Every night before taking the stage, the seven members of Japanese pop group XG form a circle, hold hands, and chant a special chant led by group leader Jurin: “Hesono.” The rest of the members also raise their hands to the sky and respond with an “oh.”

This is an ancient Japanese ritual, similar to the phrase “hoste-hainse.” It has a deep and emotional meaning. In Japanese, “hesono-o” means “navel,” which symbolizes someone’s destiny or unbreakable bond from birth.

According to Chisa, the group’s earliest member, they have been close to each other ideologically and emotionally since the beginning. “We have a deep connection, we all have the same idea,” Chisa said. “I imagined from the very beginning that we could really be connected by the same umbilical cord, like a mother and a child.”

The group members told the BBC the day after their grand performance at the Capitals Summertime Ball on June 6 at London’s iconic Wembley Stadium.

‘A struggle to survive’

The group members were selected from thousands of aspirants across Japan in 2016. The 21 selected trainees were put in a hostel from morning to night and given singing, dancing and various rigorous training. The training was so rigorous that even if they posted pictures of the hostel on social media, they would be severely criticized. In some cases, they were made to do ‘squats’ (a type of physical exercise) until they were sick or cried.

According to Maya, a member of ‘XG’, it was the most difficult day of her life, a day of mental and physical struggle. Chisa recalls that period as a ‘pure struggle for survival’. However, this difficult time did not only make them professional competitors, but also united them in the musical band ‘XG’, which is like a family relationship.

Musical success and rise to the world stage

The formation of this Japanese pop band is very interesting. Although it is a group with completely Japanese members, it is formed, trained and operated in the South Korean pop (K-pop) style. It was founded by XGALX, a sister company of the large Japanese entertainment company Avex.

Choreographer and musician Jacobs (Simon Sakai), who is also a former K-pop idol, came up with the idea of ​​​​creating a global girl group that would cause a stir on the world stage. Then, the audition and selection process for this group began in secret since 2017.

The selected Japanese girls were placed in South Korea and Japan and given extremely rigorous training for 5 years. They were made proficient in singing, rapping, and especially dancing. The struggle and training journey of those trainees under the XGALX project is covered in the documentary series ‘Extra Extra’. The June documentary shows how hard they worked to get to where they are today.

As a result, the best 7 members selected for the band after a long training period, Jurin, Chisa, Hinata, Harvey, Juria, Maya, and Cocona, were already famous even before their song was released in March 2022. Which gave them international recognition in a short time.

XG is a modern global pop band made up of the best combination of Japanese talent and Korean pop training. Their songs are mainly in English. Which has helped them become famous among audiences around the world.

After five years of rigorous training, on March 18, 2022, ‘XG’ released its first single track ‘Tippy Toes’. This song, which is a great combination of hip-hop and R&B, quickly caught the attention of music lovers around the world. Later, songs like ‘Gulz Cypher’ and ‘Shooting Star’ went viral on TikTok and YouTube.

‘XG’ was the only Japanese band to perform at the prestigious music festival ‘Coachella’ in the US in 2025. The band’s singing style has been called ‘X-pop’, which is different from the current ‘K-pop’ or ‘J-pop’.

Cocona’s courage and the group’s new identity

On the occasion of her 20th birthday last December, Cocona, the youngest member of the group, announced on social media Instagram that she is ‘transmasculine’ and ‘non-binary’. Such an announcement is not made lightly in ‘J-pop’, which has strict rules and discipline.

However, the remaining 6 members of the band also gave full support and love to Cocona's decision. The photos taken for the announcement were taken by group leader Jurin, while Chisa did her makeup. Cocona also received great support and acceptance from fans.

After this incident, the group changed the meaning of its name. Earlier, 'XG' meant 'Extraordinary Girls', but now it means 'Extraordinary Genes'. It gives a strong message that 'you should accept yourself as you are and break the old ideas of society'.

World tour with new album 'The Core'

Currently, 'XG' has embarked on a world music tour since February 6 to promote their new album 'The Core'. In this album, they have changed their old singing style and experimented with some rock and dance genres. They are performing a grand concert at the Ovo Arena Wembley in London next September.