K-pop powerhouse ATEEZ has had a whirlwind journey.
The first group to come from Korean label KQ Entertainment, the eight-member boy group had humble beginnings, as any K-pop group outside of Korea’s major label system has. In the nearly seven years since their 2018 debut, ATEEZ has managed to dominate global music charts (including two No. 1 album’s on the Billboard 200 chart and two entries on the Hot 100), perform on major stages like Coachella and star in TV shows like Apple TV+’s KPOPPED, which was released today.
But perhaps the most important thing ATEEZ has managed to achieve over the last seven years of their career has nothing to do with charting or awards. Known for their electric performances and dynamic stage presence, the boy group — consisting of members Hongjoong, Seonghwa, Yunho, Yeosang, San, Mingi, Wooyoung and Jongho — has managed to carve out a space for themselves in the industry.
Fresh off their first English single, “In Your Fantasy,” and ahead of their packed L.A. concerts at BMO Stadium earlier this month, ATEEZ spoke with The Hollywood Reporter about their decision to renew their contracts with KQ Entertainment for another seven years, why they felt now was the time to release solo songs and how a lot of communication (and a little bit of fighting in their early days) has made their relationship with one another ironclad.
Let’s start with “In Your Fantasy.” Why did you feel this was the perfect time for your first English single?
HONGJOONG When we prepared “In Your Fantasy,” at the same time, we were planning the new tour. We thought that it’s the [perfect] timing to show our first English single to our global fans. Also, [about] the timing, we are in America now, so that’s why everything was so perfect to release our first English single in this time.
Do you think there were any big exciting moments about preparing for it, or any challenging moments that you learned from?
SAN The song and lyrics are so bold and unconventional, so we really love challenging [ourselves], and this is ATEEZ’s signature style. Keep challenging and challenging [ourselves], and I’m excited about our fans’ reaction videos. I searched that, and it was so fun. I thought “Hm, it does work.” We’re really proud of it.
Why did you decide to include solo songs on the album, and why was now the right time?
SAN [I thought] If I have a solo song, I wanted our fans to be first to see it. It really means to us.
HONGJOONG These days when we are on the stage, our members performance or stage ability is higher than before. Everyone had different interests in genres and stage expression. They [the rest of ATEEZ] all have different character. That’s why this was the right timing, we have to show our individual charm too with these new songs.
Can you tell me a bit about working on them? Hongjoong, I know you produced several of them. Mingi, you produced yours, and Jongho, you worked with another producer. But you all contributed creatively to writing on the songs. Why was that important to you? What was that experience like?
HONGJOONG We [Mingi and himself] participated in the composing process, but also all members participated in [writing] their lyrics too. So I think this point is very important. If they perform on the stage, it’s very different that we wrote the lyrics ourselves or we make this song ourselves or not. It’s very different. They can have their own, they just put their own character from the start. That means they just control the whole process about making the song, and they make the stage and they go on the performance, so I think it’s very important. That’s why we participate in [making] our own songs.
MINGI First of all, there are many genres of songs we wanted to show, and I think this is like the first page of that. Also, the most important thing for me was creating a stage where fans could really run and have fun during the concert. I actually ran along to match the BPM and finished the song that way. That was probably the most enjoyable part of the process for me.
Can you tell me about touring this time around? You were in the U.S. last year, but this tour is a bit different. Is there anything you learned from the last tour that took into this one? Anything that’s changed?
MINGI We’ve gotten a bit more handsome since the last tour. (Other members of ATEEZ laugh).
YUNHO I think our stamina and energy have naturally improved as we’ve been touring. But what felt special about the last tour was that I think we really grew a lot in how we express ourselves on stage. Building on that, I feel like this tour we’ve especially grown in our charisma on stage, the way we communicate with the audience during performances.
Do you feel your relationship with your fans has changed over the last seven years? I assume that the amount of access fans have now through texting apps has certainly impacted it.
SEONGHWA Seven years is a really long time. At first, we focused on showing off our talents, but now I think there’s something deeper than just love or trust between us and Atiny [the name for the group’s fanbase]. It’s a connection that’s hard to put into words because we share so many emotions [with one another]. Thanks to live broadcasts and chat apps, we’ve been able to share a lot with each other through music and from the heart.
Does anyone have a standout moment with a fan that you remember?
WOOYOUNG I especially notice it at fan events like sendoff after our shows, or when fans post things on social media. Fans often draw pictures of me, either on stage or in everyday life, and show them to me. I really appreciate that, and they’re so beautiful. I have some saved in my gallery, and sometimes I even use them as my wallpaper.
That’s very sweet. Going off of that, do you guys see a lot of what fans are posting online?
WOOYOUNG I often see what fans post, along with musicians from other countries covering our songs. I also really enjoy watching fans dance along to our music.
Is there another member’s solo song you would’ve liked to have performed on this tour instead of your own?
WOOYOUNG I really want to perform Yunho’s “Slide to Me.”
YUNHO Let’s switch.
HONGJOONG I think it would suit you [Wooyoung].
