On October 11 KST, JYP Entertainment's boy band Xdinary Heroes returned with their 4th EP, ‘Livelock,’ featuring the title song “Break the Brake,” as well as the B-side tracks “Freddy,” “PLUTO,” “Enemy,” “Bad Chemical,” “Paranoid,” and “AGAIN? AGAIN!”

“As we’ve kept making each album since our debut, I believe that we’ve collectively devoted more time to thinking about our music and the quality of albums,” said the band in our exclusive interview with them, released just a few days after their anticipated return.

With 'Korea on Stage' celebrating its 4th anniversary in London, Xdinary Heroes is set to take the stage as one of the artists in the star-studded lineup for the upcoming joint concert, along with ATEEZ, P1HARMONY, STAYC, JANNABI, Lee Young Ji, xikers, BOYNEXTDOOR, Yageum Yageum, and Henry Moodie, with Gong Seung Yeon as its MC.

Hosted by the Cultural Heritage Administration, the Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation, Korean Broadcasting System (KBS), and MyMusicTaste; ‘Korea On Stage In London — celebrating 140 years of UK-Korea relations’ is scheduled to take place on November 8 at the OVO Arena Wembley in London.

Right after their performance at the said event, Xdinary Heroes will embark on their 'Break the Brake' world tour starting in Europe with a total of 6 stops: Paris, London, Frankfurt, Madrid, Milan, and Warsaw.

To talk about live performances, their tour, and their appearance at the ‘Korea on Stage in London’ on November 8, allkpop once again chatted with Xdinary Heroes. Keep reading the interview below to learn about how the band is preparing for performances, the things they're looking forward to doing and seeing in London, and more! In case you missed our previous interview last month, check it out here.

allkpop: Congratulations once again on your new album, ‘Livelock.’ It’s your 2nd mini-album for the year 2023. How has your 2023 been so far? And this is kind of early to ask you, but we only have about 2 months left for 2023, what are your New Year’s resolutions?

Gun-il: Thank you for congratulating our comeback! My 2023 has been a tough year that eventually made me grow. I personally went through many difficult times and it was painful at the moment. However, I was able to grow from the hardships and become a more mature and stronger person. My goal and hope for 2024 is for our Xdinary Heroes to gain more fans worldwide.

Jungsu: We had our very first long hiatus since our debut. During that time, we spent a lot of time growing and having a lot of discussions. We grew as a team by sharing each of our concerns that we may have, and goals or directions that we want to pursue as a team. In 2024, we hope to share our music with more listeners, and hopefully dive into the music charts again!

Gaon: Frankly, 2023 has been the most challenging year for me. But I feel like I was able to grow more through those challenges. My goal for 2024 is to smile/laugh more!

O.de: There were a lot of things this year. We released two albums and had our fan meeting, and later this year we are on tour, starting with Korea. My goal next year would definitely be in the Billboard charts.

Jun Han: There were small changes that I experienced in 2023, but was definitely a big step toward improvement. I saw myself relaxing more and enjoying a lot more. I wish 2024 to be a year where I could develop my musical techniques and expressions more.

Jooyeon: I feel like 2023 was the exciting year that we connected with our fans the most through many performances more than ever. Although there are only a couple of months left, I wish to make the most out of the remaining year. Next year, I hope to have a blast with our fans on a larger stage. Also, I wish Luke Hemmings would hear about us next year!

allkpop: You’re set to perform at the ‘Korea on Stage in London’! What are you looking forward to the most? Will there be a special stage that you particularly prepared for the show?

Gun-il: First, I’m very excited about the fact that we are performing in Wembley, a dream city to perform for a rock band. We prepared a special intro stage for our London fans so please look forward to it!

Jungsu: I am super excited and also nervous since it is our first time visiting London. I think I am looking forward to the cheers and support from the crowd the most. Also, we’ve prepared a performance only for that stage, so please stay tuned for it!

Gaon: The part that I am anticipating the most is that moment when we can all jump around and go wild with our fans in London. We’ve prepared a stage that everybody knows and can enjoy.

O.de: We’ve always dreamt of being on stage at Wembley, so we’re super pumped to be a part of this stage. It feels fantastic just thinking about connecting with our Villains and the audience in London.

Jun Han: We’ve stood on stage in another country two times so far. Whenever we were on stage it was really cool to experience the different vibe and reaction of the audience, which makes me super excited for London. And we’ve prepared something special — and I’ll leave it there.

Jooyeon: We’re very honored to be on stage with other amazing artists. We prepared an opening performance with a song that everybody would know!

allkpop: You’re set to embark on your tour — you’ve already performed on music shows, festivals in and out of South Korea, and now solo shows! What is the biggest difference between performing in front of people during festivals, like there are also fans of other groups watching you, and performing in front of your fans, just your fans?

Gun-il: I enjoy both kinds of stages. When we get to perform in front of fans of other groups, we take it as an opportunity to show our music to new people. When we perform in front of our fans, we get more energy as they sing along to our songs.

Jungsu: When performing in front of fans, all of the audience already knows us and our music so I believe the support would be much louder and more passionate. Also, our fans would know the chants for all of our songs and sing along with us, so I think that would be much more exciting!

Gaon: On festivals or any other stage with various artists, we focus on introducing ourselves to the audience with our music. However, on shows with just Villans, we focus on having the best time of our lives together. Therefore I think our performances to our fans mean a lot more to me.

O.de: Both performances are precious and make me happy. I think the biggest difference is the tension. I get more nervous when I am on stage with a bunch of fans of different artists, but more comfortable and relaxed in front of our Villains.

