Teen Group Jump5 to Hold Final Farewell Tour
Christian teen pop group Jump5, one of the first faith-based groups to find success in the mainstream market, will be disbanding at the end of 2007 after eight years, but not until they have held one last farewell tour.
The Hello & Goodbye Tour, named so after their final CD release titled Hello and Goodbye to come out in the fall, will run starting in September to the end of the year.
The group felt it was time to part ways as they all were beginning to approach adulthood.
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"The past eight years with Jump5 has been the most amazing experience, but there comes a time when experiences have to end," explained group member Brittany Hargest in a statement. "We've had a long run, but we have decided that it's time to move on to other things. All of us have started entering our 20s now, and there are many things that each of us want to do. We're all very excited to see what God has in store for us for the next few years individually and as a group."
Jump5 first emerged onto the music scene in 2001 as a family-friendly pop group among the "PG-13" offerings in the mainstream. They gained much success through their uplifting songs and positive message.
The members jumped into the mainstream scene via Radio Disney, where they toured with popular acts such as Aaron Carter, the A*Teens, and the Baha Men. They also headlined their own tours through Disney.
Their upcoming and final tour will hit 30 major markets throughout the United States and the pop sensations will visit cities such as Houston, Seattle, Evansville, Morristown, Oklahoma City, Dallas, Louisville, Little Rock, Atlanta, Orlando, Tampa, Denver, Las Vegas, Bakersfield, San Francisco and Nashville.
"We can't wait to get back out on the road for the last time as Jump5 to see all of our incredible fans who have really supported us over the past eight years," added Hargest, who turns 19 next month. "Seeing every one of them again would make the experience complete!"
The tour will feature all of Jump5's hits since they've been together off of their nine albums. It will also have new music from their upcoming album as well as favorites that the teens have not performed on tour for some time.
"We are very excited about the upcoming tour this fall," said the group's manager Derek Bruner in a statement. "The lineup we have for the tour is one that should appeal to any fan of pop music. The excitement that we've been seeing from fans this far out from the tour has been very encouraging. This is going to be a show fans won't want to miss!"
Contrary to what the name implies, Jump5 only contains four performers: Chris Fedun, brother and sister Brandon and Brittany Hargest, and Lesley Moore. The group originally started as a fivesome, but Libby Hodges left the group in 2004, so she could lead a normal life. Hodges does plan to do a song on the final album, however.
The group has seen much success since they first began. They have garnered four gold records as well as one platinum feat. The singers sold about 1.2 million copies of their albums and have released a number of singles that fared well on the Radio Disney and Christian charts.
Their music has also been featured on a number of visual media. Highlights include The Lizzie McGuire Movie, Sleepover, Spy Kids, Ella Enchanted, Ice Princess and Brother Bear.
Groups members have encouraged fans not to become discouraged by official disbanding of Jump5, noting that they plan on continuing on music careers beyond Jump5.
"We are planning on having a few more surprises before we finish," concluded Brandon Hargest in a statement. "And just because Jump5 is coming to an end, doesn't mean that we, as individuals, will be gone. We all want to keep performing, so look out for us in the future!"
Joining Jump5 on tour will be number of youth stars including solo performer Jessie Daniels, teen pop group PureNRG, Canadian trio Carried Away, and singer/guitarist Sammy Ward.
