It's Wednesday, and that means that we're here to personally recommend some of our favorite ATEEZ videos. So, whether you're just getting into ATEEZ or it's been awhile since you've let yourself sit back and enjoy their content, we've got you covered.
Leading up to today, I had no idea what I was going to write about for What to Watch Wednesday. I considered Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland: Through the Looking Glass (surprisngly lore heavy, btw), The Giver, making a playlist of good Wooyoung videos, and so on. But my heart couldn't settle on anything.
And then I woke up at 3:00 AM to watch ATEEZ's mama stage, and the road that I'd been walking on split in half. There is the me of yesterday, who had not seen this stage, and there is the me of today. Those people do not know each other anymore.
I don't remember a time when I have fallen so deeply and so passionately in love with a song upon hearing it. The only other two songs that come close are Halazia and Turbluence, both of which I knew I loved even before hearing the full song.
To be honest, I expected to have to warm up to this song based on the previews we'd received. I thought it would be fun in the way that Bouncy is fun, and I would get a lot of enjoyment from it. But I never expected it to rise to the level of Song of My Soul like Halazia and Turbulence.
And maybe that sounds silly since people are talking about what a party song it is, but it being silly doesn't mean it's not true.
And perhaps the reason this song speaks to me so much is because I needed it so much. More often than not, I do not know what I need in my life, but it's crazy to me that ATEEZ always does.
The people who are closest to me know that I've been going through it. My mom was diagnosed with a life shortening illness back in March, and my dad was diagnosed with cancer about two weeks ago. Last week, we found out he had 6 months without chemo, longer with. So in short, it is also terminal.
To say that it's not hard is a lie. It is hard. But life is hard--it's hard for every body. Things just are hard. I have been experiencing fatigue, lethargy, and a listlessness caused by feeling like I have no direction, that everything is up in the air and outside of my control, that I am constantly working and running and ending up in the exact same place.
And maybe what I needed, maybe what we all need, is a party song. A song that will remind us that life is fun and beautiful and hopeful even when it doesn't always feel that way.
I have said it before, and I will say it every day if I must, but the beautiful thing about ATEEZ's music is that they are Saying Something with it. Whether it's about the struggles of growing up and finding your path or about remembering that life is meant to be lived, they have a point of view that is so fucking clear in both their music and their lore.
They are Artists, not just entertainers, and their 2023 MAMA stage is a testament to that artistry.
I think that kpop artists are often dismissed when it comes to their artistry. You know how it goes: 'it's just kpop' 'it's not that deep' 'it's just supposed to be fun'. And I'm not here to speak for every kpop group because I don't know them like that. But for ATEEZ? It's sure as fuck not 'just kpop'.
They take what they're doing so seriously--all you have to do is listen to them talk about their thoughts and efforts a single time to see it.
This will seem off topic, but I've been thinking about Marvel and ATEEZ a lot lately. I used to love the Marvel movies: they were fun while also telling a good, character driven story. But lately, I have felt that the fun still exists while the story has suffered. It's as if Marvel is uncomfortable with the idea of the audience feeling a genuine emotion and connection to the work, so it's just quip after quip. So you will be entertained while you watch it, but there is nothing that sticks with you. There is nothing that holds on to you and brings you back.
And what I feel is that ATEEZ is the opposite. They know how to include those entertaining moments, those funny asides that bring life and levity into their art, but at the same time, they express all the qualities of humanity. The happiness with the sadness, the togetherness with loneliness. Because being human isn't a one-note experience. It's all of the parts.
I can laugh with ATEEZ, appreciate the absurdity of the chilli peppers, because they commit themselves so fully to the concept. No one has ever taken a trailer about a locked case of chilli peppers more seriously, and no one ever will again.
But these fun asides don't distract from the underlying point, which is that there is more to life than running endlessly, that becoming stagnant and complacent is dangerous, that we need to wake up and live our lives because this is the life we've been given.
And what ATEEZ says, and what they have always said, is that you don't have to do it alone. Life is too hard to be lived alone. 8 makes 1 team is part of who ATEEZ is for a reason. I think they would be incredibly proud to know all of the people they have 'woken up' through their art because I think a key part of their story is that isolation is dangerous and that community is beautiful.
We even see that level of community in their music production with Edenary. Their songs are the result of a team because great art is meant to be shared and discussed. We create meaning through these conversations about art, through thinking deeply and passionatly about all of the parts that have touched us.
And when you watch ATEEZ's content, you can tell that they themselves are in conversation with other artists as well. You can see the influence of things like Inception, Alice in Wonderland, Eye in the Sky, The Giver, Hunger Games all through out their works because these allusions help put ATEEZ's art in context. It allows us to have these deeper conversations about ATEEZ's work, which also makes it stick with us and keeps us coming back.
