Number_i Signs With Atlantic Records and Begins US Production
The signing is a concrete step into the US market for a group that formed less than three years ago and has no prior overseas label history, making the speed of the move the story.
Reporting from 1 sources: Yahoo! News Japan (Entertainment).
The three-member Japanese group Number_i signed a contract with the major American label Atlantic Records and has already started music production in the United States. The announcement came on May 18 through Japanese entertainment outlets. The group visited Atlantic's headquarters in Los Angeles as part of the deal. Member Hirano Sho gave a brief statement about the signing, saying the group wants to stick to its own style. The move places Number_i on a label whose roster includes Bruno Mars, Ed Sheeran, and Coldplay. No release date or project title accompanied the news. The group formed in 2023 under the agency TOBE and includes Yuta Jinguji and Yuta Kishi alongside Hirano. All three members previously performed together in the Johnny & Associates group King & Prince before leaving the agency in 2023. The Atlantic deal is their first label partnership outside Japan.
The group visited Atlantic Records headquarters in Los Angeles as part of the signing. A photograph published with the Sankei Sports report shows the three members standing in front of a wall bearing the label's logo. Hirano Sho gave a comment carried by the outlet: "We want to stick to our own style."
The announcement appeared on May 18 through Sankei Sports and Music Natalie. No single or album title was given, and no release window was mentioned. The reports describe the deal as a contract with a "major US label" and note that production work has begun in the United States, but they do not name a producer or studio.
Number_i formed in 2023 under the agency TOBE. The three members, Hirano Sho, Yuta Jinguji, and Yuta Kishi, all left Johnny & Associates that same year after performing together in King & Prince. The Atlantic signing is their first label partnership outside Japan. Atlantic Records' current roster includes Bruno Mars, Ed Sheeran, and Coldplay, a fact highlighted in the Japanese coverage to underline the scale of the label.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.
Sources
- Yahoo! News Japan (Entertainment) Number_iが名門音楽レーベルAtlantic Recordsと契約、アメリカでの楽曲制作に着手（音楽ナタリー）