Treasure (band)

With the launch of YG Entertainment's representative boy bands, BigBang (2006), Winner (2014), and iKon (2015), news of their next creation circulated as early as 2017.[2] K-pop Star 2 (2012–2013) runner-up Bang Ye-dam headlined reports as a member of the provisional ensemble—cited as the label's youngest male act thus far shaped of trainees aged 15–17 on average with four to five years of training;[2] however, a survival reality program was in lieu planned to aid its integration.[3] Glimpses of potential candidates were showcased in Stray Kids (2017), most notably Bang Ye-dam and K-pop Star (2011–2012) contestant Choi Rae-sung.[4] The label documented its formation with a series aired via JTBC2 amid other networks.[5] YG Treasure Box (2018–2019) unveiled twenty nine male trainees and were gradually eliminated as the show progressed.[5] The finale finalized the septet: Haruto, Bang Ye-dam, So Jung-hwan, Junkyu, Park Jeong-woo, Yoon Jae-hyuk, and Choi Hyun-suk under the name Treasure.[6][7] The label revealed a second lineup of trainees: Ha Yoon-bin, Mashiho, Doyoung, Yoshi, Jihoon, and Asahi under Magnum in January 2019.[8] The former teams were collectively to be called Treasure 13;[9] however, following Ha's departure in December 2019 to pursue a solo career, Treasure and Magnum were merged into one permanent team named Treasure.[10][11]

Multiple members attained stints in entertainment since childhood. Junkyu started as a child model,[12] Bang Ye-dam recorded songs for animated shows,[13] and So Jung-hwan briefly starred as a child actor and joined the Taekwondo demonstration team K-Tigers, winning awards with the team.[14] Mashiho had a cameo role in Akdong Musician's (AKMU) Spring of Winter (2017),[15] and Choi Hyun-suk and Junkyu competed on Mix Nine (2017–2018), finishing in fifth and thirty-fifth, respectively.[16] Bang was the first member of the band to be accepted by YG Entertainment in June 2013, ensuing his appearance on K-pop Star 2 (2012–2013).[17] In the same year, Mashiho was recruited as its second member through auditions, followed Junkyu in 2014, Choi and Doyoung in 2015, and Jihoon in 2016.[18] So, the youngest member, was cast less than a year prior to the broadcast of YG Treasure Box (2018–2019), and its final member, Yoon Jae-hyuk, was street cast and joined the label a few months ahead of the reality show.[18]

Image displaying Treasure's Logo

In January 2020, Treasure was re-introduced to the public with weekly pictorials and performance videos, which included the single "Going Crazy" (미쳐가네; michyeogane) from YG Treasure Box (2018–2019), to which label-mate Mino of Winner contributed in production, alongside variety programs on YouTube such as Treasure Map and T.M.I.[19][20] The label expressed their intent to use BigBang as a blueprint: "Treasure is planning to release new songs 3~4 times until the end of the year [...] it's a similar promotion method of how Big Bang released single albums every month when they first made debut back in 2006".[21] Ahead of debut, Treasure became the fastest Korean act to chart on the Billboard Social 50 and peaked at number 3 on August 29.[22][23] Bang also became the band's first member to release solo content with the digital single, "Wayo" (왜요; waeyo) on June 5.[24] Broadcast promotions were not carried out due to his focus on preparations for debut with Treasure. Notably, label-mates Kang Seung-yoon of Winner and Lee Chan-hyuk of AKMU participated in its production.[25] "Wayo" peaked at number 10 on the Billboard World Digital Song Sales chart and entered the Billboard Korea K-pop Hot 100 chart at number 98.[26][27]

Treasure debuted on August 7, 2020 with the single album The First Step: Chapter One, the first installment of The First Step series.[28] It amassed over 170,000 pre-orders several days ahead of the physical release on August 13.[29] Its lead single, "Boy", found commercial success in Japan, topping music streaming platforms such as Line Music, Rakuten and the AWA rising chart.[30] The music video for "Boy" surpassed 10 million views in 26 hours and 20 million views in six days on YouTube, eventually becoming Treasure's first to reach 100 million views on the platform.[31][32][33] Treasure began promotions on August 9 with their first broadcast appearance on SBS' Inkigayo.[31] The single album itself was certified platinum by the Korea Music Content Association (KMCA), the group's first ever certification.[34] The second installment to The First Step series was released on September 18.[35] Its lead single "I Love You" (사랑해; saranghae) topped the monthly chart of Rakuten Music for the month of September with less than two weeks of tracking.[36][37] The group also acquired the title "Half a Million Seller" as a result of the total album sales figures and earned their second platinum certification from the KMCA. The third installment, which was released on November 6, included the B-side single "Orange" (오렌지; olenji), which was the group's first self-produced song by member Asahi.[38][39] Treasure surpassed 710,000 sales in three months since their debut.[36] On November 28, the group won their first Rookie of the Year at the Asia Artist Awards.[40] Concluding The First Step series, Treasure released their first studio album on January 11, 2021.[41] It marked their third number one on the Gaon Weekly Album Chart and peaked atop the Gaon Monthly Album Chart for the month of January.[42][43] The series ended with over one million copies sold, making Treasure a "Million Seller".[44]

