Exo 

(Korean: 엑소; RR: Ekso; stylized in all caps) is a South Korean-Chinese boy band based

in Seoul formed by SM Entertainment in 2011 and debuted in 2012. The group consists of nine
members: Xiumin, Suho, Lay, Baekhyun, Chen, Chanyeol, D.O., Kai and Sehun. They are noted for
releasing music and performing extensively in Korean, Mandarin and Japanese.
The group debuted with twelve members separated into Exo-K (Suho, Baekhyun, Chanyeol, D.O.,
Kai and Sehun) and Exo-M (Xiumin, Lay, Chen, Kris, Luhan and Tao). Members Kris, Luhan, and
Tao departed the group individually amid legal battles with SM Entertainment in 2014 and 2015.
Exo-K and Exo-M performed music in Korean and Mandarin, respectively, until the release of their
third EP Overdose in 2014. Since then, Exo have exclusively performed as one group, although their
music continues to feature multiple languages. Members Chen, Baekhyun, and Xiumin debuted in
the sub-unit Exo-CBX in 2016, and members Sehun and Chanyeol began promoting as the sub-
unit Exo-SC in 2019. Each member also maintains solo careers in music, film and television.
Exo's first studio album XOXO (2013), released alongside breakthrough single "Growl", was
received positively by critics and sold over one million copies, making Exo the first Korean act to do
so in twelve years. The group's later works expanded on their early commercial success, with their
subsequent Korean studio albums each selling over one million copies. Exo's sixth studio
album, Don't Mess Up My Tempo (2018), became their highest-charting album on the
US Billboard 200, debuting at number 23, and their best selling album in South Korea, where it sold
over 1.9 million copies.
Exo have won numerous awards, including five consecutive Album of the Year awards at the Mnet
Asian Music Awards and two consecutive Artist of the Year awards at the Melon Music Awards, and
have performed over 100 concerts across four headlining tours and multiple joint tours. The group
ranked as one of the top five most influential celebrities on the Forbes Korea Power Celebrity list
from 2014 to 2018 and have been labeled "Kings of K-pop" and the "biggest boyband in the world"
by various media outlets. Outside of music, the group members have endorsed brands such
as Nature Republic and Samsung and participate in philanthropic efforts such as Smile For U, an
ongoing project by SM Entertainment and UNICEF that began in 2015.

Background

Logo of Exo

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 lineup 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][5][6] It was also
reported that Exo would compete with a new girl group from rival YG Entertainment.[7]

History
2006–2012: Formation and early years
Exo-K's leader, Suho, was the first member to join SM Entertainment in 2006.[8] The following
year, Kai, with encouragement from his father, auditioned at the SM Youth Best Contest; he won and
received a contract.[8][9] In 2008, Chanyeol, who had been studying at an acting academy, and Sehun,
who was first scouted by SM Entertainment at the age of thirteen and then went through four
auditions in two years, were the next members to become trainees.[10][11] In 2010, D.O. sang for his
audition and was offered a contract.[10] 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.[12] Exo-M leader Kris auditioned in 2008 at a global SM
Entertainment audition in Canada, later moving to South Korea for training.[13] That same
year, Lay was discovered through a global audition and subsequently moved to South Korea,
while Xiumin attended an audition with his friend and placed second.[14][15] In 2010, Luhan was
scouted by an SM Entertainment representative in Seoul and passed his audition, while Tao was
cast through the SM auditions in China at Qingdao.[16] The last member to join Exo-M was Chen in
2011.[16] The band's first televised performance was at the annual SBS Gayo Daejeon event on
December 29, 2011.[17]

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

Exo-K and Exo-M debuted with the single "Mama" on April 8, 2012, followed by the EP Mama on
April 9. The two sub-groups promoted the album separately; Exo-K performed on South Korean
music program Inkigayo, while Exo-M performed on the Top Chinese Music Awards in Shenzhen on
the same day.[18] The Korean version of the EP peaked at number one on South Korea's Gaon Album
Chart[19] and at number eight on the Billboard World Albums Chart,[20] while the Mandarin version
reached number two on China's Sina Album Chart and number one on various Chinese streaming
platforms. Prior their debut, Exo released two singles, "What Is Love" and "History", which peaked at
numbers 88 and 68, respectively, on the Gaon Digital Chart and at number six on the Sina Music
Chart.[21] Exo was awarded Best New Asian Group at the 2012 Mnet Asian Music Awards and the
Newcomer Award at the Golden Disc Awards.

2013–2014: Domestic breakthrough

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.[22] XOXO was jointly promoted by both sub-units.[23] Exo recorded the album's
lead single "Wolf" together, although the rest of the album tracks were recorded separately.
[24]
 A repackaged version of the album, Growl, was released on August 5, 2013, with three additional
tracks. All versions of XOXO collectively sold over one million copies, making Exo the first South
Korean artists to reach that milestone in 12 years.[25][26] That December, Exo released a second
EP, Miracles in December, as a special winter album containing the single of the same name.[27] Prior
to the release, the group promoted the album through their first reality show, Exo's Showtime, which
premiered on November 28, 2013.[28] Following their 2013 releases, Exo won several awards,
including Song of the Year at the Melon Music Awards for "Growl"[29] and Album of the Year at
the Mnet Asian Music Awards[30] for XOXO.
Exo's third EP, Overdose, was released on May 7, 2014.[31] Originally scheduled to be released on
April 21, the album was delayed due to the Sewol Ferry accident on April 16. The Korean edition
peaked at number 129 on the Billboard 200, making Exo the highest-ever charting male Korean
group at the time.[32] Overdose became the best selling release of 2014 in South Korea and was the
first EP to top the yearly charts.[33] On December 22, Exo released their first live album, Exology
Chapter 1: The Lost Planet.[34] 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.[35] By the end of 2014, Exo
was Japan's best-selling K-pop artist of the year.[36] On May 15, 2014, Kris filed a lawsuit against SM
Entertainment to terminate his contract. He alleged that the company disregarded his health and
maintained unfair profit distributions.[37] On May 24, the group embarked on their first headlining
tour, Exo from Exoplanet 1 – The Lost Planet, at the Olympic Gymnastics Arena.[38] Tickets for the
concert sold out in 1.47 seconds, breaking the record for the quickest concert sell-out by a Korean
artist.[38] On October 10, Luhan also filed a lawsuit against SM Entertainment to terminate his
contract,[39][40] citing health problems and different treatment than the group's Korean members.[41]

2015: Continued popularity and Japanese debut

From left to right: D.O, Lay, and Kai at the 24th Seoul Music Awards in January 2015

On March 7, 2015, Exo began their second headlining world tour, Exoplanet 2 – The Exo'luxion, at
the Olympic Gymnastics Arena in Seoul.[42] The group released their second studio album Exodus on
March 30, 2015, with both Korean and Mandarin versions.[43] Lead single "Call Me Baby" was
released ahead of schedule, on March 27, after versions of the song leaked online,[44] while the music
videos were released four days later.[45] The album sold over one million copies, making it Exo's
second album to do so after XOXO.[46] Exo entered Billboard's Canadian Hot 100 chart at number 98,
making them the first K-pop group and second Korean artist to chart there.[47] 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.[48][49] Exo released a repackaged version
of Exodus, titled Love Me Right, on June 3, 2015. The re-issue added four new songs, including the
single "Love Me Right".[50] Due to Tao's absence, the group promoted the song as nine members.
That October, Exo became the first artist to hold a dome concert in South Korea, called Exo – Love
Concert in Dome, at the Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul.[51]
On November 4, 2015, Exo released their Japanese debut single album Love Me Right ~romantic
universe~, which contained the Japanese version of "Love Me Right" and an original Japanese song
titled "Drop That". On the day of 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.[52] Five days
later, Exo released a special single titled "Lightsaber" to promote the movie Star Wars: The Force
Awakens ahead of