Jun Han: There is a significant difference between the energy and communication that we can do with the audience. Villains were with us for a long time so it’s easy to keep in tune together, but with fans of artists, I feel a bit more shy.

Jooyeon: The best part is that we can perform more songs for our fans. Because the time is only reserved for us, there is a lot more opportunity to show us what we have.

allkpop: ‘Korea on Stage in London’ is scheduled to take place on November 8 and your ‘Break the Brake’ solo show is just 5 days after it. Do you have any memorable moments in London, or maybe activities that you want to do in the city? 

Gun-il: I’m excited about food! I always wanted to try fish and chips, English breakfast tea, and bagels! Also, I heard that the streets in London are beautiful. So I’m looking forward to walking around the streets in London to take photos!

Jungsu: I want to experience everything that I have imagined in London! I want to walk around the streets of London and see how it is different from Korea.

Gaon: I have never been to London before and only seen London through books when I was young, so I am super excited to be there. I want to take pictures in front of the Big Ben clock tower and see the King’s Guard marching.

O.de: It’s my first time ever in Europe so that itself is very exciting. I want to experience London’s cuisine.

Jun Han: There is a song called ‘Buckingham’ that I really like. So I really want to see Buckingham Palace in real life!

Jooyeon: I want to walk by the London Tower Bridge.

allkpop: Speaking of live performances, what rituals or routines do each one of you do, or do you as a group collectively do before taking the stage? Do you have any pre-show activities to help you with the tension or maybe a group chant?

Gun-il: We have a group chant that we always do before every stage. It goes like “Rock the! [name of the city/music show]! Fighting!”

Jungsu: I have a habit of stretching my body before going on stage. I always tend to get nervous before a show so it helps my body to relax if I stretch beforehand. We also have a chant that goes like “Rock the! [name of the city/music show]! Fighting!” We always modify the chant according to the occasion, and fire up our tension before we head upstage.

Gaon: We have our very own group chant. We usually go with “Rock the! [name of the city/music show]! Fighting!” If we do this, we feel more motivated on stage.

O.de: We have a group chant, “Rock the! [name of the city/music show]! Fighting!” We always gather our hands together and do the chant before going on stage.

Jun Han: We always yell “Rock the! [name of the city/music show]! Fighting!” before going on stage. It helps a little.

Jooyeon: We have our own variety show called ‘Rock the World,’ so based on that name we have a group chant “Rock the! [name of the city/music show]! Fighting!” depending on the place we are at. Rock the London, Fighting!

allkpop: I was wondering how you usually prepare for a performance. Give us insights on how you get ready because you’re a band and not an idol group so it’s kind of different. You sing and play instruments live, how do you prepare for shows?

Gun-il: We do ensemble practice sessions a lot in order to work on both rhythmic and melodic harmony. We also plan ahead of time to choose the parts of songs to hype the crowd up to make them sing along.

Jungsu: It really depends on the live performance. At times we prepare the original music so we can show our live voices based on the original track, and sometimes we prepare rearranged versions of the song to show a unique live experience. Each version of the live performance has different styles, so it can be a fun little point for listeners to focus on.

Gaon: I believe that band music is a result of a lot of research and trial. Like the tones and nuance of instruments and harmonization, there are a lot of aspects to consider, along with live vocals. We prepare these performances through countless amounts of practice.

O.de: I never considered there was a difference in this perspective. Since we are a band, I felt like it only made sense to prepare through continuous practice.

Jun Han: Since we are a team that plays different instruments live, I think it is easier for us to add improvisation or rearrangements to our music!

Jooyeon: We come up with the setlist together, discuss the mood, and constantly determine each performance while we practice.

allkpop: You only announced stops in Seoul and Europe. Can your fans in the US and Asia expect a tour there, too?

Gun-il: Although there isn’t an official plan yet we are aware that many US and Asian Villains are waiting for a tour. We are also looking forward to the US and Asia tour as well! We hope to be there as soon as possible!

Jungsu: There are no official plans yet, but we definitely want to meet Villains in other countries as soon as possible! I want to experience the crowd there and show our music!

Gaon: Xdinary Heroes will be all around the world, wherever Villains may be, and I am sure that all of our members will think the same.

O.de: It is a bit early for us to confirm anything, but we absolutely want to go to other countries and experience a lot of stuff.

Jun Han: Nothing is confirmed, but we want to meet as many Villains as possible all around the world.

Jooyeon: We want to see Villains from other countries whenever we have the opportunity!

allkpop: Feel free to leave a message to your fans attending ‘Korea on Stage in London’ as well as your other shows!

Gun-il: Hi guys! Thank you so much for coming to see us! We are thrilled to perform our songs at ‘Korea on Stage in London.’ We hope that it’ll be an unforgettable day for both of us!

Jungsu: We are thrilled to perform in London for the first time! We hope to share our amazing music, and our growth as an artist so please look forward to them. See you in London!

Gaon: Hello, London Villains! We’re finally headed to London to see you! We are very excited, and we hope you will enjoy our performance! We will continue to make our own music, so please stay tuned for them! Thank you!

O.de: Villains of London! I’m so excited to meet you all in London. We’ll definitely be sending our energy there on stage, so make sure to have a blast with us!

Jun Han: Hello everyone that will be joining us at ‘Korea on Stage in London’! If you’re here to have a great time with us, we hope you are ready to have the time of your life! Let’s have an amazing night together!

Jooyeon: It’s an honor to be on stage in front of you for the first time in London! Let’s have a great time together! Sending lots of love!

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