“The home of rock music” - Xdinary Heroes are ready to rock at KOREA ON STAGE IN LONDON
Rising Korean rock band Xdinary Heroes are set to take London by storm on 8th November, joining the spectacular lineup for KOREA ON STAGE IN LONDON taking place at OVO Arena Wembley. Ahead of this milestone performance, Gun-il, Jungsu, Gaon, O.de, Jun Han and Jooyeon sat down for an exclusive interview with Hallyu Doing, discussing their excitement for their debut London performance, British cuisine they’re keen to try, and spilling the tea on their Break the Brake music video filming.
Credit: JYP ENTERTAINMENT Co.
Hallyu Doing: How does it feel to be performing at KOREA ON STAGE IN LONDON, and performing in London for the first time?
Gun-il: I am thrilled to be on stage in London! London is one of the cities that I’ve always wanted to visit.
Gaon: I’m particularly excited because it is Xdinary Heroes’ first Europe schedule. I am proud that our music will be live in London.
Hallyu Doing: Since KOREA ON STAGE IN LONDON is celebrating 140 years of UK-Korea relations, what is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of the UK?
Gun-il: Because I’ve been a big fan of many bands from the UK, the first thing that comes to my mind is “home of rock music”.
Jungsu: The first thing that comes to mind is the English bands. I’m really happy to be able to perform in the country where my favourite bands such as The Beatles, Oasis, and Queen were born!
Gaon: ‘The Land of the Gentlemen’ pops up in my mind first when I think of the UK. I also really wanted to visit Big Ben ever since I was a kid.
O.de: The first thing that reminds me of the UK is that it has the nickname ‘The Land of the Gentlemen’ in Korea.
Jun Han: When I think of the UK, I think of the gorgeous image. I want to experience the atmosphere and the beautiful architecture.
Jooyeon: Big Ben comes to my mind!
Credit: JYP ENTERTAINMENT Co.
Hallyu Doing: Which Korean dish would you recommend to British people, and what British food would you love to try?
Gun-il: I’d love to try fish and chips and English breakfast tea. I’d recommend 돼지갈비(Pork Galbi) to British people visiting Korea.
Jungsu: I wish they would be able to try 떡볶이 (Tteokboki - stir-fried spicy rice cakes), which is my favourite dish. I want to try fish and chips when I am in London!
Gaon: I would like to recommend 돼지갈비 (Pork Galbi), because it is my favourite cuisine, and you won’t regret it once you try it! I would love to try the different types of British snacks if possible!
O.de: 삼겹살 (Samgyupsal - pork belly barbeque) is such a delicious dish, so I wish people would try it. I would love to try the British scones. We can find scones in Korea too, but I wonder what scones in the UK would taste like.
Jun Han: 불고기 (Bulgogi - marinated meat) and 파전 (Pajeon - scallion pancakes) are a must-have in Korea! I would love to try fish and chips!
Jooyeon: I wish everybody would try 김치찌개 (Kimchi-jjigae - Kimchi stew)! It’s a Korean dish that I love. I would love to try roast beef!
Hallyu Doing: Which tourist activity or destination is top of your to-do list whilst in London?
Gun-il: I wanna walk around the streets and take photos from famous photo spots such as The London Eye.
Jungsu: I want to blend into the streets of London and experience the atmosphere! I’m pretty sure there would be a different type of joy compared to Korea.
Gaon: I wish to spectate a football game in London. I’ve heard that football in the UK is very famous, and I want to be a part of the game and get to cheer with the team.
O.de: I would like to see the Tower Bridge with my own eyes!
Jun Han: I want to visit Buckingham Palace, and try to draw the scenery and remember the vibe there!
Jooyeon: The London Bridge! I want to cross there while riding on a bus.
Credit: JYP ENTERTAINMENT Co.
Hallyu Doing: You’ve previously mentioned that the British bands MUSE and Coldplay are amongst your role models. Which of their songs would you love to cover?
Gun-il: I’d personally like to cover Paradise by Coldplay and Explorers by MUSE.
Jungsu: I want to cover ‘Viva La Vida’ by Coldplay. It’s a song that I enjoy listening to, and I feel like if Xdinary Heroes cover this song, it will turn out to be a very different style.
Gaon: I want to cover ‘Viva La Vida’ by Coldplay.
