User:Simonek0929/Ateez

ATEEZ (Korean: 에이티즈; Japanese: エイティーズ; stylized as ATEEZ), is a South Korean boy band formed by KQ Entertainment. The group consists of eight members: Hongjoong, Seonghwa, Yunho, Yeosang, San, Mingi, Wooyoung, and Jongho. They debuted on October 24, 2018, with the extended play (EP) Treasure EP.1: All to Zero. As rookies, ATEEZ were recipients of the Next Generation Award at the 2019 Golden Disc Awards, as well as being named Worldwide Fans' Choice at both the 2019 and 2020 Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMA). ATEEZ were also dubbed "4th Generation Leaders" by the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, and are official global ambassadors for Korean culture and tourism, often referred to as "Global Performance Idols" by the Korean media.

As of March 2021, ATEEZ has released six Korean-language EPs, one full-length album, and three Japanese albums. The releases Treasure EP.Fin: All to Action, Treasure Epilogue: Action to Answer, Zero: Fever Part.1, and Zero: Fever Part.2 have all topped South Korean album charts, with ''Zero: Fever Part. 1'' becoming the group's first album to be certified platinum on the Gaon Albums Chart. To date, ATEEZ has sold over one million physical copies of their releases in South Korea.

2016–2018: Formation, Pre-debut, and Treasure EP.1
Plans for a new KQ Entertainment boy group began after a company staff member discovered a letter and sample mixtape from Ateez's future leader, Kim Hongjoong, which expressed his interest in becoming a trainee at KQ Entertainment due to his admiration of Block B, a group also managed by the company. Hongjoong then became the company's first official trainee, and would remain the only trainee until Yunho joined him six months later. Over the next year, they would be joined by Seonghwa, Yeosang, San, Mingi, Wooyoung, and Jongho. Multiple members had previously trained at other companies: Mingi at Maroo Entertainment, Jongho at TOP Media, and Yeosang and Wooyoung at Big Hit Entertainment.

Prior to debuting, Ateez were called KQ Fellaz. In late 2017, Hongjoong, Mingi, Wooyoung, and Jongho competed on the survival reality show Mix Nine, placing 42nd, 63rd, 72nd, and 43rd, respectively, out of all male contestants. On May 18, 2018, KQ Entertainment released the YouTube video "KQ Fellaz Performance Video I", which featured all eight of the future Ateez members together for the first time, dancing to the song "Pick It Up" by rapper Famous Dex. Shortly after, their pre-debut web series, KQ Fellaz American Training, premiered, showcasing the eight members traveling to Los Angeles, California, to train in dance at Millennium Dance Complex. During this period, a ninth trainee, Lee Junyoung, was promoted as a member of the KQ Fellaz, but ultimately was not added to the final group lineup. For the finale of the series, KQ Fellaz released the single "From", composed and produced by Hongjoong.

KQ Entertainment then announced a KQ Fellaz reality show with a set of three teasers. The second teaser, released on July 3, 2018, revealed the official name for the group: Ateez. The show, Code Name Is Ateez, premiered on Mnet on July 20.

On October 24, 2018, Ateez released their debut EP, Treasure EP.1: All to Zero, with music videos simultaneously released for the lead singles "Pirate King" (Korean: 해적왕; RR: Haejeogwang) and "Treasure". The album peaked at number 7 on the weekly Gaon Albums Chart, selling 23,644 copies in 2018.

2019: International breakthrough and first full-length album
On January 3, 2019, Ateez announced their first comeback EP, Treasure EP.2: Zero to One, with a teaser photo on SNS. The EP was released on January 15 alongside a music video for the lead single "Say My Name". A follow-up music video for the track "Hala Hala (Hearts Awakened, Live Alive)" was released on February 7.

On January 24, Ateez announced their first tour, The Expedition Tour, with March dates in five American cities: New York City, Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta, and Los Angeles. The tour was then extended through April with the addition of a European leg, with performances in London, Lisbon, Paris, Berlin, Amsterdam, Milan, Budapest, Stockholm, Warsaw, and Moscow. All of the American and European shows were reported to be sold out. On May 17, Ateez performed at their first KCON, KCON 2019 Japan, in Chiba, Japan. In early June, The Expedition Tour was announced to be extended again with performances in Australia, with August tour dates in Melbourne and Sydney.

Ateez released their third EP, Treasure EP.3: One to All on June 10. The lead single, "Wave", was selected via a fan vote, in competition with "Illusion". Music videos for both songs were released on the same day. On June 20, Ateez won their first music program award on M Countdown for "Wave", winning a second time on The Show five days later. Ateez performed at KCON events in New York City and Los Angeles in July and August, respectively, and received the Soribada Award for Best Performance on August 20.

