Sisters Rum (real name Sugiyama Yumi, born in 1981 in Hartsdale, New York) and Jewels (Sugiyama Emi, born in 1976 in Tokyo), appeared on the Japanese music scene in 2001. With the release of the single So Tell Me, which is, even now, the most popular song they've released, they rocketed their way to the top. Discovered and produced by VERBAL of m-flo, success seemed likely and it didn't take long for Heartsdales to establish themselves in the Japanese urban scene. In Spring 2002 they released their first album, Radioactive, which ranked 16th in the Oricon Charts.
They named themselves after Hartsdale, New York, Rum's place of birth, but not only their name was related to the USA, but so was their music, which was similar to American hip hop from the 80's and 90's. Additionally, in 2004 they started to release English versions of their respective singles as b-sides.
Their albums were released on the labels Espionage and Cutting Edge, both being parts of the Avex label. During their career, the two young women released four albums, all of which ranked in the top 20 of the Oricon charts, fourteen singles, three remix albums and also worked together with well-known artists such as m-flo, LISA, Koda Kumi, Nakashima Mika, A.I., SOUL'd OUT, RHYMESTER and several other rappers from the Espionage label.
Up until 2004 they had been actively produced by VERBAL, which greatly affected their music, giving it a tough, aggressive sound in the beginning of their career. When they released the single I See You in 2004, the music of the sisters had obviously changed and they now sounded more pop-like, which was due to the fact that they had produced the music themselves. Their new sound continued with their next releases, and the singles LOVE & JOY and HEY DJ!. The sisters' new focus was now on pop music with a positive base along with slightly kitschy melodies and lyrics.
Jewels's characteristic rapping was still part of the music, but now the focus was more on the poppy choruses sung by Rum. Though the sound was interesting, they failed to reach the charts again until the release of the single Angel Eyes, which leaned more towards their old sound, in December 2005.
Fuyu gonna love was released in January 2006 and was a sensitive Christmas love song. With the following single, STAY, Rum and Jewels continued with the romantic, slow pop ballads and the slightly aggressive style from their beginning was nowhere to be found. STAY also gave off some vibes of a goodbye song and, unfortunately, the feeling turned into reality as they announced their disbanding that summer.
Their best-of album, THE LEGEND, was released in September. It quickly entered the top 10 of the Oricon charts and became their best selling release to date. They played their last live and the sisters went their own ways to start their own projects. There hasn't been much news of the sisters since then, but with their strong spirits and talent we can be sure that they will both surprise us with new material soon!
