Ateez

Plans for a new KQ Entertainment boy group began after a company staff member discovered a letter from Ateez's future leader, Kim Hongjoong. The letter expressed Hongjoong's interest in becoming a trainee at KQ Entertainment due to his admiration of the group Block B, also managed by the company, and included a sample mixtape. Hongjoong was then contacted by KQ Entertainment and became the company's first official trainee, and would remain the only trainee until Yunho joined him six months later.[10][11] Over the next year, they would be joined by Seonghwa, Yeosang, San, Mingi, Wooyoung, and Jongho. Multiple members left other companies to join: Mingi came from Maroo Entertainment, Jongho from TOP Media and Yeosang and Wooyoung had trained together at BigHit Entertainment before switching to KQ.[12][13][14]

Prior to their debut, Ateez were called KQ Fellaz.[15] On May 18, 2018, KQ Entertainment released the YouTube video "KQ Fellaz Performance Video I," which featured the future Ateez members' dance performance to the song "Pick It Up" by rapper Famous Dex.[16] Four days later, KQ Entertainment released the first episode of the YouTube series KQ Fellaz American Training, where the eight members traveled to Los Angeles, California, to train in dance at Movement Lifestyle[17] and Millennium Dance Complex.[18] Yunho was selected to appear in one of Millennium's official dance videos.[19] During this period, a ninth trainee, Lee Junyoung, was promoted as a member of the group, but ultimately was not added to the final debut lineup.[20] For the finale of the series, KQ Fellaz released the single "From" on July 3, 2018, composed and produced by Hongjoong.[21]

Following the conclusion of the series, KQ Entertainment announced a KQ Fellaz reality show on June 26, 2018, with a set of three teasers. The second teaser was released on July 3, and revealed the official name for the group: Ateez, and the show's title: Code Name is Ateez. The show premiered on the Korean broadcasting media Mnet on July 20.[22]

On October 2, 2018, through their official SNS, Ateez announced their debut date to be October 24 at the Yes24 Livehall,[23] and proceeded to upload teaser photos from October 8 to 23. On October 24, 2018, Ateez released their debut EP, Treasure EP.1: All to Zero.[24] Alongside the release of the album were music videos for titles tracks, "Pirate King" and "Treasure." The album reached #7 on the weekly Gaon Albums Chart, selling 23,644 copies in 2018.[25][8]

On January 3, 2019, Ateez announced their first comeback EP, Treasure EP.2: Zero to One, with a teaser on SNS.[26] The EP was released on January 15, concurrently with the music video for lead single "Say My Name."[27][28] A follow up music video for track "Hala Hala (Hearts Awakened, Live Alive)," was released on February 7.[29] 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.[30] All dates were sold out.[31][2] Following this success, they extended their tour through April, with performances in the European cities of London, Lisbon, Paris, Berlin, Amsterdam, Milan, Budapest, Stockholm, Warsaw, and Moscow.[32] All shows were reported to be sold out.[33][34] Their music video for the song "Promise," released on May 9, showed the group performing in multiple of these cities.[35] On May 17, Ateez performed at their first KCON: KCON 2019 Japan in Chiba, Japan.[36] In early June, The Expedition Tour was announced to be extended again with performances in Australia, with shows scheduled in Melbourne and Sydney in early August.

Ateez released their third EP, Treasure EP.3: One to All on June 10.[37] The lead single from the EP, "Wave," was selected via a fan vote, in competition with track "Illusion."[38] Music videos for both songs were released on the same day.[39][40] On June 20, Ateez won their first music program broadcast award on M Countdown for "Wave," winning a second time on The Show five days later.[41][42] On July 6, Ateez performed at KCON 2019 NY in New York City, USA.[43] The music video for the song "Aurora," released on July 8, was filmed in the city, and was the first official Ateez release to have been composed and produced by leader Hongjoong.[44] From August 16–19, Ateez performed at KCON LA, and received the Soribada Award for Best Performance on August 20.[45]

On September 18, Ateez announced their third comeback with Treasure EP.Fin: All to Action, which would be their first full-length studio album.[46] It was released on October 8, along with the music video for title track "Wonderland."[47][48] 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 Gaon Music Charts.[8] On November 10, their first Japanese-language music video was released for the song "Utopia," which was originally a track on Treasure EP.3: One to All.[49] On December 4, their debut Japanese album Treasure EP.Extra: Shift the Map, was released, and they received the Worldwide Fans' Choice Award at the Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMA) in Nagoya, Japan, on the same day.[49]

On January 6, 2020, Ateez released their fourth EP, Treasure Epilogue: Action to Answer, as the final part of their Treasure series.[50] The music video for the title track "Answer" was released on the same day, and a Japanese version of the video was released on January 29. The EP has sold 172,078 physical copies in South Korea as of September 2020.[8]

Ateez's second world tour, The Fellowship: Map the Treasure, was scheduled to begin in Seoul in February, 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.[51] However, due to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic, the European, Japanese, and United States tour dates have been indefinitely postponed.[52][53][54] Prior to the postponement, several tour dates had already sold out, with the stops in Amsterdam, Madrid, and Moscow having reported to have been sold out since January.[55] All United States tour dates were also sold out, including some in venues capable of hosting over 18,000 people.[56]

On May 8, the Korean Cultural and Information Service (KOCIS)—an affiliate of the Ministry of Sports, Culture, and Tourism—named Ateez as the 2020 promotional ambassador, making them official ambassadors of Korean culture and tourism abroad.[57] As part of their ambassadorship, Ateez participated in the "Overcome Together" relay challenge to encourage safe habits for avoiding COVID-19.[58][59] Unable to interact with fans in person, Ateez held a free, virtual concert called "Crescent Party" on V Live, with over 1.4 million recorded viewers tuning in to the live event on May 30.[60][61] On June 26, they performed both the opening and closing stages at KCON:TACT 2020, where they also held a virtual meet-and-greet with fans.[62][63]

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.[64] As they had done previously with Treasure EP. 3: One to All, fans were invited to vote on the album's title track.[65] The EP was released on July 29, with "Inception" revealed to be the chosen title track.[66] A music video for "Inception" was released on the same day, and a second music video for the track "Thanxx" was released on August 23. Ateez received their third and fourth music program broadcast awards for "Inception" on August 4–5, on The Show and Show Champion.[67][68] As of September 2020, Zero: Fever Part.1 has sold over 347,207 physical copies in South Korea, making it Ateez's first album to achieve a platinum certification on the Gaon Albums Chart. With these album sales, Ateez has become the second fourth-generation boy group to reach one million total sales within their rookie period.[9]

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," and won the episode based on the votes made by 20 judges. This win made them the first fourth-generation group to win on the program, and the sixth idol group overall. [69]

On October 31, Ateez released the official Halloween performance MV of "Black Cat Nero", with a surprise feature from singer Kim Jong Kook.[70] At the 2020 Mnet Asian Music Awards, it was announced that Ateez would be joining The Boyz and Stray Kids on the inaugural season of Kingdom, an Mnet competition show.[71]

Ateez returned to Immortal Songs: Singing the Legend 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.[72] On the same day, Ateez announced that their sixth EP, Zero: Fever Part.2, will be released on March 1.[73][74]