Ateez hopes to continue shining bright with music and performances

Ateez introduces its 10th EP, "Golden Hour: Part 1," during a press conference in Seoul on Thursday. (Yonhap)

K-pop boy group Ateez released “Golden Hour: Part 1,” its 10th EP, on Friday.

This is the first installment of the “Golden Hour” series that comes after three previous series: “Treasure,” “Fever” and “The World.”

“The new series will portray the golden moments we’ve experienced and plan on making in the future through music,” said Seonghwa of Ateez during a press conference in Seoul on Thursday.

The eight-member group’s new EP carries six tracks led by title track “Work,” a hip-hop number with groovy sounds and an addictive hook.

“It sings about the endless challenges we take to accomplish our dreams. Our group leader Hongjoong took part in writing the lyrics,” said San of Ateez.

“J Blaze, a famous choreographer who has worked with renowned artists such as Justin Bieber and Chris Brown, took part in coming up with the choreography for our lead track,” said Yunho of Ateez.

The new release comes after the group's performance at the Coachella Valley Music Festival.

They were highly praised for their powerful and skillful performance, which incorporated traditional Korean elements, such as traditional Korean circle dance “ganggangsulae,” in the choreography.

“We were really honored to take the stage and we wanted to prepare for it meticulously to show our best performance. We felt that we were representing Korea, so we tried to put elements of Korean culture in it,” said Seonghwa about the Coachella performance.

“Now that we have experienced such a big stage, we want to become artists who can let their hair down and enjoy performing on big stages to the fullest by communicating with the audience through music,” said Jongho of Ateez.

Even with six years of experience as a K-pop idol, Jongho said he continues to take vocal lessons.

“I want to continue enhancing my vocal skills instead of settling for the present. That's why I take vocal lessons even when I’m on world tours,” said Jongho.

Ateez is set to take the stage at Japan’s largest outdoor music festival, Summer Sonic 2024, on Aug. 17-18.

“We shine brightest when we are performing in front of our fans. We will continue to tell our own story through our albums to come so we can shine in many places around the world,” said Hongjoong.

By Hong Yoo(yoohong@heraldcorp.com)