ATEEZ
How a small entertainment company went from relatively unknown to having one of the biggest 4th gen Kpop boy groups, and how a group of 8 untrained teenagers became pirates who traveled to alternative universes (or is it just alternative timelines?!) in attempts to overthrow unyielding and oppressive governments.
And look GREAT doing so…. No really if you haven’t been sucked into the world of ATEEZ you’re about to because no one can come to my website and not leave as an ATINY.
members of ATEEZ (left) meeting with their Halateez counterparts in the Say My Name MV
The boys started as a group of trainees called KQ Fellaz, but debuted in 2018 under the name ATEEZ, meaning A TEEnager Z and stood for everything a teenager liked from A to Z. Thankfully you don’t have to be a teenager to become obsessed with their music (I became a fan in my 30’s).
The fandom name is ATINY which is a mix of ATEEZ and Destiny- and while there is no official fandom color there is a sort of unofficial symbol… The Cromer (an item from their extensive and complicated but AMAZING lore) which looks like an hourglass.
Their lore is long- but involves 2 sets of members one in this world and one in another timeline that seems like an alternate universe working together using a time traveling/universe swapping Cromer to overthrow the government of the ‘Halateez’ universe that has outlawed music, art, fashion, and everything that you can use to express yourself. The Diary versions of all of the albums is a written account of what’s going on, and many of the music videos follow their path (and some feature HALATEEZ- Halla Halla and Say My Name). For a FULL spiral into the story, follow the ATEEZ LORE link!
ATEEZ started through an unlikely beginning- when a young Hongjoong sent a mixtape into KQ entertainment since he loved Block B. Unfortunately, his mixtape was not listened to and thrown to the wayside until the company was moving buildings and it was found. After listening to it Hongjoong was contacted and the first trainee was on.
Yunho was second to join, and little did he know his friend Miongi was also auditioning at the same company- they both wished each other luck without asking where they were going! Seems to be fate they would debut together. (Mingi was previously a trainee at Maroo Entertainment but switched to KQ).
Seonghwa was an avid dancer and was scouted at a competition. At first he was unsure but staff told him about a trainee his age who was a very hard worker and who was already signed on and (thankfully) Seongwha gave it a shot and joined.
Jongho was a trainee at TOP Media Entertainment but left for KQ- and I cannot imagine ATEEZ without him, nor can I imagine how bummed TOP Media must have been to lose such a talented trainee!
Yeosang and Wooyoung were both trainees at BigHit Entertainment, and were there before TXTs debut. Yeosang left for KQ and Wooyoung later made the jump with him, telling him they would either fail together or debut together.
A friend of San’s Father suggested he audition for KQ, and even though he had NO prior dance experience, years of Taekwondo made him flexible, quick and powerful. He is the first idol to come from his hometown of Namhae!
The ATEEZ logo changes with every comeback!
Everyone has their own adorable character groups and ATEEZ is no different! They started with TEEZMON- an adorable group of oddly humanoid characters that express things about each of the members who created them (and personally my favorite of the two options). Sadly they were not as widely popular and were rebranded to animal likenesses in 2024- birthing ANITEEZ. While I still love the rebrand I must say they aren’t as wholly unique as TEEZMON were. That will never stop me collecting everything that has that adorable pouty lipped chick on it…
Hongjoong and Mingi both do a LOT when it comes to their music- both are songwriters and composers for their music working alongside EDEN, Maddox and the other KQ producers. In 2024 ATEEZ did two Collab songs with Japanese group BE:FIRST (both of which are straight fire) and the second song Mingi not only wrote the lyrics and composed the music but also played the instruments for the track!
All members have had a go at songwriting with their subunit teams for their 10th mini album THE WORLD EP. FIN: WILL. Hongjoong and Seonghwa came out with the rap heavy ‘MATZ’ (their duo nickname), Mingi and Yunho had ‘Youth’ an homage to their own youth and ending up together in KQ- which middle school me LOVES as it’s just enough emo vibe to reconnect me with my music taste roots. San, Wooyoung, and Yeosang became the saucy trio to give us I’Ts YOU’ (pronounced I- Tease- You) with an equally saucy music video. Lastly and most unsurprisingly Jongho came at us with the ballad of the year called ‘Everything’ and made fans tear up by sheer talent and a music video that demands tissues and ice cream.