In 2022, ATEEZ travelled to multiple regions around the world. It is no exaggeration to say that this was ATEEZ’s year since the group have been active in various fields.
Last January, on their first world tour of the year « THE FELLOWSHIP : BEGINNING OF THE END », the members of ATEEZ (HONGJOONG, SEONGHWA, YUNHO, YEOSANG, SAN, MINGI, WOOYOUNG, JONGHO) have performed in various American cities such as: Chicago (Wintrust Arena), Atlanta (Gas South Arena), Newark (Prudential Center), Dallas (The Texas Trust CU Theater at Grand Prairie), and Los Angeles (The Forum). The group visited renowned arenas and captured the hearts of 70,000 fans across North America. In particular, ATEEZ appeared in the famous American magazine Rolling Stone with an article specially dedicated to the group « K-Pop Stars ATEEZ Return to the States, Finally – and Leave It All on the Dance Floor », proving its influence by giving eulogistic reviews.
After the first leg of their tour in America, ATEEZ traveled to Europe and performed in several cities such as: Madrid, Spain (Palacio Vistalegre), London, England (OVO Arena Wembley), Paris, France (Accor Arena), Berlin, Germany (Mercedes-Benz Arena), and Amsterdam, The Netherlands (AFAS Live). The Japanese performance at the PIA ARENA MM in February ended this first world tour of the year. The group interacted with a total of 180,000 fans and left memories there.
ATEEZ, who did not miss the preparation of its albums during the world tour, released its second Japanese mini-album « BEYOND : ZERO » in May which recorded several records: 2nd in the Oricon Weekly Chart, 3rd in the Oricon Daily Chart, 1st in Tower Records Daily Chart, 1st in the CD JAPAN Weekly Album Chart, and 2nd in the Line Music Weekly Album Chart.
In Korea, the group released its new album « THE WORLD EPISODE 1 : MOVEMENT » in July, rushing to freedom in a new world. This album exceeded one million cumulative sales of copies, thus landing the first title of « Million Seller » for the first time, and setting a record by ranking third in the « Billboard 200 » chart. In addition, in national music broadcasting, the group achieved another record by winning 6 awards with its title song « Guerrilla ».
Last month, in November, ATEEZ released its third mini album in Japan, « THE WORLD EP. PARADIGM », which once again topped Oricon’s « Daily », « Weekly » and « Weekly Total » album charts, once again proving the group’s remarkable growth in Japan.
In the second half of 2022, ATEEZ continued to reach out to its fans around the world on its second « THE FELLOWSHIP: BREAK THE WALL » world tour, with completely new productions and never-before-seen stages. It started on October 29 at the Jamsil Indoor Gymnasium in Seoul and continued in America and Japan in the cities of: Anaheim (Honda Center), Phoenix (Desert Diamond Arena), Dallas (Dickies Arena), Chicago (Wintrust Arena), Atlanta (State Farm Arena), Newark (Prudential Center), Toronto (FirstOntario Center), and Chiba (Makuhari Messe). The concert halls were by the way illuminated with the lights of the second version of the « LIGHTINY (official lightstick) ».
ATEEZ has also acquired the title this year of « emerging power in the OST world ». Indeed, the group was the official singer of several OSTs such as: the OST of the original drama « Mimicus », the OST of the Netflix animated series « Lookism », the OST of the animated series « Digimon Adventure », OST of TVING entertainment show « Youth MT », OST of JTBC drama « Reborn Rich », and OST of Japanese anime series « Duel Masters Win ».
In this way, ATEEZ, which received a lot of love this year from its ATINYs (fandom name), repaid it with good influence. The group, which has secretly donated to humanitarian organizations such as Good Neighbors, Children’s Foundation and UNICEF, expressed condolences over the Itaewon disaster in October and donated 100 million won to the Korea Disaster Relief Association, a sum which represents part of the receipts of the world tour. Additionally, ATEEZ leader HONGJOONG donated 10 million won to World Vision through a free photo exhibition held on his birthday, expressing his wish to help children who dream of music and exerting a good influence on many fans.
Now, ATEEZ is about to embark on the second leg of its « THE FELLOWSHIP: BREAK THE WALL » world tour in Europe, visiting seven different countries (Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, UK, Spain, Denmark, France), starting in February 2023, alongside the release of its first single, « SPIN OFF : FROM THE WITNESS », which will be released on December 30. Thus, expectations are even higher for ATEEZ’s performances in 2023, which has started to navigate a bigger stage.
Journalist: Myriem
Translator: Myriem
Source: KQ Entertainment
