‘AWE’, the girl group XG’s latest mini album, has made its debut on the US Billboard 200 chart. The album came in at number 175 on the charts. It’s also important for Japanese artists because it’s the first Japanese girl group to make the list since Baby Metal’s “Metal Galaxy” in 2019 and comes after Joe Hisaishi and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra’s 2023 song “A Symphonic Celebration, Music from the Studio Ghibli Films of Hayao Miyazaki.”
The success of XG comes after their song “Grl Gvng” debuted at the top of the ‘Hot Trending Songs Powered by Twitter’ chart, making them the first Japanese artist to top the US weekly chart.
“AWE” was made available in the US on December 6 and Japan on November 8. On the Billboard Japan Hot Albums chart and the Oricon Weekly Album Chart, it came in at number 3. Additionally, the album peaked at Number 12 on the Daily Apple Music Worldwide Album Chart. It peaked at Number 2 on the iTunes Top 100 Pop Albums (Worldwide) and made it into the Top 200 in 48 countries and regions.
‘The First HOWL,’ the girl group’s first world tour, began this year, and they have already played 29 shows in 26 cities throughout the globe. A remarkable achievement for a Japanese artist, the tour has attracted about 200,000 people, including 120,000 fans in Asia, 50,000 in North America, and 30,000 in the UK and Europe.
Additionally, XG is scheduled to play at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in 2025. They are the only Japanese artists at the music and arts festival as a result. There will be a lot of excitement in the music industry as they become the first Japanese female artist to take the second headliner position, right behind the main headliner.