‘Chaotic, fun, and unapologetic’: Meet XO, the hottest new girl group on the British music scene 

Meet XO, the five-piece only formed in autumn 2024 but they are evidently already a force to be reckoned with following the recent release of singles ‘Lovesick’ and ‘Real Friends’. Channelling the spirit of the Spice Girls into a contemporary and cutting-edge sound, XO are the hottest new girl-group in the British music scene.

In a conversation with XO, we sat down with all five members – Shali, Zoe, Emmy, Summer, and Reanna – to discuss the formation of the group, the release of their first single, and to get some advice for any students who are aspiring artists.

To start with, for those who are just discovering XO, how would you describe your group in three words?

Shali: Chaotic, fun, and unapologetic.

And can you tell us more about the story of how XO came together? What’s the meaning behind your name?

Zoe: So, the meaning behind the name — it’s sort of open to interpretation. It can mean whatever you want to mean. It can be whatever you want it to be. And as for how we came about — a year ago, we all saw this little leaflet and it was like, “Do you want to be in a girl band? If you do, send in a self-tape.” And none of us really knew what it was for. It’s quite vague. But we were like, oh, let’s just go. Some of us went like to keep our agents happy and some of us went because the talent agency on the panel is one of the biggest in the UK, which was sick. And then we went to the audition, and there was like 140-ish girls there all day. It was a long old day, and they did a lot of rounds, and then at the end of the day, they set up fivechairs for us. And within a couple of months, we’d recorded foursongs and a music video.  

It is just so important to be completely, unapologetically you

Emmy

Last month, your official debut single ‘Lovesick’ was released. Can you tell us more about what the process of writing, recording, and releasing it was like?

Emmy: It’s quite a funny story because ‘Lovesick’, for us, came in a lot later than some of the other songs that we’ve been sitting with for a long time. When we first came into this, we had a track list of like 6 or 7 songs. But then two songs came through, ‘Lovesick’ and ‘Real Friends’. I think ‘Lovesick’ was a great place to start because it’s all about girlhood and the excitement of being young and having your first love and chatting about it with the girls, and it just goes with the whole vibe of our EP.

If you could go back and tell your younger self one thing before joining XO, what would it be?

Emmy: It is just so important to be completely, unapologetically you. The places that can take you are far from what you can even fathom. Confidence and resilience are the two most important things that you can run with, and I would definitely tell my younger self to not even question anything about themselves, just be 100% who you were born to be.

All our music videos and a couple Q&As are on our YouTube at XO-Official-Music

Zoe

Many students here are juggling their dreams with studying at university. Is there any advice you would give to aspiring artists or performers who might be reading?  

Shali: I would say, personally, I didn’t have many creative subjects at my school. So, I grew up doing the conventional subjects. I grew up in a very conventional family, so I was the only artist in my family. But though it may feel like you’re stuck in whatever route you’re doing at school, a lot of the skills that you learn are very much transferable to whatever you do in the future. Even if it’s problem solving or confidence when you walk into a room. That will take you so far wherever you decide to go after graduating. And just to have faith that, wherever life takes you, it’s where you’re meant to be.

Finally, for anyone who’s reading the article and wants to listen to more of your music, where can people follow your journey and support XO?

Zoe: Instagram and TikTok usually see what’s coming up first — xoofficial.co.uk for both of those platforms. All our music videos and a couple Q&As are on our YouTube at XO-Official-Music. And if you want all the sneaky previews and first announcements, sign up to our mailing list using our link in bio.