After starting off the interview with their usual “8 makes 1 team, we are ATEEZ!,” said in unison (despite Seong-hwa being MIA) the K-pop group got right to it with Min-gi, Yeo-sang, Jong-ho, Hong-joong, San, Woo-young, and Yun-ho answering questions about how their creative process works in a group of eight, during their conversation with Audacy’s Mike Adam at the Hard Rock Hotel New York.
LISTEN NOW: ATEEZ at Hard Rock Hotel New York
Discussing how things come together, particularly when putting together their latest album, Hong-joong revealed “first, we talk about some theme, or like kinda what we wanna say, some kinda message. Then our producing team, makes some beats and some music… and then we try to put our color in the song.”
Sharing that “every vocal member, sings the whole song, and then we try to figure out what part is the best” for each one. Also noting that the writing process is very “organic,” and primarily done by himself and one of the group's rappers, Min-gi.
“When we come across a cool concept or an interesting part of the creative process we have a tendency to share it,” Woo-young also shared about their collaborative song writing process.
“For us, this could be a dance movement we discovered or something we want to experiment with, or details on stage that we want to enhance,” Mingi added. “In these situations, one of us will suggest trying it on stage. Since we know each other well, we often recommend things that will suit a specific member. This has been very helpful especially during a comeback.”
While ATEEZ loves every part of the music making and show creating process, according to San the “more important thing is communicating with our fans… seeing each other eye to eye, that’s my favorite part.”
Usually the time between the creating process the song and when the fans actually get to hear it is around “5 months” apart. So as ATEEZ admitted, by the time their fans are starting to obsess over certain tracks and choreography, the group is already kind of bored with it, but that’s just the way it is — because its all about the fans.
ATEEZ went on to talk about, missing marking of choreography, and celebrating their 5th anniversary as a group. They are excited that they’re “still doing well," pointing out their “first American show” as a most memorable moment. “Also, our proudest moment is having ATINYs, who take pride in being ATEEZ fans,” Yun-ho added.
Discussing what advice they’d give their younger selves, Mingi said, it would be to “keep going,” Hongjoong added he’d say “trust your members and trust your fans.”
ATEEZ also shared some of the things they’ve splurged on since their success, including a watch for Jong-ho and a Paris shopping spree for Hongjoong, before offering up what their goals are for 2024, which according to Yeo-sang is for “ATEEZ to achieve greater success and reach new heights,” and “be on bigger stages.” While Hongjoong, admitted, it is to deliver their fans the “unexpected,” and “do something different.”
For all that and more check out the entire interview above.