Exo (stylized as EXO; /ˌɛkˈsoʊ/ ek-soh; Korean: 엑소) are a South Korean-Chinese boy band produced by S.M. Entertainment. Formed in 2011 in Seoul, South Korea, Exo comprises twelve members separated into two subgroups, Exo-K and Exo-M, performing music inKorean and Mandarin, respectively. Their name was taken from exoplanet,[1] a term referring to planets outside of the Solar System.
Exo made their official debut on April 8, 2012 with the release of their debut single, "Mama".[2][3] The single was a moderate success; Exo-M's version topped mainland Chinese music charts after only one day of release, and Exo-K's "Mama" music video reached to number seven on YouTube's Global Chart.[4] The group's two albums, the 2012 debut EP Mama and the 2013 comeback studio albumXOXO, were major commercial successes, selling over 1.5 million units in total worldwide.[5][6] The lead singles off XOXO, "Wolf" and "Growl", were K-pop hits, landing first place trophies on music shows from all three of Korea's major free-to-air broadcast stations.[7] The latter also peaked at number three on Billboard's Korea K-Pop Hot 100 chart.[8]
The group received numerous rookie awards in 2012, and has since won over ten awards since their debut in April 2012.
History
2011: Formation
In January 2011, producer Lee Soo-man of S.M. Entertainment announced his plans to debut a new boy band in March or April 2011.[9] Temporarily named M1, the group appeared to have consisted of only seven members when a photo of them in a dance studio was leaked online.[10] In May 2011, Lee spoke about the group in a Hallyu business seminar held in Stanford University. In the presentation, he explained his strategy of separating the group into two subgroups, M1 and M2, and have them promote the same music in South Korea and China, performing the songs in both Korean and Mandarin.[11] Lee planned to launch the group in May 2011, but their debut was delayed and news concerning the group did not surface until October 2011, when Lee briefly discussed about the group's concept plans again in an interview with The Chosun Ilbo.[12]
In December 2011, the group finalized their name to Exo, with the names Exo-K for the South Korean subgroup and Exo-M for the Chinese subgroup. The twelve members were introduced individually through 23 different trailers released from December 2011 to February 2012.[1][13] Kai, Lu Han, Tao, and Chen were the first four members introduced, and they debuted their first televised performance at SBS's annual Gayo Daejun event on December 29, 2011.[14]
2012: Debut and Mama
Exo-K and Exo-M's prologue single "What Is Love" was released on January 30, 2012 through iTunes and various online retailers in mainland China and South Korea.[15] The single peaked at number 88 on South Korea's Gaon Single Chart. On March 9, the group released their second prologue single "History",[16] which was written and produced by Thomas Troelsen and Remee. The single peaked at number 68 on the Gaon Single Chart and number six on China's Sina Music Chart.[17]
A concert for the group was held in Seoul's Olympic Stadium on March 31.[18] Approximately 3,000 fans from 8,000 applicants were selected to attend.[19] A second concert was held in the Great Hall of the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing on April 1.[20]
Exo-K and Exo-M released their debut single, "Mama" on April 8[21] followed by an EP, Mama, on April 9. On April 8, Exo-K made their debut performance on South Korea's music program The Music Trend, while Exo-M made their debut in China's Top Chinese Music Awards on the same day.[22][23] A day after release, "Mama" reached number one on various Chinese online retailers and music charts.[24] Exo-M's album reached number two on China's Sina Album Chart, number five on South Korea's Gaon Album Chart, and number twelve on the Billboard World Albums Chart.[25] Exo-K's album peaked at number one on the Gaon Album Chart[26] and at number eight on the Billboard World Albums Chart.[25] Exo-M's "Mama" music video reached number one on Chinese streaming websites, while Exo-K's version reached to number seven on YouTube's Global Chart.[4] In late April 2012, Exo-M performed as a guest act for Super Junior's Super Show 4 concert tour in Jakarta, Indonesia.
In November 2012, Exo won Best New Asian Artist Group at the 2012 Mnet Asian Music Awards. Exo-K received three nominations at the 27th Golden Disk Awards, winning the Newcomer Award. Exo-M received the Most Popular Group award at the 2013 Top Chinese Music Awards.[27]
2013–present: XOXO and commercial success
In May 2013, S.M. Entertainment revealed teaser photos for Exo's comeback album, the first studio album XOXO.[28] Unlike during the Mama era, when Exo-K and Exo-M had separate promotions, XOXO was jointly promoted.[29] The subgroups collaborated for the album's lead single, "Wolf", but the rest of the album was recorded separately.
