interview by JANA LETONJA

xikers is KQ Entertainment’s newest boy group to debut in five years. A multinational group with nine Korean members and one Thai member, they’ve impressed audiences even prior to their official debut with their pre-debut performances and special track release. On 8th March, they will release their third extended play ‘House of Tricky: Trial and Error’.

You made your debut in March 2023. How has it been since your debut until now? Can you share with us any interesting moments that have happened since?

HUNTER: It’s nearly been one year since we’ve debuted and it really feels like time has flown by. For us, debuting was like a whole new world. It’s a huge change from what we experienced as trainees and we’re so grateful for all the achievements that roadys gave us in 2023. There was one interesting moment back when we went to KCON Thailand 2023 and I realized that all my friends from Thailand had come to the event. They were wearing shirts with my face printed on them and though I got a little embarrassed, I found it so funny and was so thankful for their support.

YUJUN: There are countless fun and interesting moments that we’ve had since our debut, but if I had to pick just one, I would pick any of the moments when the members gather to eat together. It may seem very ordinary and trivial in the grand scale of things, but our time when we’re eating together, other than when we’re on stage, is a lot of fun for me.

Junmin:
top ANN D
jacket RICK OWENS
pants DOLCE & GABBANA

It is not many times we see a group with these many members. What are some of the best things about being in a group with so many different personalities?

YECHAN: Honestly, with so many different personalities in the group, there’s really no moment in my daily life where I feel bored or feel stress build up. I think it even helps me practice better because our dynamics allow for such a comfortable friendly atmosphere.

JINSIK: There are a multitude of advantages to being in a relatively large group. For one, there’s never an end to the interesting and fun stories that happen or that we can talk about. With so many members, there’s a variety of personalities, each one different from the next. This means that when I have any worries or am going through tough times, I have so many people that I can get advice from. The very best part though is that I have nine reliable friends by my side.

What does your group name stand for?

MINJAE: Our group name xikers is a combination of the variable x standing for coordinates and the word hikers symbolizing travelers. Together, it stands for boys who travel through infinite coordinates and time, emphasizing our infinite possibilities.

Jinsik (left):
top VIVIENNE WESTWOOD
kacket TOM FORD GUCCI
pants ISSEY MIYAKE
shoes BIANCA SAUNDERS

Sumin (right):
top YOHJI YAMAMOTO
jacket CRAIG GREEN
pants DOLCE & GABBANA
accessories RAF SIMONS
shoes RICK OWENS

e there any memorable moments you’ve had while recording?

HYUNWOO: I was singing the last bridge during the recording of ‘Do or Die’ and when I heard it back, I was so surprised with how well it came out. Even though I had been the one to sing it, it turned out so well that it surprised even me.

SUMIN: Back during the recording of the first mini album, it really felt like I was trying to look for my own distinctive color. I remember when Minjae was directing during the recording for adlibs and he asked me to do a sort of vocal mimicry of the famous actor Minsik Choi. That moment has really stuck with me because it was oddly memorable.

Can you tell us more about your experiences during your first world tour?

JUNMIN: The opening show for our very first tour was in Osaka, Japan, and because it was our first solo concert, I went into the performance with high expectations, but the sound of roadys’ cheers completely exceeded all of them. Roadys’ cheers were especially loud during Hunter and I’s duet dance performance of “Die For You”. Ever since the first time that we performed it, it almost seems like roadys really look forward to it for each show.

SEEUN: Honestly, since it was our very first world tour, there was a large part of me that was really nervous. But with every performance that we put on, it felt like the nerves melted away and it became easier to have fun and enjoy the stage. By the end of the tour, we were having an absolute blast on stage. Overall, I was so happy to meet so many roadys and have made such wonderful memories together.

Minjae (left):
jacket MARNI
pants JULIUS

Hunter (right):
top MAISON MARGIELA
jacket COMME DES GARÇONS HOMME PLUS
pants CHRISTIAN DIOR

K-pop is globally popular. How does it feel performing in so many different countries?

YECHAN: I feel so lucky to have the opportunity to travel to so many countries because of what I do. It’s such an honor to be able to perform in so many countries and meet roadys from all over the world.

JINSIK: It’s like a dream being able to perform in so many different countries. When we travel the world and take the stage in all these different places, it brings me such happiness. Not only are we performing in front of our fans in Korea, but we have the opportunity to perform in front of roadys from all over the world and that in itself is such an honor. It’s so moving that so many people have taken an interest in us and it really motivates me to work even harder.

What are some of your favorite b-side tracks to perform and why?

HYUNWOO: One of my favorite b-side tracks to perform is ‘Sunny Side’ because I feel like roadys like it the most too. It’s also an easy song to sing along, so I love performing it together with them.

JUNMIN: I really like ‘Run’. Though it’s not exactly a song that we perform often, roadys can watch the special video of it during the concert. I tend to like songs that are lyrically beautiful and ‘Run’ is a great example of this. It’s also a track that I felt came out really well during the recording process.

Yujun:
sweater RAF SIMONS
pants ACNE STUDIOS
shoes DR MARTENS x FRAGMENT

What can we expect from your upcoming, new album?

SUMIN: We’re going to show you an even greater range of music genres as we continue to release new music. I think this upcoming album might actually be one of my favorites so far. I’m so excited for us to be able to show our diverse musical color tones and range in genres.

What are some of the things you like to do during your free time?

MINJAE: You’ll usually find me working on songs, but if not, then I like to spend my time on hobbies like reforming clothes or listening to music.

YUJUN: If it’s not spent with music, then I’ll usually take my free time to go have a quick nap. Nowadays, if I have a little extra time, I like to try finding hobbies I can focus on, like playing the guitar, playing games or going shopping.

Hyunwoo:
full look RAF SIMONS

What are the dreams and goals for xikers’ career?

MINJAE: We’d love to be able to show our performances on even bigger stages of course, but our biggest goal is to be able to share our bright and vibrant energy through our music with roadys as much as possible.

SEEUN: As xikers, we dream of making our mark in growing as artists and leaving such a strong impression on audiences that when they think of the word ‘idol’, they’ll be sure to think of xikers. An important part of these dreams that we have are roadys. We hope to continue on this path, making beautiful memories together with roadys for a very long time.

Yechan (left):
top Y’S
pants RICK OWENS
shoes HELMUT LANG

Seeun (right):
top COMME DES GARÇONS
coat CALVIN KLEIN 305W39NYC
pants RAF SIMONS
shoes DIRK BIKKEMBERG

TEAM CREDITS:
talent XIKERS
photography LOUISA MENG
styling CHAD SERRANO
producer JESSICA HU
set design CRYSTAL GELLER
styling assistant RONNEL NATALIE
photography assistants ALEC LUU, HUNTER PAO & VIVIAN CHAN
glam team CONTIGO CHEONGDAM
editor TIMI LETONJA
interview JANA LETONJA