Japanese pop group XG went from brutal five year training to global pop stars
Every night, before they take the stage, the seven members of pop group XG form a circle and join hands. Band leader Jurin shouts "Hesono"
Every night, before they take the stage, the seven members of pop group XG form a circle and join hands. Band leader Jurin shouts "Hesono", and the other members reply with a loud shout of "Oh", flinging their arms towards the sky.
They're not the only band to have pre-show ritual โ but there's a special message behind XG's chant. Hesono-o (or, more accurately ใธใใฎ็ท) is the Japanese word for umbilical cord. It can symbolise someone's fate or destiny from birth.
For XG, the phrase represents the intensity of their bond. "We're so strongly connected, we're always thinking the same things," says Chisa, the group's oldest member. "In our early days, I actually had a dream we were connected by an umbilical cord, like a mother and child.
"So I threw that out as an idea for our identity. People said, 'That's so new and interesting', and that's how the concept of Hesono-o was born."
The BriefWire