| (Image Source: Yahoo News Singapore/Riot Games) |
Riot Games and the hip hop and R&B-inspired girl group XG recently announced the upcoming release of their collaboration single titled ‘UNDEFEATED’ for the VALORANT Champions Tour Pacific (VCT Pacific) 2024 tournament, which is set to be released globally on all digital music streaming platforms on April 12, 2024 with its official music video coming to VCT Pacific's official YouTube channel. UNDEFEATED is XG’s first gaming collaboration and follows the announcement of their single ‘WOKE UP’ which drops on May 21, 2024. XG's Executive Producer JAKOPS (SIMON) directly oversaw the production, infusing the song with the unique confidence and colors of the group. Fans of XG and VCT Pacific can look forward to a song that carries an inspiring message of “fearlessly seizing victory at all times" and is crafted with a heavy bassline, minimalistic drum composition, and dreamy synthesizers. Through the distinctive vocals of XG members, the song seeks to energize those who dare to take on challenges.
Consisting of JURIN, CHISA, HARVEY, HINATA, JURIA, MAYA, and COCONA, XG, which stands for 'Xtraordinary Girls', debuted in March 2022 with their 1st single ‘Tippy Toes'. In September 2023, they released their 1st Mini Album ‘NEW DNA', achieving a number one on Billboard JAPAN's ‘Hot Albums'. In November of the same year, they held their first solo live audience showcase, 'XG 'NEW DNA' SHOWCASE in JAPAN' at the Pia Arena MM. They have performed all over the world, participating in major music festivals in the US, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, and the UAE. XG has achieved numerous global milestones, including being the first Japanese artist to top the 'Hot Trending Songs Powered by Twitter' on the Billboard charts and gracing the5 cover of the 'Billboard' magazine as the first Japanese girls group. In 2024, XG announced their first-ever world tour, the "XG 1st WORLD TOUR 'The first HOWL''. Through their attention-grabbing and dynamic style of music and performance, they aim to empower people from all walks of life around the world.
"We're thrilled to collaborate with XG on the creation of UNDEFEATED for VCT Pacific. We hope the track will not only bring more hype to what will undoubtedly be a thrilling VCT Pacific season, but also demonstrate our commitment to our passionate community. It is the love and support from our fans so far that have encouraged us to seek more creative avenues for expression. We are grateful to work with XG to bring such a special track to life and hope our fans in the region and beyond will enjoy it as much as we do," said Riot Games' Head of VALORANT eSports Asia Pacific (APAC) Jake Sin. JAKOPS (SIMON) expressed his thoughts on the collaboration, saying, “I wanted to bring deep emotion and excitement to Valorant players worldwide and to everyone who loves music. While producing 'UNDEFEATED', I aimed to convey the spirit of being 'undefeated' to listeners, just as the title suggests. Through this collaboration, I hope that everyone, including members of ALPHAZ as well as all players, will embrace the spirit of dreams, challenges, and never losing in competition, just like XG. I believe that the effort of artists on stage and the determination and effort of players striving for victory in matches are one and the same. Like XG and myself, I hope that the unwavering determination to move forward, even when the road ahead is not smooth, resonates with everyone. Additionally, I hope that this collaboration will be a great gift, along with the synergy that can only be shown through music to fans worldwide, in the VALORANT Champions Tour Pacific League.”
VCT Pacific is one of four international leagues in the wider VALORANT eSports ecosystem that includes VCT Americas, VCT EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa) and VCT CN (China). Pro-teams will fight through their respective international leagues to gain qualification into VCT global events, Masters and Champions. VCT Pacific teams have officially kicked off the season with Stage 1, now running until May 12, 2024 in Seoul, South Korea, where they are fighting for a chance to represent the region at VCT Masters Shanghai. Stakes rise even higher for Stage 2 where teams will then fight for a chance to go to VCT Champions 2024, the pinnacle of VALORANT eSports where teams will battle for the title of world champion.
