ATEEZ just achieved a huge milestone: their new track “Lemon Drop” debuted at No. 69 on the United States’ Billboard Hot 100 on June 23. This makes them the third K-pop boy group, after BTS and Stray Kids, to do so. The song, part of their “GOLDEN HOUR: Part 3” mini-album, racked up over 1.2 million Spotify streams and 24 million YouTube views in ten days.
“Lemon Drop” by ATEEZ debuts at #69 on this week’s Billboard Hot 100. pic.twitter.com/yXNFTcaYvs
— Kpop Charts (@kchartsmaster) June 23, 2025
But with the celebration came backlash! Some online commentators accused ATEEZ of inflating sales by releasing “random CDs” with member faces at Target, sparking claims that their chart position had been fraudulent. However, loyal ATINYs jumped in to defend their idols, pointing out that ATEEZ’s strong physical sales had boosted their position, despite lower digital stream counts compared to competitors from larger labels.
Fraudteez pic.twitter.com/wMhjDZ78Td
— Neyney (@jkcasstien) June 24, 2025
Their album also landed at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, cementing their status as one of K-pop’s biggest breakout acts. Whatever the whispers, ATEEZ are making some big noise, and with passionate fans behind their back, their rise doesn’t seem to be slowing down any time soon!