The girl group XG — comprising Jurin, Chisa, Hinata, Harvey, Juria, Maya and Cocona — are forging their own path in the world of music with their “global” group, which is known for crossing boundaries through their music.
The seven-member hip-hop and R&B girl group made their world debut in 2022, after preparing for it for five years, with the track Tippy Toes, which went on to cross 17 million views on YouTube.
The all-Japanese act, who performs in three languages — English, Japanese, and Korean — released their third single, Shooting Star, last month and hinted they would love to go on a world tour now. So, we caught up with them exclusively and among other things.
Here are excerpts from an exclusive interview:
* You made the right noise with your songs -- Mascara, Galz Xypher and Shooting Star. How do you look back at the inspiration for the singles?
JURIN
We expressed to the fullest all the things that we’ve built up and learned with Galz Xypher and Shooting Star. We believe we fully expressed our individuality and uniqueness with these projects, so I’d be happy if everyone could understand what I mean.
HARVEY
I felt a great sense of accomplishment. We are inspired by all kinds of music, ranging from the 80s to the 2000s! We not only incorporate things into our performances, but also our fashion!
* With the band getting in focus, how do you think you have evolved as a band and individual?
COCONA
This goes for both XG as a group and us as individuals, but I realised the importance of reflecting back on the experiences we’ve had without focusing too much on what it means to be us! I think it’s incredibly important to prioritise things that I love or things that I enjoy, rather than overthinking what suits me. I think that’s what’s changed the most.
* In fact, you appeared on many Korean music TV shows and received a great response for Mascara. Tell us a bit about it?
JURIN
It was a new experience for us, so there was a lot of anxiety. It definitely wasn’t easy stepping into this new world and taking on this big challenge. Diving headfirst into the world of K-pop, which is currently becoming a global phenomenon, allowed me to learn a lot, and also stimulated me greatly. It really made us want to focus even more and work harder, so that was a great experience.
* How do you think the girl band is taking hold of the baton and re-define what it takes to be a global group with inspiration of hip-hop in this decade?
HINATA
Nowadays, people tend to like a person for their humanity, charisma, music, character, and fashion style rather than looking at gender. We want to keep doing what we do, and continue to make out-of-the-box music that is unique to XG!
HARVEY
XG has the word “extraordinary” in it, and our message is to live our lives in our own way and not be bound by stereotypes! We want to continue to release music that can be enjoyed by everyone! It is important that more and more people, regardless of gender, are able to release and enjoy music the way they want to!