The number of times I have watched their 2023 MAMA stage is a testament to that. Every single time I go back, there is more to see, more to think about, more to be inspired by. And when I started writing this, I did imagine myself just making a list of all of the wonderful parts of this stage, and this obviously turned into not that.
But while I'm here, let me end with a numbered list of things I loved in order of them appearing during this stage.
1. actor San is back in a big way
We know that San can act because you can watch any (literally any) of his fancams and see him pour his whole soul into his performance, but Imitation really didn't give him much to work with. This on the other hand, shows us his true range. We have desperation, pride, comedy. Perfect.
And he plays off Wooyoung and Hongjoong so well.
2. the lore
You're telling me that Bouncy was representative of them infiltrating dreams to wake up people's emotions? Incredible. Perfect. Beautiful. The direct tie ins to Inception have me wanting to watch Inception like.. tonight. Let me just text my husband...
We also see an upgraded warehouse and some serious tech these boys are working with. A 3 minute lore trailer is genuinely what I've been missing this comeback, so just, thank you for finally, finally giving it to me.
3. Jongho is dancing omfg
My baby is back. HE'S BACK.
Listen, I too am worried about it being too soon, but he's a grown man, and I will trust that he knows what's best for him and his body, and that he has made the right choice for him. So I am going to celebrate that my baby bear IS BACK.
4. Jongho's jacket
I love it. It's perfect. I want it for me.
If they do not take pictures for PCs in these outfits, I will fly to Seoul and stand in front of KQ building with my protest sign until pictures are released. I need it for my Jongho wearing jean jackets spread. It's Important.
5. stage production
I don't care if people think there were audio problems or if you don't like ATEEZ or whatever weird take people have. The actual production of this stage was immaculate.
From how the music changed when Wooyoung, San, and Hongjoong ran out of the van, to the way they transition from Bouncy into actor San again. The story was clear as day, and it reminded me of the types of stages they did for Kingdom.
The stage had a lot of moving parts, and like in Kingdom, they asked us to focus on different parts of the stage at different times. This is, I feel, the type of stage that was designed to be recorded and streamed because the camera moved to where the action was.
I've long said not every ATEEZ stage needs to be a Kingdom style stage because I think ATEEZ actually prefers to focus on how a live audience will percieve their stage, which means they focus on live vocals and their choreo, but this was a perfect reminder that they can do all types of stages.
The use of BBTrippin, the special effects, lightling, all parts of the stage, the sound mixing, it just speaks to a level of thoughtfulness for how this stage will be viewed by most people. This is how they wanted to introduce their fans, most of whom would be watching from home, to their new title track, and it was, as predicted, incredible.
6. Crazy Form itself
San's opening is perfect, and then Yunho delivers what may be my favorite Yunho line of all time, and then we go to Mingi who has his mic stand. Every single member had a shining star moment, and like, if I listed everything I liked I would just be listing the whole song. So I'm going to do a sub list of my absolute favorite parts.
That's right. A list within a list. You're welcome.
a. Wooyoung and Yunho line exchange @ 7:46
The way their voices play off each other on these lines is literally magical. Jongho coming in afterwards just sounds so good to my ear. And I am 100% confident it will sound even more majestic and beautiful on the recorded version because Wooyoung and Jongho's mic needed to be about 10 times louder.
b. the bunny choreo @ 8:02
MNET camera man making this hard to catch, but I'm sorry, those bunny ears are super fun. They match perfectly with the beat and give that sort of playfulness that I feel is always in ATEEZ's choreo. As always, no one is doing it like BBTrippin.
c. Yeosang are you kidding me @ 8:15
There's truly nothing else to say.
d. Hongjoong's rap @ 8:37
The level of things Happening here is hard to comprehend. It's not even just his rap, but his choreo is also super fun, and his backup dancers are having a great time.
e. Jongho boss baby moment @ 9:20
I love when Jongho sings his beautiful singing and walks forward with ATEEZ following him. It's perfect every single time.
f. Wooyoung having the time of his life at 10:08
Isn't that what it's all about? ATEEZ loves this song, and their joy in performing it comes through, and at the end of the day, that joy is contagious.
There's more that I loved. There's so much more. After ATEEZ performed this morning, I rewound the stream 3 times to rewatch it, and then simply turned it off because there was no topping this for me, and I didn't need to see anything else to know that.
It woke me up, in both a literal and metaphorical sense, and I believe if you let it, it will wake you up too.
Remember that album of the year drops on December 1st and none of us are ready.
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