Current whereabouts of a former Produce 48 contestant who disappeared after the “legendary” Boombayah stage 

A Japanese idol who became famous through “Produce 48” recently delivered good news.

Chiba Erii, a member of the Japanese girl group AKB48, recently attended the event to celebrate the release of AKB48’s 60th single. 

On this day, AKB48 revealed the 16 selected members who will stand on the stage among the 60 regular AKB48 members. In particular, it was announced that Chiba Erii was chosen as the center in this activity. Former IZ*ONE member Honda Hitomi also joined the lineup. 

Chiba Erii expressed how she felt upon being named the center, saying, “I was surprised to be chosen as the center, a role taken on by really great people. I will try to let people who are not familiar with AKB48 know about the group.”

In 2018, Chiba Erii competed in Mnet’s survival program “Produce 48” and performed a cover stage of BLACKPINK’s hit song “Boombayah” with Kang Hyewon and Han Chowon. Immediately after the broadcast, this team was nicknamed “Hellbaya” due to their immature singing, dancing skills, and awkward English pronunciation. It is a “legendary” stage that is still being talked about even after 4 years have passed.

Chiba Erii especially drew a lot of attention among viewers for her rap part in the “Boombayah” stage. The lyrics of her rap didn’t have a meaning but because of Chiba Erii’s charm, many netizens found it cute and addicting. The video of her performing “Boombayah” has reached over 1,800,000 views on YouTube. 

Source: wikitree