Sweet Vacation

Sweet Vacation are a J-pop duo that play catchy dance music with elements of new wave and rave. It may not be entirely correct to call them a Japanese group, since one half of the unit -- the vocalist May (Sitapa Attaburanon) -- comes from Thailand, and the band itself got its start thanks to internet distribution and aims at the Asian market in general, but Japan remains their home base. May had been trying to enter the Thai "talent" scene since 2003, and in 2006 she met Daichi Hayagawa, a graduate of Tokyo University and a music producer who traveled to Thailand in the middle of his search for a singer for his project. Things clicked, and in 2007 they began to collaborate as Sweet Vacation, debuting with some songs on MySpace, on which they made the house chart. Their tunes also proved hits with other digital retailers. They still released two Japanese EPs as an indie band, but in 2008 they were picked by Victor, debuting with the EP I Miss You and the single "Sayonara My Days." They also released "Kira Kira Pop!!" in Taiwan, Thailand, and Korea. Sweet Vacation's first full-length Pop Save the World!! came in 2009, again available not just in Japan, but in Thailand, Taiwan, Korea, and digitally as well. The same year, May debuted as a fashion model and won a scholarship at the prestigious Waseda University, all without quitting the band. ~ Alexey Eremenko