DEL48 (read D.E.L. Forty-Eight) was an Indian idol group whose name is derived from its based city in

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. They are the ninth international

sister group In phylogenetics, a sister group or sister taxon, also called an adelphotaxon, comprises the closest relative(s) of another given unit in an evolutionary tree. Definition The expression is most easily illustrated by a cladogram: Taxon A and t ...

AKB48 AKB48 (pronounced ''A.K.B. Forty-Eight'') is a Japanese idol girl group named after the Akihabara (''Akiba'' for short) area in Tokyo, where the group's theater is located. AKB48's producer, Yasushi Akimoto, wanted to form a girl group with it ...

, after

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

JKT48 JKT48 (read as "J. K. T. forty-eight") is an Indonesian-Japanese Japanese idol, idol girl group whose name is derived from its based city of Jakarta and the Japanese idol group AKB48. Formed in 2011, the group is the first AKB48 sister group outs ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

SNH48 SNH48 is a Chinese idol girl group based in Shanghai. Following AKB48's creator Yasushi Akimoto's concept of "idols you can meet", the group features dozens of female members around the age of 20, who perform regularly in the group's own thea ...

(''former''),

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

BNK48 BNK48 (read ''B.N.K. Forty-eight'') is a Thai Teen idol, idol Musical ensemble, girl group and the third international sister group of Japan's AKB48, following Indonesia's JKT48 and China's SNH48 (''former''). After holding its first audition i ...

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

MNL48 MNL48 (read as ''M.N.L. Forty-eight'') is a Filipino idol girl group based in Manila, Philippines. Formed in 2018, they are the fourth international sister group of AKB48, after Indonesia's JKT48, China's SNH48 (''former''), and Thailand's BNK48 ...

AKB48 Team SH AKB48 Team SH (also known as 冲吧少女组合/Chong Ba Shaonu Zuhe) is a Chinese idol group based in Shanghai, China and an official sister group of the Japanese idol girl group AKB48. It was established in 2018 after the dissolution of AKB ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

's AKB48 Team TP,

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

SGO48 SGO48 (read ''S.G.O. Forty-Eight'') was a Vietnamese idol girl group based in Saigon, officially known as Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. They were the seventh international sister group of AKB48, after Indonesia's JKT48, China's SNH48 (''former''), ...

(''disbanded''), and Thailand's

CGM48 CGM48 (read ''C.G.M. Forty-eight'') is a Thai Teen idol, idol girl group. It is the first domestic sister group of the Thai idol group BNK48, and the eighth international AKB48 Group, sister group of AKB48, after Indonesia's JKT48, China's SNH48 ...

. Adopting the concept of "idols you can meet". Formed in 2019, the group went on a hiatus in October 2020 due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

and later disbanded in July 2022.

History

2018: Planning of MUM48

During a livestream in December 2017, AKB48's general manager

Yui Yokoyama Yui may refer to: People *Yui (name), a Japanese name *Yui (singer) (born 1987), Japanese singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and actress *Yui people or Ibi, a Timucuan-speaking people in what now is Georgia, United States Places *Yui, Shizu ...

announced the formation of MUM48, AKB48's supposed 8th sister group based in Mumbai, India. The group will be operated by Rashmi Raj Media Pvt. ltd., a company by producer Rashmi Sharma. An event was held to promote the group, with "girls power" and "women empowerment" as the theme of the group. Audition was soon held, but stopped abruptly in July 2018; the website became inaccessible and their social media platform stopped posting.

2019: Creation of DEL48 and MUB48

On 19 June 2019, an event was held to announce the formation of DEL48 and MUB48. Both groups will be managed by AKS and YKBK48 Entertainment Pvt. ltd., a company headquartered in

Gurgaon Gurgaon (pronunciation: �ʊɽɡãːw, officially named Gurugram (pronunciation: �ʊɾʊɡɾaːm, is a city located in the northern Indian state of Haryana. It is situated near the Delhi–Haryana border, about southwest of the nationa ...

