Behind the scenes and the “thoughts” laid down on the Coachella stage
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ATEEZ, an eight-member boy group from South Korea, continues to make strong progress.
Since their debut in Japan in 2018, they have continued to improve their singing and performing skills, and their second full-length album "THE WORLD EP" reached number one on the Billboard 200. It also peaked at number 2 on the UK Official Albums Chart. Their fan base, known as ATINY, continues to grow around the world.
Then, the following year, 2024, they received an offer from Coachella, the world's largest outdoor music festival, held in the Californian desert. Their performance at the Coachella festival in April of this year amazed the audience.
Eight of the world's hottest people revealed their current state of mind.
Wooyoung: When I first heard that we received an offer from Coachella, I couldn't believe it. Before the official announcement, I couldn’t wait to tell everyone in Eiti about this news as soon as possible (laughs).
Mingi: It was truly an honor to be able to perform at the same festival with all my favorite artists such as Doja Cat, Blast and YOASOBI. I remember being very excited.
Jongho: This is a popular festival all over the world, so I was excited.
San: At the end of the day, this is the dream stage for all artists.
Twice, on April 12 and 19 local time, they staged a spectacular performance that lasted about 50 minutes. Of the eight stages named after the world's great deserts, ATEEZ descended on the "Sahara", the second largest stage after the main stage.
Wooyoung: The video for ATEEZ's debut song "Pirate King" was filmed in the Sahara Desert. The fact that we were singing and dancing on a stage called "Sahara" made me feel like we were going back to our roots and it warmed my heart.
San: It's just fate.
Eight people, who took the stage in special costumes from the world luxury brands VALENTINO and D&G, performed a series of dance numbers from the opening, including “Say My Name” and “HALA HALA”. ATEEZ put on an amazing performance with a free dance that showed off their individuality.
San: Yes, the choreography is the same, but everyone's dance styles are different. I often hear from fans who follow us that they love this aspect.
Wooyoung: In the so-called free-motion dance, each participant sings a song, gestures, and performs various movements. I'm grateful that many people have complimented me on this.
"The Real" is a vibrant holiday production highlighting Korean culture. The performance featured traditional instruments and a team of dancers performed a traditional lion dance.
Wooyoung: I would be very happy if you could feel the “elegance” inherent in Korea in our performance.
San: We, ATEEZ, were all born and raised in Korea. That's why I want to promote the wonders of Korean culture as much as possible.
Mingi: I hope people will continue to look forward to this side of us.
After the stage darkens, a set appears on stage simulating a so-called Western saloon, a bar often seen in Western films. The group started singing "ARRIBA". During the song break, all members drank glasses of an unknown liquid. As the members, including those who don't like alcohol, winced after drinking the contents, rumors began to spread among the Atinys that it was real whiskey, but there was one incident related to this...
Hongjoong: I was supposed to reveal what was in that glass after all the performances at Coachella, but after appearing in the first week, Yeosang accidentally admitted on social media that it was barley tea.
Yeosang: I couldn't help but tell the truth. I'm sorry. Well, on the other hand, it was nice to tell the fans the truth.
Yunho: Yeosang always does it so naturally. Constantly (laughs).
Seonghwa: That's cute (laughs).
Yeosang: So far, the members have taken good care of me, and I feel like I was somehow able to survive (after spoiler).