| NAME | xikers |
|---|---|
| KOREAN | 싸이커스 |
| FANDOM NAME | road𝓨 |
| DEBUT | March 30, 2023 |
|---|---|
| AGENCY | KQ Entertainment |
| MEMBERS | Minjae, Junmin, Sumin, Jinsik, Hyunwoo, Junghoon, Seeun, Yujun, Hunter and Yechan. (10) |
The name “xikers” is a blend of “x” (coordinates) and “hikers” (travelers). It means that the 10 members are traveling through time and space to find their coordinates: their fans. The fandom’s name is “road𝓨“ and ties in perfectly with the boy group’s own name. The fans are the coordinates that show xikers the way.
Come along and learn more about the story of xikers!
PRE-DEBUT
In May 2018, the then still-young label “KQ Entertainment” introduced an eight-member trainee group called “KQ Fellaz”. They won fans over with energetic performance videos and debuted in October 2018 under the name ATEEZ. Today, there’s hardly anyone who doesn’t know this boy group, since they now belong to the absolute top tier of the Korean music industry and celebrate major international success as well.
4 years later, a new group was preparing to follow in ATEEZ’s footsteps. 10 trainees introduced themselves in August 2022 on the entertainment show “KQ Fellaz 2: Ready To One”. In the finale, KQ Fellaz 2 released the pre-debut single “Geek”, composed and written by member Minjae.
But that was only the beginning: right after the first show, the new talents appeared in a reality series called “The Player: KPop Quest”, where they completed various missions and proved their potential as K-pop idols.
On February 24, the 10 trainees came a big step closer to their debut, as KQ Entertainment launched new social media channels and uploaded an “identity film” there that revealed the boy group’s official name: xikers
That was followed in March by two more reality shows: in “Tricky House”, the xikers members had their dream stolen and had to solve puzzles to get it back. The second show, “Let's Go xikers”, focused on TikTok challenges and the members’ different charms. Fans had already gotten to know the boys through the previous shows and were now eagerly counting down together with them to their debut, which was announced for early March!
Thai fans had a chance to see the boy group live even before that point, as xikers performed on March 18 at the “KCON 2023 Thailand” festival, where they performed not only a cover of 2PM’s hit “Heartbeat” but also their debut single “TRICKY HOUSE”!
On March 30, 2023, xikers finally celebrated their official debut.
CAREER
xikers spent a long time preparing for their debut. Fans have followed the boy group since 2022, but Minjae, Sumin and the others had already trained hard for years before that to make their dream come true. The effort paid off: the debut mini album “HOUSE OF TRICKY : DOORBELL RINGING” reached No. 4 on both the Korean Circle Album Chart and the American Billboard World Album Chart, and sold almost 100 thousand copies in its first week.
It was also notable that three members — Minjae, Sumin and Yechan — were involved in producing the album. ATEEZ member Hongjoong was also credited several times. xikers is therefore among the groups that put a lot of themselves into their own music, giving it a personal touch.
Unfortunately, Junghoon had to take a break just a good month after debut, since he had torn a ligament in his knee that required surgery. The injury was so severe that it took him almost two years to fully recover. xikers therefore continued as a group of nine for the time being.
In August, the second mini album “HOUSE OF TRICKY : HOW TO PLAY” was released with two title tracks: “Home Boy” and “Do or Die”. With this album, xikers doubled their previous sales record, selling over 205 thousand copies in the first week!
xikers then really stepped it up: on October 5, their very first world tour ‘Tricky House: First Encounter’ kicked off with a concert in Osaka, Japan. The tour took the boys beyond Asia to the United States, Europe and Australia. By mid-July 2024, the tour had included 17 concerts in 10 different countries.
In the meantime, on March 8, 2024, the third mini album “HOUSE OF TRICKY : Trial And Error” was released, which placed successfully on the Billboard charts. xikers had previously reached No. 75 on the Billboard 200 Chart with their debut album. “Trial And Error” climbed a bit higher to No. 73. Above all, xikers could boast being the first 5th-generation K-pop group to break into the Top 100 with two albums within a single year!
