Xdinary Heroes brings K-Rock into the conversation
Following their sold out LA and NYC showcases, the band joins JoySauce for an exclusive photoshoot and to talk about their creative process, new music, and more
The six members of Xdinary Hereos.
Photo by Lauren Nakao Winn, 3-D artistry by Josh Haskin
Words by Jihyeon No
JYP Entertainment’s in-house label Studio J has successfully conducted a pressure test for K-rock in the United States.
Their latest project, Xdinary Heroes (pronounced “ex-dinary heroes”), performed two sold-out nights during their American showcases, Troubleshooting, in Los Angeles and New York City last month. It’s been five years since Studio J has dispatched one of their own stateside, following Day6’s second world tour Gravity, but their junior group, Xdinary Heroes, following two and a half years of Korean promotions, have proved well worth the wait. Despite their busy schedules, Xdinary Heroes put down their instruments for an exclusive interview and photoshoot with JoySauce.
Leader and drummer Gunil.
Photo by Lauren Nakao Winn, 3-D artistry by Josh Haskin
The self-produced band has a colorful discography that spans many genres, including punk, rock, metal, pop-punk, and even ballads. The variety of music seems to be reflective of the group’s purpose; when asked what they’d like people new to their music to know about their band, leader Gunil reveals he wants their music to be whatever Villains (the name of the band’s fan base) may need, whether that is energy, hope, or strength. “There is truthfulness to our music, we take it very seriously but make it very fun at the same time,” he says.
Rhythm guitarist, rapper, and vocalist Gaon expands on this creative process by revealing that there is no set workflow when it comes to producing new songs. Sometimes they write from scratch and sometimes they work with a producer. But if there is any consistency, it is that their “main goal in creating music is to have fun while creating it so that our audience can also have fun listening.”
Lead guitarist Junhan adds that his inspiration doesn’t come from specific messaging, but rather the desire to “tell my own story and be authentic,” and that he’s grateful his fans have been listening.
Lead guitarist Junhan.
Photo by Lauren Nakao Winn, 3-D artistry by Josh Haskin
In addition to their fans’ support, the band is grateful for the support they receive from their label. With concepts that are emotive and occasionally, in typical rock-and-roll fashion, incorporate themes of anti-establishment, Gunil explains that their more family-oriented company is “most of the time very open to it, so we're very thankful about it.” When asked about that line in “Freakin’ Bad,” he clarifies that they like to keep it PG-13 for their company’s polite image.
Welcome to the Xdinary Heroes metaverse
Despite JYP Entertainment’s clean image, it has never stopped the band from creating music with sonic dissonance. The band debuted in December 2021 with “Happy Death Day,” which featured sardonic AFI-esque sing-song vocals in the chorus, paired with grungy guitars. This digital single was well received and followed up by similar edgy bangers from their mini album Hello, World! like “Test Me” and “Strawberry Cake,” but it has been some time since the band embraced such chaotic sounds. Main vocalist, bassist, and maknae (the Korean term for youngest member) Jooyeon explains the shift in their music, citing the incorporation of “♭form” (pronounced: “flat form”), the band’s so-called metaverse-esque experience that invites fans to explore interactive online spaces to learn more about the lore behind Xdinary Heroes’ music. “When we started off, it was a lot based on the♭form…But then as time went on, our music changed to kind of reflect how we were feeling in that moment, during that season of our life.” Although the band has adopted many genres to adhere to the lore of the ♭form, Gunil chimes in to add that it’s possible that they may revisit those earlier sounds at a later time. “Depending on how we’re feeling with producing our songs, we might go back to producing songs that fans may not consider mainstream.”
It’s worth noting that while Xdinary Heroes vacillates from mainstream and the non-mainstream styles of music of their early days, two of the members were originally intended to perform at the pinnacle of mainstream. Jungsu (main vocals and keyboard) and Ode (vocals, rapping, and synthesizer) were trained by JYP Entertainment to become K-pop idols.
Main vocalist and keyboardist Jungsu.
Photo by Lauren Nakao Winn, 3-D artistry by Josh Haskin
“As a trainee, I learned to dance and even though I’m in a band, dancing is important and it helps with my performance on stage,” says Ode.
