Who is Q’ulle?

After endlessly looping Hello! Project videos all week, I need a change of pace. This gives me a perfect opportunity to write a little about Q’ulle. If you follow me on Twitter, you might have seen me tweeting that Q’ulle is an early favorite for Best New Group 2015. I also got a fair amount of death threats for making Country Girls Uta cry, but that’s another story. As much as I’ve been loving that other new group, Q’ulle came out of nowhere! It’s April 6 as I’m writing this and the group already released two stand out singles- January’s “mic check one two” and March’s “Monster”, have a third single, “Heartbeat” awaiting release in May, and an album, “Q’ & A – Q’ulle and Answer” set for release in June. That’s a superhuman pace- I’d be surprised if they can keep up with themselves!

OK, I guess they didn’t really come out of nowhere. The group formed from the ashes of longtime dance unit Danceroid. I confess I didn’t follow Danceroid because the dance unit thing is not my bag. You can probably find lots on information on the group, but for my purposes I just need to note that the members of Q’ulle: Ikura, Yuzuki, Yakko, Manako, and Maamu , were all members of the final lineup of Danceroid when the group disbanded in July 2014.

There are a couple of reasons why the group Q’ulle compels me. Unlike many idol groups, Q’ulle’s members have some serious experience. While some may scoff at the idea of a Nico Nico dance cover group as serious experience, the most senior member of the group, Ikura, started performing and uploading videos in 2009, while the newest members, Yakko and Manako, began with Danceroid in 2012.

Ikura

Yuzuki

Maamu

Manako

Yakko

Musically, Q’ulle seem to dive head first into the rock idol category. After listening to the first two singles, it seems apparent to me that the group does not intend to use the sound as an attempt to “cash in” on the rock/metal idol boom ushered in by Babymetal and others. The compositions are dead serious without a hint of irony or a character breaking wink. I expect the Q’ulle to play with their tone to varying degrees, but I don’t think they’re going to stray very far from the sound of their first two singles.

You will also notice that unlike many idol groups (I’m looking at you, Hello! Project) are filled with young, YOUNG, and YOUNGEST girls, Q’ulle promises us a group of girls who have already gone through their growing pains. Of course, it’s difficult to tell how old the girls are since that information isn’t very publicized; just remember that the current average age of Morning Musume ’15 is 16 while the average age of Kobushi Factory is 14.5 years. The members of Q’ulle are womanly in comparison!

Do I have a favorite member? Yeah, right now I’m really into Yakko. Because this and this

So, check out the group yourself if you are interested in the idol rock boom or if you would like a change of pace.

Mic Check One Two