The only constant in life is change, and global group XG embody this adage at their very core. Since their debut in 2022 with the subdued hip hop of ‘Tippy Toes’, members Jurin, Chisa, Juria, Hinata, Harvey, Cocona, and Maya have reinvented themselves multiple times until arriving at their current essence, or, as they dub it, ‘The Core’ – the group’s first studio album, which was released last week.
“The title [of the album] is something that we’ve been developing from before our debut,” says leader Jurin via Zoom, a couple of weeks ahead of the release. “The essence, the energy, the strength that we have, the ability for us to continuously chase our dream, it all comes down to that mindset [of this strong core]. That’s one of the biggest strengths that we have.”
XG’s YouTube channel documents each stage of their astonishing evolution, from their early teenage years in the XTRA XTRA documentary series, where they competed for a slot in the group, to their first steps building a genre they call X-pop – a blend of pop, hip hop and R&B where the ‘X’ represents infinite possibilities. As they’ve grown, cameras have captured them rising like a ‘Shooting Star’ and playing at Coachella and Tokyo Dome. XG, who graced NME’s Cover a year ago today, have always aimed high and reached even higher.
“We’re a group from Japan, but we’re approaching a worldwide audience. All of our lyrics are in English,” continues Jurin, as the other members sitting around her nod in agreement. “The themes and messages are not part of just one genre, because expressing what X-pop means is what we wanted to integrate into this album.”
To express things with the utmost authenticity, one must first dare to be vulnerable and honest. The new album comes with an important change: XG, which used to mean Xtraordinary Girls, now stands for Xtraordinary Genes. Besides leaving the “girl” box behind to reflect their reaching adulthood, the name also supports rapper Cocona, who came out on their 20th birthday in December as AFAB (assigned female at birth) transmasculine nonbinary.
“One of the biggest reasons [for the name change] was myself,” says Cocona, the youngest among the group. “When I came out, I had a conversation with [our executive producer] JAKOPS [Simon Junho Park] about what that meant. ‘Xtraordinary Girls’ got us very far, but looking at our true form and how we can express that better, the word ‘Genes’ is something we all saw at the same time.”
Maya, another rapper and the second-youngest in the team, adds: “‘Girls’ represents where we started, but ‘Genes’ reflects a deeper core and what makes us who we are. As we continue to evolve, we want to create a new culture and keep moving forward from that core.”
XG’s music revolves around confident dance beats, fierce viral raps and a touch of ethereal R&B. With surrealistic visuals and self-confident messages, they build parallel worlds where the lines between aliens and humans are blurred, and weirdness is to be embraced. “I just turned the Met Gala into an X-gala” is the vibe, as they sing on ‘The Core’’s enthralling lead single, ‘Gala’.
“‘[Xtraordinary] Girls’ represents where we started, but ‘[Xtraordinary] Genes’ reflects a deeper core and what makes us who we are” – Maya
“XG is the main character in all of the songs,” shares main vocalist Chisa. “All of us [have entered] our twenties now, which is when you come of age in Japan. Now that we’re grown up, I think the lyrics represent different [things], the messages that we’re trying to include, the themes that we have. Each song conveys who we are in a more mature way.”
That can be seen in the runway-ready single ‘Hypnotize’, and the equally excellent ‘Take My Breath’, both of which explore romantic love – a somewhat new subject in their discography. The group also pay homage to Aaliyah in ‘Rock The Boat’, and flow through vintage R&B waves in ‘No Good’ and ‘Up Now’. “R&B and hip-hop are our roots,” Chisa adds. “Romance is central to that genre, and we wanted to explore it as part of our growth.”
She shares that they tried to imagine what being in love would be like, along with how people around the world fall in love and how they could translate those feelings into this new chapter of the group. “It’s really an exploration of romance, friendship, love, and putting all that into music,” she says.
The ‘X’ element of surprise in the album comes with ‘O.R.B (Obviously Reads Bro)’, a rendition of early ’00s pop-punk through XG’s unique vision. “We call each other bro behind the scenes, especially me and Jurin,” says rapper Harvey in her unique bubbly tone. “I think our lyricist saw that and wanted to capture it in the song. To me, it represents the team, the unity, this safe space that we have. It’s almost a feeling.”
To the group, ‘bro’ is more than just a casual term of endearment, but something that represents the depth of their bond. “When we first auditioned, there were a lot more [trainees], but we were the seven that [JAKOPS] chose. In a way, it feels like it was predestined, like the seven members were meant to be together,” she explains. “We were chosen, as opposed to choosing each other, so there’s a layer of fate that connected us.”
Much like family, XG works out through a lot of communication. As they move through the transformative years of early adulthood, they have found ways to strengthen their relationship while allowing individual growth. “We all come together, take time to just update each other with what we’re doing. We make sure we know where each of us [is] at,” says Maya.
Recently, the group held one of their “famous space meetings”, where they share future aspirations and dreams with each other, no matter how wild they might seem. “We talked about our goals and what we want to keep in mind this year,” Maya continues.
“We do those meetings in order to stay really strong as a team, and that connects our performances as well. We have a lot of very important words and phrases that we came up with. ‘Trust the process’ was one… Another one was ‘freedom and passion’, and ‘never forgetting our voices’…” she trails off. The other members excitedly spill more mottos, both in English and Japanese: “Born to run,” says Harvey. “Unwavering core,” Jurin follows. “Don’t try to be 10 things, be one thing,” Harvey adds further.
Although all of those ideas drive them, there’s one main slogan they’re keeping in mind for 2026: ‘being real is everything’. “We all have different things that we wanna do and challenge ourselves with, but never forgetting that passion is what makes XG,” Maya explains. “And when we come together, we become stronger.”
“It feels like it was predestined, like the seven members were meant to be together” – Harvey
The group continues to aim high with ‘The Core’. “Of course, we want to go overseas, get into Billboard charts, and take music awards home,” says Jurin. “But this album became a work that we are really satisfied with. So, more than anything, the success I value the most is that we keep doing this kind of real music. Facing music sincerely, and facing ourselves and XG sincerely. I hope we can keep that going forever.”
Hinata, one of the main dancers in the group, agrees: “Being able to do this forever and together is not something you can take for granted. While cherishing each day, I think it would be really nice if we could still make music even when we’re old people.” The group laugh at the prospect, but given their synergy and passion for their craft, that scenario doesn’t seem unlikely.
Soft-spoken vocalist Juria chimes in. “In the same way that we try not to make ourselves match someone else’s standards, it’s important that all of our listeners find their own core, their own set of values,” she says. “If our music can help them discover that and resonate with them, then I would consider it a success.”
XG’s ‘The Core’ is out now via XGALX.
