ST

AN
EX
 O
Exo (Korean: 엑소; stylized in all caps) is a South Korean–Chinese boy band based in Seoul, with
nine members: Xiumin, Suho, Lay, Baekhyun, Chen, Chanyeol, D.O., Kai and Sehun. The band was
formed by SM Entertainment in 2011 and debuted in 2012. Their music incorporates genres
like pop, hip-hop, and R&B, alongside electronic dance music genres like house, trap, and synth-
pop. Exo releases and performs music in Korean, Mandarin, and Japanese. The band ranked as
one of the top five most influential celebrities on the Forbes Korea Power Celebrity list each year
from 2014 to 2018, and have been named "the biggest boy band in the world" and the "kings of K-
pop" by media outlets.
Since 2014, Exo has exclusively performed as one group, while continuing to release and perform
music in multiple languages. Previously, the band debuted with twelve members separated into two
sub-groups: Exo-K (Suho, Baekhyun, Chanyeol, D.O., Kai, and Sehun) and Exo-M (Xiumin, Lay,
Chen, and former members Kris, Luhan, and Tao). Exo-K and Exo-M performed music in Korean
and Mandarin, respectively, until the release of their third EP Overdose in 2014. After the departures
of Kris, Luhan, and Tao amid legal battles in 2014 and 2015, the band continued with the remaining
nine members. Since 2016, Chen, Baekhyun, and Xiumin have also released music and performed
as a sub-unit named Exo-CBX. All of Exo's members also maintain solo careers in fields including
music, film, and television.
 Exo's first album XOXO (2013), which contains the breakthrough hit "Growl", was a critical and
commercial success. It sold over one million copies, making Exo the best-selling Korean artist in
twelve years. Subsequent albums and EPs have also had strong sales, with all Korean studio
albums each selling more than one million copies. Exo has won many awards for their albums,
including five consecutive Album of the Year wins at the Mnet Asian Music Awards and two
consecutive Artist of the Year wins at the Melon Music Awards. Exo's sixth album Don't Mess Up My
Tempo (2018) is their highest-charting album on the US Billboard200, debuting at number 23. It is
also their best selling album with over 1.9 million copies sold in South Korea.
Since Exo's first headlining tour in 2014, the band has performed over 100 concerts across four
tours and has participated in multiple joint tours. Exo is also known for its work beyond music, which
includes endorsement deals with brands such as Nature Republic and Samsung, and philanthropic
efforts such as Smile For U, a joint SM Entertainment and UNICEF project that began in 2015, and
in which Exo continues to participate.

Contents

 1Background
 2History
o 2.12006–2012: Formation
o 2.22013–2014: Commercial success
o 2.32015: Critical acclaim
o 2.42016–2017: Worldwide success
o 2.52018–present: International recognition
 3Artistry
o 3.1Musicality
o 3.2Songwriting
o 3.3Stage
 4Impact
 5Other ventures
o 5.1Endorsements
o 5.2Philanthropy
 6Awards and nominations
 7Discography
o 7.1Korean and Mandarin albums
o 7.2Japanese albums
 8Tours
 9Filmography
 10Footnotes
 11References
 12External links

Background
In 2011, SM Entertainment CEO, Lee Soo-man, revealed plans to debut a new boy band that would
be divided into two sub-groups, promoting the same music simultaneously in South Korea and China
by performing songs in both Korean and Mandarin.[1][2] After several member changes in December
2011, the group finalized its name as Exo, taken from the word "exoplanet".[3] The news of an
upcoming debut from SM Entertainment attracted substantial media attention from within South
Korea and internationally, with many comparing Exo to fellow SM boy band TVXQ.[4][2] It was also
reported that Exo would compete with a new girl group from rival YG Entertainment; however, no
such group ever debuted.[5]

