Simon Jakops, the Producer Behind Xg, on What’s Next for Pop Group After ‘The Core’

Global pop groups are rising in popularity, but Japan-based Xg is a pioneer in the space.

The seven-member group was formed as part of a joint venture titled Xgalx (a partnership between Japanese entertainment conglomerate Avex and producer Simon Jakops) and hit the worldstage in 2022. Xg’s members were all from, trained and based in Japan, promoted their releases through the K-pop system in Korea, and performed entirely in English. At the time, it was unheard of.

The vision came from Jakops, both the CEO of Xgalx and Xg’s lead producer. Knowing the 39-year-old’s origins provides a good window into just how Xg’s formula came to be. Jakops, whose real name is Simon Junho Park, was born in Seattle, Washington to a Japanese mother and a Korean father. He spent his formative years in Korea, eventually debuting in K-pop boy group Dmtn before shifting his focus to…