{"site":"Yomimono","license":"CC BY 4.0 (citation required)","generated_at":"2026-05-22T19:38:47.348Z","story":{"id":"r_9133b8751fc746c9b9040206","slug":"number-i-signs-with-us-label-atlantic-records","url":"https://yomimono.id/number-i-signs-with-us-label-atlantic-records","headline":"Number_i Signs With US Label Atlantic Records","summary":"Japanese pop group Number_i has signed a contract with Atlantic Records, a US label under Warner Music Group. The announcement was made on May 18, 2026, with the group's members-Sho Hirano, Yuta Kishi, and Yuta Jinguji-commenting on the move. Hirano credited the support of the group's fanbase, iLYs, for making the international step possible. The group expressed a desire to show a new side of themselves through the partnership and mentioned ambitions to collaborate with artists on the label's roster, including Bruno Mars. Number_i formed in 2023 after the three members left the Johnny & Associates agency (now Smile-Up). The signing marks a significant expansion into the Western music market for the group, which has previously performed at Coachella and set streaming records in Japan.","why_it_matters":"The deal places a Japanese pop group that originated from the post-Johnny's talent ecosystem on a major US label, signaling a rare direct pipeline from the Japanese idol industry to Western mainstream distribution.","published_at":"2026-05-18T11:01:13.000Z","source_count":3,"sources":["Nikkan Sports via Yahoo News Japan","Sponichi Annex via Yahoo News Japan","Real Sound via Yahoo News Japan"],"citations":[{"source":"Nikkan Sports via Yahoo News Japan","title":"Number_i's Sho Hirano: 'It's because iLYs fans supported me' - Signs with US label","url":"https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/5609f522d22eee24e593cbb29739deb322bc14e2?source=rss"},{"source":"Nikkan Sports via Yahoo News Japan","title":"Number_i signs with US Atlantic Records: 'We can show a new side of ourselves'","url":"https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/7048a26205f6669818cea68f86c333829ee26e47?source=rss"},{"source":"Nikkan Sports via Yahoo News Japan","title":"Number_i, Signed with US Label, Says 'Personally...' About Chart Awareness","url":"https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/295ed61f06c8511c7c78c827d6a028a910322c46?source=rss"},{"source":"Sponichi Annex via Yahoo News Japan","title":"Number_i Thanks iLYs for World Debut: 'Don't Feel Lonely,' 'Travel Together,' 'Deepening Bonds'","url":"https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/d26d18c8e37bccbae3c317aada6af1a8a6ee6820?source=rss"},{"source":"Sponichi Annex via Yahoo News Japan","title":"Number_i signs with US legendary Atlantic Records, says 'someday we want to collaborate' with Bruno Mars and others","url":"https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/378eb88c66c6ff1a4fc962c4a35e49add62bdee7?source=rss"},{"source":"Real Sound via Yahoo News Japan","title":"Only Number_i can surpass Number_i: The awe of continuously rewriting records with a series of 'firsts in history'","url":"https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/e6b9e8da0ab46a4df89768b5f4c784a2bb5c86e7?source=rss"}],"license_url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/","entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"studios":[],"people":["平野紫耀","神宮寺勇太","岸優太"],"type":"news","domain":"music","is_roundup":false}}}