History
2006–2012: Formation

Exo at SM Town Live World Tour III in Singapore in November 2012

Exo-K's leader, Suho, was the first member to join SM Entertainment, after a successful audition
through the company's casting system in 2006. The following year, Kai, with encouragement from
his father, auditioned at the SM Youth Best Contest; he won and received a contract.[6] Chanyeol,
who took second place in a Smart Model Contest, and Sehun, who went through four auditions in
two years,[7] were the next members to become trainees in 2008. In 2010, Exo-K's D.O. sang for his
audition and was eventually offered a contract.[8] The last member of Exo-K to become a trainee
was Baekhyun, who joined in 2011 through SM Entertainment's casting system and trained for
approximately one year before debut. In Exo-M, Kris auditioned in 2008 at a global SM
Entertainment audition in Canada, before moving to South Korea for training. That same
year, Lay auditioned in Changsha, China, and subsequently moved to South Korea,
while Xiuminattended an audition with his friend and won second place.[9] In 2010, Luhan was
scouted by an SM Entertainment representative in Seoul and passed his audition, while Tao was
scouted at a talent show. The last member to join Exo-M was Chen, who took part in the casting
system in 2011. The band's first televised performance was at the annual SBS Gayo Daejeon event
on December 29, 2011.[10]
Exo-K and Exo-M debuted with the single "Mama" on April 8, 2012, followed by the EP Mama on
April 9.[11] The two sub-groups promoted the album separately; Exo-K performed on South Korean
music program The Music Trend while Exo-M performed on the Top Chinese Music Awards in
Shenzhen on the same day.[12] The Korean version of the EP peaked at number one on South
Korea's Gaon Album Chart[13] and at number eight on the Billboard World Albums Chart,[14] while the
Mandarin version reached number two on China's Sina Album Chart and number one on various
Chinese streaming platforms. Prior its debut, Exo released two singles, titled "What Is Love" and
"History”, which peaked at number 88 on and number 68 respectively on the Gaon Digital Chart and
at number six on the Sina Music Chart.[15] Exo was awarded Best New Asian Group at the 2012 Mnet
Asian Music Awardsand the Newcomer Award at the Golden Disc Awards.

2013–2014: Commercial success

Exo with South Korean President, Park Geun-hye in China on June 28, 2013

The group's first studio album, XOXO, was released on June 3, 2013, in two versions: one in Korean
and one in Mandarin.[16] Unlike the EP Mama, for which Exo-K and Exo-M had separate
promotions, XOXO was jointly promoted, mainly in South Korea.[17] Exo recorded the album's lead
single "Wolf" together, but the rest of the album tracks were recorded
separately.[18] A repackaged version of the album, titled Growl, was released on August 5, 2013, with
three additional tracks. New single "Growl" peaked at number three on the Billboard K-Pop Hot
100[19] and at number two on the Gaon Digital Chart. All versions of XOXO collectively sold over one
million copies, making Exo the first South Korean artists to reach that milestone in 12 years.[20] That
December, Exo released a second EP, Miracles in December, as a special winter album containing
the single of the same name.[21] Prior to the release, the group promoted the album through their first
reality show, Exo's Showtime, which premiered on November 28, 2013 on the cable channel MBC
Every 1.[22] Following their 2013 releases, Exo won Song of the Year at the Melon Music Awards for
"Growl",[23] Disc Daesang at the Golden Disc Awards[24] and Album of the Year at the Mnet Asian
Music Awards[25] for XOXO, and the Daesang at the Seoul Music Awards.[26] In addition, Exo-M
received the Most Popular Group Award at the 2013 Top Chinese Music Awards.[27]
Exo's third EP, Overdose, was released on May 7, 2014.[28] Originally scheduled to be released on
April 21, the album was delayed due to the Sewol Ferry accident on April 16. Overdose was
promoted similarly to Mama, with Exo-K in South Korea and Exo-M promoting primarily in China.
The album had over 660,000 pre-orders, making it the most pre-ordered Korean EP in history.[29] The
Korean edition also peaked at number two on Billboard's World Albums Chart, and at number 129 on
the Billboard 200, making Exo the highest-ever charting male Korean group at that
time.[30][31] Overdose became the best selling release of 2014 in South Korea, and was the first EP to
top the yearly charts and win the Album of the Year Award at the Mnet Asian Music Awards.[32] On
December 22, Exo released their first live album, Exology Chapter 1: The Lost Planet[33] The album's
single, "December, 2014 (The Winter's Tale)", peaked at number one on the Gaon Digital Chart,
making it Exo's first number one single.[34] By the end of 2014, Exo was Japan's best-selling K-pop
artist of the year.[35]
On May 15, 2014, Kris filed a lawsuit against Sm Entertainment to terminate his contract and alleged
that SM: disregarded his health; maintained unfair profit distributions; restricted his freedom; and
treated him like a product rather than a person.[36] On May 24, the group began its first headlining
tour, "Exo from Exoplanet 1 – The Lost Planet", at the Olympic Gymnastics Arena.[37] Tickets for the
concert sold out in 1.47 seconds, breaking the record for the quickest concert sell-out by a Korean
artist.[37] On October 10, Luhan also filed a lawsuit against SM Entertainment to terminate his
contract.[38][39] He cited health problems and alleged he was treated differently than the band's Korean
members.[40]

