Before every performance, the seven members of global breakout pop group XG gather in a tight circle, lock hands, and share a pre-show chant that holds far deeper meaning than a simple pep talk. When leader Jurin calls out “Hesono,” the group roars back “Oh” and thrust their arms toward the sky. The phrase draws its roots from the Japanese word heso no o, meaning umbilical cord – a symbol of the inescapable, lifelong connection that has bound the band together since their earliest days.
“We’re so strongly connected, we’re always thinking the same things,” explains Chisa, the group’s oldest member. The concept came to her in a dream early in the group’s history, where she saw all seven members linked by an umbilical cord, just like a mother and child. “I threw that out as an idea for our identity. People said, ‘That’s so new and interesting’, and that’s how the concept of Hesono-o was born.”
BBC sat down with the full seven-piece lineup – Maya, Juria, Hinata, Harvey, Cocona, Chisa and Jurin – the morning after their triumphant, rain-drenched debut set at Capital’s Summertime Ball at London’s Wembley Stadium, where they earned a rapturous reception from thousands of British fans. Dressed in bold neon looks punctuated by tufts of faux fur and ornate belt buckles, each member brings a distinct personal style to the group: Cocona wears a necklace emblazoned with “rock star,” while Harvey’s stacked collection of bangles clinks with every step. But for all their individual flair, their synchronized energy and obvious camaraderie are impossible to miss; when answering questions, they huddle to confer before selecting a spokesperson, a small habit that reveals their deep-rooted teamwork.
That connection was forged over more than a decade, starting when some members were just 11 or 12 years old. In 2016, XG’s members were scouted from thousands of aspiring performers across Japan. Twenty-one finalists were selected to enter an intensive long-term training program, living together in group dorms while training from dawn to dusk in singing, dancing, and multilingual communication.
The training regimen was notoriously grueling. Behind-the-scenes documentary footage from the trainee era shows coaches scolding young trainees for posting casual dorm photos to social media, telling the teens “You’re never going to earn respect for doing that sort of thing.” Other clips show trainees repeating squats until they grew ill or broke down in tears from exhaustion. “It was the toughest and most difficult experience I’ve ever had,” Maya says of the years of training. “A battle against myself physically and mentally.” Looking back, Chisa describes the entire experience as an act of “pure survival.” It was only when candidates were split into small teams that the group’s signature sisterhood began to form.
“In a good way, we pushed each other to improve, so each team became really united,” Chisa explains. “From the middle to the later part of our trainee period, we started hanging out more – going out together, travelling, holding little sports days and things like that. We really loved watching movies together,” adds Hinata. “Especially scary movies, because we would all huddle up together under a blanket, being scared together. It was like we were real-life siblings, you know? That feeling is something I really love.”
After six years of rigorous preparation, the 21-person trainee pool was narrowed down to the final seven-member lineup, and XG made their public debut in 2022 with the single *Tippy Toes*. Built around a minimalist hip-hop beat, the track showcased the group’s seamless ability to shift from razor-sharp rap flows to melodic vocal runs, and its lyrics laid bare their ambitious global goals: “Understand that we didn’t come to play, here to dominate,” Hinata sang.
They made good on that promise later that same year with *Galz Xypher*, a track that saw the group’s rap line – Jurin, Maya, Harvey, and Cocona – trade verses across three languages over a sample patchwork that draws from Aretha Franklin’s *One Step Ahead* and Rosalía’s *Saoko*. The track became a viral sensation, spawning thousands of reaction videos on TikTok and racking up more than 49 million plays on YouTube to date. Subsequent releases, from the upbeat *Shooting Star* to the bold, confident *Woke Up*, solidified the group’s signature sound: a fusion of futuristic sci-fi aesthetics and the elastic, smooth grooves of 1990s R&B. By 2025, the group had earned a slot on the Coachella lineup, where they were the only Japanese act featured that year. “I still get chills when I watch it back,” Maya says. “I’m like, ‘Oh my God, I’m gonna work hard until I can get back on that stage’.”
As XG’s career skyrocketed, youngest member Cocona underwent a deeply personal public journey. Last December, on their 20th birthday, Cocona came out as transmasculine and non-binary in a heartfelt Instagram post, a move almost unheard of in the tightly controlled traditional world of J-pop and idol music. “I want to share something that’s been in my heart for a long time,” they wrote. “I was born and perceived as female, but that label never represented who I truly am… The hardest thing I’ve ever faced was accepting and embracing myself.”
From the start, Cocona had the unwavering support of their bandmates. Jurin shot the artistic accompanying photos for the announcement, which included shots of Cocona’s top surgery scars, while Chisa did their makeup. XG’s global fanbase responded with an outpouring of love and acceptance, a reaction Cocona says they are still grateful for. “I was really, really grateful for that,” they say. “I hope through me saying what I did, that other people will feel a sense of hope or light or love. Thinking that way makes me feel like I can keep going and work even harder, so I feel very blessed.”
In the wake of Cocona’s announcement, the group redefined their own identity as well. Originally, the name XG stood for “Xtraordinary Girls”; now, it stands for “Xtraordinary Genes,” reflecting the group’s core message that “it’s okay to be yourself as you are,” Chisa explains. “Breaking fixed ideas and preconceptions is a big part of our concept,” Jurin agrees.
That ethos anchors the group’s new album, *The Core*, which sees the seven-piece expanding far beyond the throwback R&B sound of their early EPs to explore a more diverse sonic palette. Lead single *Gala* is built around a Vogue-inspired ballroom beat, while fan-favorite *Hypnotise* draws inspiration from the iconic chunky house piano of CeCe Peniston’s *Finally*. “When we first heard that iconic piano sound, we instantly thought, ‘This has to be our title track’,” Maya says. “It’s not just danceable, it has a kind of dark, mysterious feel, and it makes you picture the city at night.”
Another standout track, *O.R.B*, pairs wailing distorted guitars with a message of bro solidarity – a choice widely interpreted as a public declaration of support for Cocona. “We told our producer we wanted a band-style rock song,” recalls Chisa. “We never imagined the demo would make it onto the album, but when we listened to it together, it really reminded us of Avril Lavigne and we all felt, ‘This is exactly what we want to do’. It’s a track that expands our musical gravity, our musical universe.”
This September, British fans will get to experience that expanded universe firsthand when XG plays their first ever UK headline show at Wembley Arena, part of a year-long global tour. Juria says the concerts “will truly embody the album’s title. Our core will be right there on stage.”
Even as touring and rising fame ramp up the demands on their time, the group has no plans to loosen the umbilical bond that brought them this far. They prioritize intentional downtime together to stay grounded: “Having a clear on/off switch is really important,” says Hinata. “For me, spending downtime with the members really helps me stay balanced.” Hinata relaxes by watching anime, Jurin – a former professional snowboarder – hits the slopes whenever she can, and Harvey hides a secret talent for playing trombone, even carrying her mouthpiece with her on tour. “I haven’t played properly since I was in third grade of junior high, but I do carry around the mouthpiece with me… So I’d love to play trombone with the band one day, just to see if I can still do it,” she laughs. If their rise so far is any indication, that dream probably isn’t far off.