Concept – Sea*A in a nutshell
SeaA is a now-defunct a Singaporean-Malaysian Japanese idol group under the label Lantis Records and managing agency Horipro, comprising of Chinese Singaporeans Beryl Teo, Valerie Tang, Estelle Lim and Malaysian-Chinese Wynnie Teoh. They specialize in exclusively singing songs in English, Chinese and Japanese for use in anime and covers of existing anime songs, which are performed mainly at anime events such as Anime Festival Asia (AFA) in Southeast Asia and in Animax’s live performances and programming. Throughout their two-year tenure from May 2011 to June 2013, a total of 4 music videos, a mini-album and a full album were released.
The girls common interests, besides anime and Japanese entertainment and subculture, include fashion, online and console gaming, lifestyle and domestic pets, and these were shared with fans on their Facebook and twitter pages during their tenure, and they continue to be immersed in the said subject matter. Afte their disbandment, Valerie continues a solo career under the same record label while Wynnie and Estelle run lifestyle blogs and vlogs for their existing and new fans.
Read their biography below to find out more about their two year journey!
Biography
Early Life: The girls’ foray into the anime scene
Having grown up immersed in the fandom of many hit anime series of the 90s and the early 2000s such as Pokemon, Gundam Seed Destiny, Cardcaptor Sakura and Magic Knight Rayearth to name a few, the four members of Sea*A –Beryl, Valerie, Estelle and Wynnie–have already been avid anime fans since young. Apart from immersing themselves in anime, manga and video game culture, the girls also participated in anime conventions as staff. It was from there that they garnered generous doses of attention leading up to their selection as members for Sea*A.
During Anime Festival Asia (AFA) 2009, Beryl and Estelle were part of the maids of the Moe Moe Kyun (MMK) Maid Café, a meido café that eventually engraved itself as a mainstay in this annual high-profile anime and Japanese-entertainment-cum-subculture event. Back then, Beryl and Estelle served as maids under stage names Hitomi and Tomomi respectively, along with 6 other maids. Here is their maid profiles used to describe themselves back then.
Tomomi Meido Profile
Hitomi Meido Profile
As maid café maids, the maids served, interacted with and performed for the guests enthusiastically. The maid café girls were remembered rather prominently by regular attendees of AFA, and the fame and attention they received eventually propelled them to other achievements. For instance, ardent followers of the Singapore blog-sphere would undoubtedly be familiar with My Fat Pocket blogger Miyake Ng, who actually had a prior stint at the MMK café.
The MMK grew in manpower, concept and size in the following year, with Valerie (under maid name Miyu) and Wynnie (under maid name Moe) joining in the bevy of maids.
Apart for MMK, Estelle was also part of a trio created by SOZO by the name of MYnT which stood for the aforementioned Miyake, Yoshimi and Tomomi (left-to-right in the photo below). The group’s focus was performing covers of songs from Japanese anime.
MYnT
Wynnie, on the other hand, used to be a fervent cosplayer, garnering decent popularity in Malaysia prior to her stint at MMK, under the stage name Sakana Sashimi, having donned costumes for Vocaloid Hatsune Miku and Azuki Azusa, among many other characters.
Wynnie (Sakana Sashimi) as Hatsune Miku
2010: Scouted,and going under May’n’s wing
The journey for Sea*A started when Beryl, Valerie, Wynnie and Estelle were spotted by anisong artiste May’n ‘s manager during AFA 2010, who decided to take them on as a four-member unit specializing in the performing of original anime songs and covers of existing anime songs. Bearing this premise in mind, the girls would be trained for their debut with May’n as their “sempai” or mentor. Here is a video depicting their training and practice leading up to the release of their first single.
2011: Their unveiling and first performances
Audiences were given a sneak peek to Sea*A when they served as the opening act for the “May’n Asia Tour 2011: United!”, performing their would-be first single Dream Shooter, as depicted in this fan recording of the event.
http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMjY3OTA3MjYw.html
Sea*A was officially unveiled on the 24th May 2011 and their first single, Dream Shooter released on 22nd July 2011. An official website and blog, complemented with individual Twitter accounts for each member and a Facebook page was set up to promote the new starlets.
A pattern was set – each CD single from then on will include a music video and another single. Their debut single was used as the 3rd ending theme of the trading-card-game-based anime Cardfight!! Vanguard, which the girls would subsequently sing more songs for as a familiar voice a la JAM Project and Natsuko Aso.
