All pictures taken by Dyani Robles (@Dyani_Robles) ATEEZ is a popular South Korean boy group that came on the scene in 2018 with their powerful debut songs Treasure and Pirate King. The group is made up of 8 amazing and talented young men, Hongjoong, Seonghwa, Yeosang, Yunho, San, Mingi, Wooyoung, and Jongho. Catching the attention of Kpop fans from all around the world, ATEEZ's popularity began to sky rocket. In 2019, only five months after debuting, the group announced they would be touring in the United States as well as Europe. The boys did not stop there as they were also invited and attended KCON Japan, New York, LA, and Thailand. While in KCON New York and LA, the group announced they would be having a fan sign for any and all fans that could attend. Fans were entered into a raffle after purchasing one or multiple ATEEZ albums. They bought these albums in hopes to be one of the 100 lucky fans that would attend this event. Being a fan of ATEEZ myself, I tried my luck and surprisingly was chosen for the New York fan sign as well as the LA fan sign. Some people may not fully understand what a fan sign is, it is an event where a person sits across from the artist for about a minute to a minute and a half and are able to talk to them as well as get their album signed and a question in the album answered. With Kpop groups, this whole interaction can last about 10 minutes or more depending on how many members are in the group. My experience at these two fan signs were more than I could have asked for. Since fan signs are not that common outside of South Korea, it was a pleasant surprise that a group, especially one new to the Kpop scene, would host such an event. As I talked to different fans that had attended one or both of these fan signs, it was clear to see how grateful they were to be given this opportunity. One fan I met while at the New York fan sign expressed, "Knowing that ATEEZ were doing a fansign in the United States was very exciting, but also very nerve wracking. I knew how many people were going to try for it. Getting the email that I got in made me so unbelievably happy! I felt like I was floating when I read it. I was absolutely thrilled to have such a close interaction with my favorite boys! It was honestly the best experience of my entire life. I am so honored to have been a part of their first United States fansign. Being able to talk 1 on 1 with them and get to know them a little more personally was outstanding. There are no words to describe how amazing it was. I hope every ATINY gets to have an experience like this. ^__^" — C. Being able to sit across from their favorite artist or in many instances inspiration or light in their lives is something other companies should take notice in. As Korean pop continues to grow not only in the US but around the world, I hope events like this become more frequent. This is what every international fan dreams of, a chance to not only see but meet and express their feelings to someone that means so much to them.
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