K-pop boy band Treasure, composed of 12 members, made their comeback in a little over a year, releasing their new album “The Second Step: Chapter One” on Feb. 15.
The album is fronted by the song “Jikjin” (a Korean word which means “go straight”), a hip-hop song described as a track with strong YG musical identity, referring to their agency.
YG Entertainment provided strong support for Treasure’s comeback including spending 500 million won ($418,000) for the production of the music video for “Jikjin.”
The agency previously announced that “The Second Step: Chapter One” garnered 600,000 copies in pre-orders within eight days from the start of the reservation.
During the press conference for their new album on Feb. 15, Treasure members talked about the album and their goals.
"I hope Treasure can grab the No. 1 spot on music shows,” said Yoshi, according to the Korea Times.
Bang Ye-dam said, "I also imagined that. Honestly, I already prepared my acceptance speech."
Asahi also hopes for a world tour for Treasure, saying, "I want to see how fans from different countries cheer for us on stage.”
Regarding the new album, Jihoo said, “‘The Second Step: Chapter One’ will be a stepping stone for us to take a further leap.”
"As we worked on different albums, we came to discover the styles we prefer and became even more serious with our music and performance. This time, we will strive to show our unique color, especially through the lead track 'Jikjin,' which we believe is the perfect fit for us," he added.
About dancing, Bang Ye-dam said unlike before, now they “can dance with more ease and display different gestures and facial expressions at the same time. We also became more familiar with cameras and enhanced our acting skills after filming our web drama, 'Mysterious Class'. I think we are gradually deepening our degree of experience."
Choi Hyun-suk said when they first heard “Jikjin,” they wanted it to be the album’s carrier track.
"I think it is an impactful song highlighting YG's hip-hop style, which fascinatingly blends different sounds to give some twists. It is a catchy and addictive earworm." he said.
About filming the music video for “Jikjin,” Junkyu said, "I was quite tired on the filming day, but my fatigue went away as soon as I saw these supercars. It was so thrilling to dance next to these expensive automobiles and I had to pay extra care not to leave any scratches."
Treasure members participated as songwriters in the album including Choi Hyun-suk, Bang Ye-dam, Haruto and Yoshi.