The Rise and Rise of Ateez’s San

While the appetite for boybands from the UK’s shores seems to have dwindled in recent years, South Korea has birthed a host of supergroups that have become global phenomena. Comprising eight members, Ateez is a name that rings loudly across the world.

Making their debut in 2018, the band landed on a name that symbolises “everything teenagers need from A to Z”. They’ve become known for their electric live performances, which feature plenty of how-do-they- do-that choreography and mammoth stage set-ups that could rival those for the likes of P!nk and Harry Styles.

It’s an age-old tale: if you’re a fan of a boyband, you have your favourite member. And Ateez’s San has captured hearts internationally. When we photographed the 25-year-old for the cover of 10 Men on the streets of NYC, the band was just wrapping up a 13-show US tour, which had included three stadium performances. His tip for surviving life on the road is staying “passionate about what you do”, and he should know, having just played to enormous crowds in Los Angeles, New York and Washington, DC.

San’s first dreams of becoming a pop star came early on. “My father and mother really loved music. When I was in middle school they took me to my first concert. That was when I realised I wanted to pursue being a singer.”

I wonder, if he hadn’t followed a career in music, what would San be doing today? “In high school I wanted to be a florist, so someday that could be on the cards!”

He says his favourite thing about touring is interacting with the fans. “Our songs are in Korean, which I know is hard to sing if you’re not from our country. When we’re on stages across the world and our fans are singing all our songs back to us in Korean, it touches me. They’re memories I will treasure for ever.”

One of the group’s biggest shows to date was at this year’s Coachella, where they became the first K-pop boyband to perform at the Californian festival. “I remember the day our boss called all of us into his room. He said, ‘You’re going to Coachella, and you’re the first [K-pop] boyband to perform [there],” San told NME back in April. “I’m not a person who [usually] has a big reaction, but I couldn’t sleep that night.”

To a packed-out Sahara tent crowd, the group launched into their biggest hits, including Crazy Form and Bouncy (K-hot Chilli Peppers), playing to devoted fans who had camped out at the stage all day in the blazing heat waiting for the group to come on. “I just remember how beautiful the stages were at the festival,” he says. On stage, each member of Ateez has carved out their own distinct sense of style, opting for everything from pinstripe suits through to buttery leather jackets and studded denim.

When it comes to his own touring uniform, San says: “Sometimes I like something that’s cool, other times I like it to be a little more sexy. I just want to try everything!” At recent shows he has worn bedazzled leather jackets in frosty hues, skimpy black vests and crisp suiting.

In the past few months, he has also become part of the Dolce & Gabbana extended family, having attended the label’s Alta Sartoria and Alta Moda couture experiences held on Sardinia in July.