| Boy band Xdinary Heroes perform its debut single, "Happy Death Day," during an online press event Monday. Courtesy of JYP Entertainment |
By Dong Sun-hwa
Everyone is the hero of their own story, and the new boy band Xdinary Heroes, which burst onto the K-pop scene with its debut single, "Happy Death Day" on Monday, is set to prove that.
As can be seen from its name ― which is a short form of "Extraordinary Heroes" ― the six-member band will unfold the story of seemingly ordinary heroes through its music, under the slogan, "We Are All Heroes."
"When we first heard our group name, I was anxious because it was a bit too long and hard to pronounce," member Gunil, a drummer who graduated from Berklee College of Music, said during an online press conference Monday. "But I soon got used to it and now I believe it is a very distinctive name that defines us."
The rookie band's debut track, "Happy Death Day" is a song satirizing hypocrites at a birthday party, who change their faces and act coldly after giving warm congratulatory messages.
"After deciding on the setting as a birthday party, I tried to give a twist to the song by using a more powerful word like 'death,'" keyboardist Jungsu, who has a songwriting credit on "Happy Death Day" explained. "But I was not inspired by the American horror film of the same name."
Guitarist Gaon, who also participated in the creative process, elaborated, "I attempted to create a sense of horror in the track."
Describing the tune as "powerful and fresh," guitarist Junhan said he wants to display the band's unique color via the single.
The debut of Xdinary Heroes has been one of the hottest news stories in the K-pop universe, as they are the first boy band launched by K-pop powerhouse JYP Entertainment ― home to big-name stars such as 2PM and TWICE ― since DAY6 came out in 2015.
Bassist Jooyeon said it is a "huge honor" to be mentioned with DAY6 and keyboardist O.de revealed that DAY6 members encouraged the rookie band a lot. Xdinary Heroes, however, will pioneer its own path, Junhan said.
"DAY6 has been singing about different moments in life, but we are planning to showcase something dissimilar," he said. "We will not only come up with darker and more powerful music, but also convey more outspoken messages."
Asked about the band's goal, Jungsu said, "We hope people get a glimpse of our musical styles and have high expectations for us."