[article] They're a hit in Sweden

[nmskalmn]

THEY drew the loudest screams at the recent Golden Melody Awards held in Taipei and attracted more than 1,000 fans to their fan meeting.

Say konnichiwa (hello) to the members of Japan's next big boy group - Tegomasu.

Tegomasu was formed by two members of the boy band News during the group's six-month suspension last year due to an underage drinking saga.

Yuya Tegoshi, 20, and Takahisa Masuda, 21, came together in November last year to release their first English single Miso Soup in Sweden.

They were an instant hit, judging by the passionate response from fans and the massive media coverage during their five-day promotional trip in Sweden.

Perhaps it helped that they were the first J-pop act to debut in Sweden first - the result of a shrewd marketing decision by their management agency Johnny's Entertainment.

Apparently, the company has been working with Swedish composers since 2003, and the biggest hit song produced so far is the 2005 chart-topping single Seishun Amigo, by Tomohisa Yamashita and Kazuya Kamenashi.

Tegomasu's Miso Soup has turned out to be another No 1 hit on the Oricon charts, after the Japanese version was released in Japan in December.

News made a comeback to the J-pop scene in the same month, but Tegomasu continued to operate as a separate unit.

In Taipei, Yuya and Takahisa serenaded fans during an outdoor gathering at Hsimenting on 17Jun.

They also announced that they would return together with the other four members of News to stage two concerts at the Taipei Arena on 6-7 Oct.

http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/show/st...134223,00.html