TREASURE: YOSHI, a determined, creative and endearing rapper
Today is the birthday of YOSHI, member of the boy group TREASURE, the perfect opportunity to get to know him better.
Today YOSHI is twenty-one of international age. He is part of the boy group TREASURE of YG Entertainment, an agency he auditioned for in Japan in March 2016 when he was still a college student. Of Japanese nationality, the young boy trained hard within the agency before being presented to the public on November 8th, 2018 as a participant of the survival YG TREASURE BOX with the video below. After briefly introducing himself, YOSHI covers the song “Fanxy child” by Zico. No more doubt about the position he hopes to have within the group: it is indeed that of rapper. It is the ability of rappers to express strong messages that awakened in him the desire to become one. He is indeed a boy who has a lot to say and share.
During the sixth episode of survival released on December 21, 2018, the public finally had the opportunity to learn more about him during the first phase of elimination. The candidates had to work on a song of their choice in pairs. But they were subsequently told that the groups that had not captured the attention of the jury during the preselection would present their work to the CEO of the YANG HYUNSUK agency who would then decide for each duo to keep only one for the semi-final. In other words, one in two competitors was eliminated. It was a big blow for YOSHI because he was in pairs with his best friend MAHIRO (currently a member of BUGVEL, a new boy group from J-POP) with whom he auditioned in 2016 and all his years of trainee. ” in Japan. The chemistry between them was very strong and they had great teamwork. But now they are rivals in spite of themselves and YOSHI has been subjected to a dilemma. He didn’t want his best friend to be eliminated but at the same time he wanted to be successful for his family.
His father died when he was in college in his first grade. He suffered a lot from his father’s absence when he was tired from training and he still feels very sorry for him. Now the only man in his family, he wants to work hard and become a star to support her.
“Even though my mom is sick, she has to work because Dad is no longer there. Now I am the only man in my family. I have to work hard to be a star.” – YOSHI
“Dad, I’m sorry I can’t come more often. […] You are no longer here with us, so I will watch over Mom and my sisters. Don’t worry.” – YOSHI
YOSHI‘s maturity and sense of responsibility allowed him to work hard and he ultimately won the event. Unfortunately, he was eliminated in the semi-final. Still, what was the surprise of fans, the Treasure Makers, to learn on February 2nd, 2019 that he was finally drafted to be part of the new group of YG Entertainment following the unexpected increase in its membership. He thus debuted with TREASURE in August 2020. His efforts have paid off and we can say that he was not unworthy.
Even though YOSHI may seem cold at first glance, he is actually a sensitive boy who has managed to turn the loss of his father into a strength to persevere and achieve his dreams. Even today, it is difficult for him to talk about it without being seized by the emotion but we feel that he is more appeased now that he has reached his goal. His open-hearted discussion with JEONGWOO in the video below allows us to appreciate his sensitivity, his maturity and also the attention he pays to his youngest child with whom he has developed a real bond. At first, the latter hesitates to broach the subject of death because he is aware that his anguish of seeing his own parents die can affect YOSHI who has already faced this ordeal. But this puts him at ease and this moment of discussion and exchange has marked the series of “T-TALKS” a lot by the sincerity and compassion that emerge from it.
As one of the oldest members (after the two leaders HYUNSUK and JIHOON), he strives to listen to the younger ones and to be there to support them. His calm and sensitive nature also allows him to bring balance and temperance to the group, yet very numerous and energetic, in which he flourishes fully. There he can satisfy his passion for music and writing by participating in the production of their albums. His name is among the lyricists of several songs such as “Come to me”, “I.L.Y (I Love You)”, “B.L.T (Bling Like This)”, “MMM” and “Orange”. He also wrote the lyrics for the band’s first soundtrack, “Beautiful” for the Japanese anime “BLACK CLOVER”.
He also loves to skate, play guitar, beatbox. He is very fond of drawing and painting, the walls of his room are covered with his works. He also has a great interest in fashion which he shares with HYUNSUK to which he feels a lot of gratitude for his support since survival and for the attention he gives to all members as a leader. He constantly wants to follow his example. Her signature emoji within TREASURE is the tiger.
Finally, he is a determined person. When he takes on something and is determined to accomplish it, he goes all the way. In 2020, for example, he decided to take the exam to obtain the South Korean General Educational Diploma (GED). It is a diploma that recognizes high school academic skills in South Korea in its holder. Even though YOSHI has a good level of Korean, it should not be forgotten that he is Japanese and that this exam was a challenge for him. To prepare him, he had to work in addition to the hours set aside for his training and preparations for the debut of TREASURE. In March 2020, during the first confinement, he showed the fans how he organized one of his working sessions, demonstrating method, diligence and a real ease with mathematics. He has also proven this quality on several occasions by solving puzzles with calculations for example.
He had taken the exam at the end of May and once again his efforts and determination paid off. A month later, he learned he had pulled it off and proudly announced it to fans on the boys’ Twitter account.
YOSHI annonce aux fans qu’il a obtenu le GED
Thereafter, TREASURE started after more than a year of waiting and made a resounding comeback in the industry with sales records and numerous awards obtained at the end of the year ceremonies, including that of the Best New Male Artist of the Year at the Mnet Asia Music Awards (MAMA). The band didn’t stop there and released their first full album on January 11th, 2021 “THE FIRST STEP: TREASURE EFFECT“. At twenty-one, YOSHI already has a great career and there is no doubt that his determination will take him even further in the future.
Journalist: Joshi
Translator: Shawn
Source: SNS TREASURE, TREASURE MEMBERS, YG TREASURE BOX