K-pop entertainment agency KQ Entertainment are proving that the boys are back in town. Five years after the debut of the agency's successful ATEEZ, xikers are making waves as KQ's first new boy group.

One of most discussed fifth-generation K-pop groups, the 10-member xikers have quickly risen to the genre's heights. Expectations were high for the rookie group, and xikers delivered. Less than two weeks after their March 2023 debut, xiker's first mini-album HOUSE OF TRICKY: Doorbell Ringing charted at No. 75 on the Billboard 200. 

Xikers developed an international following in their pre-debut days. Originally dubbed KQ Fellaz 2 as trainees, the group were featured on KQ Entertainment web series "Ready To One." The series followed the group's training journey in Los Angeles and their eventual debut.

By 2023, the group took on the moniker xikers, a combination of "hiker" for their love of travel and the unknown variable "x" as a coordinate. The group consists of Korean musicians MINJAE, JUNMIN, SUMIN, JINSIK, HYUNWOO, JUNGHOON, SEEUN, YUJUN and YECHAN; member HUNTER is from Thailand. 

Xikers' second mini-album, the six-song HOUSE OF TRICKY: How To Play, dropped on Aug. 2 and hit No. 9 on the Billboard World Albums chart. Accompanied by an alternative rock backing track, single "DO or DIE" encourages listeners to be fearless and take risks with confidence. With its hip hop influence, "HOMEBOY" simply enjoys the present without worry. 

"I get a lot of inspiration from dramas, and I tend to apply them to my lyrics," YECHAN tells GRAMMY.com.

Xikers recently performed at KCON L.A. 2023, where they wowed audiences with a cover of ATEEZ’s “BOUNCY" along with originals from their new record. In October, xikers will embark  on their first U.S. tour, dubbed WORLD TOUR TRICKY HOUSE : FIRST ENCOUNTER IN USA, hitting six cities. Ahead of their KCON performance, the group spoke with GRAMMY.com about their training journey, debut and staying tricky. 

This interview has been edited for clarity.

HOUSE OF TRICKY: How To Play has two lead singles instead of the traditional one. Which do you like more?

SUMIN: I hope the fans will like both tracks. Personally though, I think "DO or DIE" really fits me. After I dyed my hair green this time, I seem to suit the concept of the title track well. It just feels like my hair change helped me get even more immersed into the track.

Do you feel like xikers has defined its identity since debuting or are you still figuring it out?

MINJAE: I think we learned about what we’re good at to a certain extent through our first mini album promotions, but there’s so much more that xikers as a group can show. 

We have so many charming points and concepts that we’re so excited to show everyone. I’d say we’re still in the middle of figuring it out.

MINJAE, SUMIN and YECHAN, you all have writing credits on both mini-albums. Did ATEEZ leader HONGJOONG, who assisted on both records, share any words of wisdom?

MINJAE: HONGJOONG said that he would like it if we just enjoyed the process of recording and allowed our personalities to shine naturally for this album. I truly focused on just enjoying the time spent working on this new album!

SUMIN: [On] our debut album, I really focused on the storyline to write the lyrics. For the second mini album, HONGJOONG and the amazing EDENARY [production] team, told us to have more freedom in our writing. They gave us advice [to try] whatever we wanted to.

YECHAN: They gave us the reins to take it in a direction we wanted to. I think this free direction allowed us to try something new!

Last year, you performed as KQ Fellaz 2, opening for ATEEZ’S Break the Wall US Tour. Did performing as a trainee group prepare you for your official debut as xikers at KCON L.A. this year?

SEEUN: Performing in the U.S. as part of ATEEZ’s tour in North America was really helpful. We were able to really understand and learn about the attitude and enjoyment of the stage through it. It’s actually going to be my birthday while we’re in L.A., so I'm looking forward to spending my birthday in the U.S.

Prior to your debut, did you have any turning points in your life as a group or individually?

JINSIK: As we were preparing to debut, we worked on audio recordings a lot. Both in terms of my mentality and my skills, I think I grew the most during this period because we got to experience so many things. 

What vocal techniques or exercises do you use to preserve your singing voice? 

HYUNWOO: I am trying my best to find a way to create vocal sounds as comfortably as possible. Since each person has a different tone, I practice vocalization of various tones to develop the tone that I can produce.

Some groups are asked about who they look up to as vocalists and rappers but not so much about the dancers. Who are some artists you admire for their dancing?

HUNTER: I really look up to ATEEZ’s SAN dance-wise. I believe dancing is all about expressing the song’s message through movement, and using your facial expressions can really help a lot with embodying the story. 

I remember watching his facial expressions on stage and being in constant awe of how he really gives his all for every performance. Ever since then, I’ve been working really hard on improving my ability to express myself on stage.

What movie title best describes your life as an artist so far? 

YUJUN: The Greatest Showman. I think there are similarities between xikers and the movie. They practice and work hard to create a grand show, just as we work hard and practice to put on an amazing performance.

Imagine 50 years from now, and you’re still making music. What stories do you want to tell the younger generation of artists? 

HUNTER: I’d like to think that we’ll have a lot of good memories and stories to tell to the younger generation of artists. Whenever we find ourselves struggling, we always try to find a positive outlook; something that we can take from the experience to learn from it. 

I’d like to be reminded not only of the good times, but also the difficult times that we’ve overcome. It’s a message I’d like to pass on to future younger generations, so that they can embrace both the lows and highs to cultivate a positive mindset.

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