ATEEZ Addresses 'BAD' Success Ahead of Rapid Comeback: "We'll Keep Moving 'UP' "

"It's already our 15th EP," Hongjoong said. "We're still nervous, and we're still curious how people will react. That's what makes it exciting."

K-POP boy group ATEEZ, which has posted strong results on the Billboard charts, held a press conference on Nov. 12 at 2 p.m. KST at the Novotel Ambassador hotel in Seoul's Gangnam district. The event marked the release of the group's 15th EP, "GOLDEN HOUR : Part. 6."

The album arrives five months after the group's 14th EP, "GOLDEN HOUR : Part. 5." It holds five tracks and builds on the musical identity and story world ATEEZ has shaped over the years. The title track, "UP," is about refusing to settle for the present and pushing toward something higher. Members Hongjoong and Mingi helped write the lyrics. The EP will be released on music sites on Nov. 13 at 2 p.m. KST.

"It feels like more people are looking forward to this one," Hongjoong added. "We'll work hard to pay them back with great promotions."

Hongjoong shared that the group set a clear goal when the year began. "We promised ourselves we would do three comebacks this year and do them well," he said. "It was a tight schedule, but we agreed to give it everything. I'm happy we pulled it off."

The new album also lands at a meaningful moment for the group. "Our eighth anniversary means a lot to us," Hongjoong said. "It's the first year after our seven-year contract, and there are eight of us, so the number eight is special."

"We thought about what kind of intense stage only we could show at this point," he went on. "Through the title track, we wanted to show that ATEEZ is still looking toward the future and will keep fighting its way forward."

The members also talked about their previous title track, "BAD," which became a hit both in South Korea and abroad. Wooyoung had fun answering.

"With the 'BAD' album, the general public here in Korea started to love us," he said. "I'm really grateful. There are some small perks, too. Restaurants give us free extras, or people greet us warmly. We worked hard to become artists who live up to that."

The "GOLDEN HOUR" series has now reached its sixth part, and the members did not fully agree on how long it should go on. The divided opinions drew laughs in the room.

"Personally, I think we could start moving on to the next series," Wooyoung said. "Isn't six kind of long? We didn't know we'd get this far either."

Hongjoong looked startled. "Moving on would be good, but part of me also hopes this series never ends," he said. "Whatever album we put out, it doesn't make our path go up or down. What matters to us is the message. Once we have the next message to share, I think we'll find the courage to move on to the next series."

He also looked back on what the series has done for the group. "Since we started this, we've tried a lot of different music, and I think we broke away from the fixed image people had of ATEEZ," he said. "We even put out songs the Korean public would know."

San said the recent attention still feels unreal.

"These days feel like a dream," he said. "Before, when we went to a variety show shoot or an interview, we often had to explain how successful ATEEZ was overseas. Now people recognize us first and show us love. Since we're getting that much love, I felt we had to become people who deserve it. So we put everything we had into this."

When asked whether the group has expectations for Billboard and other global charts, Hongjoong was honest with his response.

"We're grateful we've been able to show a lot of global results," he said. "I think ATEEZ is a team whose numbers have kept climbing little by little. We can't help but have expectations. And since the title is 'UP,' of course we hope to go even higher."

He clarified that the song is not about chasing those numbers. "With 'UP,' we want to keep showing who we are, steadily and in our own way," he said. "We're trying not to worry about how our last album or the one before it did. I think it's really important to show that we don't get shaken. This album shows us focusing on two things, music and performance, and looking ahead without getting hung up on success."

Seonghwa backed him up. "What we do stays on video forever, right?" he said. "I always want to give it my best. I want to leave behind great stages."

ATEEZ is often called "the miracle of the small-agency idols," a nickname for a group that broke through without the backing of one of K-POP's biggest companies. The members had a message for younger acts in the same position.

"I think every group and every person moves at a different speed," Wooyoung said. "One of my favorite sayings is, 'Don't rush, but don't give up.' I've always believed that if you don't give up and keep working, you can make it. My members did it that way and made it, too."

He clenched both fists. "So to all the idols at small agencies, keep going," he said. "If we could do it, anyone can. You can do anything."