The lyrics of Dream Shooter, up to the first chorus, was subsequently translated into and sung in English to be used as the sole ending of the 1st season of the English-dubbed Cardfight!! Vanguard.
Their next MV, Deli Deli Delicious, the ending theme of the anime series, Toriko, was released on 23rd November. This MV boasts an upbeat tempo and theme reminiscent of the gameplay and interface of Super Mario, Final Fantasy and Patapon Adventure.
Deli-Deli-Delicious was subsequently performed at the Animax Musix Fall 2011, an Anisong concert broadcast on Animax. Sea*A would return in the 2012 iteration of the Animax Musix Japan and Animax Musix Taiwan.
2012: Continued MV churnouts and hunt for the new member
Moving on, 2012 saw the release of 2 new Music Videos – with a change in style. As opposed to Dream Shooter and Deli Deli Delicious, the next two MVs were shot in an outdoor environment.
The first, Friendship Birthday – Arashi No Yoru Ni (Friendship Birthday – One Stormy Night) was released on 23 May 2012 in three languages ssimultaneously– English, Japanese and Chinese. The MV was shot on the streets of the girls’ home country, Singapore and was used in Arashi No Yoru Ni: Himitsu no Tomodatchi/One Stormy Night.
In June 2012, their talent agency Horipro organized a talent search for aspiring female anisong idols to join the original four members of Sea*A, and that the successful member(s) will be unveiled at the AFA 2012. However, no candidate was eventually selected as the new member, as the audition panel declared that they “came to a conclusion that there [was] no appropriate candidates with sufficient ability to fulfill [their] objective of the audition.”
Nevertheless, Sea*A took the stage at the AFA 2012 for a second time as the first act of the I Love Anisong: Diamond Stage concert. Sold at the event, as well as in other non-Japanese territories, was their 1st mini album, We Are Dream Shooters!! for non-Japanese audience, comprising of several previously released singles.
1st mini album
Shortly after their performance, their 4th MV, “Entry!” was released on 14th November. This time, the MV was shot in the outdoors of Tokyo during summer. “Entry!” served as the 9th ending theme of Cardfight!! Vanguard Asia Circuit Hen. Sea*A also recorded an English ending for the English dub of its second season, an English-exclusive theme entitled “Way to Victory”.
Way to Victory [http://video.sina.com.cn/v/b/105302480-2236678733.html]
2013: Gradually stepping the pedal…and towards three new directions
The turn of the new year, however, marked a gradual decline in Sea*A’s group activities.
On March 27th, Sea*A released their first complete album, simply entitled Sea*A, marking a major milestone in their journey. The album compiles all their original songs, including the non-Japanese versions of their existing songs, as well as the covers they have performed. Leading up to the release was Sea*A’s continued group appearances on Animax programming.
1st Album
In May, Valerie embarked on a solo project aimed primarily at local fans, WOW Japan, an online variety show hosted by AFA Channel, in which she introduces business establishments and upcoming events related to Japanese anime, culture, entertainment, fashion, and other aspects of its subculture in Singapore as the show’s host.
Cover for the 1st episode of Valerie’s WOW Japan
While the ball still seemed to be rolling steadily in the first two quarters of 2013 in light of the said accomplishments, the group was actually gradually stepping the pedal. The above was not accompanied by any other new material or any group activities, and they girls posted less frequently than before on their social networking sites, especially Wynnie. This trend, coupled by the eventual removal of the twitter bar on SeaA’s homepage, compelled some to suspect that a quiet, gradual disbandment was in the works.
The said inference eventually prove true on 1st July 2013 through a trillingual announcement made on the official website. “The decision was made together as each of us wanted to take a path in each of our lives,” explained Valerie, referring to her continuing a solo career under Asian Pop Collective in addition to hosting WOW Japan, Wynnie and Estelle taking on the position of online personalities, and Beryl pursuing a career away from performing.
The disbandment notice on the official website in English, Chinese and Japanese
The hard news, though met by disappointment from some fans, was quickly followed up by well-wishes for their new pursuits. While the gears for the girls as a collective may have have ground to a halt, it was marked by themselves and fans as a fresh, new starting point.
Now, join us, as we continue track their bold new pursuits! Click on the Member Profiles section to find out what the SeaA members are up to now!
Sea*A Daisuki ♡ 