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| AKB48 66th Single (Special 20th Anniversary Single) May Feature Legendary Centre Maeda Atsuko and Original Kami 7 Members (JP Prime/Fuji TV) |
Oi, AKB48 stans, brace yourselves – the queens are back. JPrime’s just dropped the news that AKB48 will be celebrating their 20th anniversary this summer with a bangin’ 66th single, and guess who’s front and centre?
None other than the legendary centre herself, Maeda Atsuko. Yeah, you heard that right – Acchan’s returning to Senbatsu for the first time in donkey’s years, and she’s not coming alone.
We’re talking a proper reunion of the OG Kami 7 – the golden-era girls that had the whole country hooked.
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Expect to see familiar faces like Takahashi Minami, Shinoda Mariko, Itano Tomomi, Kashiwagi Yuki, Watanabe Mayu (?!), Kojima Haruna, and maybe even Akimoto Sayaka in the mix.
It’s giving full-on nostalgia trip.
Back in their heyday, AKB48 were everywhere – 11 years on the trot at the NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen, shifting massive CD sales, and basically defining what it meant to be a J-idol group.
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But after their peak, and with the rise of their “official rivals” the Sakamichi groups, AKB’s spotlight dimmed a bit.
Well, that spotlight’s getting flipped right back on this summer.
Word is, this special single is all about celebrating the legacy – a proper homage to the era when AKB were ruling the idol scene like royalty.
And who better to lead the charge than Maeda Atsuko, aka the face of the golden years?
Since leaving the group, Acchan’s been on a journey. She got married in 2018, had a son in 2019, and later split in 2021.
In interviews, she’s opened up about how motherhood’s changed her – apparently, she’s way more outgoing now and her outlook on life’s totally shifted.
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| Maeda Atsuko and Kami 7 Reportedly Reuniting for AKB48’s 66th Single |
Fair play to her. She’s currently acting in the drama Hitozuma no Hitomi, so she’s defo not been sitting still.
Having the OG gen back, even just for a single, feels like a fever dream for long-time fans. It’s not just a comeback – it’s a full-blown time warp to the era when handshake tickets were gold and “Heavy Rotation” was everyone’s jam.
So yeah, dust off your penlights and get ready to cry, scream, and sing along – because AKB48 are pulling out all the stops for this 20th anniversary, and it’s gonna be legendary.