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Ateez reaches No. 2 on Billboard 200 with 12th EP ‘Golden Hour: Part.3’

Published: 23 Jun. 2025, 16:14

LIM JEONG-WON
[email protected]

Boy band Ateez [KQ ENTERTAINMENT]

Boy band Ateez debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 with its 12th EP “Golden Hour: Part.3,” according to a preview article published by Billboard on Sunday.

With more than 105,000 album-equivalent units tallied — including 101,500 in physical sales, 3,000 from streaming and 500 from digital downloads — the group reaffirmed its status as a global chart powerhouse, according to Ateez’s agency, KQ Entertainment.

This marks Ateez’s seventh consecutive entry into the Billboard 200 top 10, a streak dating back to 2022’s “The World EP.1: Movement.” Six of those releases have landed in the top three, with two hitting No. 1: “The World Ep.Fin: Will” and “Golden Hour: Part.2.”

The feat is especially impressive given that “Golden Hour: Part.3” was released in Korea as a platform-exclusive album, with only limited quantities distributed in the United States as licensed editions, KQ Entertainment said. Even so, it dominated major physical sales charts, including Hanteo and Circle, as well as iTunes album rankings across 26 countries.

Lead single “Lemon Drop” also made waves. The bubbly summer anthem topped Bugs’ daily and real-time charts in Korea, entered iTunes Top Songs charts in 51 countries and landed at No. 4 on the Worldwide iTunes Songs chart. In Korea, it peaked at No. 3 on Spotify’s daily top songs list.

The music video for “Lemon Drop” hit 10 million views in under 24 hours — the most-viewed YouTube video globally during that period.

Ateez will kick off its 2025 world tour “In Your Fantasy” at Inspire Arena in Incheon with concerts on July 5 and 6. The tour will take the band to the North America where it will be in Atlanta on July 10, New York on July 13, Baltimore on July 16, Nashville on July 19, Orlando on July 22, Tacoma on July 30, San Jose on Aug. 2, Los Angeles on Aug. 8, Glendale on Aug. 12, Arlington on Aug. 16 and Mexico City on Aug. 23. It will then head to Japan to play Saitama between Sept. 13 to 15, Nagoya between Sept. 20 to 21 and Kobe between Oct. 22 to 23.

Ateez debuted in October 2018 with its first EP, “Treasure EP.1: All to Zero.” The eight-member group consists of Seonghwa, Hongjoong, Yunho, Yeosang, San, Mingi, Wooyoung and Jongho.

BY LIM JEONG-WON [[email protected]]