ATEEZ

K-pop octet Ateez distinguish themselves from most peers through a harder stylistic approach, merging runway-inspired visuals with shadowy hues that draw on hip-hop and electronic trap. The group surfaced in 2018 and delivered the two-part Treasure EP series, which registered swiftly on U.S. world charts, then began international touring before completing their first year together. By 2019 the octet had reached the top of the Korean charts and entered the U.S. Top Ten with their debut full-length release, Treasure EP.FIN: All to Action. Their following cycle opened with 2020’s Zero: Fever, Pt. 1 and concluded its four installments in 2021. Ateez launched another chart-topping, conceptually linked cycle in 2022 via The World EP.1: Movement, then continued it with Japan’s The World EP.Paradigm, The World EP.2: Outlaw, and their second Korean-language album, the chart-topping The World EP.FIN: WILL.

KQ Entertainment assembled the octet, first known as KQ Fellaz, whose eight members are leader Hongjoong, Seonghwa, Yunho, Yeosang, San, Mingi, Wooyoung, and Jongho. Although headquartered in Seoul, the members trained in California under their earlier Fellaz name and introduced themselves publicly as Ateez in late 2018. That October they released the swashbuckling debut Treasure EP.1: All to Zero. The set, anchored by the singles “Pirate King” and “Treasure,” reached the Korean Top Ten and received support from a tour that visited the U.S. In 2019 they issued the sequel Treasure EP.2: Zero to One, which climbed to number five on the U.S. World Albums chart while the single “Say My Name” rose to number eight on the World Songs list. The group also secured a contract with RCA Records. After the June arrival of Treasure EP.3: One to All, Ateez unveiled their first full-length album, Treasure EP.FIN: All to Action. It became their first Korean number one and simultaneously entered the Top Ten of both the Billboard Heatseekers and World Albums charts. As their global reach widened, they made their Japanese debut with Treasure EP.Extra: Shift the Map.

The Treasure series extended into 2020 through Treasure Epilogue: Action to Answer, their second straight Korean chart-topper, and the Japanese-language mini-album Treasure EP.Map to Answer. Just before a lengthy sold-out international tour could begin, the COVID-19 pandemic halted those plans. Undeterred, the members sustained promotions virtually and returned to recording for their next phase, which surfaced that July with their fifth EP, Zero: Fever, Pt. 1. The seven-track project registered strongly in Korea and the U.S., where the single “Inception” reached number nine on the Digital Songs chart. 2021’s Zero: Fever, Pt. 2 advanced their international profile further by including English tracks such as “Take Me Home” and “I’m the One.” Early that year they also released their first Japanese album, Into the A to Z, with Zero: Fever, Pt. 3 following in September. Ateez closed the Zero series in December via Zero: Fever Epilogue, capped by the Japanese release of 2022’s Beyond: Zero.

In July 2022 the octet initiated a new series with The World EP.1: Movement. Highlighted by the percussive stomper “Guerrilla,” the seven-song set topped charts in both Korea and the U.S., climbing as high as number three on the Billboard 200. The World EP.Paradigm returned Ateez to the Japanese market months later. They finished the year with the single album Spin Off: From the Witness, which included the track “Halazia” alongside three pulse-pounding electronic remixes. 2023 opened with the near-industrial “Limitless” paired with the breezy, lovelorn “Diamond,” followed by the next series installment, The World EP.2: Outlaw. Featuring the skittering electronic “This World” and the hard-hitting anthem “Bouncy (K-Hot Chilli Peppers),” the group’s eleventh Korean-language EP became their eighth Korean chart-topper and strongest U.S. placement to date. They surpassed that result at year’s end with their sophomore Korean-language full-length, The World EP.FIN: WILL, which concluded the series by topping charts in Korea and the U.S. In 2024 Ateez returned with the mini-albums Golden Hour, Pt. 1 and Golden Hour, Pt. 2, both of which again led the Korean charts.