They appear on Korean music shows and make TikToks with K-pop idols. They even had a rigorous training period in Korea with potential members being cut from the group, similar to other Korean entertainment companies; even Hikaru from the K-pop project group Kep1er was cut from them. However, their main songs are in English and all the members are Japanese. If you’re wondering which group this is – their name is XG, which stands for Xtraordinary Girls and they are a girl group that you need to look out for.
Comprised of seven members – Jurin (the Leader), Chisa, Hinata, Harvey, Juria, Maya, and Cocona – they debuted on March 18th, 2022 with their single “Tippy Toes”. They have recently released their album New DNA which has tracks such as “GRL GVNG”, “TGIF”, “New Dance”, and “Puppet Show”, with the four of those having well-produced music videos. They trained for a long period before debut, and each was selected by their label to be in XG. They’ve performed on Korean music shows, and even festivals stateside such as Head in the Clouds both in Los Angeles and New York.
You have the background on this group, now you need reasons why you should check them out. So here are my reasons to check out XG.
1. Their music is refreshing
Now you may be wondering – why are they basically an English girl group instead of being just a K-pop group. The answer – they want to become global superstars. K-pop has such a distinct sound from regular pop, and XG making more of a pop sound in my opinion. However, their sound is a little more unique as they are trying to be more brave with their sound palette and it’s working out.
2. Their songs are empowering
Instead of making songs about love or boys, XG’s music has been about about empowering women. Their recent release, “Puppet Show” talks about the societal doubt about women and infers how it feels when women are controlled. To me, I don’t really see that in a lot of pop music so I think this is really exciting and refreshing to see.
3. Visually stunning music videos
When I encountered the “Mascara” music video for the first time, I was like whoa because it was so well put together for a group that was still considered to be rookies. When “Shooting Star” came out, I realized that their videos were only going to get better and better. I grew fatigued catching up with K-pop groups and their new music videos, but the quality of XG videos didn’t make me feel this way. I became excited with each new release and never grew tired.
4. Challenging dances that are fun to learn
XG dances aren’t the easiest that’s for sure, however, you might as well learn them because their music will make you wanna move around. I love songs that have a fun dance that goes with them, so that’s one motivation I have for listening to XG because I know they’ll fulfill that motivation.
5. So much potential
There are some artists out there that decide to change their sound or genre in K-pop that totally flop (Weeekly is one example but they’re coming back), but I don’t see XG doing that because they are really versatile. No matter the concept, they will be able to kill it.
There you have it, my reasons why you need to check out my favorite girl group XG. I’ve provided links and hopefully, that is enough to kickstart your enrollment into the ALPHAZ (name of their fans) fandom. New DNA just came out and there are no skips in that album so add that to your playlist today.