ATEEZ Played Coachella For The First Time — And Brought NYLON Along

If you’ve been following ATEEZ's Instagram, you’ll know that their Coachella trip has been nothing short of an absolute ball. Since early April, the K-pop superstars’ grid has been a nonstop feed of OOTD selfies, double-rainbow sightings, sunset trips to the Hollywood sign, and in-the-zone rehearsal videos. But nothing topped what they were ultimately there for: to make their debut during a primetime slot on the festival’s Sahara stage, where they played a 50-minute, light- and laser-filled show to a screaming crowd of ATINYs that spilled outside the edges of the tent. (For the uninitiated, ATINYs is the name of their fan base.)

Days later, in a conference room in Los Angeles, the members still seem wired as they playfully egg each other on and cheer after any one of them speaks. Hongjoong, whose maroon hair has now washed out into a subtle blondish pink, describes their past week as “unforgettable” — because, despite everything they’ve already shared online, they got up to way more. Right off the heels of ATEEZ’s weekend-two performance, NYLON shares an exclusive photo diary, which includes some intense shopping, the members’ own artist-spotting, and their turn on the festival’s iconic Ferris wheel.

Wooyoung: “This was in L.A. at a studio where we were rehearsing before Coachella. But my outfit is the best. I really like it. It’s full Balenciaga, my favorite brand. In L.A., I bought so many clothes, so many cycling clothes. I’m one of the huge shoppers on our team. Actually, my favorite city is L.A.; I like everything, the weather, the food, people, and the vibe.”

Yunho: “This was taken during our run-through on stage at Coachella. I think it was during ‘The Real’ because we were doing poses. Usually, I do the Spider-Man [web-shooting pose] because I love Spider-Man, but it’s different every time. We do a lot of rehearsal, so to keep myself energized, I just tell myself ‘fighting!’ Coachella was actually one of the most nerve-wracking stages I’ve had to go through, but the view in front of me at the Sahara stage was so beautiful. The mountains were beautiful.”

Mingi: “This was in the artist compound two hours before the show. I had no thoughts. I’m always nervous before shows, but I just go with it; there’s nothing to do about it. My style that day was a bit gentler than normal, and the big tattoo I had across my heart, I liked it.”

Hongjoong: “This is a fan I made for Coachella. It says ‘Hi Coachella.’ During ‘The Real’ stage, we include Korean traditional things, and this fan is one of our traditional, iconic things. So that’s why I prepared that for Coachella. I took this photo 20 minutes before we went on stage. I did all my dress-up, and I took a photo to show you. People asked, ‘How much is it?’ They just want to buy it from me, but I will not sell it to them.”

Jongho: “The first song we performed was ‘Say My Name,’ then ‘Hala Hala,’ and ‘Guerrilla.’ This time, it was very hard because we were so tired. But so many ATINYs sang along to ‘Guerrilla,’ and the sound was very good.”

Yeosang: “This picture is of my hand catching my head mic. ATEEZ’s choreography is so hard, and sometimes the movement is so big, the microphone is turning around so I’m putting it back in place. I was a little bit nervous performing at Coachella, but when I went on our stage, I could see our ATINYs infinitely, and they cheered for ATEEZ with such amazing energy that I could gain confidence.

Usually, before I go on stage, I drink a little bit of water, but Coachella is like a sandstorm, and my throat would get hot, so I drank half a bottle of water before coming onstage. This was something that surprised me.”

Jongho: “This is during [our song] ‘Rocky.’ I wanted to express my feelings onstage. I was so excited. Actually, my feeling is very good on the stage, but the look on my face is very angry, but I’m enjoying it. The angrier I look, the happier I am on stage. I have this expression on my face to show the ATINYs, ‘Trust me, I’m doing well.’”

Hongjoong: “I think many of our ATINYs looked forward to seeing our first Coachella, and they wait for it, and they came there, too, and many ATINYs watched the streaming, too. We want to say thanks. They are always worried about our schedule and our practicing time because we always work really hard, but we want to say that we enjoyed LA, and we enjoyed Coachella.”

Seonghwa: “This is Sunday. Some of the members went to Coachella, and we enjoyed the stage, and so many artists. [When this photo was taken], we just saw the Korean band The Rose, and we went to eat some food. At that time, I was waiting for French fries.

“That was my first time seeing The Rose’s performance, it was crazy. It was my style. I really like the rock style. I also saw J Balvin and Doja Cat, and was inspired by her performance. I thought we could do more things on stage.”

San: “This was taken at the same time as Seonghwa’s photo. It was me, Seonghwa, Hongjoong, and Mingi, and we joined the festival-goers and rode the Ferris wheel. It was so fast; we were scared. But the weather and the food were really good, we were just happy walking around.

“I think of [the members] like a family, and sometimes we’re on the stage, other days we’re like older brother, younger brother. That’s why the ATEEZ teamwork is so crazy good.”