All About Japanese Girl Group Hkt48 Pop Music Group From Fukuoka

HKT48 is a Japanese pop music group that was new at the time that I first started reading about them. It is actually based in Fukuoka, Japan and is what is called a “sister-group” to the very famous AKB48. They also have their own theater in Hakata where they hold daily practices and performances.

The group has its origins that go back to May 2011. Producer Yasushi Akimoto wanted to expand the Japanese pop music market and he started to hold auditions for a group that was later called HKT48. It was at the AKB48 concert in the Seibu Dome that this group made their debut performance and in November 2011, they began practicing in their own theater.

In June 2012, Rino Sashihara was transferred to this group from AKB48. The other most well-known member of Team H is Aika Oota born in 1994. Sashihara was the oldest member of the group at age 23 when I first wrote this but she has graduated from the group. Former members include Yui Komori, Yuko Sugamoto, Airi Taniguchi, Sayaka Eto, and Ayaka Nakanishi. HKT48 has three teams. They are Team H, Team K4and Team T2.

HKT48 also has released 13 singles and they are:

1. Suki Suki Skip!
2. Melon Juice
3. Sakura, Minna De Tabeta
4. Hikaeme I Love You!
5. 12 Byou
6. Shekarashika!
7. 7.4 Billion Parts To You.
8. It’s Great
9. Bagutte Lijan
10. Kiss wa Matsushikanai no Deshōka?
11. Hayaokuri Calendar
12. Ishi
13. 3-2

HKT48 celebrated their one year anniversary with a performance in Hakata. Haruka Kodama, the “center” of Team H expressed her happiness at being up on the stage to perform and she said that this would not have been possible without the huge fan support. As she was trying to hold back her tears, then team H captain or leader Chihiro Anai promised that the group would work hard every day. During this performance, the group sang one of AKB48’s newest songs called “Gingham Check.” They also sang SKE48’s and NMB48’s most recent singles. The first song that HKT48 has written called “Hatsukoi Butterfly” was also performed. Congratulations to HKT48 as they looked forward to 2013. The group had announced that they will be holding their 4^th generation auditions in 2016. Rino Sashihara made the announcement on December 19, 2015. This was during the HKT48 Himawari Group’s Tadaima Renaichu performance at the HKT48 Theater in Hakata. Aika Oota then mentioned to Maria Imamura: “That means Maria will have kohai” (juniors). Sashihara then suggested that they call her Imamura-san.

Lyrically the song is a summer love song and the melon juice represents the love that she wants to squeeze out of the melon as much as she can. Symbolically, the melon juice can also be used as a cold drink during the hot summer months. When the girl and her lover travel on the train and meet up at school, she says that love is something that has to be worked at and how true that is!

This melon juice that the song describes is a “lonely juice” as the girl is caught in a one sided love affair. She says that this juice will only satisfy her if her eyes meet his. Will they fall in love finally? Or will she be left wondering what is going to happen? This is a very high energy song and one of the best in the career of HKT48.

The group is signed under Universal Music Japan. Like the other idol groups, HKT48 hold regular concerts. They attend handshake events. These events have the members greeting their fans and signing autographs. Their members also release photo books.

As this is being updated, HKT48 is scheduled to release their 14^th single on March 10, 2021. The single does not have a title yet. All that is known at this time is that the single will have two members serving as choreographic center.