JAKARTA, Indonesia (CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — A roster of Twenty-eight girls has been selected to join the Jakarta-based JKT48, a franchise group for the highly popular Japanese 'idol' group AKB48.
According to the Japan TImes, the girls, ranging from 12 to 21 were selected from more than 1,200 candidates after a long series of auditions that included singing and dancing, as well as interviews to assess personality.
The first JKT48 team, comprising 16 girls, is set to debut in December.
"The girls are not only capable in singing and dancing, but they also have good characters, because character is the most important thing for this idol group," TV and music producer Yasushi Akimoto, who formed the original AK48 in 2005, told the Japan Times.
The phenomenom of Japanese style 'Idol Groups' first rose to public awareness in the early 1970s, with Japan's enthusiasm for musician Sylvie Vartan in the French film "Cherchez l'idole" in 1963. Idols are typically but not always, young, attractive females and influence fashion, music, film and other artistic outlets.
More recently, idol groups have been en vogue, with groups such as the aforementioned AKB48, Tokyo Girl's Style, Dream and Momoiro Clover among others, rising to prominence. – CelebrityAccess Staff Writers
