Woke Up

"Woke Up" is anchored by 808 bass and East Asian sounds.{{Cite web |last=Fell |first=Nicole |date=2024-05-21 |title=Rising Stars XG on New Single “Woke Up” and Rehearsing “Morning to Night” for First World Tour |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/music-news/xg-interview-tour-new-single-1235899590/ |access-date=2025-02-27 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US}} Jurin stated that the song's lyrics are about "challenging the status quo and breaking those stereotypes and boundaries that are all around us."{{Cite web |last=Tan |first=Azrin |date=2024-05-21 |title=XG on their latest single 'Woke Up' and what's next for the septet |url=https://vogue.sg/xg-woke-up-single/ |access-date=2025-02-27 |website=Vogue Singapore |language=en-US}}

The song features entirely rap verses from the seven members of XG. According to Jurin, the song is "XG's first all-rap song featuring all seven members."{{Cite web |title=Exclusive! XG Talks Career Highs, Taking Risks & Their New Rap Single 'WOKE UP' |url=https://www.lofficielsingapore.com/culture/exclusive-celebrity-interview-xg-new-rap-single-woke-up-first-world-tour-music-kpop |access-date=2025-02-27 |website=L'Officiel Singapore |language=en}} Similarly, Maya specifically noted that it would be the first time that XG's vocalists would be rapping. Chisa, a vocalist, noted that rapping was both fun and challenging.{{Cite web |last=Bautista |first=Rafael |date=2024-05-27 |title=“Boring” Is Nowhere Near XG’s Vocabulary |url=https://nylonmanila.com/pop-culture/xg-woke-up-world-tour-interview/ |access-date=2025-02-27 |website=nylonmanila.com |language=en-US}}

The music video for "Woke Up" features XG's seven members with "different coloured eyes, bold haircuts, grills and Y2K inspired alternative fashion looks," as well as their transformation into "edgy, gothic wolves." It also features a scene where member Cocona shaves her head.{{Cite web |last=Bui |first=Jessica |date=2024-06-21 |title=Global Girl Group XG Ushered In A New Era With Their Latest Single "Woke Up" |url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/jessicabui1/xg-woke-up |access-date=2025-02-27 |website=BuzzFeed |language=en}} With regard to the choreography, "Woke Up" features less unified dancing and instead showcases "smaller groups" with "a lot of variation" in movement. The music video's concept and design was spearheaded by South Korean photographer Cho Gi-seok.{{Cite web |last=Tan |first=Azrin |date=2024-06-04 |title=Let's bring back the weird and wild era of K-pop beauty |url=https://vogue.sg/weird-kpop-beauty-xg-woke-up/ |access-date=2025-02-27 |website=Vogue Singapore |language=en-US}}

Vogue Singapore called the music video "reminiscent of the days that K-pop used to carry with it that same defiant, rebellious energy; when each new-generation group laid bare their own version of theatrical beauty—the kind that would make a statement on its own," specifically mentioning 2NE1 and F(x) as examples. Lifted wrote that "The storyline and graphics are Hollywood-esque as they transform into wolves ready to tear the party up."{{Cite web |title=XG showcases their artistic transcendence in ‘Woke Up’ |url=https://liftedasia.com/id/article/xg-woke-up |access-date=2025-02-27 |website=liftedasia.com |language=en-US}}

On September 20, 2024, XG released a remix of "Woke Up" featuring entirely new verses in English, Korean, and Japanese by Jay Park, OZworld, AKLO, Paloalto, Verbal, Awich, Tak, and Dok2.{{Cite web |date=September 24, 2024 |title=XG’s ‘Woke Up Remix’ showcases Japanese & Korean Hip Hop all-stars |url=https://liftedasia.com/article/xgs-woke-up-remix |access-date=2024-11-08 |website=liftedasia.com |language=en-US}} The remix was later included as the seventh track on XG's second EP, Awe.{{Cite web |last=Benjamin |first=Jeff |title=XG Release ‘AWE’ Mini Album After Wrapping First North American Tour |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffbenjamin/2024/11/09/xg-release-awe-mini-album-after-wrapping-first-north-american-tour/ |access-date=2025-02-27 |website=Forbes |language=en}}

In Tokyo, Japan, XG collaborated with fashion retail store GR8 on a "Woke Up" photo exhibition which was open on June 15–16, 2024 at the city's GR8 location. Clothing merchandise was designed by Japanese artist Kosuke Kawamura.{{Cite web |date=2024-06-14 |title=GR8 x XG "WOKE UP" Photo Exhibition Merch {{!}} Release Date & Price {{!}} SNKRDUNK Magazine |url=https://snkrdunk.com/en/magazine/2024/06/14/gr8-xg-woke-up-photo-exhibition-merch-kosuke-kawamura-release-date-price/ |access-date=2025-02-27 |website=SNKRDUNK Magazine {{!}} sneaker news and release information find your favorite Jordan, Nike adidas and more. |language=en}}

Lauding "Woke Up" as "a pretty good song," Stereogum observed the group's "different ratatat flows" and "levels of charisma and energy," comparing them to "early Brockhampton if they were all Japanese girls and if they had an absolutely unlimited music-video budget."{{Cite web |date=2024-05-21 |title=Japanese Girl Group XG's New Single "Woke Up" Is Nuts: Listen |url=https://www.stereogum.com/2264439/japanese-girl-group-xgs-new-single-woke-up-is-nuts/music/ |access-date=2025-02-27 |website=Stereogum |language=en}}

InStyle noted that the song had "a darker, more menacing mood than the group has offered before."{{Cite web |title=With "Woke Up," XG Is Gearing Up to Dominate the Global Music Industry |url=https://www.instyle.com/xg-woke-up-hip-hop-influence-america-tour-8651751 |access-date=2025-02-27 |website=InStyle |language=en}}

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Category:2024 singles

Category:XG (group) songs