Amidst what is arguably their biggest year yet, the eight-piece boy group shares some behind-the-scenes tidbits on the preparation for their electric Coachella performance.

Just a day before their second performance at Coachella, K-Pop group ATEEZ gathered at the Grammy Museum for a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The eight-piece outfit and its fellow KQ Entertainment boy group xikers are the subject of a pop-up exhibit that opened to the public on April 10.

The exhibit spotlights costumes and props worn and used by the group (consisting of members Hongjoong, Seonghwa, Yunho, Yeosang, San, Mingi, Wooyoung and Jongho) from their most recent album, The World EP.Fin: Will. The album, which all members wrote for, earned the global stars their first Billboard 200 No. 1 in December.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony wasn’t the group’s first outing to the museum. In February of 2022, shortly after their pair of sold-out shows at the Kia Forum, ATEEZ took part in the museum’s Global Spin Live series, participating in a conversation and performance for a select number of fans.

“We’ve looked around before, but it feels very different to be able to see our own items and outfits on display at an exhibition here at the Grammy Museum,” Jongho told The Hollywood Reporter through a translator.

From the black masks and wide-brimmed fedoras of “Hala Hala” to the scarlet-and-black gothic bandleader ensembles displayed in performances of the group’s latest Korean single “Crazy Form,” ATEEZ’s stylized outfits are a vital piece of the puzzle.

“The outfit is so important to showing our characters in the music and in the video,” said Hongjoong, the group’s “captain” — the term the group uses for its leader that plays into its career-long pirate lore that began with 2018 debut single “Pirate King.” The 25-year-old also often serves as a writer, composer and producer for both ATEEZ and xikers.

ATEEZ were the first batch of trainees to debut from KQ Entertainment. The trainee system is a well-established portion of Korea’s entertainment ecosystem, meant to prepare young talent for careers as K-Pop performers. Getting to see the label’s newest group, xikers, in the Grammy Museum exhibit alongside themselves was meaningful as ATEEZ had been hoping to build something akin to family in their company, Hongjoong noted.

“It makes me so proud to see that KQ itself has grown,” Yunho said. “To know that we have contributed to that growth … it makes me so honored,” he continued.

Just over a week ago, ATEEZ became the first K-Pop boy group to perform at Coachella. In preparation for the festival, San said they prepared “a lot of songs,” among them fan favorites like “Arriba” and “Django,” which the group performed for the first time for American fans last Friday in Indio.

“We used the best songs, and we prepared all songs with our band,” San said. Added Hongjoong, “We just want to make some stages where everyone can enjoy, and everyone can have fun.”

ATEEZ has a loyal fanbase, collectively known as Atiny, who were there to support them during their first Coachella performance. Even during Coachella’s livestream, the group’s light sticks — fittingly dubbed “Lightiny” — were visible and fans’ chants were audible.

“I’m so proud of them because they always support us,” Seonghwa said of their fans. The 26-year-old emphasized that the group understands Coachella isn’t easy to get to. Hongjoong added that the group watched the livestream ahead of their first performance and knew that fans had been there since the festival opened in order to score a good spot in front of the Sahara stage.

Mingi said he learned from other artists at the festival, adding that his favorite performance was Ice Spice’s. “Through watching other artists’ performances as well, I was able to learn how to interact with the crowd by being part of them,” he said. The 24-year-old — who is also a writer, composer and producer — later noted that he also saw many house DJ sets at the festival and that he has hopes to collaborate in the future.