On September 18, Ateez announced their third comeback with Treasure EP.Fin: All to Action, which would be their first full-length studio album. It was released on October 8 with a music video for lead single "Wonderland". The album would go on to sell 165,479 physical copies in South Korea in 2019, and became the first Ateez album to reach #1 on the weekly Gaon Albums Chart. On November 10, they released their first Japanese-language music video for the song "Utopia", originally a track on Treasure EP.3. On December 4, their debut Japanese album ''Treasure EP. Extra: Shift the Map'', was released, and they won the Worldwide Fans' Choice Award at the Mnet Asian Music Awards in Nagoya, Japan, on the same day.

2020: Conclusion of the Treasure series and burgeoning domestic success
On January 6, 2020, Ateez released their fourth EP, Treasure Epilogue: Action to Answer, as the conclusion to their Treasure series, alongside a music video for lead single "Answer". The EP sold 179,796 physical copies in South Korea in 2020.

The group's second world tour, The Fellowship: Map the Treasure, was scheduled to begin in Seoul in February, then proceeding to seven European cities in March, as well as two Japanese cities and five United States cities in April. The Seoul tour dates were held as planned on February 8–9. However, due to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic, all other tour dates have been indefinitely postponed. Prior to this, several tour dates had already sold out, with the stops in Amsterdam, Madrid, and Moscow having reported to have been sold out since January. All United States dates were also sold out, including some venues capable of hosting over 18,000 people.

Due to COVID restrictions, Ateez hosted a free, virtual concert called "Crescent Party" on the V Live app, with over 1.4 million viewers tuning into the live event on May 30. On June 26, they performed both the opening and closing stages at KCON:TACT 2020, holding their first virtual meet-and-greet with fans.

On July 4, Ateez released a promotion schedule for their fifth EP, Zero: Fever Part.1, which would be their first release following the conclusion of the Treasure series. The lead single, "Inception", was voted on by fans in competition with track "Thanxx". The EP was released on July 29, and Ateez received their third and fourth music program awards for "Inception" on August 4–5, on The Show and Show Champion. ''Zero: Fever Part. 1'' sold a total of 379,052 physical copies in South Korea in 2020, making it Ateez's first album to certify platinum on the Gaon Album Chart, as well as making them the second fourth-generation boy group to generate one million total sales within their rookie period.

On August 29, Ateez appeared on the South Korean television program Immortal Songs: Singing the Legend. They performed a cover of Turbo's "Black Cat Nero", winning the episode based on audience vote, and making them the first fourth-generation group to win on the program, and sixth idol group overall. On October 31, Ateez released a special Halloween music video version of "Black Cat Nero", featuring the original artist Kim Jong-kook.

On November 15, it was announced that member Mingi would temporarily suspend promotional activities with the group due to symptoms of psychological anxiety, so that he could focus on treatment and recovery.

At the 2020 Mnet Asian Music Awards, Ateez won the Worldwide Fans' Choice and Discovery of the Year awards. During their performance at the show, it was announced that Ateez would be joining The Boyz and Stray Kids on the inaugural season of Kingdom: Legendary War, an Mnet competition show which aired in April 2021.

According to an official Twitter survey, Ateez was the 5th most tweeted about musician in the United States in 2020, behind only BTS, Kanye West, Beyoncé, and Drake, in addition to being the 10th most tweeted about K-pop group in the world.

2021–present: Domestic activities, Zero: Fever Part.2, Kingdom: Legendary War, Zero: Fever Part.3, and Zero: Fever Epilogue
Ateez returned to Immortal Songs: Singing the Legend for the third time on February 6, performing a rendition of Rain's "It's Raining", and winning the episode, making them the only K-pop boy group with multiple wins on the program.

On March 1, their sixth EP, Zero: Fever Part.2, was released with a music video for promoted single "Fireworks (I'm the One)" (Korean: 불놀이야; RR: Bulnoriya). Ateez received their fifth music show win on The Show on March 9 for the song. Zero: Fever Part.2 was certified as Double Platinum on July 8, having surpassed 500,000 copies sold. On March 24, Ateez released their original Japanese studio album Into the A to Z.

In addition to their music releases, Ateez began a number of domestic activities on Korean television. In March, Yeosang became a co-host of SBS MTV's The Show. Four members—Yunho, Jongho, Seonghwa, and San—were cast in South Korean television series Imitation, which aired from May to July. Ateez participated in Kingdom: Legendary War, a competition show alongside five other K-pop boy groups, beginning in April. For the final round they released the song "멋 (The Real)" on May 28, which Mingi participated in recording but not performing. The group eventually finished in third place overall.

