MANILA, Philippines — GMA Artist Center recently introduced its newest batch of artists — the all-female quartet XOXO. Originally from The Clash, they are Riel (24 years old), “The Diva” who hails from Cagayan de Oro; Dani (22), the “Fierce and Sexy” Cebuana; Lyra (24), the Davaoeña with the “Tough Girl” vibe; and Mel (21), the “Sweet Girl” from Bulacan.
Hoping to make their presence felt in the music scene with their powerful vocal harmony and energetic dance moves, the XOXO girls are eager to showcase their combined talents and edgy personalities to the performing stage.
Inspired by Little Mix, Spice Girls and Destiny’s Child, XOXO underwent training for two and a half months since April under songwriter and musical director Vince de Jesus and dance choreographer Missjoe Abuda.
“It’s good that they have very varied influences. So (while training), nag-translate din sila ng songs (from) English to Filipino, Filipino to English because I think it’s better for them to experience how to write songs and to understand them kasi maraming magaling kumanta sa bansang ito pero iilan lang yung nakakaintindi ng kinakanta. So, I told them to really understand what they’re singing, otherwise it’s just a beautiful voice floating above,” said Vince, adding that he and Missjoe are happy that the girls have been eager to learn.
“Masarap magturo sa mga taong gustong matuto and they’re obviously very powerful singers so the challenge was how to make them sing together as a group because they were soloists,” Vince said.
Filipino-Nigerian Riel said that over the course of their training, they learned how to be different in their own ways and yet be united in bringing something unique to the table. “We have learned to hear each other’s ideas and we would find a way to merge those ideas to create something beautiful. Although challenging, it’s an advantage for us because most of the groups na nakikita namin pare-parehas sila ng genres.”
Asked if XOXO is ready to be compared with other existing girl groups in the local scene such as It’s Showtime’s GT and MNL48.
“It’s normal na merong comparison because people have different opinions naman but for us, we know what we can bring to the table even if we have different personalities, and that make us unique,” replied Riel, adding in jest, “At saka hindi po kami sexy lahat so this is something new naman kasi most girl groups are sexy, so kami bago naman sa paningin, hahaha!”
Besides TV guestings on GMA, XOXO is also busy working on its upcoming single under GMA Music.
Vince said, “Right now, they will do cover songs but with a twist. So ganun ang branding nila siguro that if they are going to do old songs, it won’t exactly be the same as the original because what’s the point kung ganun din yung tunog. They will also be singing OPM from the ‘90s pero updated ng flavor ngayon. We don’t want to forget OPM because, of course, we have to love our own music. But eventually soon, they will perform original songs and that’s the main objective. Anyway, we will always stay behind their back to be their support system.”
For his part, Missjoe said, “I usually tell them to always be the first person to believe in themselves because the message of XOXO is positivity and we want to inspire more people.”