, with

Yoshiya Kato DEL48 (read D.E.L. Forty-Eight) was an Indian idol group whose name is derived from its based city in New Delhi, India. They are the ninth international sister group of AKB48, after Indonesia's JKT48, China's SNH48 (''former''), Thailand's ...

serving as

chairman The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the grou ...

and Rohit Bakshi as

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

of the company. The groups would be an addition to the AKB48 overseas sister group, following

, AKB48 Team TP,

, and

. The groups took their name from the proposed base location of

and

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

. The groups are based on the concept of 'idols with whom fans can meet' and will be involved in the entertainment industry including theater performance,

concert A concert is a live music performance in front of an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, choir, or band. Concerts are held in a wide variety a ...

, other entertainment events, music record release,

movies A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

, media appearance, etc. Following the announcement, DEL48 launched its own

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

channel and announced that it would be accepting applications from girls aged between 12 and 20. The first round of the first DEL48 audition took place from 19 July 2019, attracting more than 10,000 applicants. Each audition was five-minutes long, consisting of a

singing Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

acting Acting is an activity in which a story is told by means of its enactment by an actor or actress who adopts a character—in theatre, television, film, radio, or any other medium that makes use of the mimetic mode. Acting involves a broad r ...

, and

dancing Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoire ...

test. The audition is scheduled to be closed on 31 July 2019. Ahead of AKB48's performance on NHK's 2019 Kouhaku Uta Gassen, it was announced the performance will also include a member of DEL48. On 30 December 2019, Glory is introduced in AKB48's theater in Tokyo, becoming the first member to be revealed. The remaining 21 members were announced the next day, while Glory performed with AKB48 Group to sing

Koi Suru Fortune Cookie is the 32nd single by the Japanese idol girl group AKB48. It was released in Japan on August 21, 2013. The single contains graduation songs for Mariko Shinoda and Tomomi Itano. The song has been recorded by AKB48's international sister groups in ...

. The group was confirmed to debut in Spring 2020 by Glory in a Japanese interview.

2020-2022: Debut plans, hiatus, and disbandment

The plan to debut the group in early 2020 was postponed as a result of the

. The group released its

Overture Overture (from French ''ouverture'', "opening") in music was originally the instrumental introduction to a ballet, opera, or oratorio in the 17th century. During the early Romantic era, composers such as Beethoven and Mendelssohn composed overt ...

in March 2020, followed by the release of its members' official

Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...

and

TikTok TikTok, known in China as Douyin (), is a short-form video hosting service owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which can range in duration from 15 seconds to 10 minutes. TikTok is an international version ...

page. An official TikTok page for the group was also opened, featuring the members dancing to AKB48 and BNK48's Koi Suru Fortune Cookie and the latter's

High Tension ''High Tension'' (French: ''Haute Tension'', ; released in the United Kingdom as ''Switchblade Romance'') is a 2003 French slasher film directed by Alexandre Aja, co-written with Grégory Levasseur, and starring Cécile de France and Maïwenn, ...

. The group later began a weekly upload on their Instagram and YouTube page with each members having their own contents. In May 2020, DEL48 is featured along with AKB48 and its overseas sister group to perform on One Love Asia, an online

charity concert A benefit concert or charity concert is a type of musical benefit performance (e.g., concert, show, or gala) featuring musicians, comedians, or other performers that is held for a charitable purpose, often directed at a specific and immediate h ...

organized by WebTVAsia and

as part of UNICEF ASIA's #Reimagine global campaign to raise funds for children and families affected by the pandemic. Glory, Beanie, and Reyna of DEL48 were chosen to participate. In early October 2020, DEL48 members have stopped posting on their official Instagram page and begin to open their personal account, leading to rumors about disbandment. DEL48's producer, Deepak Nandal, later confirmed YKBK48 Entertainment had terminated its members' contract. He also confirmed the group have recorded its debut music video, an Indian version of

Flying Get is the 22nd single by the Japanese idol girl group AKB48, released on August 24, 2011. Its members were chosen by the AKB48 2011 general election. It won the Grand Prix of Japan Record Awards, which was the first time a female group accomplished i ...

. However, on 16 October 2020, DEL48 issued an official statement confirming the group is on indifinite suspension with the possibility of coming back in the future. On 13 July 2022, it was announced YKBK48 Entertainment Pvt. ltd. will be closing up its operation, officially ending DEL48 and MUB48.

Members

On 30 December 2019, the first generation of the group was announced, consisting of 22 members.

References

External links

* {{AKB48 AKB48 Group Culture of Delhi Indian musical groups Indian girl groups Music organisations based in India