TREASURE and their fanbase, TREASURE MAKER, have the Eastern side of the world wrapped around their fingers. It’s only a matter of time until they conquer the Western world too. They’ve got all the makings of a major player: catchy music, cool members, and the backing of K-Pop juggernaut YG Entertainment. While they’ve already been active for four years, they have goals to continue making music together and touring the world for years to come. Skip ahead of the curve by getting to know the 10-member collective through our exclusive interview below.
Personal style is a huge part of your identity as TREASURE. You’ve had collabs with Uniqlo, Crocs and other big brands. How important is style to all of you?
CHOI HYUN SUK: Secondary to music– When performing, presenting yourself is just as crucial as your musical abilities. Beyond listening to music and expressing your emotions through music, it’s just as important to showcase those emotions and expressions through visual aspects as well. Which obviously then I feel that plays into our identity.
Last year you all started working with Columbia Records. Do you have plans to take Treasure to the States?
ASAHI: I can’t wait to meet TREASURE MAKER all across the world, obviously, especially in the US, and I’m looking forward to connecting with our fans with even more activities next year. I hope that you guys will show us a lot of love.
EDITOR’S NOTE: After this interview was conducted, TREASURE announced a four-city run of their “SPECIAL MOMENT” Tour in the United States, set for April 2025. More info here: https://www.instagram.com/p/DDqJgLZzkb-/?igsh=MWxlOGJuY3Ixajlucg==
What sets this new single “LAST NIGHT” apart from recent songs like Bona Bona and King Kong?
SO JUNG HWAN: Our latest song “LAST NIGHT” is a track that hopefully everyone will be able to enjoy whenever, wherever, on a daily basis. I think TREASURE MAKER will love it. We’re really looking forward to promoting.
Out of TREASURE’s discography, are there any songs that you would specifically recommend for someone wanting to get into TREASURE?
JIHOON: Obviously I want to recommend a lot of our songs, but in particular I would like to recommend “JIKJIN”. It’s a song that is really able to showcase TREASURE’s energy. It also showcases YG’s style.
YOON JAE HYUK: For those fans who enjoy hip hop, I would like to recommend “VolKno”, as well as “MMM”!
I’m surprised you didn’t mention the song “MOVE” from your subunit, T5!
YOON JAE HYUK: So I recommended VolKno for the hip-hop lovers, but for those fans who enjoy the sexier side of TREASURE, they should definitely check out “MOVE”.
Your variety shows TREASURE MAP and Re:all TREASURE have both seen a lot of success and are how many of your fans can get to know the real you. Do you have any favorite memories while filming either of the series? What are some of your favorite episodes?
DOYOUNG: I have to recommend the first episode of TREASURE MAP. It’s the episode where we made 288 servings of Tteokbokki. As much as it was the first episode for TREASURE MAP, it was kind of like the starting point that introduced our team to the public.
YOON JAE HYUK: There’s an episode called Cafe Prince that I remember well!
You recently hosted K-Pop legend CL at your concert in Seoul. What was the experience like having her perform there at your show?
YOSHI: Ever since I was young, for the other members as well, we’ve always listened to her music and admired her as an artist. So the fact that she performed at our encore concert, it really gave us the strength to push through and the energy to go out at the end. It was definitely a big moment of ours. I hope that one day we will get the chance to catch up with her once again.
Are your intentions and goals for TREASURE becoming bigger and bigger each year? What are some things you all want to happen for TREASURE?
YOON JAE HYUK: Our goal for the future is to perform more, on bigger stages. And one thing that we want to do is visit more countries around the world.
Your subunit, T5, made waves within the K-Pop world with the song “MOVE”. If you were to make even more subunits besides rap unit or vocal unit, what members would you like to group together?
PARK JEONG WOO: Personally, I would put SO JUNG HWAN and our leader CHOI HYUN SUK in a unit. There’s different synergy between SO JUNG HWAN as the youngest member and CHOI HYUN SUK as the oldest, so I think it’d be interesting.
How would you describe TREASURE’s music in one word or phrase?
JUNKYU: I think “Energy!” I believe that our music conveys positive energy while showcasing our best sides in public. We also really strive to let TREASURE MAKER see more of our diverse charms.
The new single “LAST NIGHT” is a bit of a new sound for TREASURE, but it’s still a fun, edgy vibe that we’re used to from you. What’s it been like, going in a bit of a new direction?
JUNKYU: It’s really hard to single out just one genre. We just wish to perform a variety of different genres, experiment a lot, and I hope that one day we can find the right fit for us.
Did you have any special or funny experiences while recording the song or filming the new music video?
JIHOON: In Seoul, it’s really hard to see stars, but we could see them well in Jeolla-do, where we filmed the music video. I thought it was a memorable moment for sure.
JUNKYU: Especially because YOON JAE HYUK, he brought his own telescope, so we were able to see the moon.
Pop Crave is all about Pop Culture! If you have any current pop culture obsessions– Music, Movies, TV, anything, let us know. TikTok memes, anything like that.
HARUTO: Recently, a few weeks ago, I started watching all of the Harry Potter films. I watched the first to the sixth movie so far.
SO JUNG HWAN: With ASAHI, we watched the entire Star Wars movie series in a week.
JIHOON: I’ve been watching the Netflix series called Peaky Blinders.
YOSHI: I’m obsessed with the DJ Mustard “Mustaaarrrrdddd” meme lately.
CHOI HYUN SUK: Yo, I really love Star Wars, Marvel, DC! All of it.
YOON JAE HYUK: The Walking Dead!
DOYOUNG: APT. by Rosé and Bruno Mars!
