Japanese pop group XG underwent a grueling five-year training regimen before becoming global stars. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing BBC News.
Every night before taking the stage, the seven members of XG form a circle and join hands. Leader Jurin shouts "Hesono", and the others reply with a loud "Oh", flinging their arms towards the sky. The chant has a special meaning: "Hesono-o" (へその緒) is the Japanese word for umbilical cord, symbolizing destiny and connection.
"We're so strongly connected, we're always thinking the same things," says Chisa, the oldest member. "In our early days, I actually had a dream we were connected by an umbilical cord, like a mother and child. So I threw that out as an idea for our identity. People said, 'That's so new and interesting', and that's how the concept of Hesono-o was born."
XG spoke to the BBC the morning after a triumphant (if rain-soaked) debut at Capital's Summertime Ball in Wembley Stadium. All seven members - Maya, Juria, Hinata, Harvey, Cocona, Chisa and Jurin - were dressed in vibrant neon outfits with tufts of faux fur and intricate belt buckles. Cocona wore a necklace reading "rock star". Harvey had so many bangles that she rattled as she walked.
Their bond was forged more than 10 years ago, when some members were only 11 or 12. In 2016, XG's members were scouted from thousands of hopefuls across Japan. Twenty-one qualified for training, living in dormitories while taking dawn-to-dusk lessons in singing, dancing and speaking multiple languages.
The regime was harsh. In a documentary capturing the band's early days, the trainees were berated for posting photos from their dorms on social media. "You're never going to earn respect for doing that sort of thing," a tutor scolded. Another scene showed them performing squats until they fell sick or burst into tears.
"It was the toughest and most difficult experience I've ever had," says Maya. "A battle against myself physically and mentally."
Chisa calls training an act of "pure survival". It was only when candidates were split into teams that a sisterhood began to emerge. "In a good way, we pushed each other to improve, so each team became really united," she says. "From the middle to the later part of our trainee period, we started hanging out more – going out together, travelling, holding little sports days. We really loved watching movies together, especially scary movies, because we would all huddle up together under a blanket, being scared together."
After five years, the band went public in 2022 with their debut single, Tippy Toes. Set to a minimalist hip-hop beat, it showcased their ability to transition seamlessly from rap to melodic vocals. "Understand that we didn't come to play," sang Hinata. "Here to dominate."
They made good on that promise with 2022's Galz Xypher, where the band's rap line (Jurin, Maya, Harvey, and Cocona) traded trilingual bars over samples including Aretha Franklin's One Step Ahead and Rosalía's Saoko. A viral hit, it spawned thousands of reaction videos on TikTok and racked up 49 million plays on YouTube.
Over subsequent releases – Shooting Star and Woke Up – they crystallised a musical vision fusing sci-fi aesthetics with elastic 90s R&B grooves. By 2025, they played Coachella, where they were the only Japanese act on the line-up. "I still get chills when I watch it back," says Maya. "I'm like, 'Oh my God, I'm gonna work hard until I can get back on that stage'."
As XG's career exploded, their youngest member, Cocona, was undergoing a more personal transformation.