ATEEZ (에이티즈) is an 8-member group under KQ Entertainment. The group consists of Hongjoong, Seonghwa, Yunho, Yeosang, San, Mingi, Wooyoung and Jongho. The group debuted late last year on October 24th, 2018 with the songs “Treasure” and “Pirate King.”
Although ATEEZ only had their debut in October last year, they have made their way into the hearts of millions of people all over the world whilst they were still trainees, dubbed as “KQ FELLAZ” as in this performance video. They were originally called KQ Fellaz before their lineup for the official debut was finalised. This video of the boys dancing to “Pick It Up” by Famous Dex & A$AP Rocky went viral and currently has over 2.15 million views, which is unheard of, especially for a group who hadn’t debuted yet.
I initially found out about the group because of this performance video, which went viral. Hearing that they would be having their official debut soon at the time genuinely excited me, and I kept up with them all the way until they officially had their debut. The two things that made me a passionate fan of ATEEZ were undoubtedly their wide range of skills and their musicality. Yes, they are naturally all very handsome men, but with their smooth, sleek vocals and powerful, hard-hitting raps, ATEEZ is truly the whole package. ATEEZ also have a wonderful fanbase called ‘ATINY,’ which is a combination of ATEEZ + DESTINY.
Coming from a small company in the Korean music industry can be challenging at times, but the boys have made their distinctive mark in the Korean music industry. They were ranked #20 on the Most Viewed K-Pop Music Video in the last 24 hours with 569,203 views for ‘Say My Name,’ the title track of their latest comeback, just a few days ago.
ATEEZ is a group that should be on everyone’s radar. To get to know the members of the exceptional Korean rookie boy-group, check out their member profiles!
Hongjoong
Credit: @ateez_official_
Stage Name: Hongjoong (홍중)
Birth Name: Kim Hongjoong (김홍중)
Position: Leader, Lead Rapper, Vocalist, Composer
Birthday: November 7th, 1998
Interesting Fact: He wanted to become an idol because he wanted to express energy and influence others and that’s something that only the generation of today can give. Hongjoong has also composed around 40 songs for the group
Seonghwa
Credit: @ateez_official_
Stage Name: Seonghwa (성화)
Birth Name: Park Seonghwa (박성화)
Position: Vocalist, Visual
Birthday: April 3rd, 1998
Interesting Fact: His nickname is Mars (Hwaseong) which is Seonghwa’s name backwards.
Yunho
Credit: @ateez_official_
Stage Name: Yunho (윤호)
Birth Name: Jeong Yunho (정윤호)
Position: Main Dancer, Vocalist
Birthday: March 23rd, 1999
Interesting Fact: Yunho’s favourite artist and role model is EXO’s Kai, and he is seen as the energizer of the group.
Yeosang
Credit: @ateez_official_
Stage Name: Yeosang (여상)
Birth Name: Kang Yeosang (강여상)
Position: Lead Dancer, Vocalist, Visual
Birthday: June 15th, 1999
Interesting Fact: Yeosang’s name means “sound resonating from a high point” and his role models are BTS’ Taehyung and NCT’s Taeyong.
San
Credit: @ateez_official_
Stage Name: San (산)
Birth Name: Choi San (최산)
Position: Lead Vocalist, Dancer
Birthday: July 10th, 1999
Interesting Fact: San’s father named him San because he wanted him to be a comforting hill for some people and for others, an enormous mountain that they can’t dare to challenge. A truly grand mountain. (‘San’ means mountain)
Mingi
Credit: @ateez_official_
Stage Name: Mingi (민기)
Birth Name: Song Mingi (송민기)
Position: Main Rapper, Lead Dancer
Birthday: August 9th, 1999
Interesting Fact: He wanted to be an idol because he was interested in rapping and dancing. His role model is worldwide singer-songwriter and rapper, Jay Park.
Wooyoung
Credit: @ateez_official_
Stage Name: Wooyoung (우영)
Birth Name: Jung Wooyoung (정우영)
Position: Main Dancer, Vocalist, Visual
Birthday: November 26th, 1999
Interesting Fact: He wanted to be an idol since performing in school stages, and he hopes to perform on bigger ones. He also calls the Korean Boy Band, BTS, his favourite artists.
Jongho
Credit: @ateez_official_
Stage Name: Jongho (종호)
Birth Name: Choi Jongho (최종호)
Position: Main Vocalist, Maknae
Birthday: October 12th, 2000
Interesting fact: Jongho can break fruits in half with his bare hands. There’s a video on Twitter that’s a little over one minute, that has over 137,000 views of Jongho breaking apples.
ATEEZ is a group that everyone needs to be on the lookout for. They may have only debuted a few months ago, but the group has already captured the hearts of hundreds of thousands of people all over the world who are now fans of the group. It’s obvious that the group has put in a lot of hard work and dedication towards their craft. They have the whole entire package: breathtaking visuals, powerful rap and vocal skills, captivating choreography, amazing songs and out of this world stage presence. Not only does the group encompass all of these qualities and skills, but they have a well-grounded relationship with one another and amazing teamwork as seen in their reality show, “Code Name Is ATEEZ.” ATEEZ is a group of eight talented men, and the world isn’t ready for them.
The group just had their comeback a few days ago, so make sure to check out their first comeback and support them!
Here are a few ways for you to stay connected and up to date with ATEEZ:
Featured Image Courtesy of ATEEZ Official
