Meet the Members of New K-Pop Girl Group XG Ahead of Their Debut
I'm on my "Tippy Toes" for this debut.
A new debut is always exciting—new faces, new styles, new songs, they all bring an air of general excitement that flurries around the K-Pop fan community. Plus, with the industry right in the middle of the generational turnover from 3rd gen to 4th gen, each new group has the potential to become history-making and genre-defining.
All of this to say that the recent announcement that much-anticipated Japanese girl group XG, short for “Extraordinary Girls,” will finally make their debut on March 18 with a single titled “Tippy Toes” has been stirring up buzz left and right among fans. And rightly so—as part of the whole pre-debut process, XG has released a number of videos to tease the members to the public, including solo dance covers. Fans were able to see that the girls exude charisma and talent and promise to bring their own flavour to the evergreen girl crush concept—which never goes out of style, really, and is always a great hit with the public both in South Korea and in the rest of the world.
The hype around XG is also probably due to a misunderstanding that had been making rounds for a while before it was finally clarified by the parties involved. The group was believed to be a joint project of Japanese label Avex Entertainment (which is actually one of the companies backing XG) with the Japan-based branch of YG Entertainment, the South Korean powerhouse home of BLACKPINK and 2NE1—what with the group’s name and signature font being very similar to YG’s, as well as the general air of badassery that surrounds the members. At the end of February, though, YG Entertainment came out with an official statement declaring that “it has nothing to do with girl group XG”.
Label rumours aside, the girls of XG have been gearing up for their debut since 2017. There are seven of them—a perfect uneven number that I’m willing to bet will allow for some gorgeous dance formations. Not much beyond basic details have been released about the septet yet, but let’s meet them all nonetheless ahead of their official debut!
JURIN
Jurin, whose full name is listed on the K-Pop database KProfiles as both Asaya Jurin and Asaya Tamaki, was born on June 19, 2002. She was the first member of the group to be revealed as part of the debut process, and she used to be a professional model before switching careers and becoming a trainee. It seems that she will be part of the rap line within XG.
CHISA
A former actress and second member to be revealed, Chisa, full name Chisa Kondou, was born on January 17, 2002. She will be part of XG’s vocal line, probably filling the all-important role of the main vocalist. She will also be the group’s unnie, meaning the oldest among all the members.
COCONA
Akiyama Kokona, born on December 7, 2005, was the third member to be revealed. In 2018, she won the Kira Challe competition for singing and she apparently has the talent to be considered an all-rounded idol, excelling in singing, dancing and rapping. Within XG, it seems like she will focus mainly on rap and dance.
HINATA
Born on June 11, 2022, Hinata Sohara was rumoured to be a YG Entertainment trainee, probably because she was seen practising inside YG facilities (something that undoubtedly fuelled the rumours that YG Entertainment was the label behind XG). Within XG, she will take on her role as a member of the dance line.
MAYA
Kawachi Maya was born on August 10, 2006. She’ll have two roles within XG—being a member of the dance line and being the maknae, the youngest of the group.
JURIA
Born on November 28, 2004, Juria Ueda was a former member of idol group Amorecarina, which she left in 2015. She will also be part of XG’s vocal line.
HARVEY
Amy Harvey was the final member of the group to be revealed—she’s of both Japanese and Australian descent and she has been working as a model since she was in junior high. Born on December 18, 2002, within XG she will be part of both the rap and vocal lines.
(via: Ulzza; image: XGALX)
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