\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p><\/div><\/div> \n\tAs XG have evolved, the members increasingly describe themselves in opposition to fixed industry categories altogether. The group defines its music not as K-pop or J-pop, but \u201cX-Pop,\u201d a deliberately open-ended label that reflects both their global ambitions and their resistance to being confined by a single genre.<\/p>\n \n\tWhat initially set them apart musically was the group\u2019s refusal to divide itself neatly between rappers and vocalists, even as clear strengths emerged within the lineup. Chisa, Juria, and Hinata anchor many of XG\u2019s smoothest melodic moments, their lush harmonies steeped in R&B history. Meanwhile, Jurin, Maya, Harvey, and Cocona built an early reputation as some of the most technically dynamic rappers in their generation of idol groups, balancing multilingual flows with ease.<\/p>\n \n\tThat chemistry became impossible to ignore in 2022 with \u201cGALZ XYPHER,\u201d<\/a> the viral YouTube cypher that first introduced many listeners to charismatic XG\u2019s rap line. Trading bars in three languages over a dizzying patchwork of samples and references from Ty Dolla $ign<\/a> to Rosal\u00eda<\/a> to J.I.D<\/a>, rappers Jurin, Maya, Harvey, and Cocona moved with the confidence of artists already fully aware of their own distinct identities. Cocona, then only 16, emerged as the breakout presence, their deep, controlled delivery cutting through the cypher with a level of composure that felt startlingly self-assured.<\/p>\n \t\tRelated Content<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n \n\tBut it was 2023\u2019s \u201cShooting Star\u201d<\/a> and \u201cLeft Right\u201d<\/a> that crystallized XG\u2019s broader musical vision. Colorful and deeply indebted to the late-Nineties, early-2000s golden era of American R&B, both tracks fused Y2K nostalgia with ultramodern polish, establishing the group as one of the most adventurous acts in pop. Releases like New DNA<\/em> and AWE<\/em> expanded that range further, moving fluidly between U.K. drill, trap, dance-pop, hip-hop, and airy, vocal-driven R&B without ever fully settling into one mode for long.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cWe have a really great respect for all types of music,\u201d Chisa says. \u201cOver these nine years together, we\u2019ve shared so many artists and genres with each other. We\u2019re always thinking, \u2018How do we take this influence and transform it into XG\u2019s own expression?\u2019 Our sound is constantly evolving because we don\u2019t want to be bound by any one form.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tBy the time XG released their first full-length studio album, The Core<\/em>, this January, the group\u2019s genreless ambitions no longer felt theoretical. The album plays like a compilation of their evolving musical sense. \u201cROCK THE BOAT\u201d<\/a> reimagines Aaliyah\u2019s 2001 hit<\/a> of the same name through XG\u2019s slick, performance-heavy lens, while \u201cGALA\u201d<\/a> pulls Chicago house music into the group\u2019s universe through a pulsing beat, avant-garde fashion, and a brief sample of Styx\u2019s \u201cMr. Roboto.\u201d<\/a> Elsewhere, tracks like \u201cTake My Breath\u201d shimmer with disco-pop maximalism, while \u201cNo Good\u201d settles into the kind of slow-burning R&B groove that has become one of XG\u2019s signatures. Then there\u2019s \u201cO.R.B (Obviously Reads Bro),\u201d the album\u2019s most unruly moment, channeling Avril Lavigne-style pop-punk through hyperactive chants, distorted guitars, relentless bro-speak, and a defiant refrain of \u201cif you don\u2019t like it, fuck you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\tJurin<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n \n\tThe album arrived amid a period of significant transition that included the launch of their latest world tour in February; the sudden departure of their label\u2019s founder and former CEO, Simon Junho Park, as the group\u2019s executive producer and creative architect in March; and the introduction of \u201cXtraordinary Genes,\u201d a new name meant to reflect XG\u2019s growing emphasis on nonconformity. (XG previously stood for \u201cXtraordinary Girls.\u201d) The concept took on additional resonance when Cocona, the youngest member of the group, publicly came out as transmasculine and nonbinary late last year, sharing in an Instagram post that \u201cthe hardest thing I\u2019ve ever faced was accepting and embracing myself.\u201d The announcement was met with overwhelming support from international fans and marked a rare moment of openness around gender identity within the world of idol pop.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cWe\u2019re still searching for what the definition of this new XG is going to be,\u201d Jurin says. \u201cHow we get there, how we express it, how we commit to it, and how seriously we look at it.\u201d When discussing their new era now, Cocona frames it as something far more collective. \u201cOf course, there was the timing of my coming out,\u201d they say. \u201cBut I think it\u2019s more than just me. Everyone in this unit, we\u2019re all aliens in some regard, and really discovering what it means to express X-Pop.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tFor Chisa, the idea behind \u201cXtraordinary Genes\u201d is ultimately about freedom. \u201cIt\u2019s about not being bound by any sort of molds or boundaries,\u201d she says. \u201cWhether it\u2019s music or fashion or visual expression, it\u2019s about transforming what we feel into our own form of expression. To me, that\u2019s what extraordinary is.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tAsk XG where they feel most themselves, and the answers vary in detail but not in spirit. The members speak about expression as a total experience, something constructed through performance, styling, music, movement, and visuals all at once. Their identity is assembled piece by piece. As Jurin describes it, it\u2019s \u201cthe culmination of everything.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\tChisa<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n \n\t \n\tJurin, meanwhile, laughs while trying to explain the differences in how each member approaches expression. Hinata gravitates toward fashion and personal style. Offstage, she embraces Lolita fashion, a style rooted in Victorian-inspired clothing and feminine styling \u2014 think bows, lace, and ruffles. Chisa, known for her soulful voice, sees expression through performance itself. Harvey, known for her bubbly personality and distinct tone, says she reveals the \u201creal Harvey\u201d most clearly onstage. Cocona approaches creativity through subtraction rather than accumulation, searching for meaning in absence and \u201cwhat doesn\u2019t exist.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
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The answer feels revealing coming from a group so often defined by aesthetics first. XG\u2019s visual identity is undeniably striking \u2014 structural outfits and hair pieces, vibrant makeup \u2014 but the members consistently describe those choices as extensions of who they already are, not costumes. Juria lights up while explaining how her transformation begins with styling. \u201cWhen my hair and makeup team dresses me up, my switch gets turned on,\u201d she says with a smile. \u201cWhen I have the hair and makeup that I really like, I know I\u2019m expressing myself in the best possible version.\u201d<\/p>\n