In 2022, a pre-debut team known as KQ Fellaz 2 opened for ATEEZ during The Fellowship: Break The Wall World Tour. All in their mid-to-late teens, the 10 members gave it their all on stage, performing two numbers before exiting. Crowds cheered for them, excited to see what to expect from this youthful and talented bunch.
Fast-forward to three years, the very same group returned on stage to open for ATEEZ’s In Your Fantasy World Tour in Los Angeles, but are now older and more experienced – with a new name: xikers.
After debuting in 2023, xikers – consisting of Minjae, Junmin, Sumin, Jinsik, Hyunwoo, Junghoon, Seeun, Hunter, Yujun, and Yechan – have made a name for themselves as one of Billboard’s Emerging Artists and performed at KCON during their debut year. They’ve released five mini-albums/EPs, with their recent mini-album, House of Tricky: SPUR, debuting at #3 in Billboard’s World Album Charts. They completed their North American leg of their second world tour, “Road to XY : Enter the Gate,” this past May. They released their newest single, “Iconic,” earlier this month, performing it when they opened for ATEEZ in Los Angeles and Arlington, Texas.
Between the two concerts, xikers appeared before their fans – called road𝓨 – at KIIS FM’s Helpful Honda Music Lounge. While on stage, the guys were playful in answering host JoJo Wright’s questions and responded to the fans shouting their names. They performed a few songs before taking photos with their fans.
After a brief break to refresh from their performance and fan meet, the members gather for our interview. Instead of the rambunctious guys from the stage, they were all calm and collected, ready for a serious conversation about the trajectory of their career.
To soften the conversation, the topic of being back in Los Angeles is brought up. The group spent many months during their pre-debut days intensely training in the city, a fact well-documented in their vlogs. Now being back, they’ve been enjoying their time in LA, where it feels like a second home for many of them.
“LA is like my second home,” says Junmin. “I’m very comfortable, and we’re doing all these schedules very comfortably. It’s very nice.”
The guys have been having fun visiting their favorite LA spots and meeting the American road𝓨. Hunter says, “Every time we meet road𝓨s, whether it be a fan sign or a concert or just like meeting them on the street, they always give us so much energy [and] so much passion. Just now, we almost felt like we were at a concert, which was really fun.”
Now, two years since their debut, they’ve grown significantly since their first experience as KQ Fellaz 2, opening for their “big brothers,” ATEEZ. Many ATEEZ fans recall seeing KQ Fellaz perform three years ago and have expressed their pride in seeing the group now debut as xikers and grow so much during that time.
“Three years ago, honestly, it was our first time on such a big stage, so we were very nervous,” says Yujun. “But, now this year, with much more experience, we were able to show our growth. It was a good experience for us to be on stage.”
Although they admit to feeling more confident than before, they still experience some pressure due to various factors, including the size of the concert and a fear of disappointing people.
“It’s a big stage,” says Jinsik. “But, even before being on a big stage, it was an opportunity that our seniors gave. Yes, there is some pressure in it, but it’s also such an honor to be able to stand on that stage and be able to perform in such a place.”
Jumin recalls ATEEZ rooting for them before they went on stage, and even before then, offering some advice. He reveals, “For me, they said, ‘Well, you’re already great at performing, so do like you would normally do and enjoy.”
The relationship between ATEEZ and xikers has been the talk of the fandoms, as fans of both groups love watching the interactions between them. Xikers mentioned how honored and happy they are to have guidance, as well as to have fun with the ATEEZ members. They’ve been filming fun TikToks and social media content together.
“Filming these kinds of [social media] concepts with them makes everything more fun,” says Seeun. “It’s more fun than doing it on our own. And, it’s something that they also show how much they enjoy it too, and it becomes such a good memory for us.”
While they said all of ATEEZ are fun to film with, they mention how funny San is while filming, getting the most laughs out of them. Junmin reveals, “San from ATEEZ is very charismatic on stage, but off-stage, he’s very funny and takes care of us so well. That difference on and off stage is very interesting and fun to see.”
Though xikers is connected to ATEEZ as the group’s juniors, xikers stands out on their own with their youthful and cool energy. They lean into the classic hip-hop and lighter concepts that appeal to the younger generation, while also paying homage to the performers and music before them.
Their new single, “Iconic,” is a fresh yet aggressive trap-infused English song that incorporates elements of familiar beats, but with their own unique spin and energy. Like their “out of this world” concept, the song is interpreted as living their life to the fullest and in their iconic way.
