ATEEZ’s HONGJOONG on Taking Off the Captain’s Hat for “ENOuGH” With Bazzi

It’s the thick of August when HONGJOONG appears remotely from somewhere in Los Angeles. On a short break from official duties heading up ATEEZ, a K-pop group with three No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200, he’s here to talk about “ENOuGH,” his new solo collaboration with American singer-songwriter Bazzi. Fresh-faced, he occasionally brushes back long strands of glossy black hair while nursing a slight cough. Creative ideas come quickly to the 27-year-old performer, both for his band and his solo projects. “That’s the hardest thing these days to me, because I’m the person who in every moment gets lots of inspiration from everywhere,” he says, noting he keeps a running log of ideas. ATEEZ is currently on official vacation, one of the few stretches of time off in their busy year. But instead of taking a much-deserved break on some tropical island, HONGJOONG has been busy working on his solo project. “I try to make a balance because I love to do my own thing, but I’m more happy with ATEEZ… We have two long breaks… and then I just plan: ‘Okay, in this month and this month is vacation, so I will try to do my own thing in the US.’” He envisions a different sort of travel: collaborating with...