Welcome back to Fan Chant, a weekly column for K-pop fans, followers, and newbies. This week, we simply have to talk about ATEEZ crushing Coachella. Also, if you haven't done so yet, you can always subscribe Head over to my complimentary newsletter to get Fan Chant delivered straight to your inbox every week!
ATEEZ made their debut at Coachella last weekend and I personally handled it really well and felt super normal about the whole thing.1
There's something incredibly fun and satisfying about watching strangers across the country experience something you've personally been through. I've written in the past about how I became a fan of ATEEZ, or ATINY for those in the know: I was invited to their show, walked in with no prior knowledge, and left ready to follow them straight into battle forever. I have said it on the Internet and I have said it to his face. As a high-performing K-pop group, Hongjoong, Seonghwa, Yunho, Yeosang, San, Mingi, Wooyoung and Jongho don't just put on a set; they put on a showcomplete with theatrics, scenes, and sometimes even a story or two.
Since I wasn't able to attend Coachella in person this year, I've been tuning into a lot of sets online, and even through the shaky camera work and lackluster livestream, I found that ATEEZ absolutely crushed their first appearance at the festival. These guys have a great discography and, somehow, an even better attitude; The structure of the set appealed to an audience they knew would be largely unfamiliar with their work, a choice that effectively represented the diversity of their K-pop.
They put aside any concern for national popularity within their discography and instead chose to lead with songs like “GUERILLA,” which ends with a spine-tingling chant that anyone can participate in. The cocky confidence of “Say My Name” is electric; “BOUNCY” is irresistible from start to finish. The live band on stage underlined the wild intensity woven into their music and performance style. From the group's whiskey drink on stage during “UP” to that breather Jongho took before taking the challenging vocal leap at the end of “WONDERLAND,” I had to believe that the fast-paced performance shattered some of the audience's expectations of what it's like. K-pop. can see, hear or feel.
A Coachella attendee named Molly tells me how she became a victim of the ATEEZ effect. “Some friends told me they were the best they'd ever seen live, so I knew I had to go see them when I saw they were on the Coachella bill,” she explains. “She shook me completely.”
In an ideal world, Molly emphasizes, festivals are about embracing the unknown: They're a place where you can see your favorite artist and stumble upon an act you've never heard of but end up obsessed with, all in the same day. “I attend a lot of festivals and discovering music is my favorite part,” she shares. “I've never had a band hit me so hard.”
Throughout the weekend, social media was flooded with additional reactions from fans and newly converted ATINYs alike. It feels like word of mouth helped increase the number of eyeballs on the ATEEZ set; A fan encouraged a friend to go, and he wrote, “Dude, that group ATEEZ is fire. “That doesn't sound like the K-pop I've heard.”
“I don't even like K-pop, but these guys are great,” he wrote. another spectator. “WHO IS THIS MAN? His high grades are crazy,” he posted a user named Gaby, frantically circling Jongho on his screen, which is extremely understandable energy.
ATEEZ has always been globally minded, despite its humble origins in a smaller company, a hurdle that makes it especially difficult for K-pop acts to build an audience. They did well to embrace their foreign appeal early on, and the approach to the Coachella set speaks to a self-awareness that feels beyond their years. And get this: we still have their Weekend 2 set to enjoy.
See you at the next live stream, ATINY, and if we're lucky, maybe at a concert this summer. I'm also waiting for the tour dates to come out.
@korndogkardashian Wow, Coachella made me an Ateez fan!! #ateez #ateezchella #ateezatcoachella #jongho
1I love lying!
Recording song of the week:
I have been physically unable to shut up about this song since I heard it. It is impossible! Give me Britney Spears Y2K Cheetah Girls fantasy all day, ladies.
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