Treasure lent their voices to the soundtrack of the TV Tokyo Japanese anime Black Clover for the series' 13th ending theme song. First revealed on January 5, 2021 through the anime itself, the song also served as the group's first original Japanese release. It was digitally released on music streaming platforms as multiple versions on January 22 and February 14, respectively.[45] The full version of "Beautiful" entered the Billboard Japan Hot 100 chart at number 58 and the Billboard World Digital Song Sales chart at number 23.[46] In commemoration of the final episode of the show, the full version of "Beautiful" was played at the request of the director of Black Clover's last episode.[47] Treasure's Japanese debut album, sharing a title with their first Korean studio album, was released on March 31 with an accompanying music video for their single "Beautiful". It included the Japanese versions of all their Korean releases to date, alongside their newest single.[48] The album debuted and consecutively charted at number one for four days on the Oricon Daily Chart and debuted atop the Oricon Weekly Album Chart with 57,000 sales in its first week.[48][49] On April 2, Treasure made their Japanese television debut on the Nippon TV music program Buzz Rhythm, where they performed the Japanese version of "Boy".[49]

Treasure departing from Incheon International Airport in 2022

YG Entertainment revealed a prelude of "The Second Step" on New Year's Day.[50] The group's first extended play (EP), The Second Step: Chapter One, surpassed 600,000 copies in pre-orders by eight days time and was eventually released on February 15, 2022.[51] The music video of its lead single, "Jikjin" (직진), acquired a ₩500 million ($420,000) investment by the band's label and accumulated 10 and 20 million views in 21 hours and under three days, respectively, on YouTube, both career highs for the group.[52][53] Its view count rose five times faster than previous releases.[53] The Second Step: Chapter One sold 700,000 copies in three days after its release, also a personal best.[54] On February 24, Treasure received their first-ever music show win on the cable network program, Show Champion with "Jikjin".[55] The b-side, "Darari" (다라리), from the extended play found success on the platform TikTok as part of a challenge which reached 500 million views with over 1 million uploads.[56] Treasure released the sophomore extended play, The Second Step: Chapter Two with its titular single, "Hello" on October 4.[57]

The band's first Japanese EP, with the same title as their first Korean-language EP, was released on March 23, 2022.[58]

On November 8, Bang Ye-dam and Mashiho were announced to depart as members of the band following their hiatus in May to pursue extended studies in music production and recuperate in health respectively.[59][60][61]

In August 2020, the group collaborated with global creative studio Line Friends in the participation of designing new character intellectual properties (IPs). The product, later revealed to be branded as TRUZ, was presented in various forms, including messenger stickers, music sources, shots animation, character products and more.[62] Augmented reality (AR) filters were also launched through Instagram. On April 29, 2021, TRUZ's newest doll collection sold out domestically in one minute through the official smart store, while the items were sold out in under an hour in 18 countries overseas, including those in Asia, South America and North America.[63]

Treasure became models for the naturalist cosmetics brand Manyo Factory in January 2021.[64] The brand achieved its highest sales through a mobile live broadcast on CJ Olive Young following the group's product recommendations to its viewers.[65] That same year, Treasure became brand ambassadors for Ruangguru, an Indonesian educational learning platform,[66] and models for I'mmune, an aloe immune health functional food by Univera, and its brand campaign "'Cultivating a Happy Immune Habit".[67]

Members of Treasure participated in labelmate Sean of Jinusean's charity marathon event Miracle 365 in July, August, October and November 2019. Awareness and funds were raised to build a rehabilitation hospital for children who require medical treatment caused by disability.[68][69]

On July 5, 2020, members of Treasure participated in a volunteering program organized by YG Entertainment through Blue Angel Volunteers at an animal shelter in the Gyeonggi Province. A total of 33 YG Family staff members and labelmates contributed to the program. Volunteering activities included creating shelters, cleaning, restocking feed supply and more.[70] That same year, in September, Treasure became advocates for children diagnosed with cancer. Through a partnership with YG Entertainment and Muju YG Foundation, the group encouraged individuals to help make a difference by donating via the Naver platform Happy Bean.[71] On March 19, 2021, YG Entertainment announced that Treasure, alongside Muju YG Foundation and Um Hong-gil Human Foundation, participated in opening a human school support fund through Naver's Happy Bean to help the construction of schools for children and adolescents in Nepal's underprivileged areas. In addition, Muju YG Foundation donated 100 million won to the fund.[72] In April, the group used their social media platforms to advocate for the 51st Earth Day. They voiced concerns on environmental problems, including climate change, and promoted the three action words interest, participation and consistency to better express how to tackle on these issues.[73]

In the band's debut press conference, they stated their main role model and influence towards their careers were their labelmate seniors under YG Entertainment through their various music releases and videos.[29]

• YG Treasure Box (2018, V Live / YouTube / JTBC2)[11]
• Treasure Map (2020–2022, YouTube / SBS MTV / SBS FiL)[75][76]

• T.M.I (Treasure Maker Interaction) (2020–present, YouTube / V Live)[77]
• Fact Check (팩트체크) (2020, 2023–present; YouTube / V Live)[78]
• 3-Minute Treasure (3분 트레저) (2020, 2023–present; YouTube / V Live)[78]
• T-Talk (2020, 2023–present; YouTube / V Live)[78]
• Treasure Studio (2020–2021, YouTube)[62][lower-alpha 1]
• Find Your Korea (2021, YouTube)[79][lower-alpha 2]
• TMI Log (2021–2022, YouTube)
• Treasure World Map (2023–present, YouTube)

• It's Okay, That's Friendship (2021, YouTube)[80][lower-alpha 3]
• The Mysterious Class (2021, YouTube)[81]