“It’s a genre [that’s more of a] Western style,” says leader Minjae. “This is the first time we tried a whole song in English. We really love this concept and music. I think the performances are fire with our choreographers. This is the hardest and most charismatic choreography. I think that’s the reason why we love “Iconic.”
The members laugh when the expression “YOLO” (short for “You only live once”), a marker of my millennial age, is mentioned to describe the song’s meaning. They agreed, finding the lyrics to be relatable.
“My favorite line is ‘F-One in my veins, I don’t do chill, wait for the station,’” says Sumin. “I wrote the lyrics to be like me. I never stop. I would just come one way. My blood is like gas – like F-One. I think that lyric of mine is really cool.”
Hunter connected with the lyrics, “Went from Tryna float, now we on the boat.” He says that’s his favorite because that’s where they are at this point in their careers.
“The group has been together for two years now, and we understand each other better,” says Hunter. “We talk and communicate with each other. Our goals from two years ago to now are completely different because we’re [more] experienced now and learned more about this industry.”
Though they’ve been together as a team longer during their pre-debut, the two years as performers as a team have taught them so much about themselves as artists and individuals. Now, they’re all nearly in their early 20s (the three youngest members turn 20 in October), and they feel more mature.
“Personally, I think the members’ personalities have changed a little bit and matured a little more,” Hunter explains. “Each person is slowly starting to find their identity now. I think that’s really good for the team.”
With 10 young men in the group, it can be a challenge to control or appease everyone. Like brothers, they get through the issues and learn from them. Hyunwoo says, “There are so many stages that we’ve done. [We’ve had] so many performances and experiences, but not just in terms of performance, but as ourselves and each other. I think we’ve learned a lot about each other. So, in terms of our teamwork, it’s grown a lot as well.”
It’s not easy, but not everything needs to have a solution. Sometimes you need to go with the flow of things.
“I think it’s the biggest lesson for me [as a leader],” says Minjae. “There are a lot of thoughts [and questions], [but] there’s no[t always an] answer.”
Hunter explains, “One thing that we learned together is to stop trying to control the things that we can’t control, and just be more proactive.”
With the single serving as a precursor to their eventual EP/mini-album, xikers is excited to share some details about what fans can expect from them.
“It’s something you can look forward to,” says Seeun. “There’s a very xikers’ style that we’re establishing. It’s everything that you’ve already heard, but now we have a very strong energy. That strong energy is going to come through in our next projects as well.”
They did express the styles and genres of music they’d like to explore – or already have in this upcoming EP. Rapper Sumin wants to continue doing hip-hop, but incorporate elements of drill or a gang feel, or even a “lazy rap” style. Minjae wouldn’t mind a little bit of punk or rock alongside their hip hop and trap sound.
“I do want to try new genres as well, but I really like the style and the strong energy that we’ve really shown continuously in our music,” says Junghoon. “I actually want to do that again.”
As xiker’s music expands globally, many of them express wanting to collaborate with American artists or even try singing in different languages.
“My favorite artist is [American rapper] JID,” says Yechan. “I want a collaboration.”
“I want to try Spanish,” says Sumin.
“French!” says Junghoon.
Hyunwoo, Minjae, and Yechan all looked to Hunter before answering, “Thai.”
Hunter, the only Thai member, looks away shyly, telling his team, “Thai is so hard.”
Minjae, holding his hands up as if to cheer, tells him, “We will try!”
Hunter looks around at his team, laughing, “[I guess] I have to teach Thai to everyone now.”
As xikers continues to grow and develop as individuals and as a team, they look forward to reaching their milestone anniversary – five years and beyond. They hope that by then, they will be performing at more venues, charting highly on Billboard, and becoming role models to future trainees.
“We will always perform well, and even more in the future is always our biggest thing,” says Seeun. “And, [being] most cool.”
“Being cool is good,” Junghoon adds. “We would love to be that. But also, honestly, for every stage and performance that we do, we have to do our absolute best and show everything on stage.”
When asked what words would describe what to expect from xikers, words like “Passion,” “Confident,” “Energetic,” “Improved,” “Developed,” “#1,” “Hero,” and “Continuous Growth” were mentioned. But the common factor was that they’d like to become “Legends” in their own right.
“When other people look at xikers, I’d love to be a group that they see and are like, ‘Oh, I need to watch your stage,’” says Yujun. “‘They’re so cool. I gotta see them.’ I want to be a group like that.”