San of ATEEZ is attracting global fans’ attention with the choreography of the new song ″BAD.″

According to Forbes, the music video for ″BAD,″ released on June 26, surpassed 22 million views since its release. Among these, the choreography performed by San during the chorus was identified as the ″most replayed″ segment. Fans nicknamed this part ″Let’s All Die,″ and many videos appeared combining this choreography with expressions of exhaustion or losing focus. Among some Korean male fans, the reaction ″Gay Awakening″ also emerged. On June 28, on SBS’s ″Inkigayo″ stage, San, dressed in a white tank top, once again became the main figure of the ″most viewed″ clip.

San has previously attracted attention with intense performances. Within ATEEZ, he is known as part of the so-called ″Demon Line″ along with Hongjoong and Seonghwa, and delivered a stage at the 2024 Coachella where the microphone broke due to the intensity. At the same year’s MAMA Awards, he created a huge impact with a performance where he took off his jacket while leaving the stage, and in the music video for ″Ice On My Teeth″ from ″GOLDEN HOUR: Part 2,″ scenes showing his bare upper body and choreography in a suit were each among the ″most viewed″ segments.

San’s stages are also called a ″gateway″ for fans to enter ATEEZ and K-pop in general. After the success of the Netflix animation ″K-Pop Demon Hunters,″ new fans were drawn in as videos related to San appeared in algorithms due to his resemblance in physique to the character ″Abby″ from the show. Pop culture critic Tessa Smith stated, ″I was initially attracted to San because of how he loves his body and his striking appearance, but the more I watched, the more I fell for his music and voice.″ She also mentioned that she later attended San’s first ATEEZ concert.

The EP ″GOLDEN HOUR: Part 5,″ which includes this new song, attracted attention as Hollywood rising star Chase Infinity, known as a passionate fan of San, appeared directly. Leader Hongjoong recently said in a live broadcast, ″San worked really hard preparing for this promotion, and seeing so many people recognize him makes me proud.″

According to Forbes, ″GOLDEN HOUR: Part.5″ simultaneously ranked number one on three charts: Billboard 200, Top Album Sales, and World Albums, and reached number three on the Vinyl Albums chart. First-week sales in the U.S. were approximately 223,000 copies, selling more than 8.5 times the latest work by Olivia Rodrigo. This number exceeds the combined sales of albums ranked 2nd to 31st on the Top Album Sales chart. With this album, ATEEZ achieved their third overall number one on the Billboard 200, their ninth top 10 entry, and their 11th number one on the World Albums chart.