K-Pop Powerhouse ATEEZ on Making History at Coachella, Record Store Day and the Grammy Museum

Just a day before their second performance at Coachella, K-Pop group ATEEZ gathered at the Grammy Museum for a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The eight-piece outfit and its fellow KQ Entertainment boy group xikers are the subject of a pop-up exhibit that opened to the public on April 10.

The exhibit spotlights costumes and props worn and used by the group (consisting of members Hongjoong, Seonghwa, Yunho, Yeosang, San, Mingi, Wooyoung and Jongho) from their most recent album, The World EP.Fin: Will. The album, which all members wrote for, earned the global stars their first Billboard 200 No. 1 in December.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony wasn’t the group’s first outing to the museum. In February of 2022, shortly after their pair of sold-out shows at the Kia Forum, ATEEZ took part in the museum’s Global Spin Live series, participating in a conversation and performance for a select number of fans.

“We’ve looked around before, but it feels very different to be able to see our own items and outfits on display at an exhibition here at the Grammy Museum,” Jongho told The Hollywood Reporter through a translator.

From the black masks and wide-brimmed fedoras of “Hala Hala” to the scarlet-and-black gothic bandleader ensembles displayed in performances of the group’s latest Korean single “Crazy Form,” ATEEZ’s stylized outfits are a vital piece of the puzzle.

“The outfit is so important to showing our characters in the music and in the video,” said Hongjoong, the group’s “captain” — the term the group uses for its leader that plays into its career-long pirate lore that began with 2018 debut single “Pirate King.” The 25-year-old also often serves as a writer, composer and producer for both ATEEZ and xikers.

ATEEZ were the first batch of trainees to debut from KQ Entertainment. The trainee system is a well-established portion of Korea’s entertainment ecosystem, meant to prepare young talent for careers as K-Pop performers. Getting to see the label’s newest group, xikers, in the Grammy Museum exhibit alongside themselves was meaningful as ATEEZ had been hoping to build something akin to family in their company, Hongjoong noted.

“It makes me so proud to see that KQ itself has grown,” Yunho said. “To know that we have contributed to that growth … it makes me so honored,” he continued.

Just over a week ago, ATEEZ became the first K-Pop boy group to perform at Coachella. In preparation for the festival, San said they prepared “a lot of songs,” among them fan favorites like “Arriba” and “Django,” which the group performed for the first time for American fans last Friday in Indio.

“We used the best songs, and we prepared all songs with our band,” San said. Added Hongjoong, “We just want to make some stages where everyone can enjoy, and everyone can have fun.”

ATEEZ has a loyal fanbase, collectively known as Atiny, who were there to support them during their first Coachella performance. Even during Coachella’s livestream, the group’s light sticks — fittingly dubbed “Lightiny” — were visible and fans’ chants were audible.

“I’m so proud of them because they always support us,” Seonghwa said of their fans. The 26-year-old emphasized that the group understands Coachella isn’t easy to get to. Hongjoong added that the group watched the livestream ahead of their first performance and knew that fans had been there since the festival opened in order to score a good spot in front of the Sahara stage.

Mingi said he learned from other artists at the festival, adding that his favorite performance was Ice Spice’s. “Through watching other artists’ performances as well, I was able to learn how to interact with the crowd by being part of them,” he said. The 24-year-old — who is also a writer, composer and producer — later noted that he also saw many house DJ sets at the festival and that he has hopes to collaborate in the future.

On top of their many group activities, the members all have individual interests they hope to continue during this busy time. In November, Hongjoong held a photography exhibition in Seoul. Wooyoung joked that he was the type to share his photos right away with fans, before adding that he does have photo aspirations.

“Even if it’s not exactly a photo exhibition, if I’m able to show them [photos] to the fans in a bigger way, that would be lovely,” Wooyoung said.

“Nowadays with our busy schedules, I’m not really able to focus so much on working out,” Yeosang said. Wooyoung suggested his bandmate take up cycling, which he seems to be considering.

To wrap up the first part of the group’s banner year, ATEEZ was named Record Store Day’s first-ever K-Pop artist of the year. On Saturday, fans got the chance to purchase an exclusive vinyl version of their latest album. Members Yunho, Yeosang, Wooyoung and Jongho also stopped by Dodger Stadium, where Yunho threw out the first pitch for Saturday’s Dodgers game.

ATEEZ performed at Coachella again Friday night for their final performance of the festival. During a powerful performance of their 2021 song “The Real,” Hongjoong used a prop fan with “Golden Hour” written on it. Shortly after, the group announced via social media their newest EP, Golden Hour: Part 1, which appears to be the start of a new album series and will be released on May 31.

On Monday, ATEEZ announced the North American leg of their new world tour Towards The Light: Will To Power. The 10-stop tour will begin at the Tacoma Dome in Tacoma, Washington in July, making stops along the way at Los Angeles’ BMO Stadium and New York’s Citi Field. The fan club member pre-sale begins on May 1 and general on-sale begins May 3.