On April 14, Ateez performed on the Japanese TV Asahi's music program, BREAK OUT. On May 22, Ateez returned to Immortal Songs: Singing the Legend for the fourth time, performing Psy's "Right Now", and also winning the episode.

On July 9, KQ Entertainment confirmed that San had tested positive and was asymptomatic for COVID-19. All members (except Mingi) suspended their activities and were in self-isolation until July 23, and San stayed at a treatment center until he was released on July 19. On July 19, it was announced that Mingi would be returning to group activities.

On July 28, Ateez released their first Japanese single "Dreamers", which serves as the fifth ending theme for the 2020 reboot anime series Digimon Adventure. On August 4, Ateez announced an album collaboration with Kim Jong-kook titled Season Songs, with lead single "Be My Lover" (Korean: 바다 보러 갈래?; RR: Bada Boreo Gallae?), which was released on August 16. On August 19, it was announced that Ateez had collaborated with American a cappella group Pentatonix on the single "A Little Space", set for digital release the following day.

On September 13, Ateez released their seventh EP, Zero: Fever Part.3. The lead single, "Deja Vu", was voted on by fans in competition with track "Eternal Sunshine". Pre-orders for the extended play surpassed 800,000 copies, more than double that of their last release. The EP debuted at number one on Billboard 's World Albums Chart and the group reached a new peak on Billboard 's World Digital Songs Chart with "Deja Vu" at number four. It also marked Ateez's first appearance on the Billboard 200, with the EP debuting at number 42. They also topped the Billboard Emerging Artists Chart. On September 22, their received their sixth music show win on MBC's Show Champion for promoted single "Deja Vu". The EP received Double Platinum certification on November 11, having surpassed 500,000 copies sold.

On October 28, Yunho was reported to join Jeon Somi and Oh My Girl's YooA as one of the hosts of the SBS Super Concert in Daegu that would be held on October 31. It was also announced that Ateez will be part of its lineup.

On November 14, it is announced that the group's third world tour, The Fellowship: Beginning of the End, will be held in 2022. The world tour is scheduled to be begin with 3 dates in Seoul in early January and would proceed to 5 cities in the US for the latter part of January, and conclude their tour with 6 European cities on March 1.

On December 10, Ateez released their eighth EP, Zero: Fever Epilogue, featuring the lead singles "Turbulence" and "The Real (Heung version)". The album includes tracks which have been previously introduced via Kingdom: Legendary War, with the track Symphony No.9 “From The Wonderland” clinching first place on 15 Best K-Pop Performances of 2021 by Genius Korea.

Endorsements
On May 8, 2020, and the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism named Ateez as their 2020 promotional ambassador, with the goal of promoting Korean culture and tourism abroad. Their ambassadorship led them to participate in the "Overcome Together" relay challenge to encourage safer habits for avoiding COVID-19, as well as becoming the ambassador of the Talk Talk Korea Contest in 2020.

On April 14, 2021, San was appointed as the Public Relations Ambassador of Namhae, his hometown in South Gyeongsang Province in South Korea.

On July 1, 2021, it was announced that Ateez members Hongjoong and Yunho will be participating in the 2021 Pepsi Taste of Korea Campaign. The members collaborated with K-pop acts Rain, Brave Girls and Monsta X on the song "Summer Taste", which was released on July 14.

Philanthropy
On August 31, 2020, it was announced that Ateez members Mingi and Yeosang would participate in Star Bookstore, a relay donation campaign where celebrities read children's books for children in disadvantaged situations. The audiobooks that each member recorded surpassed 10,000 views within one day of release, which led to a donation of ₩2 million from Happy Bean on behalf of the two members towards various welfare organisations in Korea.

On September 14, 2020, Ateez were announced as ambassadors for Polished Man, an initiative that raises funds for trauma prevention and trauma recovery programs for young survivors of violence. Prior to being ambassadors, member Hongjoong has raised awareness of this campaign since Ateez's debut by painting one of his nails. This led the group's fans to set up fundraising pages on Polished Man's website and raise hundreds of dollars in 2019 and early 2020 before Ateez became official partners with the campaign. As of July 2021, funds raised through Ateez's partnership with Polished Man have exceeded $30,000.

On May 15, 2021, Ateez appeared on Identity 2021, a live stream fundraiser hosted by Amazon Music in honor of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. The campaign raised over $20,000, which went towards Pacific Bridge Arts Musical Scholarships and the Gold House AAPI Community Fund.

Members
List of members' names, birthdays, and positions

Discography
 Korean Albums:   Korean Singles 

 Japanese Albums: