EXO: Little-Known Journey From "Flop" To "Kings Of K-Pop"

EXO-Ls (fans of the Korean band EXO), who were already celebrating the 9 years journey of the boy group since their debut, were surprised by the k-pop idols with a comeback album to mark their anniversary.

EXO announced a comeback in the first half of the year with an animated poster and a “spoiler” on April 7.

🎉210408 EXO 9th Anniversary🎉#엑소 #EXO #weareoneEXO pic.twitter.com/bjQ8ydt2R0

— EXO (@weareoneEXO) April 7, 2021

Along with the video teaser, the band members shared sneak-peek from the “set of a music video”. The forthcoming album would mark their follow-up album after Obsession, which released in 2019.

“This is the first album since I completed my military service, and the fact that I can do this together with my bandmates alone makes me so happy,” Xiumin mentioned in the video.

However, Chanyeol and Baekhyun will not be part of the promotion activities of their seventh album, due to military duty.

A beginners guide to the boy band EXO

Let's begin from where it all started. Nine years ago, in 2012, a twelve member South Korean-Chinese group was introduced as EXO, under the label SM Entertainment. The name of the boy band was inspired from the "Exoplanet", which refers to the planet outside our solar system.

The k-pop idol group were introduced as otherworldly beings and they had superpowers concept to go with their name (I swear, this isn't even a little peculiar for k-pop lovers today). One who has even the slightest grasp over k-pop will know that each band has a stylised name for their fans and EXO calls their’s EXO-Ls, wherein L stands for love.

Moving on to intricate details, initially, the band which performed music in Korean and Mandarin, was divided in two sub-groups- Exo-K and Exo-M to appeal to the masses with their diversity. Exo-K, which focused in South Korea, consisted of group leader Suho, Baekhyun, Chanyeol, D.O., Kai, and Sehun whereas Exo-M, which was promoted in China, involved Xiumin, Lay, Chen, and former members Kris, Luhan, and Tao.

However, the sub-groups failed to survive following the departure of Kris, Luhan, and Tao, who individually walked out of the band amid legal battles in 2014 and 2015. The Chinese group members claimed that the company treated them differently compared to the Korean artists and terminated their contract under the accusation that the label disregarded their health. The fans were divided over the controversy, where a faction came in support of the departing members others viewed it as a blunder.

This major change did affect the group although they continued to release music in multiple languages but now as one group.

The group which has nine members currently, re-introduced their unique concept of sub-groups with members Chen, Baekhyun, and Xiumin debuted as the sub-unit Exo-CBX in 2016, and after three years members Sehun and Chanyeol began promoting as the sub-unit Exo-SC.

The history makers in the K-pop evolution

EXO put their best foot forward with an unusual concept of members possessing superpowers, and pre-debut releases to introduce each of them.  At first, they were labelled "flop" when their debut song MAMA bombed.

And then came the first studio album XOXO, which had the track Growl released, after an alteration, as the lead title which resulted as their best move. The new group was a hit in homeland as well as China, peaking on the major music charts.

The new single ranked number three on the Billboard K-Pop Hot 100 in 2013 and a million sales made their song the first South Korean act to reach that milestone in 12 years.  The newcomers bagged numerous awards that year- Song of the Year at the Melon Music Awards for Growl, Album of the Year at the Mnet Asian Music Awards for their first album, and the Daesang at the Seoul Music Awards.

The same year, another boy band named BTS (Debut name Bangtan Sonyeondan), who are at this stage K-pop royalty, entered the South Korean music industry. Back in those days, EXO was considered a strong competition to the rookie group, who is now often referred to as a force who paved the way for the artists of the nation.

The following years came as a major setback after three members departed yet the idol group stayed afloat. In 2015, their lead single Call Me Baby was dropped prior to the release date since certain versions of the song made it to the digital platforms. Even so, the track managed to become the most-watched K-pop music video of the first half of the year.

After dominating the domestic music scene, the all-boy group started piercing into the international market and their album Ex'Act worked wonders for them. Monster became first number one on the Billboard World Digital Songs chart, and Lucky One claimed number three, both tracks are from their third album. In addition, the media labelled the group as "triple million sellers" after they sold over one million copies.

Besides being the music chartbusters, in the year 2018, EXO reserved a place on Guinness World Records for winning the “Most Daesang” making them the undisputable "Kings of K-pop". They also performed at the closing ceremony, representing K-pop, of Winter Olympics that year alongside soloist CL.

The South Korean group was gradually expanding their reach and recognising their influence, Korean Mint Corporation honoured the artists for their contribution to the global spread of Korean culture.

EXO going solo

Lay, who was the first solo artist of the group, with the release of Namanana, his U.S. debut topped the Billboard World Albums while placing the Chinese pop artist 21st on the Billboard 200. The k-pop idol starred in numerous films back home such as, Ex-Files 2, The Mystic Nine, The Golden Eyes and Empress of the Ming.

In 2019, Chen debuted as a soloist with April, and a Flower, the album which made it to the Billboard World Albums Chart. Xiumin and D.O. became inactive as they enlisted for their mandatory military service. Later the same year, SM Entertainment unveiled a septet supergroup, SuperM, Baekhyun and Kai joined in as representatives of EXO. The group’s debut track Jopping topped the Billboard 200 albums chart.

Since the band now had eight active members as others are on a hiatus while serving their military enlistment, the label declared that the artist would focus on solo ventures. The group leader Suho featured as the main lead in the k-drama titled How Are You Bread.

Earlier this year, Xiumin and D.O. were officially discharged from military duty while Baekhyun released his self-titled Japanese extended play and Lay announced his fourth studio album title Producer. The group member Baekhyun, who has scored massive hits as a soloist, made history as his latest venture Bambi, became a big hit on the South Korean Hanteo charts.

Views expressed by the author are their own.