South Korean rockstars Xdinary Heroes dominated Brooklyn Paramount earlier this month, kicking off their stateside “Beautiful Mind” tour and telling amNewYork they’re ready to “rock” the global stage.
Xdinary Heroes were nothing short of extraordinary–which is aptly the abbreviated name of their band–on Aug. 2nd at the iconic Brooklyn Paramount. The sold-out performance was jam-packed with avid fans, spilling into the side entranceway halls, with some choosing to watch the show between gaps in the bronze windowpane atop the bar. The scene and vibe were vastly different than last year when they performed in New York City–and the Brooklyn Paramount–for the first time. The audience was even more energetic; there was no need for seats, and the fusion between the band and fans was symbiotic.
Members Gunil, Jungsu, Gaon, O.de, Jun Han, and Jooyeon were still reeling from their epic performances in Brooklyn and Lollapalooza when amNewYork met with them in Times Square to discuss their ability to lead a “rock ‘n roll” lifestyle, hitting stage after stage across the globe.
“We had the show in the same venue as last year, and we had like 1,500 more people than last time we came here. It was so nice seeing that place packed with people, and they were all very energized, and they were also hyped up, and I could see that they were having a lot of fun, so their energy came to us and to me. So, it was a very memorable night,” Gunil said.
Xdinary Heroes fanbase, affectionately known as Villains (since heroes cannot exist in the world without villains) felt like an extended arm to the performance. In addition to singing along with the group, they also knew their cues for musical responses and kept a high energy for the two-hour show.
“It doesn’t feel like there is much that we do; it’s all the fans. They respond really well, and that’s the culture we’ve built between them,” O.de said.
From South Korea to Chicago for Lollapalooza on July 31 and then two days later, another flight to New York City, Xdinary Heroes did not miss a beat despite their exhausting journey. Perhaps this is another reason they are known as “extraordinary heroes” for their superhuman strength to recover and get back on stage for back-to-back flawless performances. For Xdinary Heroes, their power source lies in their fans’ continued support.
“We were a little bit tired because we were jet-lagged as well, but as soon as we went up to the stage and we saw that again the place was filled with people. We just forgot we were tired,” Gunil said.
While making their Lollapalooza debut, Jooyeon and Gunil shared that they prepared the best of their music to appeal to those who may not know Xdinary Heroes in a festival setting. Jooyeon stated that their tour and festival performances are different because they consider the audience’s unfamiliarity with their music, and they will work their hardest to inspire new listeners.
“The main difference is the set list, and there is a difference in the way we play and act on stage. At festivals, we try to be wilder because at festivals, it’s not only us. There are multiple artists and bands, and we want to stand out among the other artists. We tend to be even more energetic to grab their attention,” Gunil said.
When the band arrived in New York City for their “Beautiful Mind” tour, which is also the name of their newly released album, they were set on fostering that interconnection with their Villians. Since the album released on March 24th it has deeply resonated with fans as a rallying call for individuality and resistance.
“Before we did the song camp in creating the album, we had a meeting with our music team and we came up with the theme of resistance–fighting against something,” Gunil shared. “When we wrote the title song, ‘Beautiful Life,’ we just knew that it fit our theme. We had two more songs that we considered being the album track titles, ‘Fight Me,’ was at the top of our list and “Diamond.”
The title track, “Beautiful Life,” and its runner-up contender, “Fight Me,” were both co-written by R&B songstress SAAY, a collaboration Xdinary Heroes states helped in the creative process.
Although they only spoke via email, Gunil credits SAAY for helping with the lyrical process, especially after Xdinary Heroes composed the song, but got stuck with some of the lines.
“We were very grateful we got to work with SAAY. When we were writing lyrics, there were some parts that we were stuck on. [We said] ‘I can‘t think of any lines anymore,’ and we were able to get help from SAAY, and that really worked well. And thankfully, the results came out really good,” Gunil said.
For Xdinary Heroes, they always have a hand in the creation of their music, garnering the reputation of cultivating a sound that is innovative and heartfelt. The group shared that they often work together in a “song camp” to develop compositions that follow the theme and story they want to tell. In addition to being heralded as musicians, Xdinary Heroes are storytellers set on sharing their truthful experiences.
“Music is art. If there is a piece of art there has to be some kind of story or thought that the artist intended for the piece to be able to be called art. We are all artists, and we are creating music and our music is a piece of art. If we think of ourselves as artists, then we have to put our thoughts and our stories into our pieces,” Gunil said.
After four years since their debut, Xdinary Heroes have left an indelible mark on the global punk rock industry by elevating K-Rock to extraordinary heights. In carving out their musical identity, the band shares that their song “Little Things” holds a special place in their hearts because it took them from being characters in a musical storyline to showcasing who they are as real-life individuals.
“[Our song] ‘Little Things’ holds special in our hearts because that was the song that took us from being online to being offline,” Jun Han.
“‘Little Things’ was the album that we got out of that online world, and then we met up in the offline world. So that was the perfect timing that we were actually able to write our story like, as [us.]… just like our personal stories, we were able to write that down in “Little Things,” Gunil added.
In discussing their musical growth, Xdinary Heroes shared that they want to be remembered as legends. The band said that BTS is the group most remembered for K-Pop, and perhaps one day, they can have that level of legendary status when people think of K-Rock.
“When we first started, we wanted to be remembered as a kind of a melting pot band, where we are able to have all the different genres in our album and let it kind of melt together seamlessly. Even now, that’s what we want,” Jungsu said.
Xdinary Heroes’ Villains have often shared that their music has been a source of comfort to them, and the group has often felt a deep sense of responsibility for their supporters.
“Every time we have another performance, a new core memory is made because every time the fans never fail to impress us, even more and more so for me, right now, [the most memorable moment I’ve had with fans] is the most recent New York concert,” Gaon said.
“I remember recently when I went to the hospital. The doctor actually told me, he was also sick one time, but received a lot of strength to heal through our music. And so I realized the power of music is so strong in that our music holds the power to also help somebody heal and have strength,” Jungsu said.
Xdinary Heroes promise to keep writing music that inspires fans and will work hard to create memorable moments that will give them strength in difficult times.
The last stop on the “Beautiful Minds” United States tour is Aug. 16 in San Jose, California.
