ATEEZ Exclusive Interview: "We love sharing our best moments with the UK!"

While nothing new, the impact of K-pop on the Official Chart is more apparent now than ever. In the past year, BLACKPINK have broken records to claim the first-ever Number 1 album by a K-pop girl group, newcomers FIFTY FIFTY now boast the first K-pop girl band Top 10 single with Cupid and BTS members Jimin and j-hope have both earned solo hits.

This week, another K-pop juggernaut look set to see UK chart success.

Boy band ATEEZ are currently tracking to score their first-ever Top 10 album with THE WORLD EP.2: OUTLAW. Having recently wowed UK audiences on sell-out The Fellowship: Break The Wall tour, the release could see Hongjoong, Seonghwa, Yunho, Yeosang, San, Mingi, Wooyoung and Jongho reach new heights.

Ahead of the big chart reveal this Friday, we caught up with the boys to talk fan projects, dream collaborators and pre-show rituals.

Oh hey, ATEEZ! Your latest EP is looking set to become your first-ever UK Top 10. Do you have a message for your fans over here?

HONGJOONG: Firstly, thank you for always supporting us even from afar. Thank you for making such big things happen for us. We will always try to show you our best moments, and share our best moments with you. Thank you so much!

At your shows, your fans often organise fan projects and hold up signs for you. What does that mean to you?

JONGHO: Honestly, there are times when we've prepared the slogans from our side for shows, but when we're on tour, the fans prepare and make them, even handing it out themselves.

They find the right timing during the concert to put it up for us, and every time we see that it's both touching and moving. When I see it as I sing, as it's usually when we perform Turbulence, it's really enchanting.

HONGJOONG: And we're always surprised to see how the fans get all 10,000 people to hold and put the banners up at the same time! Do they tell each other or make a promise with each other to put it up at the same time?

I don't know how they do it, because when I search the internet about it, I can never find how they get everyone to promise with each other to put it up at the same time. We're always so surprised and really appreciate every event, thank you!

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Which UK artists do you really admire at the moment? Is there anybody you'd love to collaborate with?

WOOYOUNG: Etham!

YUNHO: WOOYOUNG has covered Etham's song before.

WOOYOUNG: 12:45.

HONGJOONG: 12:45, yeah, he's covered that song before.

HONGJOONG: Etham, and I really like 5 Seconds of Summer and The Vamps. I They're so good.

LISTEN to ATEEZ's BOUNCY (K-HOT CHILLI PEPPERS) below:

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You recently brought your tour to the UK - do you have any pre-show rituals you have to do before a show?

SEONGHWA: I always eat nutritional supplements and vitamins before the concert starts.

HONGJOONG: Vitamins!

SEONGHWA: It's become something of a routine. It kind of feels like if I eat vitamins before the concert, I'll be more recharged somehow?

MINGI: I don't really have any sort of routine really, but I guess I try to practice a positive mindset. I like to think that since my role is to give happiness to our fans, I personally try to prepare a bit before the concert so that I can spread positive energy with a positive mindset.

ATEEZ's new EP THE WORLD EP.2 : OUTLAW is out now via KQ ENTERTAINMENT.