From April to June, the members of xikers also took part, together with their label mates ATEEZ, in the very first K-pop exhibition at the GRAMMY Museum in Los Angeles.
On August 7, 2024, shortly after the tour ended, xikers made their Japan debut with the single “Tsuki (Lunatic)”. In September, the fourth Korean mini album “HOUSE OF TRICKY : WATCH OUT” followed, including the title track “Witch”.
Shortly before the year ended, fans got some very special news from KQ Entertainment: Junghoon, who had been recovering from a torn knee ligament since May 2023, was set to return to group activities in January 2025! The label emphasized that the singer still had screws and pins in his knee and therefore continued to experience mild discomfort. Still, Junghoon’s condition had improved enough that he was able to perform on stage again.
The fifth mini album “HOUSE OF TRICKY : Spur”, released on April 4, 2025, was the first since the debut album to feature all 10 members of xikers! Fans were so thrilled that they bought over 174 thousand copies of the album in its first week, giving xikers a new personal record! On top of that, the album shot up to No. 2 on the weekly Circle Album Chart — a position previously only reached by the 3rd mini album “Trial and Error”.
To celebrate the success and Junghoon’s return, xikers kicked off their second world tour ‘Road to XY : Enter the Gate’ on May 3 with a concert in Seoul. From there, it continued on to North America and Japan. However, the tour ended as early as June 1 and included only 7 concerts in total — one reason for this could be that Junghoon wasn’t yet as physically capable as the others.
xikers didn’t take a break after the tour, instead working hard on new music: in July, their second Japanese single “Up All Night” was released, and on August 1, the boy group presented their very first English single, “Iconic”!
On October 31, the sixth mini album “HOUSE OF TRICKY : Wrecking The House” was released, and xikers broke their personal sales record once again: over 327 thousand copies were sold in the first week — almost twice as many as its predecessor, “HOUSE OF TRICKY : Spur”.
The album marked a turning point in xikers’ career, as it was the final installment of the HOUSE OF TRICKY series, which began with the debut album “HOUSE OF TRICKY : DOORBELL RINGING” and lasted two and a half years. HOUSE OF TRICKY tells the story of 10 ordinary boys who are led by the mischievous goblin “Tricky” and travel through a fantastical, chaotic dimension. Along the way, the group faced various trials and discovered their inner strengths.
On May 19, a new series began with the seventh mini album “ROUTE ZERO : The Ora”. It represents the transition into adulthood and stands for a new beginning for xikers.
DISCOGRAPHY
FILMOGRAPHY/ VIDEOGRAPHY
| YEAR | TITLE |
|---|---|
| 2022 | Ready to One (Pre-Debut Web Series) |
| 2022 | The Player: KPop Quest (Pre-Debut Reality Show) |
| 2023 | Tricky House (Pre-Debut Reality Show) |
| 2023 | Let's Go Xikers (Pre-Debut Reality Show) |
FUN FACTS
- xikers has 9 Korean members. The 10th member, Hunter, is from Thailand and is the first non-Korean idol under KQ Entertainment.
- Yechan was the first to join KQ Entertainment. He was a trainee there for almost 5 years. In 2018, he took part in the MBC survival show “Under Nineteen”.
- Minjae originally trained under SM Entertainment and only moved to KQ later.
- Junmin is the second-oldest member of xikers, but at home he’s the youngest — he has an older brother.
- Sumin is a talented artist whose work has even won competitions.
- When Jinsik watches horror movies with his friends or bandmates, he likes to watch the others get scared.
- Hyunwoo did judo for 2-3 years during his school days.
- Junghoon can play several instruments, including guitar and piano.
- Seeun is known for his language skills, as he speaks fluent English and Japanese in addition to Korean.
- Yujun is left-handed.
OUR FAVORITE PERFORMANCE
In their still-young career, the members of xikers have already experienced many highs and lows. They started out as KQ Fellaz 2, overcame injuries, and have already traveled around the globe on their world tours. Where the journey takes the ten members next is uncertain, but one thing is for sure: road𝓨 will always be right there with them!
Sources: xikers social media channels, KQ Entertainment, Circle Chart, Billboard, Hanteo
