Aspiring idols will finally get their chance once again to be part of the MNL48 family as the all-Pinay idol group announced on Saturday that they will soon start registrations for its Second Generation members.
The announcement, which was made during ABS-CBN’s noontime variety show It’s Showtime, has revealed that registration for the idol group’s Second Generation will begin on January 31. However, details for the nationwide search are yet to be announced.
“Mag-uumpisa na po ang audition ng Second Generation ng MNL48. Kaya naman po young ladies we encourage you guys to audition para po maging part ng international idol girl group at siyempre po maging inspirasyon po sa mga kabataan,” MNL48 member Sela Guia said.
AKB48’s Manila-based idol group has also confirmed their announcement on their Twitter account:
MNL48 Second Generation audition will open on January 31, 2019. More details to come in the following days! #MNL48#MNL48OnItsShowtime
— MNL48 Official (@mnl48official) January 19, 2019
Previously, Hallohallo Entertainment (HHE) President and MNL48 Producer Paulo Kurosawa had revealed that audition for the Second Generation is planned take place this year.
In an exclusive interview with Anime Pilipinas in August last year, Kurosawa mentioned that the Manila-based idol group plans to have its Second Generation on April, in time for the second general election.
Meanwhile, during the group’s appearance on the noontime show, they were also awarded Gold and Platinum record awards for having sold 20,000 units of their second single, Pag-ibig Fortune Cookie. The all-Pinay idol group extended its gratitude to the fans.
“Maraming maraming salamat po sa pagbigay po ng inyong tiwala sa MNL48 and nagpapasalamat kami sa mga fans namin. Maraming salamat din po sa ABS-CBN family, It’s Showtime, Star Music and Hallohallo Entertainment na talagang inaalagaan po kami para makapag-produce po kami ng magandang music. Maraming salamat po sa inyong lahat dahil naa-appreciate niyo po kami,” MNL48 Center Sheki Arzaga said.
Aside from the Second Generation, the group is also set to perform in a joint concert with AKB48 and its overseas sister groups on January 27 at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.
“We are so happy to announce that finally MNL48 will go outside the country to have concert at Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand. We’re so blessed po dahil ire-represent na po namin ang ating bansang Pilipinas, proud to be Pinoy!” MNL48 member Abby Trinidad expressed.
You can check out their performance, as well as their announcements on It’s Showtime’s online stream on YouTube (skip to 48m:44s):
AKB48 was formed in 2005 as “idols you can meet”, which regularly hosts events, where fans can interact with its members, including taking pictures or shaking hands.
Since then, they have been one of the most successful girl groups in the world, and releasing several singles and albums which are being sold in millions worldwide.
The idol group currently holds the Guinness Book of World Records for Largest Pop Group, which was set in March 2013.
The idol group has expanded to several sister groups in Japan, which are SKE48 (Sakae, Nagoya), NMB48 (Namba, Osaka), HKT48 (Hakata, Fukuoka), and NGT48 (Niigata).
Their first overseas expansion was JKT48, which is based in Indonesia’s capital of Jakarta, in 2011. Shanghai-based SNH48 was followed the following year, but the AKB48 Group had suspended (and eventually ended) its partnership in June 2016 due to a contract violation and remove its references on their website.
The group has now expanded to several East Asian countries since 2016, which are BNK48 based in Bangkok, MNL48 based in Manila, AKB48 Team SH based in Shanghai, AKB48 Team TP (formerly known as TPE48) based in Taipei, and SGO48 based in Saigon.
The group will soon launch MUM48, which is an idol group based in Mumbai, India.
