Last year was a year that allowed members of boy band Golden Child to feel the love from Goldenness, the group’s dedicated fan club, all around the world.

From tours in the United States and South America to new albums and concerts in Japan, the members are ready to take that love and use it as energy for their latest single “Feel me."

Golden child has 10 members: Lee Jang-jun, Tag, Bae Seung-min, Bong Jae-hyun, Kim Ji-beom, Kim Dong-hyun, Hong Joo-chan, Choi Bo-min, Lee Dae-yeol and Y.

“At every moment, we felt that our Goldenness was waiting for us and loving us so passionately,” Lee Jang-jun told the press in a showcase held Thursday afternoon at Ilchil Art Hall in southern Seoul, prior to the release of the single at 6 p.m.

“We went on two tours — one in the United States and one in South America — for two months, and it really did feel different, part of that was because a lot of people danced along with us in front of the stage.”

“Feel me” comes as the band’s first new Korean music in over a year, since its last and sixth EP “Aura” (2022) dropped in August last year.

Three tracks are included in the single: the post grunge-rock title track “Feel me,” an up-tempo dance track titled “Blind Love” and a British pop track “Dear.”

“'Feel me’ is the very idea of youth that Golden Child has been singing of since day one of our debut,” Kim Ji-beom said. “You will be able to feel the Golden Child Attitude with the song.”

Golden Child debuted in August 2017 as the second boy band from Woollim Entertainment, following after Infinite. Former member Park Jae-seok quit the band in 2018 due to health issues, and Y did not attend Thursday’s event because he is doing his military service, which he started last March.

Members have been actively pursuing their solo careers, such as music, acting and musicals.

“As the leader, I think the strength of our team comes from the fact that all 10 of us have very different and unique characteristics,” Lee Dae-yeol said when asked what makes Golden Child stand out amid the stiff competition that is K-pop. “And with all 10 of us put together, I think we create this vibe that no one else can.”

Beaten by tough competition from major boy bands that dominated in the late 2010s, Golden Child found success in the Japanese market instead.

The band made its Japanese debut in January 2022 with the single "A WOO!!," landing the title track on the No. 1 spot on Oricon, Billboard Japan and Tower Records' weekly singles chart. The band became the sixth foreign boy group to top the Oricon weekly chart.

The band's second Japanese single, "RATA-TAT-TAT" was released in June 2022 and sat high on the Oricon weekly singles chart. The third Japanese single, "Invisible Crayon," was released on April 19.

“During the last year and three months, we released a new single, which landed at No. 1 on the Oricon charts, and held concerts in Japan,” Lee Jang-jun said. “We feel thankful for all fans — in Korea, in the United States, in South America and in Japan — and we want to take the energy that they gave us and use it to successfully complete our ‘Feel me’ promotions.”

To find out more about Golden Child, visit Celeb Confirmed

BY YOON SO-YEON [yoon.soyeon@joongang.co.kr]