2015: Critical acclaim

From left to right: D.O, Lay, and Kaiat the 24th Seoul Music Awards in January 2015
On March 7, 2015, Exo began their second headlining world tour, "Exoplanet 2 – The Exo'luxion",
with 70,000 attendees across five nights at the Olympic Gymnastics Arena in Seoul.[41] The group
released its second studio album Exodus on March 30, 2015, in both Korean and Mandarin
versions.[42] Domestic pre-orders for the album surpassed 500,000 copies within 24 hours, setting a
new record for pre-orders.[43]Lead single "Call Me Baby" was released ahead of schedule, on March
27, because versions of the song had been leaked online.[44] The music videos were released four
days later; the Korean version later became the most-watched K-pop music video of the first half of
2015.[45]The album spent a record four consecutive weeks at number one on the Gaon Album
Chart[46] and sold over a million copies, making it Exo's second album to do so,
after XOXO.[47] Exodus won Album of the Year at the 2015 Mnet Asian Music Awards, giving Exo
their third consecutive win. In April 2015, Exodus peaked at number 95 on the US Billboard 200,
making the group the highest charting Korean artist.[48][49] Exo also entered Billboard's Canadian Hot
100 chart at number 98, making them the first K-pop group and second Korean artist to chart
there.[50]
Tao was absent during promotions for Exodus due to injuries and, on August 24, became the third
member to file a lawsuit against SM Entertainment to terminate his contract.[51][52] This followed social
media posts earlier in the year from Tao's father on Chinese social network Weibo, expressing his
wish for his son to withdraw from the group and return to China due to health issues and a lack of
support for individual career development.[51] SM responded to his legal action with a statement: "Our
company plans to use everything in our power including both Korean and Chinese legal
professionals and partners to respond legally both in Korea and China in a multi-faceted manner.
We also plan to take legal steps to respond to Tao's illegal promotions and actions."[53] Exo released
a repackaged version of Exodus, titled Love Me Right, on June 3, 2015. This edition added four new
songs, including the single "Love Me Right".[54] Due to Tao's absence, the group promoted the song
as nine members. That October, Exo became the first artists to hold a dome concert in South Korea;
it was called "Exo – Love Concert in Dome", and took place at the Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul.[55]
On November 4, 2015, Exo released their Japanese debut single Love Me Right ~romantic
universe~, which contains the Japanese version of "Love Me Right" and an original Japanese song
titled "Drop That". On the day of its release, the album sold 147,000 copies and reached the top of
the Oricon chart, becoming the all-time best-selling debut single in Japan by a Korean artist.[56] Five
days later, Exo released a special single titled "Lightsaber" to promote the movie Star Wars: The
Force Awakens ahead of its release in South Korea, as part of a collaboration between SM
Entertainment and Walt Disney. On December 10, Exo released its second winter special release
and fourth EP, Sing for You,containing the singles "Sing for You" and "Unfair". The album sold
267,900 copies in its first week, breaking the record for the highest first-week sales by a Korean
artist. "Unfair" also became the first K-pop song to be featured in the "Best of the Week" playlist
by Apple Music, and Exo became the first Korean artists to appear on the platform's
homepage.[57] Part of the profits from the album were donated to UNICEF's Smile For U campaign, to
support the music education for children in Asia.[58] In December 2015, South Korean entertainment
industry leaders ranked Exo at number seven in the top ten pop culture leaders of 2015, the highest
rank held by a K-pop artist.[59]

2016–2017: Worldwide success