XYDO Impact Star May 2020 Interview
Normally, โXโ has a negative meaning, something that is prohibited. But artist Xydoโs first EP album โXโ walks a different path from this universal thought. Not only does he communicate and draw connections through the symbol โXโ, but he even melted it together with his identity โXโydo. Xydo has given โXโ a new life. While I was talking with Xydo, a new meaning was added to โX.โ An undefined infinity. Thatโs because Xydo is a free artist that tears down boundaries and strips away the old restrictions. With these activities from Xydo, it hints about the unlimited possibilities we can expect from him in the future.
I heard this is your first individual interview. Itโs an honor to be the first.
X: I was really excited too. Because this is the first individual interview Iโve done since I entered my company GROOVL1N. Haha.
Letโs start with talking about your album. The album โXโ is your first formal EP. After its release, how was the reaction around you?
X: There was a lot of anticipation around me. When it came out, the reaction was good too. In particular, it was good because a lot of people recognised the intentions I had in the album. I cared a lot about each song. One person told me it was a โsolid EP.โ It makes me happy when people say that it seems like good music was put into each and every song.
Among those, what was the reaction that left the biggest impression on you?
X: The fifth track is called โHollow,โ and I really didnโt know that people would like it. It was completely outside of my expectations. It was a song I worked on alone for a long time, so honestly I didnโt think that it was going to go well. It was a song I put in as a connecting song, so I was really surprised a lot of people liked it.
Oppositely, as a listener, among the tracks it has a feeling that is unrivaled, so itโs a song where we can feel the most honesty. Sort of like it doesnโt have a full development. It must be because youโre the creator that the reaction to โHollowโ was outside of your expectations.
X: I was really surprised. Itโs not a genre Iโve done, songs with a heavy atmosphere. โHollowโ has this toxic depressing sentiment, you know. But when people liked it, I thought โOh? This kind of image must be okay too.โ I tried to make every track primarily from my experiences and emotions, but as you heard, โHollowโ has the most of my story. There have been toxic depressing days, so itโs a song I wrote in a fleeting moment during that day.
How long did it take for this album to be made?
X: I think it took around 4-5 months. Actually, this is the first time Iโve talked about this, but the track list we initially planned was completely changed. Everything. When I looked at what I had worked on, the mood and stories I had thought about werenโt coming out. The lyrics were particularly challenging. There was just a feeling that it didnโt touch me. Eventually I started again, and that took about 4-5 months.
After talking with you some, it seems like the emphasis of overall flow is your style.
X: Thatโs right. No matter if itโs a single or an album, itโs an โalbumโ so I think there has to be some sort of merit. Rather than just simply listening to one song, there are times where you have to listen to the whole album to know it. So there was emphasis put on the connections between tracks. If you listen, I think you can feel the flow and the story that follows.
Thatโs right. While you were explaining your album too, you talked about โconnections and crossings.โ Iโm curious about the ultimate meaning of naming the album โX.โ
X: The title โX,โ usually it means something that is prohibited, itโs a character thatโs thought of as the embodiment of things you canโt do. But in a crossing or in a situation where lines meet, it makes an โX.โ Thinking about those other meanings of โX,โ itโs similar to the things I wanted to say about my album. Also, itโs the same as the first letter of my name, so I thought it blended naturally together with my identity. Like this sort of interpretation of โX,โ I think seeing other possibilities is good. Even the things that look โparadoxicalโ. I thought โconnections and crossingsโ was paradoxical. Because it can mean that things that meet have an end, and at the end there is another beginning. So to define all these things, I thought of the character โX.โ So even if itโs strange, my album name ended up becoming โX.โ
It seems like the foundation of โXโ is โLove.โ The mood throughout the whole album has content that expresses the emotions you feel while loving someone.
X: I think more than a love story, theyโre songs written about the doubt Iโve felt or my everyday emotions. We enjoy stories about the realizations that come after pain. But when I was making this album, I think it must have shifted to being about love rather than anguish through my worrying. I think this album was completed when I was really deeply worried. At its start, love is really beautiful and feels like a dream, but eventually the end will come. I felt this process was beautiful. In the face of this, I communicated the paradoxical meaning I explained earlier. It was fun unraveling this new way of telling a love story.
As expected, all the tracks follow that process. From the exciting beginning to the anguished goodbye, all these moods unfold. While โM.U.S.Eโ is the first track that starts the album, itโs a song that paints the moment of falling in love for the first time. Iโm curious about how this song came to be.
X: Everyone has fallen in love at least one time. Itโs like that for me too. During that time, I think I really got a lot of inspiration from the other person. So this inspiration came to me, and when I was specially working with it, the word โmuseโ kept coming to mind. Itโs often said โyouโre my muse,โ you know. The person you love carries that sort of existence. You feel that brilliant existence through this large charm. I wanted to be sure to express that in a song. So thatโs how โM.U.S.Eโ was created.
You seem like a person who treats emotions with subtlety. After coming out of GROOVL1N, you must have an unfamiliar image to the general public whoโs getting to know you for the first time. The side youโre showing now is considerably different from music like โAsuraโ you did together with Ravi. What kind of person is Xydo who shows all these different sides?
