Happy! Project Transformation to SHEawase

Happy! Project is a Japanese pop girl group based in Texas that was formed in 2006 by Melissa and Kristy. The group started off performing dance covers and eventually singing live to songs primarily by the groups under Hello! Project, a Japanese umbrella group that houses artists such as Berryz Koubou, Morning Musume, C-ute, S/mileage, and Mano Erina. Happy! Project has performed at various conventions around the United States and hosted their first full length concert in 2010.

The girls recorded their own original songs with Black Lamp Media in the summer of 2011 for their first original single entitled "Muju Ryoku Boy, Ranhansha Girl." The single was produced by Dano Black and the girls are already working on recording their second single. The first single is in the process of being released. 

In the video above, Happy! Project performs a cover of Berryz Koubou's song "Tomodachi wa Tomodachi Nanda" at an anime convention in the middle of 2011. This is a dance cover of the song and, even though there is no singing in this video, the girls are very energetic in their performance. The moves are in sync and Happy! Project is very expressive in their execution of the dance onstage. Their moves are very concise and well rehearsed.

On May 26, 2012, Happy! Project members Kristy, Melissa, Morgan, and Tara announced that the group would be undergoing a name change. With the release of their debut single, Happy! Project wants to "become their own artist and break into their own image." This move is to help the group market themselves both in Japan and the United States to stand apart from the competition and forge their own way as an original singing group. Happy! Project will now be known as SHEawase with Shiawase meaning happiness in Japanese and the spelling of she in the name to mean girls. Awase means together so the complete meaning of the name captures the goal of the group to have girls coming together making music and spreading their own message to both Japan and the United States through song.

There are many exciting possibilities for SHEawase in the future by marketing in both the United States and Japan. Their passion for music and bubbly personalities gives them a great advantage in gaining a foothold in Japan. I wish them great success in the future and I will be sure to listen to their single when it is released.

Below is the links to the group's new website, Twitter, and YouTube channel. Be sure to check out their YouTube channel for a preview of their music video for their debut single and don't forget to subscribe as well! I have also listed their P. O. Box as well as another way to contact this very energetic and happy pop group.

Website

Twitter

YouTube

P. O. Box 950704

Oklahoma City, OK 73195

USA

Victoria @ Vegas Desert Challenge 2012

Victoria competed in the Vegas Desert Challenge, a ballroom competition held in Las Vegas, on April 27-29, 2012. Victoria placed in several of the categories with her dance partner in the Newcomer division:

- First in Mambo
- Second in Samba
- Third in Rumba
- Third in Swing
- Third in Merengue
- Fourth in Foxtrot
- Fourth in Cha Cha
- Fifth in Tango
- Seventh in Waltz

This was her second ballroom competition and Victoria will do more competitions in the fall. Victoria took Ballroom II during her spring semester and will be continuing to the third level in the fall as well. She is looking for a new competition partner since her current dance partner will not be continuing in the fall.

This video filmed by Victoria's friend is a compilation of Cha Cha, Rumba, and Swing that Victoria competed with. Other dances were not video taped. You can see more pictures of the ballroom competition  in our photo album, Victorian Endeavors.

Dez-Air - Shy Boy Single Release

Title: Shy Boy
Release Type: 4th Single
Group: Dez-Air
Singers: April, Destiny, & Victoria
Release date: April 20, 2012
Mixer: Victoria
Cover Art By: Suki-chan

Tracklist:
01. Shy Boy - April, Destiny, & Victoria
02. So Hot - April, Destiny, & Victoria

Lyrics: DOC Version // HTML Version

Dez-Air has expanded in performing at local venues for an anime convention, retirement home, The Lyceum, and school events. A majority of the performances have featured all three members of the group with a mix of new and old songs. This single goes back to covering Secret and Wonder Girls with an exploration of both an innocent sound in the first track and a sassy approach to So Hot. Recently, Dez-Air was featured in a short film collaboration between Destiny and Brittani entitled Sub-Reality. This project was a major focus for the group from January to May with the Taiyou Con and Lyceum performance in between this period.

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2012 has brought back Dez-Air into the release scene with our fourth single. There will be no music videos for this single due to the group's involvement in the short film project which should be uploaded on Brittani's vimeo account or the Dez-Air channel in mid to late May. Vocals for the first song began in early 2011 and were completed in mid 2011. So Hot was recorded and edited within a day in 2011. Check back at our YouTube channel for new uploads and be on the lookout for our summer music video as well! You do not want to miss that!

April covers "Safe and Sound" by Taylor Swift

"Safe and Sound" Cover by April


April covered Safe and Sound by Taylor Swift recently. Please give this a listen.

Victoria on the Set of Sub-Reality

Victoria talks behind the scenes of "Sub-Reality" about her role in the film and what you can expect from the final product in May on our YouTube channel. What do you think the short film will be about?

Destiny and Brittani's Sub-Reality Trailer

Sub-Reality Trailer

Preview of Destiny’s project for her the completion of her Bachelors degree in collaboration with Brittani, video editor of 2 Different Tears and Oh Honey! Their showcase is April 19, 2012 @ 6:00 PM and Dez-Air members: April and Victoria are featured in the video. Victoria also plays the role of Alleah’s dancer self during some scenes of the video. Destiny is Alleah, the major character that explores the realms of dreams and discovers that she has control over her own destiny. The project is entitled “Sub-Reality” and it will be uploaded onto either the Dez-Air channel or a related account and posted on this blog toward the end of May.

Victoria's First Ballroom Competition

My first ballroom competition!! It was so much fun!! My partner and I placed third in American Bronze Tango! Not too shabby for my first comp ;) All together we competed in American in both Bronze and Silver Waltz, Foxtrot, Tango, and East Coast Swing. I was so incredibly nervous when we first went out on the floor but after a little bit I finally loosened up and started having a lot of fun with it! The only down side to the day was the insane amount fo band-aids I had to wear over my blisters (I just got my shoes on Tuesday so I’m in the painful process of breaking them in), by the end of the day I had five large band-aids plastered all over my heels. Yeah, it got pretty hard to walk around like a normal person after a while :P But all around it was an amazing experience and I can’t wait for the next comp!

Tons of love!

~ Victoria <3