[INTERVIEW] How ATEEZ achieved worldwide success

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

Entertainment & Arts

Sun, October 1, 2023 | 20:20

K-pop

INTERVIEWHow ATEEZ achieved worldwide success

Posted : 2023-03-26 17:15

Updated : 2023-03-27 16:22

K-pop boy group ATEEZ / Courtesy of KQ Entertainment

ATEEZ attracts 430,000 fans during its latest world tours

By Dong Sun-hwa

K-pop boy group ATEEZ had a hectic time last year. The octet ― consisting of Hongjoong, Seonghwa, Yunho, Yeosang, San, Mingi, Wooyoung and Jongho ― did two world tours, performing in front of 430,000 fans around the globe.

ATEEZ built a huge global fan base shortly after its debut in 2018. Only about a year after arriving on the music scene, the group held its first-ever world tour in 15 cities, drawing some 100,000 audience members.

Numerous factors have contributed to its success, but ATEEZ front man Hongjoong believes that the group's powerful performances have played the biggest role.

"We have been putting emphasis on our performances from the very beginning, and I think this aspect has appealed to our fans," he said during a media interview at a cafe in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, Wednesday.

"We frequently displayed eye-catching gestures and expressions on stage and sometimes, performed with hats and masks. We have also strived to improve our singing, rapping and dancing skills while learning different foreign languages, so that we can better cater to our global audience."

Wooyoung added that ATEEZ's vibrant energy and distinctive musical universe ― in which the members appear as pirates navigating the oceans ― are the group's competitive edges, while Yunho picked the members' close-knit chemistry and friendly attitudes toward their fans as the reasons behind its popularity.

ATEEZ burst onto the K-pop scene with the mini-album, "TREASURE EP. 1 : All To Zero." It marked the beginning of the "Treasure" series, in which the members began their journey to search for treasure. Then, it started another series "Fever" with the release of "ZERO : FEVER Part.1" in 2020, showing how the eight members came to form one team.

The "World" series kicked off in 2022 with the "The WORLD EP.1 : MOVEMENT" mini-album. ATEEZ delved deeper into its fictional universe and offered a clearer picture of its concept, while selling more than 1 million copies of its EP for the first time in its career.

However, some insist that ATEEZ has a relatively low public profile in its home country.

"People occasionally ask us what we think about our position in Korea," Hongjoong said. "I think this is because we have garnered more positive feedback from our global fans. But we do not want to group our fans differently depending on their nationalities. We will continue to do what we can do to raise our profile in Korea, but we will not deviate from our route just to win the hearts of Korean fans. We will neither change our initial plans nor put out albums with different styles to earn more recognition from the general public."

Touring the world for 14 months was no walk in the park for ATEEZ members. It was physically strenuous and at times, they faced unexpected incidents on stage. But all of them said they were happy to have met their followers and to have achieved musical growth.

K-pop boy group ATEEZ on stage during its world tour last year / Courtesy of KQ Entertainment

"I still cannot forget the days when I saw so many of our fans at large concert venues," Seonghwa recalled. "These memories will motivate me to work harder in the days ahead."

Jongho added, "I received so much energy from our followers as we toured around. I am still so happy about that and this year, I will put more effort into showcasing good music and performances."

ATEEZ, which ranked third on Billboard's main albums chart with "The WORLD EP. 1 : MOVEMENT," also expressed excitement over the debut of xikers, a boy group that its management company KQ Entertainment will launch on March 30.

"The debut of xikers seems to be a testament to ATEEZ's growth," Hongjoong said. "We are the first group made by KQ and now, we are about to have a junior group. I am proud of this, but at the same time, feel more responsible because we've got to keep showcasing a better version of ourselves. I hope ATEEZ and xikers can make a win-win situation together."

Wooyoung elaborated, "I would say xikers' debut has created a family-like bond among all of us. I want to help them as much as I can and I hope we can grow together."

sunhwadong@koreatimes.co.kr