July 10th, 2007Christian alternative to PG13 pop : Jump5
Siblings Brandon and Brittany Hargest, along with childhood friends Lesley Moore, Chris Fedun and Libby Hodges (who left the group in 2004) quickly became a teen phenomenon, touring worldwide and releasing nine albums on EMI-owned Sparrow Records which collectively have sold over 1.3 million copies.
As previously announced, Jump5 will disband at the end of 2007 — but not before hitting the road one last time. The Hello & Goodbye Tour will take Jump5 to 30 major markets from September through the end of the year, including stops in Houston, Seattle, Evansville, Morristown, Oklahoma City, Dallas, Louisville, Little Rock, Atlanta, Orlando, Tampa, Denver, Las Vegas, Bakersfield, San Francisco and Nashville.
« This tour is going to be the most original and most meaningful to us all, » says Jump5’s Chris Fedun. « We want to show how much we have grown in these past years spiritually, vocally and as performers. »
The tour will give the group the opportunity to say goodbye to fans with an all new live show packed with the group’s biggest hits, including early material that hasn’t been performed on recent tours. And as with similar family-friendly tours including High School Musical and Hannah Montana, this will be a tour to which parents can be completely comfortable bringing their families.
« We are very excited about the upcoming tour this fall, » said the group’s manager Derek Bruner. « 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 ! »
To coincide with the tour, Jump5’s final studio album, Hello & Goodbye, will be released September 25th by Slanted Records, and includes all new studio recordings, including the title track, a cover version of the classic Beatles song, « Hello Goodbye. »
An aggressive marketing campaign includes a national publicity campaign, online promotion through KingdomKidzClub.com and Shoutlife.com, major radio and television appearances and promotions, an internet campaign featuring e-cards, retail tools and resources, and a pre-sale campaign through various Christian retail chains.
The group’s non-stop touring had them performing in churches across the country, as well as taking the stage at major venues while touring with such artists as teen pop star Aaron Carter, A*teens, Baha Men and numerous Radio Disney tours.
The group also performed for millions on national television with appearances on major outlets including Nickelodeon, ABC Christmas Morning with Regis and Kelly, CBS Early Show and The Disney Channel, to name a few.
They performed for President George W. Bush at The White House, and found their songs prominently featured in several major motion pictures, including The Lizzie McGuire Movie, Sleepover, Spy Kids, Ella Enchanted, Ice Princess, Beauty & the Beast and Brother Bear, as well as television programs like Kim Possible and Lilo & Stitch, for which they recorded the theme song.
