Sailing With The Pirate Kings: French ATINYs Share Their Dazzling Journey With ATEEZ

As K-Pop has become a global sensation, many K-Pop groups have been gaining immense popularity outside of Korea, and one of the prominent examples is ATEEZ. Since their debut in 2018, the octet has been capturing the hearts of many across the world with their unique “Pirate King” concept, powerful performances, and unbeatable team-spirit (8 makes 1 team!), successfully building a huge and solid ATINYLAND overseas. 

Let’s meet six French ATINY (Clara, Justine, Farah, Berenice, Marine, Omaima) as they share their wonderful stories with ATEEZ, from how they joined the fandom, ATEEZ’s influence on their lives, to their favorite ATEEZ songs and contents, and much more!

Could you briefly introduce yourself to our readers?

Hello! I’m Clara. I’m a 23 year old student.
Clara
Hi! I'm Justine. I'm 20 years old.
Justine
Hi! I’m Farah and I am 22 years old
Farah
Hi everyone! I’m Berenice and I am 18 years old.
Berenice
Hi! I’m Marine, and I’m 20 years old.
Marine
Hi! I’m Omaima, and I’m 21 years old.
Omaima

When and how did you join the fandom?

I joined the fandom in 2019, a bit before the release of 'Say My Name'. A friend introduced me to them.
Clara
I've been an ATINY since 2020. I discovered ATEEZ on YouTube during the strict confinement during COVID.
Justine
I discovered them randomly on YouTube in 2018 when they were called KQ Fellaz. I have kept following them since then.
Farah
I love telling this story. Back in October 2019, I was listening to music on Spotify. The app suggested to me their debut song 'Pirate King', and I immediately fell in love with it. I then continued to listen to their entire discography, and back then they had just released their hit song 'Wonderland', I loved it so much, so I looked up the members and here I am today!
Berenice
I discovered them in 2019 thanks to my best friend! She made me listen to 'Say My Name' and I immediately fell in love with it.
Marine
I discovered them in 2018 when I came across 'Pirate King' while watching boy group choreography. But I joined the fandom in 2019 when 'Say My Name' was released.
Omaima

What do you like and appreciate about ATEEZ?

I love that they’re always so energetic on stage and offstage. They have amazing chemistry and respect their fans.
Clara
The passion and the power they share with us through their performances. I particularly like their closeness with the fans, they are so comforting.
Justine
I love the fact that they are passionate about what they’re doing, and the love and gratitude they express towards their fans.
Farah
I love what they bring to the K-Pop industry, and they are such good and caring human beings. I love the effect their songs and existence have on me. Even though I don’t know them in person, I feel safe and understood by them. I could never thank life enough for leading me to them. They are amazing.
Berenice
I can't express how much I love them. They are so amazing and are really the best performers! Their stage presence, energy, dance, facial expression, and voice… No one can do it like ATEEZ! They are also the most precious people in the world, they make me feel so safe, less alone, loved and happy. When I watch them my heart feels so warm. They're so kind, caring, and loving. I'm so glad to have them by my side.
Marine
I really like their personalities, choreographies, and their stage presence. These are what fascinate me about ATEEZ. I also like the fact that they are very attentive to their fans and are really funny.
Omaima

Who is/are your bias(es), and why?

My biases are HongJoong and YeoSang. I love how HongJoong is creative and always tries out new things, and I Iove YeoSang’s deep voice!
Clara

Photo Taken By ATINY

SeongHwa and YeoSang are my biases. Both of them bring me a lot of comfort. They are also very talented and have such incredible voices. I am so proud of their growth throughout the years!
Justine

Photo Taken By ATINY

My bias is JongHo. When I first heard his voice, I knew it would be him. He is so talented! I also love his personality, he is funny without even trying to.
Farah

Photo Taken By ATINY

My bias is MinGi. I just love him a lot. It's hard to explain why because there are too many reasons, but I just get him on so many points and I really like his mindset. We ATINY also couldn’t thank him enough for co-producing all these hits with HongJoong.
Berenice

Photo Taken By ATINY

My bias is WooYoung because he’s WooYoung. I don’t know… I didn't choose him, he chose me 😛 I just love him so deeply and he is my favorite person in this universe. I love his personality so much and I find a lot of comfort in him. Loving him makes me so happy. He deserves the world and I want to give him the world!
Marine

Photo Taken By ATINY

San, WooYoung and HongJoong are my biases. The first time I watched 'Pirate King'’s choreography, my eyes went straight to San. I really like his dancing style and facial expressions. As for WooYoung, when I saw the 'Say My Name' MV and live performances, his presence in the MV and on stage was WOW. I also really like his laugh and voice. Finally, HongJoong is very special to me. His facial expressions and rap are impressive. I love all of them so much!
Omaima

Photo Taken By ATINY

Can you show us your favorite video content (e.g. fancam, V-Live, cover video etc.) of your bias?

