[FEATURE] The Journey to Becoming Xeno-T

The five members of Xeno-T are actually not new to the K-pop industry. They have actually made their debut last 2013 as part of 13 member group called Topp Dogg in 2013. So sit back, relax, and let’s witness the journey of the group to becoming who they are now!

Prior to their debut, the members of Topp Dogg have been releasing music since March and April 2012.  Kidoh, Jenissi, Hansol, P-Goon, Nakta, A-Tom, B-Joo, Sangwon, Sangdo, Hyunho, Gohn, Jiho, and Hojoon were officially introduced as the members of the group on October 2013 with the release of their debut music video for the hip-hop infused song “Follow Me (말로해)” as the lead single of EP “Dogg’s Out“.

The group showed no signs of stopping as they put out a repackaged version of the EP in December, which included “Cigarette” that showcased a much more mellow and softer music, and a Chinese version of their debut song.

A month later, the group made a comeback with “Open the Door” and “Arario” which were released just a day after another. Although they were dropped almost consecutively, the music video for “Arario” was made public a month later, which served as the title track of their repackaged EP.

In June of that same year, it was announced that Topp Dogg will be coming back with their third EP “AmadeuS“. However a few days before the release, the EP was leaked on the internet which prompted the label to take legal actions against the culprit.  The EP’s title track “TOPDOG” is an impressive mix of strings, trap, and hip-hop, which makes it a unique twist to all the usual K-pop beat during that time. After three months, the group released a repackage version of “AmadeuS” which included three new tracks.

2015 marked the start of the group’s line up-changes when Seogoong announced that he would be moving from Topp Dogg to its sub-unit “Under Dogg” to cover a wider musical spectrum. Topp Dogg also moved from Stardom Entertainment to Hunus Entertainment after the former company has been aquired and merged with the latter. It was not an easy year for the members as Gohn and Kidoh were confirmed to have filed lawsuits against the company.

At the same year, their fourth EP “The Beat” was released with a single of the same name.

Along with the release of their first studio album “First Street“, it was later revealed that Jenissi will depart from the group to pursue a solo career. The main song “Rainy Day” featured a nostalgic sound and laid back melody with little bursts of rap and smooth vocals.

Produce 101 Season 2 came along which brought the announcement of A-Tom‘s participation. A few months later, the company also announced Sangdo, Xero, B-Joo, Yano, and Hojoon’s participation in another survival program The Unit. As other members continued to pursue their careers,  Hansol, P-Goon and Nakta were revealed to have left the group.

The five remaining members decided to start fresh and rebrand themselves as Xeno-T, which is a combination of ‘xenogeneic’ and ‘top-class’. They officially debuted in Japan with their single “どこにいても (Wherever You Are)“.

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Catch Hojoon, Sangdo, B-Joo, Xero and Sangwon perform live at the upcoming Show Champion in Manila happening on 28 October 2018 at the Mall of Asia Arena! Tickets area available at SM Tickets, and this event is brought to you by All Access Production.

Written by: Jackie

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