Exo

Exo originated in Seoul, South Korea, formed by S.M. Entertainment in 2011 and fully established in early 2012. The group initially comprised twelve members, divided into two sub-groups: EXO-K (for South Korea) and EXO-M (for China), performing songs in Korean and Mandarin, respectively. Their debut prologue single, “What Is Love,” was released in January 2012, followed by “History” in March. In April 2012, both sub-units released their third single, “Mama,” and an EP of the same name. EXO-K debuted on South Korea’s Inkigayo, while EXO-M debuted at the 12th Yinyue Fengyun Bang Awards in China. The Korean version of “Mama” topped the Gaon Albums Chart, and the Mandarin version was number 2 on the Chinese Sina.com chart. By November 2012, Exo won Best New Group of Asian Artists at the Mnet Asian Music Awards.

In 2013, Exo released their first studio album, “XOXO,” which earned them widespread popularity with the tracks “Wolf” and “Growl.” “XOXO” sold over one million copies, making Exo the first Korean artist in twelve years to achieve this milestone. The album received a ‘Disk Daesang’ at the 28th Golden Disk Awards and ‘Album of the Year’ at the 15th Mnet Asian Music Awards. “Overdose” (2014), their third mini-album, reached the top of the Billboard 200, making them the highest-charting Korean male group on the chart at that time. Forbes Korea recognized Exo as the most influential celebrity in Korea throughout 2014. Their success continued with the 2015 studio album “EXODUS,” which achieved the highest first-week sales for a K-pop album and debuted on the Billboard 200. “Call Me Baby,” the lead single, was the first K-pop song on the Canadian Hot 100. This album also sold over one million copies, earning them the nickname “double million seller.”

Exo’s career has been marked by notable achievements and global tours. In 2015, they embarked on “The EXO’luXion” tour, with over one million fans attempting to purchase tickets online for their Seoul concerts. That same year, they collaborated with “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” on the single “Lightsaber.” Their Japanese debut single, “Love I Right ~romantic universe~,” released in November 2015, topped the Oricon charts. In 2016, Exo held their “EXO’luXion” tour in North America. Their third studio album, “EX’ACT” (2016), set a record for pre-orders and became the highest-selling K-pop album in its first week. The lead single “Monster” became their first number one on the Billboard World Digital Songs Chart. In 2017, Exo released their fourth studio album, “The War,” and its repackaged version, “The War: The Power of Music,” featuring the lead single “Ko Ko Bop” and “Power” respectively. They continued their touring with “EXO Planet#4 – The EℓyXiOn” and released their first Japanese album, “Countdown,” in 2018.