Ateez draws inspiration from world tour for latest album

Boy band Ateez poses for the camera at a press showcase held on Thursday at the KBS Arena in Gangseo District, western Seoul. [KQ ENTERTAINMENT]

A worldwide tour is no easy feat, but this very challenge helped boy band Ateez in the production of “The World Ep.2: Outlaw” — its more approachable album for the general public and fans all over the world.

“Throughout the tour, we got to see and learn how fans react to certain tracks. This upcoming album is a result of us reflecting on our fans' reaction,” Hongjoong, Ateez's leader, explained during a press showcase held on Thursday at the KBS Arena in Gangseo District, western Seoul.

“It’s obviously nice to do what we want to do, but this album was made in consideration to what Atiny [the band's official fandom] wanted to see, the things they thought were cool.”

Hongjoong and bandmate Mingi participated in writing lyrics for all six tracks of the album, while the other members also had a hand in producing the album "from scratch."

“The World Ep.2: Outlaw” is the boy band’s ninth EP and the second album in the boy band’s “The World” series, following “The World Ep.1: Movement” which was released in July last year.

“I think the strong concept we pulled off with the first episode [album] was somewhat difficult for the general public. […] If the previous album was focused on intensive impacts, here we tried to focus more on wit and humor,” said Hongjoong.

“Our lead track ‘Bouncy’ aims for a spicy flavor that we have never tried before. It contains our resolution that we can change the world if we wanted to. We tried to convey this message in our own ways.”

Ateez is considered to have a bigger fan base outside Korea than domestically, mostly due to its powerful music style. The band has been on two world tours since debuting in 2018, a remarkable achievement considering a three-year break due to the pandemic, and is currently on its third tour — “The Fellowship: Break the Wall.”

A world tour is tiring, and preparing for an album at the same time makes the work harder for the group — but it is all worth it, members said.

“We would be lying if we said going on a tour and preparing for a comeback at the same time wasn’t tiring at times,” said San.

“But the support and the energy that our fans give us is what drives us forward, and I think at the end of the day, reaching as many fans as possible is actually better for our overall health.”

The album also involves Seonghwa, one of the band’s vocalists, trying something he has not done for a long time: rapping.

“I actually joined the agency as a rapper, which saw my potential as a vocalist,” Seonghwa explained.

“To add some new colors to the team, the agency offered me the chance to try rapping in our new album; a dream come true. While I was afraid to pull it off, the other band members and the staff at our agency really supported me.”

“This is an album aimed for the summer, and we really want to prove that Ateez will dominate in summer 2023,” said Mingi.

To find out more about Ateez, visit Celeb Confirmed!

BY CHO YONG-JUN [cho.yongjun1@joongang.co.kr]