By admin 
HangupsMusic.com – Los Angeles, California, For Kim Hongjoong, the charismatic leader of global phenomenon ATEEZ, April brought a rare pause in his relentless schedule. Instead of commanding the stage as he had two years prior, when ATEEZ made history as the first K-pop boy band to perform at Coachella, he returned to the iconic Indio Valley as a spectator. This shift from performer to observer, however, proved to be a pivotal moment of creative rejuvenation. "That day I got so many inspirations," he reflected, recounting serendipitous encounters with a diverse array of artists including Teddy Swims, PinkPantheress, Central Cee, Swae Lee, and BIGBANG’s Daesung. His wanderlust for new experiences, for truly "experiencing everywhere," fueled a swift return to Los Angeles, where he booked a studio session that would ultimately birth "ENOuGH," an atmospheric pop track distinct from his group’s signature sound, yet deeply personal.
Released on Friday, September 18th, "ENOuGH" is an unhurried, emotionally resonant collaboration with American singer-songwriter Bazzi. It’s a track that stands out precisely because it doesn’t echo the high-octane, powerful anthems that ATEEZ is renowned for, especially not during what has been arguably their most triumphant year to date. This solo endeavor offers a glimpse into Hongjoong’s inner world, a reflective journey captured in a sound he describes as "not just chill," but a melodic pursuit of a feeling he’d been chasing throughout his life.
Indeed, ATEEZ has been soaring to unprecedented heights. On June 26th, they unleashed GOLDEN HOUR : Part.5, a testament to their unwavering artistry and surging popularity. Just two days later, they commanded a massive crowd as headliners at London’s prestigious BST Hyde Park, a monumental achievement for any K-pop act. The EP itself shattered records, securing the group’s third No. 1 on the highly coveted Billboard 200 chart, with a career-best opening of 228,000 equivalent album units. Back home in South Korea, the lead single "BAD" quickly ascended local charts, propelled by a viral dance challenge that resonated globally, earning ATEEZ their inaugural entry on the Billboard Global 200. The momentum shows no signs of waning, with a full day dedicated to ATEEZ and their fervent fanbase already sold out at the inaugural 82WORLD: LA festival next month.
Yet, amidst this whirlwind of collective triumph, Hongjoong, during an August video call from a sun-drenched Los Angeles hotel room, presented a remarkably grounded image. Dressed casually in a simple white V-neck T-shirt with a raw-cut collar, adorned with a few silver rings and his signature black-painted fingernail – a subtle yet powerful statement in support of the Polished Man campaign to end violence against children – he exuded an air of quiet contentment. He looked less like the leader of one of K-pop’s most intensely hardworking groups and more like someone genuinely enjoying a moment of reprieve. "We are so busy these days," he confessed with a relaxed smile, "but finally I get to chill a little here."
This "chill" moment, however, was not indicative of a full-fledged solo departure. Hongjoong was quick to clarify the distinction. "If I give you a new solo debut, maybe I (will have) prepared more than one year," he explained. "But for this one, I made this song in April in L.A." A proper solo album would demand a far more extensive commitment than the few months it took to bring "ENOuGH" to fruition. This particular track, he emphasized, was born out of a brief interlude, a moment where, for the first time in a long time, the creative process felt less prescriptive and more exploratory.
"I just tried to make some chill song and also not just chill," he elaborated on those April studio days. "Before starting the music in L.A. in the session, before this song became ‘ENOuGH,’ I just focused on making good sounds because I think I need that in here. But for this song, I had a very specific message I wanted to write, and we talked about that before starting the session… I always walked with ATEEZ, and I’m really happy with that. At the same time, I’m 27 now, and I did eight years with ATEEZ. I made so many songs for ATEEZ and myself too, and now I think I have to get more experience because doing that will reflect to ATEEZ again and myself. So, that’s why I started this project and that’s why I think this song is very much ‘enough’ to start a collaboration project.”
