EXO - An overview of the history of the boy band

Aliens from the exoplanet who have come to Earth with individual superpowers. This is the concept of EXO, the nine-member boy band that debuted on April 8, 2012, then with 12 members, with the album “Mama” and the single of the same name. The term "exoplanet" is the abbreviation for "extrasolar planet" and describes celestial bodies that do not belong to the solar system, but to other planetary systems, as they move outside the gravitational influence of the sun, under the influence of another star. The boy band's first tour in 2014 was even titled “EXO from Exoplanet #1 - The Lost Planet”. Whether there is one of the currently almost 4,700 exoplanets remains a secret, but the members of EXO don't need any superpowers to delight their fans again and again.

If you want to know who has which superpower, you can let the members of EXO explain it to you here:

The concept of superpowers crops up again and again in the music videos - for example, "Mama" and "Power" - and fans always discuss how the stories of the music videos might be connected.

For many years, EXO was divided into two subunits "EXO-M" and "EXO-K". The six members of EXO-M promoted their songs in China and the six others promoted as "EXO-K" in Korea. The songs were recorded in both Korean and Mandarin, fans could choose between the Korean and Chinese versions of each album, and even the music videos were released in two different versions. On April 8, 2011, EXO-K debuted the Korean version of "Mama" on the Korean music program Inkigayo, while EXO-M performed on a Chinese award show on the same day. Although EXO-K and EXO-M sometimes performed separately, the songs that appeared on the albums were recorded in both languages ​​by all members and all of them were also featured in the two versions of the music video. The songs and videos differ in that the vocal parts are distributed differently. For example, in the Korean video for “History” the six members of EXO-K are shown at the beginning and in the Chinese video the members of EXO-M are shown. In the Korean version, the first lines of the song are sung by Kai, in the Chinese version by Luhan.

The members

Before we continue, we would like to give you a quick overview of the members of EXO:

EXO-K

EXO-M

Former members (Formerly EXO-M)

EXO fans had to cope with one shock after another in 2014 and 2015, with the three Chinese members Kris, Tao and Luhan leaving the band in quick succession. All three sued their agency SM Entertainment for various and sometimes unknown reasons. Among the known reasons is the former members' accusation that they were poorly treated and paid. All three were involved in legal negotiations with SM Entertainment for several years and came to an agreement that resulted in them, to this day, having an exclusive contract with SM Entertainment and having to give up part of their income to the agency.

All three debuted as solo artists in China and are active there as both singers and actors.

From left to right: Luhan, Tao & Kris

Since three members of EXO-M left the group, the subunits practically no longer exist and Lay is the only remaining Chinese member of EXO. For a few years the band released their albums and music videos in Korean and Chinese, but now their new music is mainly released in Korean.

Achievements

After their debut, EXO quickly established themselves in the music market and built a large fan base. The fans, called “EXO-L`s”, have helped their idols achieve some groundbreaking success then and now. It would take far too long to list them all, but we would like to give you at least a little insight and introduce you to the most outstanding milestones here:

The first studio album “ XOXO ”, which EXO released in 2013, was the first album since 2001 to sell over 1 million copies.

EXO can now proudly boast six albums that have sold more than a million copies; the best-selling one to date even reached almost two million.

title	Year	Albums sold
Don`t Mess Up My Tempo	2018	over 1.9 million albums sold
The War	2017	over 1.7 million albums sold
XOXO	2013	over 1.3 million albums sold
Exodus	2015	over 1.3 million albums sold
Don`t Fight The Feeling	2021	over 1.2 million albums sold
Ex`Act	2016	over 1.2 million albums sold

They also topped the list of best-selling album of the year for several years, 2013 to 2016. In 2017 they were overtaken by BTS, who regularly hold the top position to this day.

In 2015, EXO released the single “Lightsaber” to promote the film “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” before it was released in South Korea. The song was created as part of a collaboration between SM Entertainment and Walt Disney. Later, EXO's album “ Sing For You ” was released, and “Lightsaber” was included as a bonus track.

Three years later, in 2018, a K-pop song was played for the first time at the Dubai Fountain : “Power” by EXO from the album “ The War ”. Less than a month passed and the band celebrated another international success. EXO performed at the closing ceremony of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics and was even awarded commemorative medals to honor their contribution to the spread of Korean culture.

EXO performed at the Olympics with their 2013 hit “Growl” and 2017’s “Power.”

Solo and unit activities

EXO has been in the business for more than 8 years now, so it's no wonder that some members have now established their own solo careers.

In October 2016, the first subunit “EXO-CBX” debuted with the album “Hey Mama!”. The name “CBX” is made up of the initials of the three members Chen, Baekhyun & Xiumin. The unit has released a total of four CDs together and even recorded soundtracks for Korean series together, such as the single “For You” for “Moon Lovers”, a historical fantasy drama in which Baekhyun himself played a recurring role.

For example, Baekhyun can be seen from 1:45 to 1:50 or 2:37 to 2:42 in the official music video.

In the same month, “Lose Control”, Lay's first solo album, was released entirely in Chinese. So far, six more albums have followed, roles in Chinese films and series, and other activities in China. Fans were very happy about Lay's appearance in the music video for “ Don't Fight The Feeling ”, as the member has hardly been active with the group in recent years due to his many solo activities.

The second member of EXO Solo debuted with the album “April, and a Flower” in 2019. Chen released his second solo album, “Dear My Dear,” just months later and married his pregnant fiancée the following year. His daughter was born in April 2020. Chen is the first married member of EXO and continues to be an idol despite criticism from many fans and their attempts to remove him from the group.

The year 2019 was exciting for all EXO-L's, because after Chen, Baekhyun also made his solo debut with the album “ City Lights ”. He released three more albums, two of which - “ Delight ” and “ Bambi ” - sold over a million copies. Also in 2019, the second subunit “EXO-SC” was formed. Again, the name is made up of the initials of the members, Sehun and Chanyeol. The two have released two albums so far: “ 1 Billion Views ” and “ What a Life ”.

In March 2020, Suho’s first and so far only solo album, “ Self-Portrait ”, was released, and in November Kai followed with “ KAI ”. Just recently, on July 27, Main Vocal DO, who until then had been active solo primarily as an actor, finally released his first album “ Empathy ”.

Military Service

Military service is mandatory for all men in South Korea because the country is technically still at war with North Korea. Fans therefore have to be strong for around 18 months when their favorite artist completes his service.

DO. and Xiumin have already completed their military service. Four members - Suho, Chen, Chanyeol & Baekhyun - are currently registered and with the exception of Baekhyun, who won't be ready until 2023, all will be released in 2022. Suho in February, Chen in April and Chanyeol in September. Sehun and Kai have not yet announced when they will complete their military service. Lay is not affected by conscription because he is Chinese.

This means that only five members of EXO are currently active: Xiumin, Lay, D.O., Kai and Sehun.

Are you looking forward to the day when EXO is whole again? Who is your bias in EXO? Let us know in the comments!