HONOLULU — If you haven’t already been sucked in to the K-pop revolution, there’s a new addition with a distinctly local flavor, Crossing Rain.
A classic six-member boy band, the group came onto the scene late last year with the release of their debut album featuring seven songs entitled “Dreams.”
Crossing Rain’s members are all from Hawaii and were each scouted individually via social media by Susan Kitsu of TIRZAH Entertainment.
With a relaxed island vibe, Crossing Rain’s music is easy on the ears, melding together R&B, hip hop and pop. Stylized as “XR,” the band released its first official music video on YouTube, “Come Back 2.0,” which was written by Jason Blume, who wrote for the Backstreet Boys, and Chris Sernel. Within a month, it had over 20,000 views.
Another track of the album, “Water,” is an original song written by Jorden Kealoha-Yamanaka (aka “J”). He and fellow member “Monarch,” known as the leader of the group, co-wrote “Not My Type,” and “SHINE,” which was co-written by Kitsu, Pali Kaaihue and Matt Honda, which aims to bring hope to people during the pandemic.
Though Crossing Rain has only been together a short while, the members seem to have bonded quickly. The chemistry was apparent during a recent rehearsal and interview with Spectrum News Hawaii at the 24-7 Danceforce studio in June. And their hard work is paying off as well; on top of the popularity of “Come Back 2.0,” the band is nominated for four 2022 Na Hoku Hanohano awards: Most Promising Arts of the Year, R&B Album of the Year, Favorite Entertainer of the Year and Liner Notes of the Year.
Spectrum News Hawaii had the opportunity to see the boys warm-up, sing, see a few moves and ask a few questions about the band's experience coming together to become a group in which fans regularly faint at their appearances.
For the uninitiated, how would you describe Crossing Rain? What can audiences/listeners expect from your music and performances?
“You can expect a new and unique take on what being a boy band is and what being a pop group from Hawaii means. You can expect energy and passion in our song and dance. But most of all, we want you to feel the Aloha we bring to every performance or song that you see or hear,” said “J” of Hilo, 20, lead vocalist, and son of award-winning musician dad, Mark Yamanaka.
What song has been the hardest to record and why?
“The hardest song for me to record was 'Water.' As a hip-hop artist, it’s a song that’s way out of my comfort zone. Also, during the choruses, which is one of our more intricate harmony arrangements in the song, I have the highest and lowest harmony, and that also made it a big challenge,” said Wyatt Keola Dean Kaneshiro, aka "Monarch," 21, of Hawaii Kai, group leader, hip-hop dancer and rapper.
If you could only bring one of your members with you on a stranded island, who would it be?
“I would probably bring J because I feel like he would know what to do in order to survive on a stranded island. Because of his (knowledge) about the Hawaiian culture, he would make sure we eat well,” said Asher Morgado, 15, choreographer, who hails from Oahu’s Westside and trained at 24-7 Danceforce.
What is the hardest choreography out of all your dances and why?
“The hardest choreography to perform is probably the song 'If I Never Loved You.' The dancing is very aerobic due to the big motions and jumping choruses. Not only that, but it is also quite difficult to sing the song live while attempting the dance at the same time,” said Devin Teruya, 18, vocalist and dancer, of Aiea.
How do you create your choreography?
“Once I get the music, I begin by listening and feeling the rhythm of the song. I allow my body to move naturally to the beats. As I begin to dance, the motions and the movements come together, along with the words and music to tell a story through the dance. I use chess pieces to create formations of the group. It’s funny, because I actually label XR member names on the various pieces to represent each member of Crossing Rain,” said Morgado.
What’s your phone screen wallpaper and why?
“My lock screen wallpaper is a picture of Shotaro and I crouching under an umbrella in the rain. It was just a nice memory and a cute picture. My Home screen wallpaper is a drawing of me from one of our fans. I thought the drawing was really beautiful, so I asked them to make me a wallpaper version!” said Teruya.
“I have a picture of Devin and I siting under the rain with our umbrella. We’re both still using the same wallpaper and I think it’s nice to have a matching wallpaper,” said Shotaro Takasawa of Honolulu. Takasawa, 14, is originally from Japan and his father was a member of the Japanese group Tokio.
“My phone screen wallpaper is a collage of aesthetic images because everything I own has themes, and my phone has black and white theme,” said Evan Harutoshi Doria, 18, aka “Haru,” of Kapolei, dancer and choreographer, previously of Studio 808 Dance Project.
Fans have a chance to see Crossing Rain in person at a concert and autograph session at 5 p.m., July 9 at Kahala Mall and the band’s next summer concerts at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., July 16 at McKinley High School. For more information, go to crossingrain.com.
Nuy Cho is the executive producer of Spectrum News Hawaii. She writes the surf report and covers other general news. Read more of her stories here.
Lianne Bidal Thompson is the digital producer for Spectrum News Hawaii. She writes about community and general news for Spectrum News Hawaii.