To Xdinary Heroes, youth is a part of them that they still carry around years after their debut. The members associate youth with excitement, fear, uncertainty and emotions that they continue to experience before going on stage.
Ahead of the Oct. 12 release of their seven-track ninth mini-album, IMPULSE, Sweety High sat down with the group over Zoom to discuss their impulsive decisions, including surprising answers like joining the band.
We touched base over the course of our conversation, reflecting on the different sides of themselves they’ve shown and those they’ve yet to discover. In doing so, they revealed how their individual qualities work together like the mechanisms of a clock, becoming one of their greatest strengths as a team.
Read our interview below to discover how their artistic identity and styles continue to evolve while finding unity in their shared musical journey.
(Image courtesy of JYP Entertainment)
Sweety High: Hello, Xdinary Heroes! To start things off, would you please introduce yourselves in your own words?
Gaon: My name is Gaon. I play the guitar in Xdinary Heroes!
O.de: Hi, this is O.de, and I play synths.
Jun Han: Hi, my name is Jun Han, and I play the guitar.
O.de: And the other two members… Jooyeon and Jungsu! Jooyeon, the bassist, and Jungsu, the keyboardist.
(Image courtesy of JYP Entertainment)
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SH: Can you please talk to us about your new EP, IMPULSE? In your own words, what exactly is it about? How are you all feeling as the release day is on the horizon?
Gaon: We are always happy to release a new album. It is like putting our baby out there. We are very happy to do that.
This album deals with human impulse and human desire in a very diverse range.
SH: Were there any memories during the creation process that you recall enjoying as a group?
O.de: As soon as I heard “Slashhh!” from this album, I just immediately felt that this is going to be difficult to play live, but also very fun to play. So I was very excited for that song.
SH: What is one song that you cannot wait for fans to listen to? Why is that?
Jun Han: My pick is “Love in dystopia.” It’s a genre that I really like. There are some fun twists in the rhythm, and I’m excited to see whether our fans will pick up on that, and it’s gonna be really fun to play as well.
Jungsu: I’m really looking forward to “Give Up the Ghost.” I think the synergy between Xdinary Heroes’ intensity and this track’s sleek, stylish vibe could make this one of our biggest performances yet.
(Image courtesy of JYP Entertainment)
SH: Hence the title of the EP, what is something that you would consider an “impulse” thing to do?
Gaon: I think any emotions that you feel without going through the thought process are impulse.
So, for example, any behavior that kind of goes without talking about it first, I think that is very intuitive, and that’s very impulsive as well.
O.de: I am a very plan-oriented person, but sometimes, from time to time, I have this impulse to go outside my plan. So I think that’s the impulse that I feel.
SH: Speaking of being very plan-oriented, may I ask what your MBTI is?
Gaon: I am ENTP.
O.de: ESFJ.
Jun Han: INTJ.
(Image courtesy of JYP Entertainment)
SH: Impulse is very common, and we all experience it in our youth. Now that you have spent several years of your own time building up this career, what do you think “youth” looks like for you as Xdinary Heroes?
Jun Han: I think as a team, what really feels like it is during our pre-debut period. I think we were both excited and afraid at the same time, and I think that embodies your emotions.
Gaon: I would like to add that even after our debut, for a couple of years following that, we were still scared and afraid to go on stage.
I think that kind of emotion is the environment of youth. When I realized that, I felt that we are in our youth now, not just before, but now as well.
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SH: Have you ever done anything out of impulse? Individually or as a group.
Jun Han: One day I woke up, and I wanted to buy a guitar. I went to the store and bought one.
O.de: Wow…
Gaon: Joining this band was an impulsive decision.
Jooyeon: Joining this label was an impulsive decision for me.
[Everyone giggles]
(Image courtesy of JYP Entertainment)
SH: Have you noticed the things you want becoming harder to define as the group grows?
Gaon: Not personally. I felt that the things we want became more united as time passed and as we spent more time together.
In the beginning, there were difficult periods, but as we spent more time together and matured, I think what we want is becoming more in unison.
O.de: We are a band composed of five very different individuals. So whenever we go through hard times, each member has a different coping mechanism.
Because we are so different as individuals, our solutions are very different. I think that’s a very good thing—very positive [gives two thumbs up].
SH: When you have individual thoughts that pull in different directions, how do you know when to stand by your own desires and when to let the group discuss it as a whole?
Gaon: I think this is kind of similar to my previous answer, but I want to use a metaphor of a watch or a clock. I feel like we are each part of the mechanism, and we’re all working toward one goal. So we each know what part we are, and we execute the role that we were given.
As the time accumulates, that becomes clearer, and we are more sure of what part each of us has to play.
(Image courtesy of JYP Entertainment)
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SH: What do you think IMPULSE says about who you are? And what can we anticipate for the future?
Jooyeon: I think we are a band that talks about introspective thoughts and emotions.
Jun Han: I would like to add that, with each other, we come up with the overarching theme first, and then we work on the lyrics.
So, I’m curious, looking forward, what kind of emotions, situations, or themes are we going to explore in future albums.
O.de: I think this album, like every album, is about showing different sides of us, and with this album, it is also to show different sides and colors to our fans.
I hope this album kind of shows who we were before and also makes you anticipate who we are going to become in the future.
SH: Lastly, is there anything you would like to add or to say to your fans?
Gaon: I would like to say to our fans that we worked so, so, so hard for this album. We love each and every one of the songs on this album, and it really tells the story of us.
Whenever you get impulsive thoughts, I hope you can listen to our album. I hope you’re all well. We love you!
[Xdinary Heroes hold up hand hearts]
(Image courtesy of JYP Entertainment)
You can listen to the mini-album in full here:
For more on our favorite South Korean artists, click here to read our interview with ALPHA DRIVE ONE on their UNBREAKABLE: 少年BEAST.