On the afternoon of November 12, a press conference was held at Novotel Ambassador Seoul Gangnam in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, to celebrate the release of ATEEZ's 15th mini album "GOLDEN HOUR : Part.6."
Regarding the secret behind consistently promoting—reaching their eighth anniversary without any member departures and making comebacks three times a year—YUNHO shared his thoughts, saying, "Since our debut, we've been running relentlessly while making diverse attempts, and before we knew it, we reached our eighth anniversary and are releasing our 15th mini album."
He continued, expressing deep affection for their fans, "With solid teamwork among the members, we renewed our contracts previously, and we received a lot of love with our song 'BAD.' All of this is thanks to the great love ATINY has given us. I think it's a virtuous cycle created by the fans' support and our desire to repay that love and show great sides of ourselves. ATINY is our driving force and the strength that allows us to work hard."
Indeed, ATEEZ achieved their third career No. 1 on the Billboard 200, the main U.S. albums chart, with their second studio album, 11th mini album, and 14th mini album. In particular, they set a remarkable record for the most entries by a 2020s K-pop group by entering the top 10 of the Billboard 200 with nine consecutive albums. Their 14th mini album, released in June, exceeded 1.88 million copies in first-week sales, marking their seventh career million-seller.
As seniors who wrote the miracle of "idols from small and mid-sized agencies," they also offered heartfelt advice to junior idols. WOOYOUNG encouraged, "I think everyone's pace is different. My favorite saying is 'Don't rush, but never give up,' and if you don't give up and keep making endless efforts, it will surely happen." He added warm words of support: "Stay strong, junior idols from small and mid-sized agencies. Because we, ATEEZ, could do it, anyone can do it."
Meanwhile, ATEEZ's 15th mini album "GOLDEN HOUR : Part.6," featuring a total of five tracks including the pre-release track "Drip" and the title track "UP," which captures their ambition to break through limits, will be released through various online music streaming platforms on Friday, November 13, at 2:00 PM.
[Photo = Reporter Baek Seung-cheol]
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Sun-ae)