TREASURE
TREASURE is the latest K-pop artist signaling a signing between Korean and U.S. labels, marking a slew of exciting beginnings for the boy band and its Korean label and management YG Entertainment.
On July 3 local time in South Korea, YG Entertainment—the longtime Korean-pop super-label that’s home to artists like BIGBANG, BLACKPINK, WINNER and AKMU—shared that their youngest boy band TREASURE have cemented a “North American partnership” with Columbia Records marking the band’s first foray towards focusing more on the west.
YG Entertainment notes that the Sony Music label will provide “localized, all-round support for the 10-member boy band in music distribution and promotion,” indicating that the group could be seen more visibly across U.S. media as well as have their physical albums available in large retailers which should land them on more Billboard charts.
The press release includes a quote from YG Entertainment General Producer Yang Hyun-Suk, who says, “TREASURE will be reborn.”
Columbia Records has been on board for TREASURE’s recently released single “MOVE,” a special release performed by members Yoon Jae Hyuk, Jihoon, Junkyu, Doyoung and So Jung Hwan as T5 named last week’s “global focus track” for the label. Columbia will also support TREASURE’s second full-length album, REBOOT, scheduled for this summer.
What To Know About TREASURE
The newest boy band under YG Entertainment, TREASURE initially formed in 2019 through the singing competition show YG Treasure Box with 13 members before coming to its current 10. TREASURE officially hit the scene in August 2020 with their debut single “BOY” (which has 120 million views on YouTube and entered the Top 10 of Billboard’s World Digital Song Sales chart) and have since earned multiple chart-topping albums in Korea and Japan.
The group is led by two leaders, Choi Hyun Suk and Jihoon, alongside members Yoshi, Junkyu, Yoon Jae Hyuk, Asahi, Doyoung, Haruto, Park Jeong Woo, and So Jung Hwan.
While different TREASURE singles in Korean and Japanese have risen up the charts across territories (2022 single “Jikjin” became their highest-charting entry on the Billboard Global 200 chart at No. 110), the b-side track “DARARI” became an unexpected viral hit on TikTok and other social platforms to earn more than 180 million streams across streaming platforms and more than double listens of other top TREASURE songs.
With the group heavily involved in their music, with members representing Korea and Japan who can speak Korean, Japanese and English, the guys’ potential has been evident since first forming on Treasure Box.
Why This Deal Is Different
Throughout its history, YG Entertainment has worked with different labels for its artists but has only worked with two of the major labels, Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group.
In the past, YG has inked U.S. label and distribution deals for its artists like BLACKPINK (signed to Interscope Records under Universal Music Group in the U.S.) and acts in its subsidiary label THEBLACKLABEL including Taeyang, Jeon Somi, Bryan Chase and LØREN (the former three are all also signed with Interscope Records while LØREN has a partnership with 88rising that Warner Music Group distributes).
TREASURE signing with Columbia Records marks the first time YG partners directly with Sony in the U.S.
Additionally, this marks Columbia’s second K-pop signing this year after the label snapped up chart-topping girl group IVE as part of a new partnership with Korean distributor Kakao Entertainment.
Check out the recently dropped “MOVE” single by TREASURE’s T5 members and look out for REBOOT this summer.
