Da-iCE

Da-iCE, a five-member Japanese male vocal and idol dance group formed in 2011, features two singers and three dancers. ∙ Pronounced “dice,” Da-iCE’s name was inspired by the idea of the members as five sides of a die, with their fans as the sixth, while the “a-i” in the middle refers to the Japanese word for “love.” ∙ Singers Sota Hanamura and Yudai Ohno both have a four-octave vocal range, like Whitney Houston and System of a Down’s Serj Tankian. ∙ Da-iCE’s 2020 single “DREAMIN’ ON” became the new theme for hit anime series One Piece, a show that singer Sota Hanamura had been a fan of since it began airing in 1999. ∙ Frontman Taiki Kudo has a solo career as “claquepot,” a shadowy figure who hides his face in videos and live performances, and whom Kudo calls his “twin brother.” ∙ Beginning with 2014’s “Shout It Out,” Da-iCE racked up 16 consecutive Top 10 hit singles in Japan, and the group has also scored 5 straight Top 10 albums. ∙ Fulfilling a longtime dream, Da-iCE closed their tour supporting their sophomore album, Every Season, with a concert at Tokyo’s legendary Nippon Budokan arena in 2017. ∙ In 2020, Hanamura was cast in the starring role of Mark Cohen in a Japanese production of the Broadway hit Rent.