Watch How They Move: ATEEZ Are Making Their Mark On K-pop

"Who's playing tonight?" isn't a unusual question to ask any time once you visualize a line of people standing outdoor of a venue. However for the diverse young crowd that amassed outdoor of Warsaw — a Polish community center by day, punk-adjacent scene by night — on a Sunday evening in Brooklyn late last month, several of whom were armed with light sticks and homemade merch, the response was obvious: ATEEZ.


For the uneducated, ATEEZ are an eight-member order from South Korea's KQ Entertainment whose sound can best be described as "turn up in Ibiza" — their own distinct mixture of hip-hop and slick EDM, with charismatic rap verses and hooks that hit hard. And folks are paying attention.


A concept photo for their latest album, Treasure EP.2 : Zero To One


In the five months since their dynamic debut, ATEEZ have already had a unprecedented quantity of success for a rookie K-pop group: Their second mini album bowed at No. 5 on Billboard's World Albums chart, and so they sold out their first-ever U.S. And European tour soon after overwhelming demand on concert crowdfunding site MyMusicTaste — with only 10 songs, a number of energetic dance videos, and one exceedingly dramatic intro track under their belts.


"We've only ever advertised in Korea right after our debut," leader and rapper Hongjoong told MTV News the day soon after their Brooklyn show, the last stop on the U.S. Leg of their Expedition tour before heading to London. "So we didn't know we had so several international ATINYs [their fandom name]. It's astonishing And aside from the obvious language barrier, dancer Wooyoung mentioned that there's not really any difference between their Korean fans and their fans abroad. "The love that they give is still the same."


Though, as soon as asked why they think they've had such success internationally, the answer isn't as definitive. Case in point, they have no idea. "We are lucky," Hongjoong mentioned. Nevertheless even ATEEZ have to admit that it's more than luck that got them here, to a Tribeca hotel for a full day of press with Western media outlets and to countless headlines deeming them the Next Big Thing. In their pre-debut days, the order (then referred to as KQ Fellaz) spent time in Los Angeles training at hip-hop dance studios like Millennium Dance Perplexing. They also uploaded magnetic dance videos choreographed to Desiigner's "Outlet,"  Cardi B's "Lick," and Famous Dex's "Pick It Up" (a fan-favorite they also performed at Warsaw to deafening whines of "a bad bitch, Puerto Rican"). "We like hip-hop, and we like American dance styles," Hongjoong said.


But watching them perform and interact with one another on that stage, it's easy to be able to see why this order is resonating with fans across oceans and timezones.


Their performances are powerful, not only in the way that every movement is sharp and precise nevertheless also in their expressions. They're especially charismatic, and their live stages are theatrical without any production value; it's just them and the stage, and however, they deliver the drama with smoky eyes, coiffed hair, and crimson red fits. Take, as an example, "HALA HALA," a sinister showstopper in the group's setlist with high-intensity choreography that borders on unhinged. Vocalist San, who arguably commands the most attention throughout that distinct efficiency, mentioned he's often inspired by film and pop culture any time determining his expressions. His inspiration for "HALA HALA" was Heath Ledger's Joker in The Dark Knight.


Each member has their own efficiency fashion that they bring to the order. San feels things deeply, so his movements match his intense emotions. Yunho thinks about the theme of the song first, and then he'll pull images and gestures to fit the in general mood of the efficiency. For main dancer Wooyoung, it's more intuitive; he tries not to think also much. "I just go on stage and bring out whichever is indoor he mentioned. Meanwhile, for main vocalist Jongho, it's about powerful moves to match his powerhouse vocals. "It comes more from the indoor he mentioned, adding that power isn't just about physicality. "It's about finding the emotion."


Rapper Mingi thinks of his persona. "I think about how crowds view me and I'll put that into my choreography." As soon as asked how he thinks fans view him, he replies confidently: "Cool." And nevertheless Hongjoong likes to tease Mingi and call him the "cutest boy in the world," he would like to go on record and mention that "all of the members are cuter than me."


obviously, powerful expressions are only segment of the equation. Right considering that, K-pop is known for precision and prismatic efficiency. Yet ATEEZ have also spent time establishing their individual identities both on and off stage thanks to their various social media streams and streaming platforms like Korea's V Live, where fans get to know them more intimately by way of the post-performance live streams and variety content. "Of course our dancing and our music is very crucial San mentioned. However showing our individual aspect is most crucial too."


That was exceptionally apparent on stage. Since the categorize have a relatively small catalog of music, they spent roughly 45 minutes of their set answering fan-submitted questions. This playful Q&A portion not only highlighted the members' individual charms — youngest member Jongho did push ups while San sat on his back; vocalist Seonghwa sang a little bit of Baekhyun and Suzy's "Dream"; each member had to dance sexily to Ariana Grande's "7 Rings" — yet it also underscored their chemistry as an audience. They are (mostly) controlled chaos any time all together; eight individuals who seem to genuinely adore creating one another laugh, even any time self-proclaimed best companions San and Wooyoung are fake-fighting and Hongjoong is forcing Mingi to do aegyo (or, make beautiful expressions).


"If I may describe my members, I would mention we're a rainbow," soft-spoken Yeosang mentioned. "Because each member has their own talents." Hongjoong is quick to add, "A rainbow is seven colors, although we are eight. So one is white."


Whenever it comes to their music, this concept of a rainbow — or, "eight makes one team" — is especially key. According to Hongjoong, their music speaks to young people today because as an audience in their late teens and early 20s, they're segment of that generation, also. (ATEEZ stands for "A TEENager Z.") "We produce music that they can relate to," he mentioned. Hongjoong and Mingi are credited as lyricists in all yet one of their tracks, and Hongjoong is working on his producing skills with the help of his labelmate/teacher/producer EDEN, who was watching the categorize from the balcony at Warsaw.


For Hongjoong — who wrote his first song at 16 about wanting to be a good person to honor his late grandmother — it's crucial to prepare music with a message. For their current era, the concept is simple enough: "We want people to know they have their own treasure — dreams, family member, companions. We have ATINY [their fans]. So they can find that [treasure] and do something astonishing with each other It's a theme they've been exploring since their debut single, aptly-titled "Treasure."


As ATEEZ look ahead to the rest of 2019 and in back of, they know that they have momentum on their side, so there's no slowing down. Any time asked to reveal their personalized objectives for the year, the members are strictly agency. San wants an efficiency award at one of the end of the year award shows in Korea; Yunho wants an efficiency award and a Rookie of the Year award; Yeosang wants to grow as a performer; Mingi hopes that once people think of the letter "A," they'll think of "ATEEZ"; Wooyoung wants each person to be healthy and injury-free; and Jongho wants one of their songs on the Billboard charts.


And for Seonghwa, it's all about perspective. "I'm thankful for all a persons vision. We'll help each other and practice our hardest to fulfill these expectations."


Still, they do take some time for themselves to relieve stress, especially as soon as they're touring. There's the regular — playing games (Yunho), watching dramas and anime (Yeosang), seeking alone time at the sauna (Mingi) — and then there's San.


"I was searching my name on Twitter," San mentioned. "I like to read what fans are saying. So I search #ChoiSan, and it's like, 'Wow!'"