xooos has had quite the journey. From thinking of quitting music to now racking up millions of views on YouTube, the Korean singer went through a winding road to chase her dreams.  But, as they say, hard work always pays off. 

Most recently, the up-and-coming singer officially debuted with her single 'Naked' under the Warner Music-powered and Colde-founded record label, wavy. Serving as the beginning of a whole new era for her music career, xooos is finally on her way to being the artist she's always dreamed to be. 

"I always envisioned myself singing my own songs as I did cover videos. It’s refreshing and I’m happy about how I can present my own song ‘Naked’ to everyone. I want to work hard and show diverse tracks and performances," she tells Bandwagon. 

Following the release of 'Naked', Bandwagon caught up with xooos to talk about her debut, her love for music, and what to expect next. 

Hi xooos, let’s go back to the beginning real quick. What first inspired you to start sharing your covers on YouTube?

Actually, when I started YouTube, I was thinking I might have to quit singing. Working as a part-timer in college, I wondered what I should do and it all started out with the idea of regularly uploading a cover video on YouTube. 

What’s been the most valuable lesson you’ve learned from posting covers and from your YouTube community?

When I uploaded videos, I focused on uploading regularly instead of expecting people’s attention on a particular video for having put a lot of time and effort into it. I think that was my strength. My videos happened to draw more attention as I kept on uploading and I feel lucky about that. I felt lost when I first started YouTube and I never thought the cover videos would receive this much love. It’s still awkward and I feel like I am overrated. 

How does it feel to now debut as an artist?

I always envisioned myself singing my own songs as I did cover videos. It’s refreshing and I’m happy about how I can present my own song ‘Naked’ to everyone. I want to work hard and show diverse tracks and performances.

You’ve recently signed with wavy, how does it feel to be part of the label?

wavy gives me the impression of a musical hideout, it covers not only music but art and culture altogether. It’s a good environment to exchange diverse stories about music and it’s always helpful. It’s great to be able to look for my colour and learn in a label like wavy. 

Congratulations on the release of your debut single ‘Naked’! Could you tell us more about the story behind the song?

Thank you! If you listen to the lyrics, it says: “I don’t want to hesitate, I’ll break out of the fence”.

This is actually my own narrative. Big or small, I would always make plans before taking a step—I got very intentional with the song release and that postponed the release. I didn’t want to hesitate anymore and decided to challenge myself to make the move. That mindset was channelled in the song.

What vision do you have for this new chapter of your music career? What kind of music can we expect from you moving forward?

First of all, I want to make sure to present songs that I’ve participated in and even songs that I wrote. I wish to present the songs that I’ve produced one day. Also, as I showed you in the cover videos, I would like to try diverse songs and challenge myself with diverse images. Please stay tuned to it.

Who are some of the artists that inspire you? 

The artist that inspires me differs by circumstances and seasons! These days, I’m listening to a lot of female solo Y2K pop artists such as sweetbox, Avril Lavigne, and Christina Aguilera. 

Share with us some plans you have for 2023.

This could be a spoiler but I’m currently preparing for an EP. I will be back with a wider array of more refined songs. Please stay tuned and I hope the best for everyone this year. Thank you!

 Listen to xooos' 'Naked' here.