YUNHO I love Wooyoung’s song too, and I love Hongjoong’s “NO1.” If I were to switch songs with Hongjoong, I’d want to try it with an EDM style, my own way.
HONGJOONG I will teach him [to DJ].
SEONGHWA Yesterday, Yunho picked songs that fit each member during a live broadcast, and it was really fun.
YUNHO [I had] Jongho do Seonghwa hyung’s “Skin”… Mingi did Jongho’s, and when Jongho takes off his jacket during “Skin,” there’s another jacket underneath. (Laughs).
How are you feeling as a group hitting this new stage of your career, now nearly seven years in?
SEONGHWA I feel proud. I’m proud of the members who have been with me for seven years, and I’m really thankful to Atiny for quietly supporting us all this time. I believe we wouldn’t be where we are without the help of our company staff and so many people behind the scenes. Because of that gratitude, we renewed our contract for another seven years with a strong sense of responsibility. I want to be an artist who inspires excitement for the future, while always showing my gratitude.
To go off of that, you guys just decided to renew your contracts for another seven years. Can you tell me about why you wanted to do that and a little peak behind that decision?
HONGJOONG We already thought about the contract a few years ago because we don’t doubt our goals or our members or our company. We just want to make the long-term vision [happen]. It [was] not that difficult and not hard to decide [to renew] this contract, and everyone chose themselves.
SAN Individually, I’m happiest when I’m with my bros, and if we’re not ATEEZ, I thought, it was meaningless.
HONGJOONG Because we started with ATEEZ.
You talk about being very grateful for the team around and the company has grown. That’s largely thanks to the success you’ve had as a group. I know you started small and have grown organically over the years. Do you have a moment in your mind where something shifted for you? When you realized things were going towards where you are now?
WOOYOUNG The number of staff in our company has increased — we have more people helping us now. The company has grown a lot, and the practice rooms have gotten bigger, so I really feel it when I see these changes.
HONGJOONG We can talk about it with aesthetics, but I think the most important thing is when we talk together, the eight members, we really talk a lot about our future or our past. After three, four years, during the COVID-19 pandemic, we felt that… We suffered a hard time because we couldn’t meet our fans in person, but we already had this very big idea about how we’d be in the future. [What we’d look like] 10 years later and 20 years later. That means us — [the] company and members and fans — our relationship is not that soft or not that light. I think that time made us [realize] we can go far in the future too.
You seem to be very close with each other. You spend more time together than most coworkers do, so what does communication look like for you? How has your relationship with one another grown as you’ve grown as a group, and how have you worked through those changes?
JONGHO Actually, I think we learned how to communicate a long time ago. The reason I say this is that we’ve been living together for almost 10 years now. In the past, we used to fight a lot, talk about our feelings and even cry. But now, when we communicate, just looking into someone’s eyes tells you how they’re feeling — whether they’re upset or happy. You get a sense of what you can talk about with them. It’s like a sixth sense.
Do you work hard to maintain that relationship with each other or is that just something that comes naturally?
WOOYOUNG and JONGHO At first, we put in a lot of effort.
HONGJOONG When we started, we really tried hard to understand the others and try to be aware of communication. We can say it now, because [it was] seven years ago or eight years ago when we were training or just starting. Every day we had some trouble [with] the communication [amongst ourselves]. Sometimes it was [a] big fight or sometimes [it’s] just kind of [a small] trouble. These days, [like Jongho said], if someone has a hard time or if someone’s condition is bad, we just know when we see his eyes. These days we don’t put that much effort in communicating, but we still trying hard to care about [eachother] and ourselves. We’ve been together a long time, but we still know that we are different people. We still give effort, but when we started it was harder than now.
SAN That moment built us.
This is something I ask almost every group I speak with. Unfortunately, you have little say in how you’re perceived. People might have preconceived notions or have an idea of you in your hard. But like you’ve said, you’re working hard and putting a lot into your music. I’m assuming you have a way you’d like to be seen. What do you think that is for ATEEZ? Do you feel like you’re there yet?
JONGHO I believe there are no limits in anything. Instead of focusing on an end point, it’s best to keep achieving what we can and continue doing what we want to do while moving forward.
HONGJOONG Our attitude always is not enough. I say this because I think our members and I, we know that we can do more, and we can create more big things. We are nonstop, continually, but we did well. We’re proud of our history already, but we can do more things in the future.
Is there anything else you’d like to say to the fans or looking ahead as ATEEZ?
YEOSANG Atiny is the reason we’ve been able to continue for such a long time. With this seven-year contract renewal, Atiny, we will keep sailing forward on this journey, so please keep looking forward to it and continue to be with us. We truly appreciate it.
HONGJOONG Wait for the 2080’s “Hala Hala” (an iconic song from early in the group’s career). Grandpa’s “Hala Hala.”
YUNHO ATE-ties
HONGJOONG We’ll wait for that too.
YUNHO Hal-abeoz (wordplay on Korean word for grandfather and ATEEZ).