XOXO was released in June 2013 to two versions, a Korean "Kiss" edition and a Mandarin "Hug" edition. A few days after its release, the songs in XOXO topped almost every real-time chart from online music websites of South Korea and mainland China.[30][31] The two versions collectively peaked at number one on the Billboard World Album Chart a week after release.[32] Lead single "Wolf" peaked at number one on three of South Korea's music programs, earning the name "triple win."[7] "Wolf" also won a trophy on MBC Music's Show Champion.[33] However, "Wolf" fared worse on music download charts, reaching to only top thirty spots in recorded charts from both South Korea and China.
A repackaged version of XOXO, with three additional tracks, was released on August 5, 2013.[34] The reissue's lead single, "Growl", was unveiled via YouTube on August 1, 2013, in the format of a music video.[35] On August 18, "Growl" achieved 10,554 points on The Music Trend charts, setting a new number one record on the show.[36] "Growl" reached number one on all four of Korea's major music programs, winning a total of ten trophies in three consecutive weeks.[37] The single peaked at number three on Billboard's Korea K-Pop Hot 100[8] and number two on the Gaon'sSingles chart.
As of October 2013, all versions of XOXO have collectively sold over 910,000 copies,[38] making Exo the fastest-selling K-pop artist in 12 years.[39][40] XOXO was named Album of the Year at the2013 Mnet Asian Music Awards, making Exo the youngest ever boy band to win the award.[41] The album's single "Growl" was also honored Song of the Year at the 2013 MelOn Music Awards.[42]
EXO's Showtime, a reality variety show produced by South Korea's MBC, will air in November 2013 on the cable channel, MBC Every 1. All twelve members of Exo will make regular appearances on the show.[43]
Members
Main article: List of Exo members
Exo-K
| Name | Date of birth[44][45] | Age | Position[46][47][48] | Nationality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suho | May 22, 1991 | 22 | Leader, vocals |  South Korea |
| Baekhyun | May 6, 1992 | 21 | Lead vocals | |
| Chanyeol | November 27, 1992 | 21 | Vocals, rap | |
| D.O. | January 12, 1993 | 20 | Lead vocals | |
| Kai | January 14, 1994 | 19 | Vocals, rap | |
| Sehun | April 12, 1994 | 19 | Vocals, rap |
Exo-M
| Name | Date of birth[44][45] | Age | Position[49] | Nationality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kris | November 6, 1990 | 23 | Leader, vocals, rap |  Canada |
| Xiumin | March 26, 1990 | 23 | Vocals | South Korea |
| Lu Han | April 20, 1990 | 23 | Lead vocals |  China |
| Lay | October 7, 1991 | 22 | Vocals | |
| Chen | September 21, 1992 | 21 | Lead vocals | South Korea |
| Tao | May 2, 1993 | 20 | Vocals, rap | China |
- Nationality states where the member holds their current citizenship
Discography
Main article: Exo discography
Videography
Main article: EXO videography
Tours
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Other ventures
Endorsements
After only a month of debut, Exo-K covered South Korea's High Cut magazine and was featured in a spread for Calvin Klein Jeans.[50] Exo-K was also chosen to be the new ambassador for the 2013 Fall/Winter collection of school uniforms for South Korea's Ivy Club, and endorsed the brand simultaneously with actress Kim Yoo-jung.[51] Exo-K further endorsed the "Chia seed" skincare cream for South Korea's The Face Shop[52] and Sunny 10, a new brand of drinks from Coca Cola that is exclusive to South Korea.[53]
In November 2012, Exo-K shot a commercial ad for the Samsung Ativ PC.[54] Exo-K's Kai and Exo-M's Lu Han also worked with the Hyundai Motor Company, and formed a temporary band, the Younique Unit, with four other S.M. Entertainment label mates in order to promote the motor company's PYL campaign. Their promotional music video, "Maxstep", was released on October 30, 2012.[55]
While promoting their first album XOXO, the twelve members of Exo modeled for the August 2013 edition of the male fashion magazine, L'officiel Hommes.[56] In August, the band launched a clothing range Boy Who Cried Wolf (BWCW), partnering up with various Korean street brands. The collaboration store is located at OUTLAB in Garosu-gil, Sinsa-dong.[57] Exo also has a 2-year endorsement deal with cosmetics brand, Nature Republic.[58]
Philanthropy
The members of Exo-K became goodwill ambassadors for South Korea's Red Cross Youth in December 2012.[59]
Awards and nominations
Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Exo
Exo have been recipients of 13 awards from South Korea and mainland China, five of which were received by Exo-K and four received by Exo-M. On June 14, 2013, a year after their official debut, the band received their first number-one win on South Korean music program Music Bank with the single "Wolf." The following weekend, the song achieved number-one wins on Show! Music Coreand The Music Trend, becoming a "triple win" hit.[7] It also won a champion trophy on music program Show Champion. The success of "Wolf", however, was met with some controversy, as the single struggled to top in most music download charts.[60]
