I could only stare dumbfounded at the screen as I read the news. I simply couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t believe that (1) it has actually happened, and (2) that I didn’t know about it. How could I not know that one of my favourite J-Pop groups, Speed, has returned to the music industry?

Ok, let me just give a brief intro to those who don’t know who I’m talking about.

Speed is an all-girl Japanese singing group, which consists of 2 lead singers, Imai  Eriko and Shimabukuro Hiroko, and 2 back-up singers/dancers, Uehara Takako and Arakaki Hitoe. The girls debuted back in 1996 after attending Okinawa Actors School, singing J-pop, J-hip hop, R&B and  dance music, and is one of the biggest selling female group in Japan. After putting out 3 albums  (plus 3 compilation albums) with 11 singles, Speed disbanded in 2000.

However, in 2001, the girls grouped for a short reunion, holding a one night outdoor concert for an earthquake charity where they sang a new song, One More Dream. They held another concert in 2003, this time for the charity ‘Save the Children’ to raise money for poor children around Asia. Throughout their two reunions, the group came out with 3 singles, 1 album and 2 live concert albums.

And now, they have reunited again!!! And I didn’t know!!! Oh, what a lousy fan I am. I only noticed that they came out with a maxi single, Ashita no Sora (Ashita No Sora CD and  Ashita No Sora CD+DVD versions), when I was browsing Amazon.com for their Save the Children concert DVD, which I still can’t find in Malaysia. The maxi single has 3 songs, Ashita no Sora (translated Sky of Tomorrow), Something New and White Love〜STEADY〜Body&Soul 2008, and also includes the instrumental version of each song. The DVD has the music video of Ashita no Sora as well as an Off Shot video. While I’m all delighted and excited, what I’m truly feeling is sadness…..sadness because nobody seems to be selling the maxi single in Malaysia, and it came out way back in November 2008!!!

I can’t believe it’s been more than a decade since I first heard of them. I mean, they don’t look like they’ve even aged much.

They have matured in other ways though. After disbanding, Arakaki Hitoe (the oldest of the 4, born April 7 1981) has gone to New York’s art school and is an accomplished artist with her graffiti-style paintings, having published an art book called Vibe Art, holding private art exhibitions and having her work featured on American hip hop album covers. Uehara Takako (second oldest, born January 14 1983), however, still stayed in the music industry, releasing 2 albums (First Wing in 2000 and Pupa in 2003), but extended her skills into acting in TV dramas and movies.

Imai Eriko (born September 22, 1983) also stayed in the music industry, at first as Eriko with Crunch, then as solo artist Imai Eriko and finally as elly. Like Takako, Eriko was also busy dabbling in acting but not busy enough to get married in 2004, giving birth to her son, Raimu. Sadly, Eriko divorced from her husband, 175R vocalist Shogo, in 2007. The youngest of the group, Shimabukuro Hiroko (born April 7 1984) remained one of the most popular member after Speed’s disband, having released 2 albums as a solo artist and 1 English jazz album as Coco d’Or with altogether 14 singles under her belt. She is, perhaps, the only one to totally focus on a music career.

I’m still upset that I can’t find Speed’s new maxi single. My last resort had been to download from the Internet (which I have) and to watch their video on YouTube (which I have) but it’s still not enough!!! Sigh, looks like I have to resort to ordering from Amazon.com again. If you like J-pop music, you really should give Speed a try (not the drug, the Japanese group). In my honest opinion, they are one of the top female groups in Japan, even better than MAX, and I’m HAPPY that they’re back, hopefully to stay for a long time.