"He's kinda the greatest idol of all time"- Fans react as ATEEZ's Hongjoong covers Michael Jackson's Beat It 

On February 8, 2025, ATEEZ's Hongjoong dropped his rendition of Michael Jackson's Beat It through the group's official YouTube channel, leaving the fandom in a frenzy. The male artist flaunted his vocals and intensive choreography in the four-minute and ten second music video. He improvised the cover by adding a new rap section flavored with his own lyrics and fashion.

For those unversed, the American singer released Beat It as part of his sixth studio album Thriller in 1982. It was penned and composed by Jackson, and produced by Jackson and Quincy Jones. It was recorded in October 1982 and dropped through February 14, 1983.

Subsequently, ATEEZ's Hongjoong's latest Beat It cover circulated on social media and went viral among the fandom. Fans could not stop swooning over his vocals and smooth choreography. Expressing that, an X user tweeted:

"he’s kinda the greatest idol of all time."

The fandom praised ATEEZ's Hongjoong's dance and vocal range in the latest cover. They stated that the music video was the "cover of the century." Many users referred to him as an "icon" and a "legend."

"ABSOLUTELY DEVOURED ATE LEFT NO CRUMBS LIKE HIS RAP HIS SELF MADE RAP MY JAW DROPPED TO THE FLOOR GOD NO ONE AND I MEAN NO ONE DOES IT LIKE HIM. TRULY IN AWE JUST HOLY WHAT A MAN,"- a fan reacted.

"Mind you he’s the captain of the group and main rapper but here you got him not only serving vocals and an IMPECCABLE dance but also a whole new rap section to the song with his own style and lyrics! COVER OF THE CENTURY IF YOU ASK ME!,"- a fan shared.

"he's an icon he's a legend and he is the moment,"- a fan commented.

"ace of kpop like imagine arranging a new rendition of a song for a cover, serving high note vocals and dancing with insane footwork with your original position being the main rapper,"- a fan mentioned.

Internet users continued to praise the top-notch production quality of ATEEZ's Hongjoong's latest music video.

"THE QUALITY ? I think it's one of the best mv I've ever seen ??? 1st of all, I was so amazed by the narrative, the fit, the aura hongjoong had in the clip, and then HIS RAP PART ? NAH, the woman was too stunned to speak,"- a user reacted.

"I've been #HONGJOONG fan for 3 years already and every day he's amazed me. My admiration can't be described, I have never experienced such a thing in my entire life, he is already much bigger than just k-pop Artist, it's a huge privilege and blessing just to be here for him,"- a user shared.

"Hongjoong paying tribute to Michael Jackson (one of his role model) you're the coolest Captain! he's serving vocals, rap & visuals here and HELLO THE PRODUCTION,"- a user commented.

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More about ATEEZ's Hongjoong

The South Korean rapper and songwriter, ATEEZ'S Hongjoong is the leader of the band. He made his debut with the group on October 24, 2018, with the release of the mini-album Treasure EP.1: All To Zero. It was dropped through KQ Entertainment and Stone Music Entertainment. The record was distributed by Genie Music and Stone Music Entertainment, respectively.

Treasure E.P: All To Zero featured six tracks, including Intro: Long Journey, Pirate King, Treasure, Twilight, Stay, and My Way. He went on to appear as a guest in Min Kyung-hoon and Kim Heechul's 2020 music video Hanryang. He was also the host of Idol Radio Season, which aired on MBC between 2022 and 2023. He has been associated with the agency, namely KQ Entertainment.

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In recent news, ATEEZ released the English version of its track Ice On My Teeth on December 6, 2024, through KQ Entertainment and Sony Music. It is the first English single by the band.