TREASURE’s rocky career in 2 on-and-off years: Could not make a leap despite having a hit, 2 members’ departure
The recent news of members’ departure caused regret among TREASURE’s fandom.
TREASURE, YG’s rookie boy group, is one of the most anticipated 4th-generation groups to prosper after debut. However, fans and netizens are expressing their regret for the group after many ups and downs in their 2 years of activities.
Activities came to a halt for more than a year following an active debut period
After the survival show “YG Treasure Box” came to an end, TREASURE officially debuted with 12 members. Following the same route as other rookies, the group had a busy period early on in their careers.
From August to the end of 2020, TREASURE released 4 new works. On August 7th, TREASURE released their title track “BOY” in the album “THE FIRST STEP: CHAPTER ONE” to mark their presence in the industry. The MV for the song was reported to be invested with the highest amount in history up to that point.
More than a month later, on September 18th, TREASURE returned with the title song “I LOVE YOU” and the b-side “B.L.T (BLING LIKE THIS)”. On November 6th, TREASURE continued releasing their third single album with the title song “MMM”. The intensity of their schedule was apparent during the early days of their debut.
The series of comebacks did not stop there when the group released the first studio album “The First Step: Treasure Effect” on the 11th of January, 2021. In March of the same year, TREASURE made their Japanese debut with the song “Beautiful”.
Despite their high appearance frequency, the group needed a breakout song to overtake other 4th-generation groups. When the group was thought to be continuing their comeback streak to leave a concrete impression on their audience, the group “froze” their activities for a whole year. That seemed to be a “YG trademark” when BLACKPINK also had a year-long break before going for a comeback.
When they first debuted, WINNER also went through a long period of inactivity for nearly two years. Many onlookers believed that a year long of no activities was not beneficial for a rookie.
Could not breakthrough despite having a hit song
After a long hiatus, the group finally returned and released an album with a hit that could boost their public recognition. Their next album “The Second Step: Chapter One” had four songs: their title track “Jikjin” and 3 b-sides: “U”, “Darari” and “IT’S OKAY”. “Darari” had the broadest outreach and was the most outstanding song with many released versions, boosting TREASURE’s popularity.
Nonetheless, at the time TREASURE put out a hit song, the K-pop industry was welcoming many remarkable 4th gen girl groups such as IVE, LE SSERAFIM, NMIXX, and NewJeans. With tough competitors ahead, TREASURE needed more than a hit to aim for a giant leap.
Two talented members left the group
TREASURE soon went through a major crisis within their two years of promotion – having two members leave the group. On November 8th this year, on a fan communication platform, YG announced that two members Bang Yedam and Mashiho had officially left TREASURE after 5 months of inactivity.
YG shared in detail: “In the future, TREASURE will transform into a 10-member group. After a period of long and careful discussion, we decided to terminate contracts with Mashiho and Bang Yedam”.
The company shared specific reasons behind their departure: Mashiho needed time for recovery while Bang Yedam chose to follow his individual path as a producer and to show his own color.
If Bang Yedam was the creative mind and main vocalist of the group, Mashiho was a prominent face in the dance department. TREASURE carrying on without two members leaves many regrets for fans.
Sources: k14