Exclusive: ATEEZ Talks About Conveying Their Message Through Music, Goals, Favorite "Lemon Drop" MV Scene, And More

Jun 12, 2025

ATEEZ is gearing up for their highly-anticipated comeback with “GOLDEN HOUR : Part.3”!

Ahead of their comeback on June 12, ATEEZ held a press conference to talk about their upcoming comeback with their 12th mini album “GOLDEN HOUR : Part.3” along with the music video for the title track “Lemon Drop.”

Hongjoong started off by sharing the group’s resolve, “It’s our first new mini album in seven months. It’s the long awaited Part.3. We’ve been preparing for a long time. We’ll work hard to promote in order to meet expectations.”

Yeosang added, “It’s our first summer song in a long while, so we thought about it a lot, and the members worked hard to prepare.” Wooyoung added, “Through this album, we tried to showcase ATEEZ’s unique colors. I hope you recognize our sincerity.”

Regarding the music video for “Lemon Drop,” the members talked about their favorite scenes. Yunho shared, “The music video itself is so fresh and sexy, but I personally like Hongjoong’s rap part while he’s sweating inside a car. It was the last filming [for that day], so we left him and went home,” explaining that he saw the scene for the first time at the press conference screening of the music video. Yunho also talked fondly of the scene where the members drive while rapping, saying, “We didn’t think of it as filming but rather going on a drive.”

Jongho further mentioned, “I like taking the members’ photos. When it’s not my turn [to film], I wait many hours to take photos.” He jokingly added, “But I got tired while waiting, and I went back to the waiting room.”

Touching on the strengths of the album, Seonghwa shared, “All the songs are good, and even the B-sides are great, so I hope you listen to it all.” Hongjoong added, “Whenever we talk about the album, we feel confident that we are preparing well.”

As members Mingi and Hongjoong participated in writing the lyrics for this album as well, Mingi answered that his favorite lyrics are from “Castle,” one of the B-sides on the album.

Hongjoong further elaborated, “Whenever we start a new series, we research about what genre of music could cover the message we want to deliver,” saying that rather than changing their style of music, the group places emphasis on how to best convey their message through music. He added, “As our next goal, rather than something tangible, we want to continue to impress as the eight of ATEEZ for a long time,” placing emphasis on having persuasive music. San added, “There are lots of albums left [to come from us], so we will continue to impress.”

When asked about any burdens they have for the upcoming comeback, Yeosang shared, “Rather than pressure about results, I want to build good memories with ATINY,” adding, “I’m really grateful to ATINY as well as the members who promoted in good health.”

Regarding their potential contract renewal, Hongjoong briefly commented, “We’re thinking a lot about how best to show ATEEZ for a long time, We’ll try to return with a good response soon.”

Touching on their upcoming 2025 world tour “IN YOUR FANTASY,” which will kick off its North American stops in July, Yunho teased upcoming performances that they have never showcased before. He added, “This might be a spoiler, but we tried to put into consideration what ATINY wants to see.”

San added, “We’re a team that tries new challenges, and we tried to do so again for this concert tour.” On ATEEZ’s positive influence as celebrities, San further highlighted, “Positive influence is really important, but I want to prioritize effort into being a good person over just being a celebrity.”

For future goals, Hongjoong shared, “In addition to festivals and tours, we want to show good results in fields we have yet to try in a way trademark to ATEEZ.”

Wooyoung also highlighted ATEEZ’s goal, saying, “Although we showcase the same performance multiple times, there are always people who are watching us for the first or final time, and we always feel a strong sense of responsibility regarding that.” Seonghwa concluded, “We’ll work hard to make our goals a reality.”