Ravi and Xydo Light Up New York on GROOVL1N’s First U.S. Tour

When Ravi and Xydo hit the stage at Le Poisson Rouge on Saturday, May 14, it was to a mass of excited fans who were thrilled that they were finally there. The lights were dark and in that corner of the room, the two artists supported by their DJ, gave everything they had and more, sharing their heart and sweat with old and new fans. The GROOVL1N U.S. 2022 tour had finally taken off and we were ready to hear them.

For those who might not have been aware of GROOVL1N, you may still be aware of the artists in the group. Unfortunately, Nafla and Cold Bay, who were supposed to join the tour, were unable to join because of personal reasons, so Ravi and Xydo filled the entire night. Xydo became popular in the underground Korean R&B scene before debuting with GROOVL1N in 2019. With his solid melodic voice, Xydo was a sweet contrast to the heart pumping music and rap line of many of Ravi’s tracks. Ravi is best known as the lead rapper of VIXX. Though he never left VIXX, he left the company and set up his own house with GROOVL1N, with the name being a hybrid of the words “groove” and “goblin.” Ravi, known also as a prolific songwriter and producer, has about 202 copyrighted credits to his name as reported by KOMCA (Korean Music Copyright Association) and currently wears the crown as the idol artist with the most number of copyrighted credits. 

Though without the namepower yet of Ravi, Xydo melted the hearts of everyone in the room that Saturday night with his adorable smile and heart warming vocals. Though later he would comment about his English being weak, it seemed a downplay as he spoke clearly and well through the night. Coming onstage, he yelled out, “Welcome to the GROOVL1N show!” Xydo jumped immediately into the first song of the night, “Drawing.” Smoothly bringing the crowd in immediately with his high-reaching vocals, he had a catch and return of “yeahs,” bringing the crowd into his set from the get-go. After would be the catchy “Spotlight,” a song with a melody line that strings a line to your heart. After the two songs, he did a quick self-introduction before shyly stating, “I wasn’t expecting to be the first one to say hello. I’m kind of nervous, but I’m really excited to see you guys.”

As the first stop and the first time performing to a New York audience, all nerves could be forgiven as he smiled and nervously, yet adorably, laughed with the crowd. “Anyway, I really wanted to see you guys face to face. Actually, I visited the states a few years ago with Ravi for his music video ‘STILL NIRVANA,’ but I never thought that would be the last time to visit before the pandemic. And one day I heard about the tour and I was so excited. There were a couple of problems about delays, but we’re finally here! There’s a lot of songs next and I hope you guys enjoy it!” Calling out “Let’s go!” to Sam the DJ, the next song, “Me without you” started. A smooth R&B track with a sexier vibe and a steady bass beat, as this song originally features Moonbyul from MAMAMOO, you could still hear her voice on the backtrack, but the strength of his live voice kept the focus on his sound only. “Muse” then “Paradigm” would follow, and the set also included “#OOTD,” a song that everyone in the audience screamed aloud to and which would rerun in the encore, and the popular “Free” from the OST of the popular drama Twenty-Five, Twenty-One. All in all, it was a full set that would make anyone unfamiliar with Xydo a fan. With ease of presence and a charming demeanor, he charmed the pants off the room.

Ravi followed Xydo and did not disappoint. The last time U.S. fans had a chance to see Ravi was in 2019. With a more mature presence, black glasses, and a leather vest to start, he quickly proved that he had not lost any of his star presence—rather that he had gained another level of depth and maturity as a solo artist. His level of energy was insane throughout the set. Coming out yelling, “Hands up, New York!” he was ready to roll. One fan yelled out, “We missed you a lot!” and Ravi responded, “I missed you too,” which was the sentiment for fans who had been following him for years.

With “ROCKSTAR,” a crowd favorite, the energy was on! With his innate rhythm and precise cadence, the words flowed smoothly off his tongue and the room was rocking. “ANI” was next and the energy was still on. The set started with a bang and the pace didn’t slow down throughout his set. Taking a breather, Ravi asked, “‘ANI’ is from my recent album, Love and Fight. Did you enjoy listening to my recent album, Love and Fight?” To screaming cheers, as the album is excellent front to back, Ravi followed up to let the crowd know that he’d be singing plenty of songs from it.

Ravi was ready to pump up the crowd again, and with “O.I” he had everyone’s hands pumping as he sang, “I go, I go, I go…I know, I know, I know…” Bodies were moving as one song flowed without pause to another in quick succession through the night. “FLOWER GARDEN” then “ROSES” would follow. “ROSES” was a highlight, with fans holding red roses and swaying with the roses to the song. With a chill pace, the song focused less on his rap and more on his equally strong vocals.

With “VIRUS,” everyone was singing along to the lyrics “love virus” as Ravi gave fanservice and love to the fans closest to him. He also managed to execute an almost perfect pirouette showing that his dance skills are still on point. Next came “WINNER,” “CANNONBALL,” and of course “1,2,3.” As the featured artist on the song, Xydo made his appearance and the duo’s vocals complemented each other.

With “WATER GUN,” Ravi did a bit of peek-a-boo with us. Flashing his six-pack to the crowd's delight, screams filled the air. Taking a moment he let us know that things weren’t done yet and Xydo would come back to finish the night. Jumping into “CARDIGAN,” he had us jumping around until the popular “WARRIOR,” which was the last song of his set, which had all of our hands pumping in the air, spitting rhymes like nobody’s business, jumping and dancing, and yelling “Let’s go!” When he hit “Hands up,” every hand in the venue (that wasn’t holding a phone) was up as we were all singing along. It was the perfect song to end his set and we were all psyched this night was not yet over.

Bringing Xydo back out, the encore finale would have them singing and re-singing favorites. Starting with “STILL NIRVANA,” the two were singing while giving love to all the fans around them. At one point a fan gave Xydo a decorated U.S. flag, which Xydo held up (after adorably trying to position it correctly). With final songs “WHERE AM I,” “TUXEDO,” “#OOTD,” “Mint Chocolate Anthem,” and “NIRVANA,” the show came to an end.

The tour continued on to additional stops in Chicago, Denver, and Dallas before hitting Los Angeles. A night filled with high energy, we look forward to hearing new music from GROOVL1N’s artists and hope that we’ll be able to catch up with the whole crowd next time around. Regardless, it was a fun, high-energy night. The duo gave their all and we hope that they return to New York soon.

Thank you to GROOVL1N and Studio PAV for allowing us to cover the show.

Edited by Erin Rupprecht