After a long wait, MNL48 finally announced the release of their first single “Aitakatta – Gustong Makita“, a localized version of the AKB48 song of the same title yesterday, August 11, 2018 at Movie Stars Cafe, Centris.
Aitakatta is the signature song of the highest selling idol group in Japan and MNL48’s sister group, AKB48. The song was the first major single of the group and topped the Oricon Singles Chart, the Japanese music industry standard singles popularity chart, in 2006.
Aside from Aitakatta, localized versions of “Sakura no Hanabiratachi – Talulot ng Sakura” and “Skirt Hirari – Umiindak na Saya“, are added to their debut single which also includes its instrumental versions to complete the six-track record. The physical copies (CDs) of the said album will be released this August 2018 under Hallohallo Entertainment Inc (HHE) and Star Music. The album also includes the track list, coplete song lyrics and ticket for the groups’ upcoming handshake event. The songs will hit digital platforms iTunes and Spotify on August 31, 2018.
Based on AKB48’s costume tradition, MNL48 used the Japanese school uniform as the offical costume for their first single which is sung by the Top 16 members from the General Election known as the senbatsu. They are Center Girl Sheki, Abby, Sela, Tin, Alice, Ella, Ash, Gabb, Jem, Sayaka, Faith, Lara, Grace, Quincy, Alyssa and Erica.
The official Music Video of “Aitakatta – Gustong Makita” was directed by Japanese Director, Mr. Sho Makino and will air on MYX Premiere. In an interview with the director during the shoot, he said that he is very happy to be part of the first single of the group. He also added that the reason for choosing Intramuros and Manila Bay as their location is because they wanted to showcase one of the historical places in the Philippines to the world.
The group will have a live performance of the song on August 18, 2018 in the ABS-CBN’s noontime show, It’s Showtime. The same show where the group held their member search.
The MNL48 members went through and are still undergong different rigorous development trainings such as voice lessons, dance lessons, and personality development lessons as part of their journey. The girls also underwent dancce training with AKB48’s choreographer, Moe Sensei, who visited the girls from Japan to train them for their upcoming single, music videos and future performances.
Meanwhile, MNL48 is preparing for the upcoming new season of their online daily show, nationwide mall tours, TV and Radio guestings, and their handshake event this September.
Back2gaming.com was among those invited to the launch event where the girls performed Aitakatta, Skirt Hirari and Sakura no Hanabiratachi. We were also treated to an exclusive screening of the Aitakatta Music Video. Please watch their performances as well as parts of the Question and Answer portion. We did not upload any footage of the MV since it will have its public screening next week in It’s Showtime.
https://youtu.be/tPuEWiSkZT0
https://youtu.be/G5hFrfB-TL0
To view the schedule of MNL48’s upcoming events and activities, visit MNL48 website, download MNL48 Fan Club app available on Apple Store and Google PlayStore, and follow their social media accounts for more updates.
Website: mnl48.ph
Facebook, Twitter, Instagra: @mnl48official
YouTube: mnl48
