Producer’s Cut: Kim Hongjoong
By Aki Sanjay
There are three rules in life I try to live by. One, drink enough water. Most daily problems – fatigue, frustration, headaches – stem from a lack of hydration, so carry a water bottle. Two, prioritize spending time with friends. Three, keep a notebook on hand wherever you go, to record stray thoughts or jot down helpful advice.
However, I’ve recently added a fourth: take your dad to a K-pop concert.
San Jose in August is ridiculously, mind-numbingly hot. The city lies bare to constant sun, slowly baking in the incessant, blinding heat. It probably doesn’t seem like the place to stand in a queue for two hours, but when I mentioned wanting to go to an Ateez concert over summer, my dad eagerly offered to join me. Admittedly, I was surprised at first, but my confusion soon disappeared once we arrived at the show; my dad, donning an 80s shirt (get it?), cheered for every song, picked his favourite member, and learnt every fanchant – for any curious Ateez fans, his favourite member is Yunho.
Midway through the concert, during a performance of ‘Castle’, my dad tapped my shoulder, tearing my attention away from mainstage. We had shared the same thought; ‘Castle’, a soft, folksy tune, seemed to be a tribute to ‘Country Roads’. Throughout the rest of the concert, the two of us kept an ear out for any other musical tributes we could spot: Michael Jackson’s ‘Beat It’, David Bowie’s ‘Space Oddity’, and Prince’s ‘Purple Rain’. These callbacks are not coincidence. Ateez is an eight-member powerhouse, led by Kim Hongjoong, a rapper, singer, songwriter, and producer responsible for crafting the group’s unique sound. Hongjoong is also a musical encyclopedia, drawing from a wealth of inspiration in his work; he often re-imagines classic artists in his own work, offering a distinctively edgy, fluid twist on well-known tunes.
While Ateez is primarily a performance-focused group, bridging sharp, energetic choreography with kaleidoscopic stage presence, Hongjoong’s musical journey started not on a stage, but in a studio. Whilst most K-pop hopefuls begin training in dance, vocals, and rap, Hongjoong’s initial pitch to KQ Entertainment – the company that would eventually found Ateez – was a mixtape and a letter, expressing his desire to become a composer. His first two years with KQ were primarily production-focused; in 2018, he wrote and released ‘From’ alongside the rest of Ateez. The band, at the time, were training in the United States in anticipation of their debut. The song is a collection of letters from each member to their friends and family, stitched together by Hongjoong to create a heartfelt pop tune that marked the first release of the band, as well as Hongjoong’s first official foray into production. Since then, over the seven years since Ateez debuted, he has collected over 160 music credits for songwriting and production, solidifying his role as a prolific writer and producer.
Hongjoong is chameleonic. There truly is no better word to describe him: at twenty-seven years old, he has established himself as a prominent musician, a performer, a fashion designer, a model, and a philanthropist. And yet, despite his trademark versatility, he brings a quality to all his work which is immediately recognizable. His discography is a perfect demonstration: ‘Guerilla’, released 2022, is an anthemic, metal-inspired song, built to fill stadiums. On tour, Hongjoong frequently opened the tune with a guitar cadenza, before jumping into an introductory rap. By contrast, ‘Thank U’, an earlier piece, is a brighter indie-rock tune, trading anarchic declaration for gentle reassurance. Written by Hongjoong as a letter to fellow member Seonghwa, ‘Thank U’ is slower, softer, and lighter, a marked difference from the head-banging layers of ‘Guerilla’. The genres don’t end there: ‘Ice on My Teeth’ draws from trap and hip-hop, ‘Eternal Sunshine’ from straight pop, and ‘Selfish Waltz’ from both classical music and electropop. Simply put, Hongjoong refuses to be pinned down; every new release is always a surprise, waiting to be unwrapped.
Beyond production, Hongjoong is also one of the band’s rapper (Mingi, a year younger, is the other). The two are opposite sides of a coin, both visually and tonally. Mingi is tall and broad; Hongjoong is lean and slight. Mingi is aggressive in his rap, deep-voiced and powerful; Hongjoong is nasally and rhythmic, with a voice that calls to mind stones skipping over water. Each syllable is carefully chosen, and he shifts seamlessly between rapid-fire, intense verses and fluid, laid-back stanzas, as flexible in presentation as he is in writing. As Hongjoong describes in an interview with WWD Music, performance is like acting: “When on the stage,” he says, “I fall [into] character every time.”
2025 marked ATEEZ’s seven-year anniversary since debut, but the band’s journey is far from complete. Over the following months, the band is continuing their fifth world tour with stops in Australia and Asia, whilst releasing music videos for each member’s solo release. Hongjoong’s, a club-beat, DJ-introed amalgamation of sass, rhythm, and individuality, has become a fan-favourite since the release of their latest album. Beyond touring, however, Hongjoong is eager to continue expanding his range, drafting a artistic tenure that is sure to leave a legacy. Both in fashion – he just held his first fashion show, entitled Petit Coussin in honour of his mother’s clothing shop – as well as music, creativity and heart lie at the core of everything Hongjoong does. As the bandleader faces the future, that is sure to continue.
If you’re interested in checking out some of Hongjoong’s work, listen to ‘Guerilla’ by Ateez, ‘Tricky House’ by xikers, and ‘Beat It’ by Michael Jackson, covered by Hongjoong.