Ateez (Korean: 에이티즈 ), 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.
History
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.
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 January 28, 2021, Ateez landed a commercial for the 'LG webOS TV'.
- On March 18, 2021, Ateez became ambassadors for the music streaming service Spotify.
- 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.
- On February 3, 2022, Ateez collaborated with online fashion store Poshmark where they make their clothing accessible to all on the Poshmark website.
Members
- Kim Hong-joong (김홍중) – leader, rapper, composer
- Park Seong-hwa (박성화) – vocalist
- Jeong Yun-ho (정윤호) – performance, vocalist
- Kang Yeo-sang (강여상) – vocalist, performance
- Choi San (최산) – vocalist
- Song Min-gi (송민기) – rapper, performance
- Jung Woo-young (정우영) – performance, vocalist
- Choi Jong-ho (최종호) – main vocalist
