ATEEN (에이틴) was a 10-member male group under DS&A Entertainment. They debuted in Japan on September 1, 2018 with the digital single "僕はちょっと違う". The group presumably disbanded in 2019 after all of the trainees left the company following the lawsuit against their female CEO for sexual assault.
Their name is short for "All-Teenager".[1]
History[]
2018–2019: Japanese debut, allegations of abuse, lawsuit and disbandment[]
On August 9, 2018, DS&A Entertainment announced that their newest boy group, ATEEN, would be making their Japanese debut on September 1, 2018 with their first digital single "僕はちょっと違う". They would promote in Japan following the single's release before making their Korean debut.[1] Later that same day, it was announced that the group would be holding their first Japan concert series, ATEEN 1st Concert in Japan, at K-STAGE O! in Tokyo starting on September 2, 2018.[2].
On January 18, 2019, it was revealed that 6 out of 10 trainees from a company had sued their female CEO for sexual assault in a sushi restaurant in Tokyo meeting dinner on September 28, 2018.[3][4] The group was later confirmed, on February 6, to be ATEEN.[5] The agency's female CEO continued to physically and verbally abuse the group and all 10 members recounted how cruelly they were treated. In the end, they had to undergo psychiatric treatment, some suffered from insomnia, and were severely overworked, with their electronic equipment confiscated. The company denied them, but their contract was terminated and they broke up.
2023: Lawsuit results[]
On October 4, 2023, it was announced that former ATEEN members had won their lawsuits against DS&A Entertainment.
Aftermath[]
Following the disbandment of ATEEN, all the members went their separate ways:
- Jonathan stopped pursuing his K-pop idol dream and he is currently an influencer.
- Kim Chan was revealed as a member of the pre-debut group UTH on November 20, 2019.[6] Unfortunately, the group disbanded in early 2020 before even having an official debut. He made his debut as a soloist on February 20, 2025 with the digital single "Saucy" under the stage name CHÁN.
- King, Segun, Joel and Rookie were revealed as members of the pre-debut group B.I.T on April 5, 2019.[7] Unfortunately, they have been inactive on their SNS since September 2019 and deleted their Instagram account until they announced a fan meeting in August 2020.[8]
- King participated as a contestant of Burn Up 30 in 2020 and started an actor career in 2021. In addition, he participated as a contestant of Boys Planet in 2023 under his full birth name Kim Ji Woong. He ranked in eighth place, thus becoming a member of ZEROBASEONE.
- Segun joined the crew DIPBLU and debuted as a soloist on July 7, 2023, with the single album "FATE" under the stage name AIDEN.
- Joel stopped pursuing his K-pop idol dream and he is currently an actor under his full birth name Kim Gi Hwan.
- Bill debuted as a soloist on June 2, 2021 under the stage name Luo.
- Kim Chan and Rookie were revealed as members of the upcoming boy group AMBITION on March 14, 2022 under the stage name Kyle and Rookie respectively.[9]
The circumstances of the remaining former members are unknown.
Members[]
| Name | Position(s)[10] | Years active |
|---|---|---|
| Jonathan (조나단) | Vocalist, Dancer | 2018–2019 |
| Heyden (헤이든) | Main Vocalist, Dancer | 2018–2019 |
| Kim Chan (김찬) | Leader, Vocalist, Dancer | 2018–2019 |
| Segun (세군; previously Sihyun) | Vocalist, Dancer | 2018–2019 |
| Ki Bin (기빈) | Vocalist, Dancer | 2018–2019 |
| Bill (빌) | Rapper, Dancer | 2018–2019 |
| L.Y (엘.와이) | Vocalist, Dancer | 2018–2019 |
| King (킹) | Vocalist, Dancer, Rapper | 2018–2019 |
| Joel (요엘) | Vocalist, Dancer | 2018–2019 |
| Rookie (루키) | Rapper, Dancer, Maknae | 2018–2019 |
Discography[]
Japanese[]
Digital single[]
- "僕はちょっと違う" (2018)
Concerts[]
Japan concert series[]
- ATEEN 1st Concert in Japan (2018)
Trivia[]
- Jonathan and L.Y are former members of ELVIN CREW.
- Jonathan is also a former member of the pre-debut group NPI.
- L.Y is also a former contestant of Superstar K6.
- Heyden and Kim Chan are former Produce 101 Season 2 contestants.
- Heyden is also a former member of Trigger under the stage name Dongha.
- Segun is a former dancer and choreographer of YG Entertainment under the stage name Aiden Park and a former Banana Culture trainee.
- King is a former member of INX under the stage name Ji Nam.
Gallery[]
Promotional[]
.png "ATEEN Introduction photo (1).png (386 KB)")
Miscellaneous[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 (KR) Chosun.com:'프듀2' 출신 에이틴, 9월 日 데뷔 후 대규모 프로모션 개최
- ↑ ATEEN on Twitter (August 9 2018)
- ↑ Allkpop: Suspected Identity of Company That Sexually Assaulted 6 Male Idols
- ↑ Allkpop: 6 male idols, including some from 'Produce 101' season 2, sue CEO of label for sexual assault
- ↑ Allkpop: ATEEN KPOP GROUP ASKING FOR HELP
- ↑ @uth_official Twitter Post (November 20, 2019)
- ↑ @BIT5_official on Twitter (April 5, 2019)
- ↑ @BIT5_official on Twitter: August 13, 2020 tweet
- ↑ @ambition_1004 on Twitter (March 14, 2022)
- ↑ 韓国新人ボーイズグループATEENインタビュー☆「あらゆるチームを凌駕する輝きをお見せします！」