Into the Maelstrom

This is the first time we’ve actually spoken about MNL48, save for a brief mention when discussing former SKE48 member Igarashi Hayaka and her circuitous route into joining that group.



Christine Joyce Dela Cruz, ‘CJ,’ to you and me, is a member of MNL48’s third generation, the mere suggestion of which being enough to throw me into a fit of confusion regarding the passing of time. A short history: MNL48 were announced in 2016 alongside BNK48 and what was then TPE48. By mid-October the following year, things had come together enough for auditions to be held, and in January 2018, those passed auditions went through it as part of reality TV show, It’s Showtime, a move most probably influenced by the rise in popularity of similar Korean shows at the time. In April, the winners were announced, and MNL’s first generation debuted, Hayaka not amongst them. In 2019, auditions took place for a second generation, and then, once again via It’s Showtime, the third generation were announced in March 2020... and promptly failed to debut in the same way due to covid. Nonetheless, votes were cast, the new generation was announced, CJ was amongst them, and now we’re up to date.

After a year as a trainee, CJ was transferred in early 2021 to Team Unknown where she stayed until February 2023 when the third generation were a little codified. Reading around, I was a little bewildered by this as I have been conditioned by former AKB events to see any assignment of members to Team Unknown as the impending declaration of a new team, but MNL did not operate in this way, instead inheriting the post-NGT generation system apparently.

Despite the turmoil of joining during covid and the long period of time before her generation officially debuted, CJ is apparently already winning hearts and minds in Manila, ranking #48 during the group’s third general election in 2021 despite being relatively new.

In 2024, the group’s first original single, the delightfully synth heavy Summertime, debuted with a senbatsu line up comprised solely of undergirls from the second and third generations, ten members which CJ numbered amongst. Like the recent debut of BNK’s Sad Cupid unit, the production and songwriting here feels like a concerted effort to capture the attention of a more international audience, an audience brought up on K-Pop trends; I can’t work out what throws me more, the fact that the song is in English or the fact that it’s such a streamlined evocation of style found in the pop music of both the 1980s and 1990s despite never really committing to being a homage to one specific type of sound. Behind the scenes, there seemed to be a lot going on, with this single being some kind of award for the previous election’s undergirls who never got a B side on the prior release, and the music video not being released due to the group changing management.

Whatever happened though, it’s all behind them now and both MNL48 and CJ are looking forward. With AKB’s sixty-sixth single next month, it will be exciting to see MNL build on that international appeal!