We Interview Idols: X!DENT

/ farfromsleep

As hard as it might be to believe, it’s already been more than two years since the last time Homicidols caught up with X!DENT for a chat, during which time they’ve progressed from exciting new hopefuls to becoming a regular fixture of the Korean live idol scene.

Two years is a long time in idol music, so what have they been up to in the interim? Well, quite a lot as it happens, and who better to fill you in on that than the girls themselves.

Homicidols: Hi and welcome back! The last time you were interviewed for Homicidols, you said you wanted to play Rolling Hall. Sitting here today, not only did you achieve that dream, but X!DENT are also about to play their first lives in Japan. Did you imagine you would come so far in such a short time?

S3ARU: It’s all because of you guys cheering and supporting us. We’ve been working hard and you guys recognized it and help us to make our dream come true.

Xii: I didn’t consider that ‘we should grow fast and achieve our dream’ etc. It’s all because of people who supported us.

HUYU: Because of people continuously supporting us, we were able to pursue our dream.

Your upcoming Japanese shows also feature groups like DIABLEVOIX and Satanic Punish. It must be exciting knowing you will be performing alongside other acclaimed artists in the extreme idol scene.

S3ARU: LyricHolic and HINAGIKU too. And many more, they are some of my favorites so I contacted them directly through our agency. I am so happy to be on the same stage with them.

Xii: I am SUPER excited to get a chance to perform with such amazing teams. As their music is as extreme as ours, it feels like a family gathering because I always wanted to perform with teams with a similar genre. It will definitely be a good experience how the live idol industry/scene works in Japan.

HUYU: I am happy to get a chance to perform with Japanese Idol teams.

Every X!DENT album and single has felt like a progression from the last one. The previews from the new album showcase some exciting new sounds and styles. What can you tell us about the new songs?

S3ARU: Recently, I’ve been interested in Buddhism, Hinduism and Southern Asian music. As you can see from the name of the tracks, “Mantra” and “Om mani padme hum” are based on Indian gods and I would like to relate those elements to our music. Like our previous song “Karma“, I would like to show that we can combine any kind of genre, not just Korean music. Also for the quality of the music, we were able to record in a better environment and develop our capabilities.

Xii: I feel the same to be honest. Basically, this new EP will be the starting point to confirm our kind of music. Our core identity is ‘Metal with some Korean traditional elements’ so we tried to make it clear about that area. But at the same time, we didn’t hesitate to be scientists. It was like ‘Okay, I want to go like this, I want to sound like that, etc…’ and then we just did it lol. I think it is really great to mix metal with our cultural traits. We didn’t feel compulsive like “AS WE ARE DOING KOREAN METAL, WE SHOULD ALWAYS MAKE SOME KOREAN STUFF”. Our motto is basically ‘do what you want to do’, so we are open to all kinds of genres and this new EP is exactly showing that.

HUYU: We tried new stuffs.

Speaking of trying new stuff, X!DENT has been featuring in online video content more often these days, including your collaboration with RODA Studio and making live shows available on Fulldive. Was this a conscious choice by the group? (Either way, overseas fans are very grateful!)

S3ARU: I’ve been considering how to promote ourselves through the media but there are limitations because we are a self-produced group. It is quite sad that because short-form videos like TikTok and YouTube are now mainstream, artists should not only provide good music but also put effort into media production. But thankfully, we got support from many people filming us, editing the video etc, so now we are more active with online video content. We are also considering live shows for our overseas fans.

Xii: Either online or offline, if there is a chance, we just go for it. Can’t say it was a conscious choice. More like ‘Sounds fun. We are in.’ lol. (It is nice to see our overseas fans too of course!)

HUYU: To promote our team better, we are trying to make some media content (thanks to people who gave us a hand).

It seems like the Korean live idol scene keeps growing, with new groups arriving all the time. X!DENT’s regular collaborator TOWA even debuted in her own idol group Crescendo recently as Yukari. How does it feel to be part of that scene?

S3ARU: Because she is a composer of X!DENT, we are so happy to be on the same stage as a peer. X!DENT will support her.

Xii: Yeah I feel that too. More people means more friends, more audience, more fans! Of course there will be pros and cons but let’s be optimistic. About Yukari from Crescendo, who is one of the composers of many of X!DENT’s songs, I think it is great to perform together on the same stage! She is a very talented composer, also a good performer. Hope she finds this scene interesting.

HUYU: I’m happy that we could now perform together.

Another notable event this year was the very first TIF event in Seoul. Were you nervous compared to your normal lives? How did it feel to be involved with that?

S3ARU: When we got a contact from TIF, I was so happy. I felt honored as it is the biggest idol festival in Japan but at the same time I was a bit worried like ‘Are we ok to be a part of such a big festival?’ However, it was super fun to be on the stage when I actually performed.

Xii: I wasn’t able to participate in some lives for a month due to personal reasons, so it had been a while that I had been on stage but at the same time, this was a BIG stage! So I was more excited than nervous. There were so many new audiences and they were really nice. I felt so grateful and thankful that even though our music is not like other teams’ music (compared to the line-up, we were the only team who was screaming and stuff) they still watched our show, and enjoyed it!

HUYU: I was worried at the beginning but when I was actually on the stage, I enjoyed it.

Watching your vlogs and video streams, it seems X!DENT are a group that always has fun. Is it something that comes naturally? It seems like you are a very close bunch.

