How new ‘K-pop’ groups like XG are being created by non-Korean companies to go global, using the South Korean market as a springboard
- XG look like a K-pop girl group and promote themselves in Korea, but they’re Japanese, sing in English, and call themselves a ‘global girl group’
- Like XG, upcoming boy group OCJ Newbies, managed by a Hong Kong-based company, have a similar aim of going global
As K-pop’s presence grows around the world, entertainment companies elsewhere in Asia are taking notes and trying to create their own Korea-based, K-pop-inspired groups with the aim of going global.
Now, non-Korean entertainment companies launching K-pop acts in Korea is nothing new, such as in the case of popular girl group Everglow, managed by Chinese label Yuehua. But while those acts target the local South Korean music scene, new acts are focusing on appealing to worldwide audiences, using the South Korean market as a springboard.
On paper, seven-member girl group XG, who are stylised in the fashion of K-pop idol groups and promote themselves in Korea, look very much like a typical K-pop girl group. But they’re not: they’re actually Japanese and sing in English, typically speaking only in Japanese and Korean when away from the stage.
They are managed by Xgalx, a subsidiary of Japanese entertainment company Avex. And they don’t want to be called a K-pop act: XG prefers being known as a “global girl group”.
XG (which stands for “Xtraordinary Girls”) debuted in March with the song Tippy Toes and followed it up with June’s Mascara.
When they debuted, their origin was perhaps deliberately left unclear. Press releases only described their label Xgalx, calling it a “global entertainment production company with a mission to produce artists with a defined world view, creating a culture of ‘bold’ creativity”.
