Artist Highlight: Xdinary Heroes
The Korean band that has reimagined the Korean rock genre.
Debut
The six member band debuted under JYP Entertainment’s sub-label Studio J on December 6, 2021 with the single “Happy Death Day.” The track peaked at No. 12 on the Billboard World Digital Song Sales chart. Members Gaon and Jungsu participated in lyric writing and composing for the track, something that all members would later go on to participate in regularly. The song reached 10 million views in a little under a month.
Xdinary Heroes' unique sound challenges Korea’s views on the rock genre. The members take inspiration from their favorite bands from all over the world that range from pop punk to metal and incorporate this into their own work. In a country where ballads dominate the rock genre, Xdinary Heroes stand out with the heavier sound that they bring to the table.
The band released their first EP Hello, World! on July 20, 2022, seven months after their debut. The EP peaked at No. 4 on the Circle Album Chart, making it their highest ranked EP to date. Later in the year they won “Best Band Performance” with their debut track “Happy Death Day” and “Best New Male Artist” at the 2022 MAMA Awards.
The band released their second EP Overload on November 11, 2022, shortly before the one year anniversary of their debut. The members participated in writing half of the six tracks, with all members contributing to the lyrics of the title track “Hair Cut.” Overload peaked at No. 14 on South Korea’s monthly Circle Album Chart and wracked up a total of 82,469 sales. A month after the EP’s release, Xdinary Heroes held their first ever concert in Seoul. The concert was held in the well-known Olympic Hall venue and spanned over three days.
2023
Their third EP Deadlock was released on April 26, 2023 and is currently the band’s most-sold album with over 131,000 sales. Out of Deadlock’s seven tracks, each member participated in writing at least two songs, giving their audience a range in themes and emotions. Xdinary Heroes' first English song “Good Enough'' was written by the band's leader Gunil alongside Young K of DAY6. The music video of the title track “Freakin’ Bad” sits just shy of 20 million views, making it the band's second most viewed music video.
They released their most recent EP Livelock in October 2023, one month before embarking on their first world tour. They kicked off their tour with three Seoul dates before heading to Europe where they performed in six cities across the continent.
2024
Starting off the year strong, Xdinary Heroes attended the 33rd Seoul Music Awards in Bangkok where they performed “Freakin’ Bad,” and “Break the Brake” and won the “Band Award.” The band then went on to perform the Southeast Asian leg of their tour in March.
Xdinary Heroes’ first studio album Troubleshooting will be released on April 30, 2024. The album will have 10 tracks, most of which the members took part in writing.
Edited by Lacey Diluvio