AsiaOne
Tuesday, Feb 21, 2012
Japanese pop girl group Saturday Night 48, or SDN48, said their final farewell during a concert in Singapore on Friday night.
The group, which was accused last month of flaunting their bodies in a 'soft porn' music video, will be disbanding come April, announced the management.
When asked why SDN48 will cease to exist, the group's local PR company said that it was up to the management to reply.
However, questions remained unanswered.
The decision to 'graduate', or leave the group, was made by the AKB management who were not in Singapore last week.
Why they made this decision and how they came to this conclusion will remain a mystery for fans of SDN48 - a 39-member group which was formed in 2009 by AKB management, the same management in charge of sister J-pop group, AKB48.
SDN48 was supposedly created to appeal to an older audience compared to AKB48.
Perhaps this explains why the music video for dance track Yaritagariya-san featured highly erotic footage with 12 members dressed in white lacy bras, lingerie and cropped shorts, and posing in suggestive poses.
The New Paper reported that the group remained tightlipped with regard to the controversial video despite fielding questions during the interview.
The members are mostly aged in their 20s, with some being former AKB48 members.
When asked by AsiaOne what would they do after 'graduating' from SDN48, Serina, 26, said she believes that this is not the end 'but more like a mid-point' and will continue to pursue their dreams after they graduate.
Serina said she wants to be a multi-talented artiste and will stay in the entertainment industry to try out different experiences.
Yukari Sato, 23, said: "Over the past two years, I feel that I have taken on a more important role and learnt more.
"I have taken on challenges such as emceeing and interviews such as this. The experiences have helped me grown more."
Besides work, do the girls spend time together? Yes, says Serina, who also said that they will continue to keep in touch.
While one J-pop group disappears, a Korean pop group is probably in the making - what does SDN48 think of Korean idol groups and how can J-pop differentiate themselves?
Saemi Shinahama, 22, told AsiaOne that she reckons K-pop groups are equally good, with catchy songs and good dance moves.
"But I believe there is still a place for Japanese idol groups, like us.
"For SDN48, the difference between Korean idol groups and us is that for Korean idols, they are usually all trained when you see their performances, while our fans get to grow with us as we progress and get better each time," said Shinahama.
klim@sph.com.sg
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