For nearly a decade, Kim Hongjoong has been an indispensable force within ATEEZ, not only as their steadfast leader but also as a prolific songwriter and in-house producer, with nearly 200 songs officially credited to his name. His creative breadth extends beyond music; in May, he made his debut as a music director for the indie film Hallucination, which premiered at the esteemed Jeonju International Film Festival. Weeks later, his voice graced the K-POPS! soundtrack, featuring alongside acclaimed artists Anderson .Paak and Jay Park. Looking ahead, next month will see him embark on a new adventure, making his solo festival debut with his first-ever live DJ set under the moniker NO1 at EDC Korea.
Yet, despite this impressive and diverse resume, Hongjoong admitted the year began with a sense of internal confusion. "Last year, I really thought I knew myself very well because I know what I can do and where my good points and bad points are," he shared candidly. "But at the start of this year, I felt I was still learning about myself because if I make songs, sometimes I use high notes and sometimes I use low notes, but I thought that my high note is good because my vocal tone is very high and I think I’ll just use that when I make songs. But at the start of this year, when I listened to the songs that I made, I thought everything was not good. And also it makes me not ‘enough’ because – and I don’t know why – artists always change their flavor and music types.”
This period of self-reckoning propelled him to bridge the chasm between the musical proficiency he had honed over years and the raw, initial spark that ignited his passion for creation. "I thought I have to learn myself more with ATEEZ and also without ATEEZ too because I want to know about me, what I really like, and what I really don’t like," he continued, articulating the profound introspection that guided his new musical direction. "That’s why this music style is quite different than what I made before and ATEEZ’s style. I really love ATEEZ’s style, and I know I’m really good at doing a charismatic rap, but at the same time, the songs that I listened to when I was young were almost all emotional songs. So, that’s why I started this song with the kind of emotional chords, but also the very unique and comfortable sound.”
His assertion about his charismatic rap prowess is undeniable, evident in tracks like the declarative "Say My Name," the fiery delivery on "This World," or his commanding solo cut "NO1" from the previous year. However, Hongjoong is careful not to confine his artistic identity to a single genre, recognizing the fluidity of his creative journey. "In the near future, [my style] can change, so I want to try to collab with more artists," he mused. "Or if I release more songs, I think many things within a year will really change because I’m still learning myself. If I get my own style or learn my own style, I think there will be someday I can talk to you to say, ‘This is my style.’ I’m not sure this is my real style, but these days, at least in April, I felt this is one of my styles.”
Hongjoong’s quest for self-discovery was made possible by a rare commodity in his demanding life: time off. Late last year, he and his fellow ATEEZ members engaged in crucial discussions with their management company, KQ Entertainment, securing two much-needed vacation periods in 2026. "We didn’t have any vacation before this year," he revealed. "When we confirmed to go on vacation, I immediately thought about how I could use that vacation for me and how I could use the vacation for loving myself and expressing myself at the same time.” This newfound emphasis on individual space aligns with ATEEZ’s long-term vision. In July 2025, all eight members collectively re-signed with KQ for another seven years, signaling a commitment to a second chapter that embraces and nurtures individual pursuits. Mingi’s six-track solo EP in May and Yunho’s foray into acting are prime examples of this evolving dynamic, which Hongjoong views as essential for the group’s enduring strength. "We put ATEEZ first," he affirmed. "But at the same time, everyone wants to plan their own things too. I think that’s very important to make ATEEZ last longer because everyone needs to express themselves and that makes synergy.”
In rediscovering his creative sparks, Hongjoong first unearthed a core concept, with the song’s title preceding the melody. “‘To be honest – well, everything is honest because I don’t wanna lie to you – but when I started to write this song, I wanted to sing about [a topic] I’ve never sung about before,” Hongjoong elaborated. “In my head, sometimes I felt not enough. But also, I think for my whole life I’ve been trying to find something that makes me enough, makes me feel enough. These days, after Coachella and after I got a little vacation, I thought about how something beside me, something nearby, already makes me enough. I didn’t think that was enough, but I realized it was actually a very easy task, to make me enough and I didn’t know before – and that’s why I wrote these lyrics.”
