South Korean sibling duo, AKMU, will be continuing their career with YG Entertainment for five more years!
According to YG Entertainment's press release on Tuesday, Jan, 26, YG Entertainment, AMKU has completed their exclusive contract renewal with them ahead of the expiration of their initial seven-year contract, which is expected to conclude in April.
Lee Chanhyuk, a member of the duo, shared, "To be honest, it's difficult to look for an agency that prioritizes its artists better than YG does. We did not experience difficulty or conflicting opinions even for once over the past seven years, and the company led our young selves well, while wholly supporting us in the path we are taking."
Lee Suhyun, the other AKMU member said, "We have never thought of departing from YG, only when we retire." YG Entertainment also commented on the idols' exclusive contract renewal with them. The record label said that although AKMU members are still young, they are very mature and thoughtful.
They added that all of their staff members were touched upon hearing the news about the duo renewing a long-term contract with YG. "As we have once again confirmed the mutual trust in one another, YG will provide more support for AKMU in the future, and do our best to continue to help them grow well as artists," the entertainment agency stated.
AKMU's Beginnings and Releases
AKMU, also known as Akdong Musician, consists of siblings, Lee Chanhyuk and Lee Suhyun, who participated in the second season of "K-pop Star" in 2012 in which the panel of judges was made up of JYP Entertainment's founder Park Jinyoung, YG Entertainment's founder Yang Hyunsuk, and SM Entertainment's solo artist BoA. The duo finished the contest in the first place, and in May 2013, the siblings signed with YGE.
In April 2014, AKMU made its debut with an album titled "Play," which contains three title tracks, "200%," "Melted," and "Give Love." Lee Chanhyuk wrote all 11 songs that are included in the album, and he was just about to turn 18 at that time.
The sibling duo's debut album was well-received by the critics and public, having sold more than 6.9 million downloads. Additionally, it ranked No. 1 on the Gaon Chart and No. 2 on Billboard's World Albums Chart. AKMU's next release is a digital single titled "Time and Fallen Leaves," which was written and composed by Chanhyuk again. The song achieved an "all-kill" for two days in a row, topping nine major real-time charts.
Akdong Musician further rose to fame with their first extended play, "Spring" (2016), and second studio album, "Winter" (2017), which also received lots of love and support from fans from all over the world. As of Jan. 26, 2021, the duo has released three full-length albums, one single album, one EP, and ten digital songs. Their latest release is the track "Happening," which was dropped in November 2020.
Some of AKMU's Awards since Debut
Akdong Musician earned the "Best Pop Album" at the 12th Korean Music Awards with "Play" in 2015. Two years later, they received the "Song of the Year" with "Last Goodbye," the title track of their "Winter" album. Last year, they grabbed several awards, including the "Artist of the Year" at the Gaon Chart Music Awards, the "Digital Bonsang" at the Golden Disc Awards, and "Singer-songwriter Award" at the Korea First Brand Awards.
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Written by Mhaliya Scott
