Introducing: XD:I, the four-member girl group bringing K-pop performance to the DJ booth

For XD:I, the show extends well beyond a three-minute song.

Made up of SWAN, BETTY, HAZÈ, and KANA, the four-member girl group combine K-pop vocals, rap, and choreography with DJing and electronic music. Their live format revolves around a continuous set, with members moving between the decks and the main stage as they build the crowd’s energy.

Represented by THE ARK Foundation, XD:I have been developing that approach through club and party performances in Seoul, including a 40-minute live set at Jangchung Gymnasium in August. Their recent festival bookings included EDC Korea’s circuitGROUNDS stage on 3 October, bringing the project into the electronic music festival circuit.

 

 

 

 

 

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K-pop listeners may already recognise SWAN as Shin Jiyoon, formerly of Weeekly. A songwriter and composer as well as a performer, she brings her idol experience into a role that now includes DJing and longer festival sets. Her artist profile also details solo work spanning lyric writing, composition, arrangement, choreography, and styling.

Alongside her at the decks is BETTY, whose background includes club appearances and a runner-up placing at the PLIT DJ Competition. She moves between DJing, rap, MCing, and dance, helping maintain momentum and respond to the audience throughout the set.

HAZÈ adds vocals, rap, and performance to the mix. Her profile describes a more restrained approach to expression, offering a different presence within the group. Youngest member KANA contributes vocals and dance, highlighted by her clear vocal tone and expressive delivery.

Those individual strengths feed into a flexible approach to performing. SWAN and BETTY handle DJing, while all four contribute across the show, with their roles changing according to the track and the flow of the set. Songs connect through electronic sections, choreography, and crowd interaction, giving the members room to develop a performance over a longer stretch of time.

“XD:I has been developed as a group that can connect DJing, vocals, rap, choreography, performance and direct audience interaction within one continuous set,” says Chanjae Park, CEO of THE ARK Foundation. “Each member has a different strength, and those different strengths come together to create the full XD:I live experience.”

For an introduction to their recorded music, there’s ‘SPRAY U’. Released on 5 August, the tech house-based single establishes the electronic direction underpinning the group’s live concept.

XD:I plan to take that format to more clubs and international festivals while continuing to release music as a K-pop group. Their ambition is to make the transitions between the decks, the microphone, and the choreography part of what fans come to see.