AKB48 forms band for new single “Give Me Five!”

Earlier this week, during the encore of the final day of AKB48’s Request Hour concerts, the group gave a surprise performance of their next single, “GIVE ME FIVE!,” an up-tempo graduation-themed song. 18 members took the stage as a band, with most of them playing musical instruments. Almost all of them had no prior experience with an instrument before practicing for this song.

Producer Akimoto Yasushi(秋元康) decided on the band concept last August, and the members have been training in secret since then, in between their busy schedules of concerts, events, and television shows.

Oshima Yuko(大島優子) used to play bass for a girls band she was part of during high school. Matsui Rena(松井玲奈) and Sashihara Rino(指原莉乃) also had some experience with the trumpet and trombone, respectively. Besides those three, the other members of the band learned their instruments from scratch.

The band includes Maeda Atsuko(前田敦子) on guitar, Takahashi Minami(高橋 みなみ) on lead guitar, Kashiwagi Yuki(柏木由紀) on drums, Watanabe Mayu(渡辺 麻友) on keyboard, and Kojima Haruna(小嶋陽菜) on synthesizer.

“GIVE ME FIVE!” is being released on February 15. The accompanying DVD containing the song’s music video was directed by Sugita Shigemichi(杉田成道), who has directed dramas such as “Kita no Kuni Kara(
北の国から)” and movies such as the recent “Saigo no Chushingura(最後の忠臣蔵).” In the setting for the music video, the girls are part of a band named Baby Blossom.

Source:tokyograph.com