X: Thatโs right. There are a lot of people who ended up knowing me through โAsuraโ or GROOVL1N. I think the color of the music I did together with the company artists matches me well. Speaking more precisely, it made me more diverse so that I could match well with the mood of a song. It was fun because of that. Haha. But including everything from GROOVL1N up until now, if you listen to the music Iโve released, the feeling is really different. Originally, I have a very positive personality and there are a lot of subtle sides to me. And I match my personality to the people Iโm with. So a lot of people have said Iโm different from what they expected. (laughs)
On one hand, this album called โXโ is full of your color, and exudes trendy sounds, melodies, and lyrics throughout. What sort of current trends are you following in the music industry?
X: Actually, when I make music, I donโt stick largely to trends. I think music industry trends themselves are started through the influence of special people. Until now, hip hop has secured its place in the mainstream, but I donโt know what genre will enter next. Itโs fun to imagine from time to time โwonโt a genre like this become popular?โ but that might not be right every time. When you look at it like that, I didnโt want to follow trends that are impossible to predict. Right now, R&B is on the rise in the music industry, but actually I think the boundary will become more ambiguous. Thereโs an atmosphere of just conveniently calling all genres โK-popโ or โpopularโ to the public.
That sort of genre boundary ambiguity, from this idea of fusion, I think GROOVL1N must have similar personalities. From idol turned hip hop artist Ravi, a lot of various artists have gathered.
X: Thatโs right. Thatโs one reason why I want to continue being with GROOVL1N in the future. Everyone is opening me up to diversity and newness. There are new opportunities too.
Xydo, you seem to set wide possibilities and then move past those. Whether itโs the boundaries around your singing style or collaborations, you seem to be tearing those down one by one.
X: I try to be like that. As I live, I have stereotypes and prejudices. Stereotypes and prejudices can trap your thoughts, you know. So as a creator, you end up being unable to make even more fun things. Those โeurekaโ moments or extraordinary things, those come from places we might not even be able to think of. I feel like in order to do those sort of things, you have to tear down boundaries.
If you look at your social media, you seem to work together with a crew called Value Per Hour (V/hr). Can you introduce what type of crew this is?
X: There is an artist called E.viewz from Sony Music Entertainment. Heโs a friend Iโm close to like a soulmate. When I make music, heโs an artist who gives me a lot of help and has had a big influence on me. After talking with him for a long time, we thought about starting a crew. Looking at the like minded artists we gathered, we already have 9 people. Our biggest ultimate goal is โhappily making music all together.โ If weโre different from other crews, itโs that weโre a little more systematic. All the members' attitudes about music is in itself professional, and by respecting each other, we create this sort of business state. If we meet in our everyday lives, weโre as close as we can be, but weโre the type that will definitely do work. This process took a little while to develop. Itโs already been two years. I want to show even more good steps going forward with Value Per Hour.
Now Iโm curious about your first connection with GROOVL1N.
X: Primarily, I was uploading songs and song covers on social media and SoundCloud. ย Because of that, Ravi ended up hearing my music through social media. First he suggested we work together, and I thought it would be a good opportunity, so I readily supported it. Our work started with the song โHoodieโ and of course, naturally we ended up having a musical exchange, and at that point, Ravi was in the process of creating a company. Ravi suggested first that I join the company. But at the time, I was in the middle of making a contract with another company, so at the time I couldnโt do anything but refuse. Eventually my relationship with the other company didnโt work out. I think because the musical direction I wanted to take didnโt match with them. So I spelled everything out with Ravi, and our thoughts matched well. I ended up learning that heโs a person with a good set of values. I had an experience being mismatched before, so I was more careful, but we really match well. So thatโs how I ended up working together with GROOVL1N.
Now that youโve worked together, how is it? Do you feel like you have gained enough trust in GROOVL1N?
X: Every moment weโre together, I feel trust. At first, there was this โCEOโ wall with Ravi, but gradually he showed me this very human side. Weโre like friends of the same age. Weโve talked a lot about music, and while weโve worked together, I think weโve gained trust naturally. Looking at it now, I ended up opening up too. We tend to be honest to each other about things that will help the other person. I think those conversations lead both of us in better directions. I feel it as time goes by. Right now GROOVL1N is as good as it can be. Haha.
What sort of synergy do you expect together with GROOVL1N?
X: First, I think increasing the influence of myself as an artist. I hope that I can do more global activities together with GROOVL1N. When I work together with my friends from the company, I can do the things I do well, but itโs a good thing to be able to take on the challenge of doing things I donโt know too. I think itโs really fun. Like โAsuraโ, โKnife Dance,โ โGoddess,โ I hope there are even more things I havenโt done that weโll be able to do together. Now, as expected I think the synergy with the other members is good, but going forward Iโm anticipating more various artists to enter. I think Iโll enjoy the stage too. I want to make fun music. Doing work enjoyably is good, as you know. Haha.
Xydo, with your free thoughts, how would you explain your identity?
X: I donโt tend to like to be limited. I want to try a lot of different things. To put it simply, I donโt want people to know my identity. Like, โwhat is he doing?โ (laughs) I hope people are endlessly curious. Not a person who does defined music, but a person who peaks curiosity every time, like โwhat will Xydo do this time?โ This is my identity.