Jungsu similarly reveals another perk of idol training: “I learned how to be in front of the camera, and how to work with the angles of the camera. It’s a big advantage for me now.”
Vocalist rapper, and synthesizer player, Ode.
Photo by Lauren Nakao Winn, 3-D artistry by Josh Haskin
Performing with their audience
Before discussing their upcoming releases, the band touches upon their time touring last year and how they carry those experiences with them when writing new songs.
“The audience's response was very overwhelming and they had so much energy,” Gaon recalls fondly. “I loved that response with the audience, it kind of felt like we were performing together. When I create songs, I’ll also consider how the audience can respond to the song.”
“There’s a difference between producing music and actually performing live,” Jooyeon adds. “And so I’ll have to consider those differences between creating music that people can just listen to and music that’s performed live.”
Rhythm guitarist, vocalist and rapper Gaon.
Photo by Lauren Nakao Winn, 3-D artistry by Josh Haskin
Today, the band blesses their fans with the third installment of their open ♭eta project—an initiative launched in June to release singles on a monthly basis—with their latest track, the uplifting anime-OST worthy “Save Me.” According to Gunil, it is one of the band’s favorites. Partially penned by Gaon, the opening of the chorus features emotional lyrics appealing to the pathos of Villains everywhere. Despite the heavy lyrics, “Please God, save me. The memories are killing me. Oh God, help me my heart is getting broken," Gunil sees the song as having a summer vibe.
However, Gunil also teased that while “Save Me” is one of their favorites, their absolute favorite track of all time that they’ve written is on the way. Out of many songs stored in the Xdinary Heroes bank, an upcoming song they will release is “historic” and one they eagerly await Villains to hear.
Sharing too much information
Main vocalist and bassist Jooyeon.
Photo by Lauren Nakao Winn, 3-D artistry by Josh Haskin
At the close of our interview, the members of Xdinary Heroes are delighted to engage in a fun culture exchange and challenge with JoySauce—learning the difference between the Korean and American ideas of sharing too much information (TMI).
A staple of Korean interviews, TMI is often requested but with a more relaxed expectation. Upon learning American-style TMI is comparatively less arbitrary (“today I burnt my lip eating tteokbokki” versus “today I ate tteokbokki”) and more forthcoming at the risk of being unflattering, the boys have fun brainstorming their own American-style TMIs. Initially, we request three members to share if they are comfortable, but the group is so excited, the three remaining members volunteer their own American TMIs:
Gunil: For today’s breakfast he had cup ramen but realized he didn’t have hot water and had to walk all the way back to his hotel room for hot water. Then when he was ready to eat he realized he didn’t have chopsticks.
Jungsu: After the concert he made ramen and added cheese, but his roommate doesn’t like cheese so he snuck the cheese ramen in and aired the room out as much as he could within 10 minutes.
Gaon: Only brought seven pairs of socks for nine days in the United States, so he had to think strategically about which socks would be less dirty and chose to rewear the socks he wore on the first day in the United States.
Ode: Ate the hotel provided breakfast this morning and ate ramen because he was still hungry then realized his outfit today was a crop top.
Junhan: Ordered Vietnamese pho to eat after the concert but fell asleep before he could eat it. He ate cold pho for breakfast this morning.
Jooyeon: Started cleaning his nose while he was brushing his teeth and washing his face, but thinks he cleaned his nose too much and the skin is sensitive.
Before leaving New York, Xdinary Heroes make it known they are just starting their heroes’ journey in the United States. While only Los Angeles and New York were able to see the band perform this time around, Gaon assures their fans, “Wherever the Villains call us, we’ll always go.”
Xdinary Heroes recently made their U.S., with showcases in New York and Los Angeles.
Photo by Lauren Nakao Winn, 3-D artistry by Josh Haskin
Published on August 5, 2024
Words by Jihyeon No
Tomboy with a camera.
Photography by Lauren Nakao Winn
Lauren Winn is a pop culture whackjob who works in fashion. She is a sucker for genre-meshed aesthetics, a textbook workaholic, a bonafide digital media queen, and the sum of many rotating hyperfixations. If you want to get on her good side, greet her with a LaCroix or follow her on insta @laurennakaowinn.