What ATEEZ's 'BAD' Is, and the Japanese Version That Followed

What happened

If you have seen the title and not heard the record, start with how the two outlets that covered the release describe it. Korea Herald calls ‘Bad’ a Brazilian funk-inspired dance track with an addictive chorus and a groove-driven beat. Electronic Times, writing in Korean, calls it a Brazilian funk track — 브라질리언 펑크 트랙 — with an addictive chorus and a groove-filled beat. Brazilian funk is the dance-music genre label both reports reach for; beyond that, neither outlet goes further, and neither will this article.

The song sits at the front of GOLDEN HOUR : Part.5, ATEEZ’s fourteenth mini album, released on 26 June 2026 through KQ Entertainment at 1 p.m. KST. Star News describes the record as the fifth chapter of the group’s GOLDEN HOUR series, which Korea Herald writes is built around the group’s brightest moments.

Four B-sides follow the title track, in the order Star News lists: ‘MAMACITA’, ‘TOXIN’, ‘Fallin’’ and ‘Body’. Korea Herald describes ‘Mamacita’ as Latin trap blended with a love confession, ‘Toxin’ as an R&B exploration of irresistible attraction, ‘Fallin’’ as electronic dance music with explosive production depicting emotional collapse and ‘Body’ as smooth R&B capturing lingering emotions after a fleeting encounter; Electronic Times gives the same four a Latin trap sound, an R&B mood, an EDM sound and an R&B style. Both outlets report that Hongjoong and Mingi wrote lyrics on every track on the album. Electronic Times also reports that the Hollywood actor Chase Infiniti appears in the music video for ‘BAD’.

Why is it trending?

The measurable reception comes from charts. Soompi reported that GOLDEN HOUR : Part.5 topped iTunes Top Albums charts in at least 26 regions, among them Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Germany, Poland, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, India and Kenya, and that ‘BAD’ reached number one on iTunes Top Songs charts in at least eight regions outside Korea. The same report noted that ‘BAD’ topped Korea’s Bugs realtime chart.

The song then kept appearing in new forms. Star News reported that ATEEZ released remix versions of ‘BAD’ as a relay — a staggered run of reworkings rather than a single remix package — made with the DJ and producer Steve Aoki and with James Carter. A remix release dated 29 July 2026 carried versions by Ollounder and by LEEZ, together with Speed Up and Speed Down renditions; Star News describes the Ollounder version as adding keyboard sounds to the original beat and the LEEZ version as leaning on bass house and metallic sounds.

On the same date, 29 July 2026, the group released its fifth Japanese single, led by a Japanese-language re-recording of ‘Bad’. Korea JoongAng Daily reports that the single carries six tracks: the Japanese ‘Bad’, ‘Seeker’ and ‘Higher’, each with an instrumental version, and notes that the Korean ‘Bad’ is the title track of GOLDEN HOUR : Part.5, released on 26 June 2026.

What you need to know

• The record: GOLDEN HOUR : Part.5, ATEEZ’s fourteenth mini album, released 26 June 2026 at 1 p.m. KST through KQ Entertainment (Korea Herald, Electronic Times, Star News).
• The sound, as reported: Korea Herald calls ‘Bad’ a Brazilian funk-inspired dance track with an addictive chorus and a groove-driven beat; Electronic Times uses the Korean genre label 브라질리언 펑크.
• The track list: BAD, MAMACITA, TOXIN, Fallin’, Body — Latin trap, R&B, EDM and R&B for the four B-sides, in both outlets’ descriptions.
• The credits: Hongjoong and Mingi wrote lyrics on every track on the album. Electronic Times reports the actor Chase Infiniti appears in the ‘BAD’ music video.
• The charts: Soompi reported number one on iTunes Top Albums in at least 26 regions, number one for ‘BAD’ on iTunes Top Songs in at least eight regions outside Korea and a top spot on Korea’s Bugs realtime chart.
• The remixes: Star News reported a remix relay with Steve Aoki and James Carter, and a 29 July 2026 release with Ollounder and LEEZ versions plus Speed Up and Speed Down renditions.
• The Japanese release: the group’s fifth Japanese single, out 29 July 2026, led by a Japanese-language ‘Bad’ and carrying six tracks in total.