XG

XG, an acronym standing for "extraordinary girls," comprise a seven-piece Japanese ensemble headquartered in South Korea whose sound fuses sleek R&B, pop-rap, and dance-pop with nimble precision. Performing exclusively in English, the group introduced themselves through the 2022 single "Tippy Toes" and reached the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart as well as Japan's Top 30 the next year with the seductive "Shooting Star." Their first EP, New DNA, topped Japanese charts, and the 2024 follow-up, AWE, extended their reach into the United States by landing on the Billboard 200.

Operating from Korea, XG became the inaugural act signed to global entertainment company XGALX, a term combining "gal" with "XX" to evoke the chromosome pairing. The original roster featured Japanese vocalist/dancers Jurin (leader), Harvey (also known as singer/model Amy Harvey), Chisa, Cocona, Hinata, Juria, and Maya. Social-media accounts launched in January 2022, followed by the groove-heavy debut single "Tippy Toes" that March. The exuberant "MASCARA" arrived in June and climbed to the Top 20 of the Billboard Japan Hot 100. Return visits to the Japan Hot 100 and Oricon listings came via the sweetly melodic "Shooting Star," which highlighted their polished mix of R&B, hip-hop, and dance-pop while marking their first entry on the lower reaches of the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart; its B-side "LEFT RIGHT" later entered the Billboard Pop Airplay Top 40. New DNA surfaced in September, claiming the top spot on Japan's Hot Albums chart and the Korean Top Ten. Early 2024 brought the stand-alone single "Wake Up," paving the way for second EP AWE, which surfaced that November, performed strongly in Japan and Korea, reached number 175 on the U.S. Billboard 200, and placed inside the Top 30 of both Billboard's Heatseekers Albums and Independent Albums charts.