks featuring Rola, Next?, Yui Minemura, and Anna Fujita)

Collaborative releases

* MAX / "Emotional History" (14 March 2001) ** "But My Love feat. ISSA" * Album '' Christmas Harmony: Vision Factory Presents'' (21 November 2007) ** "Shiroi Yuki"

Ken

Collaborative releases

* Hiro / ''Naked and True'' (7 August 2002) ** "Crazy feat. Ken" * Viewtiful Joe (

Sotaro , known as , is an American actor and Model (person), model in Japan. He was born in Newport Beach, California. He is best known for his portrayal of Ken Hisatsu/Geki Chopper in the 2007 Super Sentai series ''Juken Sentai Gekiranger''. Biography ...

feat. Ken) (3 July 2003) Theme of Viewtiful Joe ** "Viewtiful World" * ZZ / ''ZZB'' (14 December 2005) ** "Walk into the light feat. Ken" *

Tamaki Nami Tamaki may refer to: New Zealand *Tāmaki, a suburb of Auckland to the west of the Tamaki River *Tāmaki (New Zealand electorate), in Auckland *East Tāmaki, a suburb of Auckland to the east of the Tamaki River * Tamaki River, in Auckland * Tamaki ...

/ ''Don't Stay'' (23 April 2008) ** "Gokigendaze!: Nothing but Something feat. Ken" * m.c.A.T / ''Bomb a Head'' (21 November 1993) Theme of Tenjho Tenge

References

External links

DA PUMP , Facebook

Da Pump official site

Orion, Da Pump personal site

Da Pump blog
{{Authority control Japanese idol groups Avex Group artists Japanese hip hop groups Japanese pop music groups Musical groups from Okinawa Prefecture Japanese boy bands