23 May is a special day if you’re a King & Prince fan, as it marks the group’s debut anniversary. But this year, the celebration comes with something even bigger: the unlocking of an entire wing of the group’s musical castle, as a massive 78 previously internationally unavailable songs will finally arrive on streaming and digital download platforms worldwide.

For years, one of the biggest frustrations for STARTO ENTERTAINMENT fans outside of Japan has been the inaccessibility of entire chunks of an artist’s catalogue. While singles and select releases slowly made their way onto streaming services, beloved coupling tracks, album exclusives, and deeper cuts have remained trapped within the confines of physical CDs, which are not always affordable (or easy) to obtain internationally.

Since debuting under Universal Music Japan in 2018, King & Prince have weathered one of the most dramatic evolutions in modern STARTO history. From their original six-member lineup to their rebirth as the duo of Ren Nagase and Kaito Takahashi, the group has continually reshaped itself while retaining the emotional warmth that made fans fall in love with them in the first place.

For newer international fans especially, this release offers the chance to experience the full spectrum of what makes King & Prince such an incredible group because, in my personal opinion, some of their very best songs have always been the coupling tracks.

Over the last few years, STARTO artists have gradually come to embrace global streaming, and watching that shift happen in real time has been incredibly exciting. This latest move from King & Prince feels like another major step forward, not just for the group, but for international accessibility  of one of the most successful agencies within the Japanese music industry as a whole.

So whether you’re a longtime Tiara who already knows every hidden B-side by heart or someone discovering the group for the first time, 23 May is going to be a very special day.

There will definitely be more King & Prince coverage soon, so…

Stay tuned!