Japanese Group AKB48 Opening Auditions for Malaysian Spin-Off ‘KLP48’

By Dale B  •  04 Jan 2024 in Music

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The name AKB48 is a big deal in Japan, with the musical group consisting of over 120 members being a fixture in Akihabara, Tokyo. Soon, a Malaysian version of this concept will be coming to Kuala Lumpur.

This overseas spin-off will be called ‘KLP48’, with this being the tenth overseas iteration of AKB48. Just like the original, this version will also feature up to 48 female singers and dancers in its line-up.

Other Southeast Asian countries have seen their iteration of this concept, namely BNK48 and CGM48 in Thailand, JKT48 in Indonesia, and MNL48 in the Philippines debuting in recent years.

The announcement of KLP48 began with a video posted through their new website, Instagram, X, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube pages.

This initial teaser video is the only content currently available, as the search for members of KLP48 begins. According to the video, the final line-up may just be revealed by Summer 2024.

For the uninitiated, the entire concept of AKB48 is centred around the group being idols that fans can meet anytime, instead of just through dedicated concerts and the like.

How that works is that the group has a dedicated theatre in Akihabara where rotating members of the group will perform almost daily.

As much as it can seem like a gimmick, AKB48 is a cultural phenomenon with more than a handful of chart-topping hits, going so far as being the fifth best-selling girl group in history.

Hopefully, this Malaysian version will reach similar heights of success and can be a great contrast to already established groups like Dolla and XONE.