XG

Apple Music Up Next artist XG’s genre-blurring sound gives the X-pop group its X factor. Debuting in 2022, XG (short for Xtraordinary Girls) consists of seven Japanese members—Chisa, Hinata, Jurin, Juria, Harvey, Maya and Cocona—living in South Korea, where the members originally perfected their act. “I do think our training days brought our relationship to where it is right now,” Maya told Apple Music. “We’ve grown our bond strongly, just like a family,” added Juria. Sung entirely in English, XG’s earliest singles, “Tippy Toes” and “MASCARA”, leaned into rattling rap meant to emphasise swagger. While those tracks grabbed attention, XG refused to settle on any single sound, as 2023 releases saw the outfit flexing major versatility on throwback R&B cuts (“LEFT RIGHT”), dance pop (“NEW DANCE”) and uptempo mutations on modern club sounds (“PUPPET SHOW”). What makes XG special, though, is their refusal to accept existing tags. The group shuns both J-pop and K-pop labels in favor of what they call X-pop.