SDN48 (read ''S.D.N. Forty-Eight'', short for Saturday Night 48) was a

Japanese idol An is a type of entertainer marketed for image, attractiveness, and personality in Japanese popular culture, Japanese pop culture. Idols are primarily singers with training in other performance skills such as acting, dancing, and modeling. Idol ...

girl group A girl group is a music act featuring two or more women in music, female singers who generally vocal harmony, harmonize together. The term "girl group" is also used in a narrower sense in the United States to denote the wave of American female p ...

, created and produced by

Yasushi Akimoto is a Japanese record producer, lyricist, and television writer, best known for creating and producing some of Japan's top idol groups, Onyanko Club and the AKB48 franchise. Total sales of the singles he has written exceed 100 million copies, ma ...

. SDN48 was created based on an "adult idol" concept. Former

AKB48 AKB48 (pronounced ''A.K.B. Forty-Eight'') is a Japanese idol musical girl group named after the Akihabara area in Tokyo, where the group's theater is located. AKB48 has sold more records than any other female musical act in Japanese history. AK ...

member Kayo Noro was chosen as the captain of the group. In November 2010, the group made their major label debut with " Gagaga". The group ended with a farewell concert on March 31, 2012.

History

2008–2009: Formation

In 2008, AKB48 producer Yasushi Akimoto decided to create a "Saturday Night 48" show, based on the concept of an "adult idol" that would perform every Saturday at 10 pm. The shows were restricted to fans aged 18 and older. He also wanted to differentiate from AKB48's usual uniforms with sexier attire. In July 2009, two AKB48 members, Megumi Ohori and Kayo Noro, were chosen as the first two members of the group. At the same time auditions were held to find other members. The SDN48 debut stage was held on July 25. At the end of AKB48's three-day

Nippon Budokan The , often shortened to simply Budokan, is an indoor arena in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. It was originally built for the inaugural Olympic judo competition in the 1964 Summer Olympics. The Budokan was a popular venue for Japanese professional wres ...

concert the teams were reshuffled, leading to the removal of Kayo Noro, Megumi Ohori, Yukari Sato, and Kazumi Urano, leaving them to focus solely on SDN48 activities. Noro was also made the captain of the group. It was announced on September 27, 2009, that understudy Yuki Iwata had departed from the group for health reasons. Two months later, Eiko Maeda was transferred from

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 ...

SKE48 SKE48 (S.K.E. Forty-eight) is a Japanese idol group produced by Yasushi Akimoto. SKE48 is named after the Sakae, Nagoya, Sakae district in Nagoya of Aichi Prefecture, where the group is based. The group performs at SKE48 Theater on 2F of Sunshi ...

to SDN48. Upon joining the group Maeda changed her stage name to Machiko Tezuka.

2010–2011: Major label debut

During their first anniversary concert, Noro announced to the audience that SDN48 would debut under

Universal Music Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as Universal Music Group or Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum ...

in the fall. The group also suggested they would be eliminating the age restriction. Through their TV show, , SDN48 held a election to determine the top twelve members who would participate in their debut single. Former AKB48 member Megumi Ohori ranked first in votes and was given the center position. The single would be titled " Gagaga" and be released on November 24, 2010. On September 30, second generation member Sakura Fukuyama announced through her blog that she would be leaving the group due to health problems. Chinese member Chen Qu was chosen as Fukuyama replacement. The group was scheduled to release their second single on March 23, 2011; however, due to the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami on March 11, the single was postponed until April 6.

2012: Disbandment

On March 31, 2012, all the members graduated from the group and the group was disbanded. On April 19, 2012, former SDN48 members participated in AKB48's 2nd revival stage concert which took place on May 15.

2013: Reunion and new projects

On March 31, 2013, one year after the disbandment, an SDN48 reunion concert was held at AKB48 theater. On May 6, 2013, it was announced that seven former members were creating a new group called 7cm. The group was under

Avex Avex Inc. ( kabushiki gaisha , commonly known as Avex and stylized as avex) is a Japanese entertainment conglomerate led by founder Max Matsuura and headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. Founded in 1988, the company manages J-pop talents like Ayumi ...

and the members include Juri Kaida, KONAN, Mana Ito, Haruka Umeda, Megumi Imayoshi, Mami Kato and Miyuu Hosoda. The group disbanded on August 30, 2013.

Members

First generation

Kazue Akita is a Japanese singer. She graduated from SDN48 as a 1st generation member. Songs Album songs *1 Gallon no Ase (Next Encore) SDN single (Senbatsu member) *GAGAGA (1st single) *Kudokinagara Azabujuuban Duet With Mino Monta (4th single) *Makeos ...

* Megumi Imayoshi * Haruka Umeda * Kazumi Urano (former

Team B member) * Misa Okochi * Megumi Ohori (former AKB48 Team K member) * Jyuri Kaida * Mami Kato * Masami Kochi * Haruka Kohara (former AKB48 Team B member) * Sayaka Kondo * Yukari Sato (former AKB48 Team A member) * Serina * Chen Qu * Machiko Tezuka (former

member) * Nachu * Reiko Nishikunihara * Kayo Noro (Captain; former AKB48 Team K member) * Chisaki Hatakeyama * Hiromi Mitsui

Second generation

* Yuki Aikawa * Akiko * Mana Ito * Aimi Oyama * Yuki Kimoto * Konan * Yui Takahashi * Marina Tsuda * Natsuko * Akane Fukuda * Yumi Fujikoso * Miyuu Hosoda * Rumi Matsushima

Third Generation

* Seara Kojo * Hitomi Komatani (former AKB48 Team A member) * Saemi Shinahama * Jung Si-yeon * Hana Tojima (former AKB48 Team A member) * Miray

Former members

* Ayami Nakazato (graduated December 24, 2009), a former Kishidan back dancer, and OZ-MAX member Ayami of DJ OZMA * Sakura Fukuyama (graduated October 2010) * Kana Ito (graduated February 2011) * Yuka Ninomiya (graduated May 2011) * Tomomi Tanisaki (graduated May 2011) * Sayo Hayakawa (graduated July 2011)"Former SDN48 member announces her return to modeling after 5 months absence"
, 18 October 2011, '' Model Press'' ;Understudy * Yuki Iwata (withdrew September 24, 2009)

Discography

Singles

Albums

SDN48 1st Stage "Yuuwaku no Garter"

All SDN48's members did perform only one stage, "Yuuwaku no Garter". They usually were divided as 1st and 2nd/3rd generation stages. They performed at the AKB Theater.

References

External links

SDN48's Universal Music website
{{Authority control AKB48 Group Japanese girl groups Japanese idol groups Musical groups established in 2009 Universal Music Japan artists Japanese pop music groups 2009 establishments in Japan Musical groups from Akihabara Musical groups disestablished in 2012 2012 disestablishments in Japan