He recognized the universality of this sentiment. “After I wrote the whole lyrics, I felt that many people will feel the same. These days, I think many people find that something can be lacking…” he paused, searching for the precise English word, before his translator supplied “deficiency.” “…yeah, a deficiency within their lives, something lacking. And I always focused on that too before. But these days, I think and want to say to many audiences that we don’t have to fear the lacking or deficiency. If we focus on something that we already have, it makes me feel enough to me and can make you feel like you’re enough too.” Despite its profound message, the gentle, easy-listening vibe of "ENOuGH" easily lends itself to interpretation as a love song, a facet Hongjoong readily embraces. "That’s the whole message of this song, but at the same time, it looks very much like a love song too," he affirmed, describing it as a serenade that doubles as a personal affirmation. "And that’s very right: I love my job and I love our fans. Also, I can love some girls too; I can love another person or people. I don’t wanna expose a very specific person or specific thing, but that’s why I started this song, and that’s the whole message of this song.”
The collaboration with Bazzi, though seemingly spontaneous, was years in the making. Bazzi’s Billboard Hot 100 hits like "Mine" (2017) and "Beautiful" (2018) were integral to Hongjoong’s musical journey even before his debut. A shared festival experience finally brought them together. "We had good timing," Hongjoong recalled of ATEEZ’s performance at BST Hyde Park, where Bazzi was also on the lineup. "We met and we talked a little bit about our lives. When I was training, his songs were very big inspirations to me, so I talked about that too because ‘Mine’ and ‘Beautiful’ were songs I covered and I listened to a lot. So I talked with him a lot, we exchanged numbers, and after we went back home, I felt like this song was a very good fit for him. And I really love his COSMIC album and this song gave me that same energy. So, that’s why I asked him, ‘How about this song? We could make some kind of magic together.’ And he told me he 100% wanted to be in this song. So it happened very naturally and very fast. He recorded his part to me; we had some ping-pong about ad-libs and some chorus parts and very naturally made this song.”
Hongjoong’s relentless work ethic suggests that "ENOuGH" is just the beginning. "After I made this song, I actually have two, three more songs that I made," he revealed, hinting at future releases. "So, if I have a chance, I want to release these songs with the right timing.” The visual narrative for "ENOuGH" was meticulously conceived long before the song’s completion. "When I start music and film something, I have my whole vision," he explained. "Without a visual, I really can’t do anything, because my job is showing something to people.”
The music video concept, shot in Los Angeles the day after his chat with Billboard, depicts Hongjoong embarking on a cosmic journey in a spaceship, visiting the planets of his collaborators. Bazzi’s planet is his first destination. "This whole story started from me," he shared. "Eight years with ATEEZ for me is a huge thing. I said I want more experiences, so for me, a huge experience is going to space. My huge role model is David Bowie. I love his music, but after my love of his music, space is one of my dream places. I’m scared that I can’t really go there in my reality, but I think I can make that visual in my music video. So, I want to travel space, but it’s just ‘my’ space, in my head. I don’t know when more collabs will come to me, but this is the start of the whole travel when I visit the Bazzi planet. Every planet will have a theme and Bazzi’s planet is time. Because in my fast life, I always felt that lack or deficiency, but after his planet, all of my emotions and thoughts are all ‘enough’ to me.”
Despite his philosophical journey towards contentment, Hongjoong remains acutely aware of the broader trajectory for both himself and ATEEZ, rather than fixating on fleeting successes. "K-artists, and artists in general, always have ups and downs," he acknowledged. "I’m really happy with every achievement we’ve had, but I’m still preparing for the next step…we can go down someday, but I don’t want to make that huge gap to ATEEZ.” He is determined that a year as significant as 2026, or any of his future artistic endeavors, will not become "forgettable."
This commitment to the future is symbolically woven into the closing moments of the "ENOuGH" music video. After sharing a vocal exchange with Bazzi on his themed planet, the lights on Hongjoong’s spaceship begin to flash, signaling his recall. He takes one last lingering look before re-boarding, ready to journey to the next experience, the next lesson, on whatever planet awaits him. When asked to envision Planet Hongjoong, he offered an answer that requires no invention; he has already found his home, complete with seven other inhabitants. "My planet is Earth, actually," he declared with a broad, genuine smile. "My planet is ATEEZ, from now and forever, so my home is ATEEZ, so I can’t move to another planet. I just go there and then I come back.”