O.de: ‘Viva La Vida’ by Coldplay!
Jun Han: I want to cover ‘Yellow’ by Coldplay, with a small group.
Jooyeon: I want to cover ‘Supermassive Black Hole’ by MUSE.
Hallyu Doing: Congratulations on your recently released 4th mini album, Livelock! Can you share a little more about it?
Gun-il: Thank you. During the process of creating the album, we focused on making our music sound heavier than our previous albums. We also tried to widen the spectrum of genres.
Jungsu: Through this album, you will be able to see the deeper side of Xdinary Heroes’ story. Stories of no going back, but only moving forward, and passing the limits are in this album. There are also b-side tracks that contain each member’s stories that you must listen to, so please check them out!
Jooyeon: Just like our story keyword, ‘the errors in the infinite loop’, it is also a foreshadowing that you will be listening to our album on an infinite loop.
Hallyu Doing: Can you each share your favourite song from the new mini album?
Gun-il: My favourite song from the new mini album is PLUTO.
Jungsu: For me, it’s ‘Enemy’ and ‘Paranoid’. I like ‘Enemy’ a lot because I enjoyed and did a good job recording my vocals, and in ‘Paranoid’ I was able to implement my story into the track and give an emotional vibe so I love both songs.
Gaon: I love ‘PLUTO’. I enjoyed writing this song, so I feel more attached to it.
O.de: My favourite song is ‘Paranoid’, which is our sixth track in the album.
Jun Han: I like ‘Break the Brake’ the most. The unique and high tension gets me.
Jooyeon: I love ‘PLUTO’. The dreamlike outer-space feeling in the chorus and the strong melody is my favourite.
Hallyu Doing: Do you have any TMIs from the filming of your new music video for Break the Brake?
Gun-il: The food truck at the spot was delicious.
Jungsu: I remember going into the train control room and breaking the brake with Jooyeon. There was only one brake available for us to work with so we only had one shot shooting scene. But after our first try, we thought we could do better so I remember we had to fix the brake with super glue. The retaken shot was stunning, though!
Gaon: I had a stye on my eye then, so if you look closely, you will be able to spot it and I think that is hilarious.
O.de: The atmosphere behind the scenes was energetic and happy, so I was able to focus on shooting the music video with a breeze.
Jun Han: During the music video shoot, my bangs were so long that they covered my eyes. It kept tickling my nose so I remember I looked down most of the time.
Jooyeon: During the rehearsal shooting the scene where we broke the brake, I accidentally broke it so we had to fix it before going to action.
Credit: JYP ENTERTAINMENT Co.
Hallyu Doing: For fans who haven’t seen you perform live before, how do you want them to remember your performance?
O.de: I wish the audience could remember us with our powerful, energetic yet touching music.
Jun Han: I wish the audience could feel something, and was a memorable stage after they see our performance.
Hallyu Doing: To finish up, can you give us any setlist spoilers for your KOREA ON STAGE IN LONDON performance?
Jungsu: We’ve set a list of songs that burst Xdinary Heroes’ energy, and there will be a special performance that you can only see in London, so stay tuned!
Jooyeon: We’ve prepared a special intro stage for our London fans, so we hope you can enjoy the performance with us.
Xdinary Heroes, a South Korean rock band under JYP Entertainment's sub-label, Studio J, made their official debut on December 6, 2021, with the release of the single "Happy Death Day". Comprising six members, Gun-il, Jungsu, Gaon, O.de, Jun Han, and Jooyeon, the band actively engages in the creative process, contributing to the writing, composition, and production of their music. The name "Xdinary Heroes" serves as a shortened version of "Extraordinary Heroes," encapsulating the band's ethos that champions the idea that anyone can be a hero.
KOREA ON STAGE IN LONDON is set to take place on Wednesday 8th November at OVO Arena Wembley, promising to be an extraordinary global celebration marking the remarkable 140th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Korea and the UK. Hosted by Actress Gong Seung-yeon, renowned acts such as ATEEZ, P1Harmony, STAYC, Jannabi, Lee Young-ji, Xdinary Heroes, xikers, BOYNEXTDOOR, the talented gayageum player Yageum Yageum, and the British singer-songwriter Henry Moodie make up the spectacular lineup for this highly anticipated event.
Tickets for KOREA ON STAGE IN LONDON are still available to purchase here.