S3ARU: Xii and I knew each other before we started X!DENT. For me, X!DENT’s members are like a family and we have a strong bond together. When three of us gather around, laughter never stops. Such fun. So I wanted to show that good part of us in our vlogs lol

Xii: Yeah basically we are just friends gathered to do some music and always support each other. S3ARU was my acquaintance before we even started X!DENT, I was preparing to enter music college with a guitar as it was my dream ever since I was a kid, but you know, if you want to make a living with music, it is not that easy. Because I’ve already graduated university with a bachelor’s degree, I had to make a choice between ‘Living’ and ‘Following a dream’ and when I was right in the middle of this status, S3ARU contacted me saying ‘Unnie (meaning ‘sister’ in KR), I want to cast you in my group.’. I felt interested and asked about the details. And on that day, I said ‘sounds fun, I am in’. I’m a bit old (well, I’m 666 years old lol) compared to other idols so I asked her if that is okay. S3ARU said no worries so I just hopped into it. Never regretted my decision ever since (Thank you S3ARU ❤)

HUYU is a member that S3ARU brought after then. She was a high school student back then and was really shy (aww). I was surprised at her courage. Even as an adult, we need to be brave to be in front of lots of people. Her personality is really quiet and calm but when we are on the stage, she dares to head-bang and all that stuff! I also like the fact that she cares about all the details when she dances. One thing I worry about her is that due to her personality, she doesn’t share her worries and thoughts. She always tends to keep everything on her own. We try to encourage her to open up to us as we are always ready to listen to her, support her. (Unnies always luv you cinamoroll babo)

HUYU: We’ve been together more than 2 years so now we are happy to be together even if we do nothing. And I think our vlogs show that really well.

What music are the members listening to these days? Is there anything you’d like to recommend to the readers? It can be idols or bands.

S3ARU: I was able to see a live show of Nuance in Osaka, the song called “Harbor Moon“ sticks to my ears so I’ve been listening to it everyday. Also our new songs are super cool so check them out.

Xii: I am so into metal bands as always. Oh!! I’m planning to go see No Party For Cao Dong in Japan soon. They are a Taiwanese band, surprisingly not a metal band, but they will perform in Japan so I was like ‘I MUST SEE THEM LIVE’. Already bought all of their merch to show them I support them hehe. Nowadays I’m listening to Knosis, BMTH and For The Fallen Dreams. Knosis and For The Fallen Dreams, love their new songs and BMTH, they are always trying new stuffs and I totally love that challenge! I personally like Oli (the vocalist of BMTH), I like his taste in art and music. And I like his attitude towards his fans (I saw some pictures on Instagram, it was Oli hugging his fan holding a message ‘Oli, your music gave me a reason to stay’.). Of course, his tone of voice is amazing as well. I chose him as my role model hehe. (Keep a good work Oli! Hope to see you live someday)

In Korea, I like Eighteen April the most. The vocalist of this band is also my metal vocal teacher. His guidance and effort to improve himself was a good influence. Also their music is amazing! Basically they are a metal core band but they try many genres as well. I sometimes go to see their live performances and I always have super fun there! Hope they become more famous. Such an amazing band.

Also I would like to say the bands I want to see someday include Bad Omens and Landmvrks!

Oh and FYI, I finally defined my favorite music genre. It is metalcore, Nu metal, psychedelic. Felt happy because when I want to dig into some music that I like, now I know the key-words! (Geez, when it comes to my favorite music, I cannot stop talking lol)

HUYU: Because we are preparing our new songs, I’ve been listening to them everyday. Please check them out. They are good!

X!DENT has been active for some time now and played many more lives. Does it feel very different to when you started? What would you say is the greatest lesson you’ve learned as idols?

S3ARU: I started X!DENT only for the fact that I wanted to be a musician. But through direct communication with our fans, I think it is a good thing to show ✌🏻myself✌🏻 as I am. Also, I was a person that was not independent and fake back then. But after starting X!DENT, now I love S3ARU herself and I am able to admit and express myself.

Xii: The greatest lesson that I’ve learned as an idol is ‘Do not be afraid. No reason to spend our energy to be recognized by people who don’t have to be recognized because haters will always be haters. If we try to do so, we will lose ourselves. All we have to do is have fun and do our music, doing our best.’ I feel like I’ve developed self-esteem, the way to deal with people and media, the way to treat myself and other people. I feel good as I am being myself. If there is an opportunity, I will be more than happy to improve it. I always want to be a better person.

HUYU: At first, I just started this only for the fact that I want to be on the stage. But as I continue, I want to challenge different things and meet new people. From this, I was able to be confident in myself.

Having come so far already, what would the members like to achieve next?

S3ARU: WORLD TOUR

Xii: Personally, I would like to promote our team overseas. Our first live in Japan will be a starting point for that.

HUYU: Not only in Japan, I would like to perform in other countries as well.

Well there’s something to look forward to! And lastly, do you have any message you’d like to share with the fans out there?

S3ARU: Luv ya <3

Xii: Thank you always for being supportive and cheering us. Really hope to see you guys at our shows someday. STAY METAL lml

HUYU: We will show you a better version of X!DENT. Thank you always for the support!

And thanks once again to the always wonderful X!DENT crew for being kind enough to take the time from their schedules to do this interview for us, X!DENT’s new EP “縊施亶吐” is available now on Bandcamp and at your streaming service of choice.