[Dispatch=Reporter Lee A-jin] "I don't think we're the only ones." (Umuti) The team XLOV started from this belief. They believed that the music they loved, the dance, the style they found beautiful, and the image they wanted to show on stage would surely reach someone. That's why they took on 'genderless.' To express themselves more freely beyond the boundaries of gender. For some, it might have seemed reckless. But for those who grew up dreaming of K-pop, it wasn't. It was a concept they had longed for, music they wanted to make. XLOV expressed genderless in their own color. The music is accessible, the performance is intense, and the styling and worldview are built elaborately. They created their own standards and walked a new path. As a result, they are presenting a new paradigm for K-pop by turning skepticism into anticipation and cheers. Dispatch met XLOV on the 23rd. We heard their story. ◆ "Why not?" XLOV is a group planned by Umuti. For him, genderless was not a new genre. It was a direction to showcase genres he had loved since childhood—jazz funk, waacking, heel dance. However, during his trainee days, that wish was often restricted. "In monthly evaluations, whenever I showed music and genres I liked, I always got feedback saying 'it doesn't match our company's direction' and 'it's difficult in terms of the general public.' But no one explained why it couldn't be done." (Umuti) Ultimately, there were three choices: debut with a concept he didn't want, give up his idol dream, or try once to shout out what he truly wanted. Umuti chose the last option. Was it only Umuti? Lui wanted to showcase ballet and dance, her specialty. Haru was drawn to the group's message of "every version of me is me." Hyun wanted to feel something new and liberation. Umuti gathered the members directly and chose to challenge themselves. However, the genderless concept had no clear reference. XLOV had to become the precedent itself. Umuti pondered how to unfold the world he envisioned while captivating the public. Umuti said, "I thought our worldview could come across as deep and difficult," and "So while putting a flashy story first, we selected the music to be as easy-listening as possible. We also tried to give memorable points to the choreography." "We weren't afraid of failure. We grew up admiring K-pop, so our standards are set to K-pop. From our perspective, the genderless concept and worldview that Umuti hyung drew were definitely cool. We thought the public would appreciate it enough." (Haru) ◆ Worldview Born from Wounds XLOV's worldview is based on a novel written by Umuti himself. The novel has an omnibus structure where four characters each become the protagonist in their own story. The scope is vast and the settings are meticulous. "When Umuti hyung tells the worldview story, it feels like listening to an audiobook of a novel. At first, I was uncertain if I could process it. But once I broke through my fear through practice, I found myself looking forward to the next story." (Hyun) The worldview so far has depicted the growth of incomplete beings. Starting from a lack of love, it discussed each person's unique existential value. In the mini second album 'I, God' released last month, the members overcame their individual traumas and captured the process of becoming divine. The title track 'Sub' music video specifically incorporated the worldview. All members appeared with odd eyes. Odd eyes are a mark of incompleteness and symbolize each member's trauma. The members overcame their trauma and grew into deities. Lui transcended perfectionism and aesthetic compulsion to become the 'goddess of beauty.' Umuti stepped over threats to love to be reborn as the 'god of life.' Haru overcame childhood fears to become the 'god of imagination and dreams.' Hyun moved beyond pressure for success and grades to advance as the 'god of reason.' The members made efforts to bring out their individual characteristics. Hyun noted, "The album itself carries the message that even trauma can become a weapon if overcome," and "We focused that much on how we appear after becoming divine. We tried to express the charisma of the god of reason on stage." "The music video storyboard came as thick as a book. As a foreigner, there were many difficult explanations to understand. So I looked up words in a Korean dictionary and tried to understand the story as deeply as possible. I kept thinking about how to immerse myself in my character and how to vary the hair and makeup." (Lui) ◆ "Imagination Becomes the Stage" The members' deliberation shows clearly on stage. Most striking is the styling. Umuti leads the overall concept, while other members add details to the result. "I throw out keywords first. For example, medieval vibes, Met Gala feelings, refreshing but sexy fairies. I think we talk about animation style the most. Then we implement the styling by adding each member's feedback on the costumes." (Umuti) With each activity, the members' imagination grows bolder. Lui and Umuti each showcased a pink piece and mid-length hair during the 'One and Only' activity. From the 'Sub' activity onwards, they began using wigs in earnest. "Lui and I took an hour just for hair preparation because of the wigs. Adding makeup time, that was 3 hours. Prep time for all members reached about 5 hours as we took on delicate and elaborate styling." (Lui) Long hair came with inconveniences. Some performances had to be modified. Lui said, "We did dry rehearsals and changed the choreography depending on how the wig was fixed," and "For example, a move where you extend your hands forward and turn your head in a circle was adjusted to hold and turn the hair." Members also come up with specific performance ideas themselves. Particularly in 'Sub,' Lui overwhelms attention from the start with fluid movements. Lui explained, "Umuti requested that the intro must start with Lui's technique, asking the performance director directly." ◆ "The Certainty of Being Evil" Their efforts soon returned as public response. The mini second album surpassed 200,000 copies in initial sales. Two years after debut, they embarked on a global tour. They already completed a European tour this year. Performances in the UK, France, Romania and other countries recorded full sell-outs. The members recalled moving moments. Haru said, "What was interesting was that no matter which country we went to, there was an energy unique to Evil," and "It felt like everyone was playing together within the Evil category. Even outside the venue, there was such a distinctive energy that Evil could be recognized at a glance." Evil is a presence that adds certainty to the path XLOV walks. They always send family-like support. Hyun expressed gratitude, saying "The fans cheer us on with 'do whatever you want to do,' 'whoever you are, you're XLOV,' boosting our spirits." "It seems Evil and XLOV give and receive support from each other. When I see comments saying we were a strength to them, I actually receive strength. I think to myself that I can be someone who helps others, so my conviction that choosing this path was right grows stronger." (Haru) The path XLOV dreams of has infinite branches. The genderless they speak of is not a fixed answer, but a way of not being trapped in any framework. XLOV plans to continue pioneering their own path. "Genderless itself means having no frame. We can really do anything. Long hair, short hair, skirts, pants—we can show them all. High notes, low notes, genres—there are no limits. The only set standard is delivering good albums and music as singers. We want to present albums filled with all the trends and beauty we feel at each moment." (Umuti)