ATEEZ leader Hongjoong teams with Bazzi on new single ENOuGH
ATEEZ leader Hongjoong has released “ENOuGH”, his collaboration with American singer-songwriter Bazzi.
KQ Entertainment said the single arrived on all music sites at 1pm KST on September 18. The company had given the same date and time in advance notices for the release. KQ Entertainment
Hongjoong made the song in April in Los Angeles. He told Billboard in an interview published September 19 that “ENOuGH” is not a full-fledged solo debut.
He is 27 and has spent eight years with ATEEZ. He leads the eight-member group, where he is often called Captain and serves as its primary composer, working closely with the in-house producer team Eden-ary.
Bazzi is the Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter who joins him on the track. Hongjoong shared teaser photographs ahead of the release, and a second teaser for the official music video followed on September 16.
The collaboration comes after a busy run for ATEEZ. The group released the EP GOLDEN HOUR : Part.5 on June 26. Two days later, it made a headlining debut at BST Hyde Park in London.
That EP gave ATEEZ its third No. 1 on the Billboard 200, the chart that ranks the most popular albums in the United States. It opened with a career-high 228,000 equivalent album units, the measure that converts plays and sales into album sales, according to Billboard. Lead single “BAD” also gave the group its first entry on the Billboard Global 200.
ATEEZ became the first K-pop boy band to perform at Coachella. Hongjoong returned to the California festival as a guest in April. During that trip he linked up with Teddy Swims, PinkPantheress, Central Cee, Swae Lee and Daesung of BIGBANG.
Live dates remain central to the group’s schedule. A full day dedicated to ATEEZ at the inaugural 82WORLD: LA festival, organised for fans in Los Angeles, is sold out.
For listeners coming to this story fresh, the set-up is simple. A group leader known mainly for writing and producing inside ATEEZ has stepped out for a one-off partnership, without leaving the group behind. The April sessions in Los Angeles explain the timing. The chart figures and sold-out festival day explain why the release arrives with attention already on him.