Here’s my favorite HongJoong cover.
Clara

I love this cover so much, his voice is so powerful.
Justine

One of my favorite videos of JongHo is his cover of the OST from “Crash Landing On You", which is one of my favorite K-Dramas. His voice is really soothing.
Farah

This fancam has got to be my favorite. When I say genius performer you say? SONG MINGI!!!
Berenice

My two favorite videos in the world are his cover of '12:45' by Etham...
Marine

...and his dance performance to the song '1-800-273-8255'.
Marine

I also love his "Artist Of The Month," and his vlogs and cooking videos so much.
Marine

This is my favorite San’s FaceCam. I really love his facial expressions in this FaceCam.
Omaima

My favorite video of WooYoung is also his "Artist Of The Month" performance.
This is my favorite V-Live of HongJoong. He is very very cute!
Omaima

As an overseas ATINY, do you feel any language barriers between you and ATEEZ?

We are learning Korean and their contents are always subbed in English. So we don’t really notice the language barrier.
Clara & Farah
Apart from the fact that many of their contents have English subtitles, ATEEZ also makes a lot of effort to speak English in order to communicate with overseas fans and we really appreciate that.
Marine, Beren & Omaima
But actually even if the content is not subtitled and we do not understand Korean, the language of love is international and we ATINY feel it.
Justine

How has being an ATINY influenced your life?

I made friends here in France but also Korean friends during concerts in Korea! Being an ATINY pushes me to try getting out of my comfort zone and now I’m not as timid as before.
Clara
I also made friends in France and in Korea while going to their concert thanks to ATEEZ! Their passion also made me want to dance more and overcome my lack of confidence.
Farah
Being an ATINY makes me even more passionate about music, and I made a lot of friends and met many good people at their concert back in March. The friends I made thanks to them are practically my closest ones
Berenice
We made a lot of amazing friends and enjoyed many great moments at events and concerts thanks to them. Being an ATINY brings us a lot of comfort and happiness.
Marine & Justine

Describe ATINY in five words.

Diverse, energetic, funny, creative, caring.
Clara, Farah, Berenice, Marine, Justine & Omaima

Have you ever met ATEEZ in person? How was the experience?

I've been to their concerts, the “Outlaw” showcase, and "Idol Radio."
Clara
I went to their concert three times in France. During the first concert, I was able to do a hi-wave and get close to the members. YeoSang and SeongHwa took the time to read my sign. Yeosang left a big impression on me because although it was just a brief encounter, he followed me with his eyes until I managed to show him my sign.
Justine
I went to their concert three times in Seoul, and even saw WooYoung in Hongdae one day!
Farah
I saw them 3 times and it was so magical and amazing. It was like a dream!
Marine
I went to the "K-POP SBS Lux" concert in Madrid. It was really amazing!
Omaima

Can you tell us your best memory with ATEEZ and/or the fandom?

My best memory is probably their concert in October 2022 in Seoul. It was not the first time I saw them but that concert had a very different vibe. I made new friends and Yeosang even replied to me.
Clara
In my first ATEEZ concert, I met a new friend and we cried in each other's arms during the concert!
Justine
My best memory with ATEEZ is their concert in Seoul in October 2022. It was the first day of their “The Fellowship : Break The Wall” World Tour and my first ever concert in Korea. It was such an amazing experience! My best memory with the fandom is my encounter with my French friends. The fact that we all love ATEEZ has brought us closer!
Farah
My best memory with ATEEZ was the first time I saw them. I made a sign for WooYoung, and he saw it during the soundcheck. He came to me, smiled and thanked me, it was so amazing! During the concert, he was so caring that when he saw me crying after they performed 'Turbulence' he waved at me to tell me to stop crying.
Marine
When I went to the "K-POP SBS Lux" concert in Madrid in July 2023. It was awesome! I really like that they made an effort to learn some Spanish sentences.
Omaima

What is your favorite song from ATEEZ?

It's really hard to choose one but I'll go with 'Utopia'. But there are so many incredible songs like 'Dazzling Light', 'Be With You', and 'Take Me Home'.
Clara

My favorite song is 'My Way'. This song left a big impression on me during the last two ATEEZ concerts I attended. It’s a b-side in their debut album so it means a lot to both ATEEZ and ATINY.
Justine

This is a hard question, but I would choose 'Inception' for the title track and 'Utopia' for the B-side!
Farah

Marine : My favorite song is 'Mist' <3 This song is so important to me.
Marine

My favorite songs are 'Say My Name', 'My Way', 'The King', 'Sunrise', and 'Not Too Late'.
Omaima

Can you share with us your favorite lyrics from ATEEZ’s song?

