XGalX CEO Jakops, who was born Simon Junho Park and has Japanese and Korean roots, used his time as a DMTN member and solo artist in K-pop to create XG’s English-only, globally targeted sound. The seven Japanese members made their international debut in 2022 through a collaboration between Avex and XGalX. The group’s theme was a mix of K-pop promotion and a futuristic alien theme.
The Core is XG’s first full-length album. It shows off five years of hard work that they documented in their Xtra Xtra YouTube series. Jakops stressed training the group to have a global impact. Their most recent single, “Gala,” was inspired by the 2025 Met Gala and was performed on NBC’s “The Voice.” The album marks a “significant shift” in XG’s identity, changing it from Xtraordinary Girls to Xtraordinary Genes and putting self-discovery and authenticity first.
Jakops made a big change by getting rid of strict training-era rules for the now-adult members. This let them have relationships and normal young adult experiences that made them happy and successful. He wants to break down the strict rules that K-pop and J-pop idols have to follow so that people can grow and find “courage and hope.” This change fits with XG’s radical self-love theme, which is shown by member Cocona’s public transmasculine non-binary identity and Jakops’ support.
Jakops wants to move to Los Angeles in May 2026 to get more recognition in the U.S. XG is on board and may move there as well once Jakops is settled. He thinks this is XG’s big break after they toured the world in 2025, playing 47 shows in 35 cities. In 2026, fearless trial and error will make their expressions better and reach more people.