This is from 'Not Too Late'.
"I know it's not my fault
I'm living and doing well, I'm eating and living well
Don't worry, mom and dad are doing well
That's right, I'm happy, the one I've been chosen
Even if sometimes when it's empty like this
I hold onto the corner of an empty room and cry
Confession to someone without a desire
Everything will be fine, everything will be fine
On behalf of an uncertain echoing lullaby."
Clara
'One Day At A Time' <3.
"When it's overwhelming, hold on tight
I'll be here, don't forget it
Cause in life, sometimes we need a helping hand
You'll be alright, just take it slow (oh, take it slow)
One day at a time."
Justine
The lyrics from 'Sunrise' make me cry everytime! ㅠㅠ
"Just keep it up
So that everyone can see
Just keep it up
So that the world can hear
Just keep it up
Even when things don't go as you planned
Just keep it up."
Farah
'My Way'.
"Don't be afraid
Dreams are everywhere
Just keep going as I always have, this is my way."
Omaima

Can you share a video of your favorite ATEEZ live performance?

Their 'Cyberpunk' performance during the “Break The Wall” tour because…do I really need to explain?
Clara

Also 'Hala Hala' because this is probably the song that best represents them. It's so iconic and they always perform it in concerts.
Clara

Their performance in “Immortal Songs 2”! This performance highlights each member and they are really stable in live and their dance is so fluid. The song suits their concept a lot too!
Farah & Justine

This live performance is so amazing! The choreography, JongHo’s high notes, HongJoong’s rap… All the members' voices and stage presence were perfect.
Omaima

Can you recommend an underrated song from ATEEZ that deserves more attention?

'Desire'! I think a lot of people know this song but forget it. When someone wants to listen to ATEEZ’s songs I always recommend it.
Clara

Their Japanese song 'Still Here' deserves more love!
Justine & Farah

'The King'! It’s a Japanese song as well.
Omaima

Can you recommend a video (e.g. V-live video, variety show, performance etc.) that a new ATINY must check out?

Check out ATEEZ’s variety shows “Fever Road Tour” and “Salary Lupin”!
Justine

I agree with Justine for “Salary Lupin”, it’s so funny. But I would recommend “ATEEZ Treasure Film” in Australia.
Clara

Their Halloween version performance for “Wonderland” made a huge impact in the K-Pop community. I think that’s a performance a new fan must check out to know more about their colors!
Farah

"The Symphony No.9 - "From the Wonderland"".
Omaima

Are there any words from the members that you wish to share with our readers?

When HongJoong did a cover of Michael Jackson’s 'Black or White' and talked about how he came to cover it, he said "'To make a world with no discrimination': that is the meaning inside of my cover."
Clara
WooYoung once said “You are never alone and you will never be“.
Justine
There are some words that YeoSang said that I find really comforting: “We never know what will happen in the future, isn’t that the beauty of life? I hope your life is just happy as it goes”.
Farah
San’s quote : “Your first priority should be yourself and not ATEEZ. Loving yourself is important and I hope you can lean on ATEEZ whenever you're in a dark place. I just hope ATEEZ never makes you feel hurt".
Omaima

What does ATEEZ mean to you?

They feel like some kind of friends to me. They are so fun and kind, and make me feel safe. We’re around the same age but they’re really mature and always try to work hard and improve for their team and fans.
Clara
ATEEZ is our safe place, people who you would turn to if you feel sad or lonely. We feel their presence, kindness and love for ATINY through their videos and concerts. No one can make us feel as safe as being with them. They are like a home with a door always open for you.
Justine, Farah, & Marine
I am a person that needs to hold on to something like a person or a passion. ATEEZ is the one who I can hold on to in addition to my close friends.
Berenice
They are my source of happiness.
Omaima

Do you have any messages for ATEEZ?

I would first say thank you. They trained very hard and never stopped working since they debuted. They’re so hardworking that sometimes I wonder how much more they can do because they’re always doing more and more. I hope they can rest too and don’t worry about ATINY because we understand and we are thankful for who they are and what they do. Also please come to France <3.
Clara
I have so much to tell them but I would like to tell them that they are so talented and loved, and I am so grateful for all the love they give us. I hope they too feel our love and that we bring them as much happiness as they bring us. ATEEZ saves lives, I hope they know.
Justine
I am thankful for all these years and that I am proud to have seen them growing. I hope they will keep being passionate about their work because they bring people from all around the world together.
Farah
I would like to tell them how much they have changed my life. I also want to thank them because they make us laugh when we are not feeling well. I would like to tell them how amazing they are!
Omaima