EXO
We Are One
About EXO
EXO (엑소)
• South Korean–Chinese boy band
• 9 members: Xiumin, Suho, Lay, Baekhyun, Chen, Chanyeol, D.O., Kai and Sehun.
• formed by SM Entertainment in 2011
debuted in 2012.
• music genres: pop, hip-hop, and R&B, electronic dance music genres (house, trap, and synth-pop).
• exclusively releases and performs music in multiple languages (Korean, Mandarin, and Japanese)
• debuted with 12 members separated into 2 sub-groups:
EXO-K and EXO-M
• All of Exo's members also maintain solo careers in fields including music, film, and television
Lawsuit
• Kris, Luhan, and Tao left the group after legal battles in 2014 and 2015
there are 9 members remaining
• 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.
• On October 10, 2014 Luhan also filed a lawsuit against SM Entertainment to terminate his contract. He cited health problems and alleged he was treated differently than the band's Korean members.
• On August 24, 2015 Tao became the third member to file a lawsuit against SM Entertainment to terminate his contract due to health issues and a lack of support for individual career development.
EXO in the Media
• ranked as 1 of the top 5 most influential celebrities on the Forbes Korea Power Celebrity list each year from 2014 to 2018
• named "the biggest boy band in the world" and the "kings of K-pop" by media outlets.
• considered by many to be a vocal powerhouse in the K-pop industry; the 3 main vocalists D.O., Chen, and Baekhyun have received praise from industry figures and the media
• praised for their synchronized choreography and elaborate stage designs.
• Named by Forbes on the Korea Power Celebrity list as the most powerful celebrities in South Korea for 2015 and 2016; within the top 5 for 2014, 2017, and 2018; and within the top 10 for 2019.
• Given honorific nicknames such as "Kings of K-Pop" by international outlets Vogue, Metro, PageOne and South Korean outlets.
• named as the "Nation's pick" and the "Global pick" by South Korean media.
• widely esteemed as a prominent force in the Hallyu Wave (rise and spread of Korean pop culture around the world).
○ Bustle magazine described Exo's significance in a global context as "the ultimate K-pop sensation".
○ Vulture described Exo as "leaders of a K-pop generation" when describing the band's ability to release music in the Korean and Chinese markets while continuing to impress in the United States with Billboard chartings and arena tours.
○ In 2016, AsiaOne said "Exo are turning into an omnipresent, unstoppable global force," citing their popularity in the United States, their critical acclaim, and the size of their global fandom.
Subunits
EXO-K (Korean)
• Suho, Baekhyun, Chanyeol, D.O., Kai, and Sehun
EXO-M (Mandarin)
• Xiumin, Lay, Chen, and former members Kris, Luhan, and Tao
EXO-CBX
• Chen, Baekhyun, Xiumin
○ On October 31, 2016 debuted as the group's first sub-unit, Exo-CBX, which is a combination of the first letter from each member's stage name.
Achievements
• Mama (single) April 8, 2012- debut song for Exo-K and Exo-M
○ Mama EP April 9- The Korean version of the EP peaked at #8 on the Billboard World Albums Chart
• 1st album XOXO (2013)- contains the breakthrough hit "Growl", which was a critical and commercial success.
○ sold over 1 million copies, making Exo the best-selling Korean artist in 12 years.
○ all Korean studio albums each sold more than 1 million copies.
• 1st studio album, XOXO-June 3, 2013.
○ Growl (repackaged album version) August 5, 2013- New single "Growl" peaked at #3 on the Billboard K-Pop Hot 100
○ All versions of XOXO collectively sold over 1 million copies, making Exo the 1st South Korean artists to reach that milestone in 12 years.
• 3rd EP Overdose May 7, 2014- over 660,000 pre-orders, the most pre-ordered Korean EP in history.
○ The Korean edition also peaked at #2 on Billboard's World Albums Chart, and at #29 on the Billboard 200, making Exo the highest-ever charting male Korean group at that time.
• 2nd studio album Exodus March 30, 2015- Domestic pre-orders surpassed 500,000 copies within 24 hours, setting a new record for pre-orders.
○ Lead single "Call Me Baby" March 27, 2015-
Exo's most music wins for a single song is 18 wins for this song.
○ the Korean version of Call Me Baby became the most-watched K-pop music video of the first half of 2015.
○ The album sold over a million copies, making it Exo's 2nd album to do so.
○ In April 2015, Exodus peaked at #95 on the US Billboard 200, making the group the highest charting Korean artist.
○ Exo entered Billboard's Canadian Hot 100 chart at #98, making them the 1st K-pop group and 2nd Korean artist to chart there
• Love Me Right ~romantic universe~ November 4, 2015- Japanese debut single
○ 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.
○ Lightsaber special single for Star Wars: The Force Awakens promotion ahead of its release in South Korea, as part of a collaboration between SM Entertainment and Walt Disney.
• 2nd winter special release and 4th EP, Sing for You December 10- contains 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 1st K-pop song to be featured in the "Best of the Week" playlist by Apple Music
○ Exo became the 1st Korean artists to appear on the platform's homepage.
○ 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.
• 3rd studio album Ex'Act June 9, 2016- singles: "Lucky One" and "Monster"
○ Domestic pre-orders for the album exceeded 660,000 copies, making it the most pre-ordered K-pop album ever at that time.
○ The album broke the record for the highest 1st-week sales of a Korean album, previously set by the band's own fourth EP Sing For You.
○ "Monster" became Exo's 1st #1 on the Billboard World Digital Songs chart, and "Lucky One" debuted at #3.
• Lotto (repackaged album edition) August 18, 2016
○ "Lotto" (single) became Exo's 2nd #1 on the Billboard World Digital Songs Chart.
○ Within 2 months of its original release, Ex'Act had sold over 1.17 million copies, becoming Exo's 3rd album to sell over 1 million copies, earning them the title of "triple million sellers" from the media.
• 4th studio album The War July 18, 2017.
○ The album had received 807,235 pre-orders, surpassing the band's own record of 660,000 for Ex'Act.
○ Lead single "Ko Ko Bop" debuted at #1 on the Melon Digital Chart, making Exo the 1st K-pop group to enter at #1 after chart changes were implemented on February 27, 2017.
○ Upon release, the album recorded the highest 1st week sales of any K-pop album.
○ It debuted at #87 on the Billboard 200, #1 on the Billboard World Albums Chart, and on many other charts around the world.
○ The War: The Power of Music (repackaged album edition) September 5. On September 14, their single "Power" recorded the all-time highest score on M Countdown with 11,000 points, which made Exo the 1st artists to achieve a perfect score after the show's calculation system changes were implemented in June 2015.
○ The win marked the group's 100th win on a music show.
• As of November 30, Korean sales of The War has reportedly reached nearly 1.6 million copies, making it Exo's best selling album at the time and earning the group the title of “quadruple million sellers” from the media
• On January 16, 2018, "Power" became the 1st K-pop song to play at The Dubai Fountain at Burj Khalifa Lake, Dubai.
• 6th album Don't Mess Up My Tempo November 2, 2018- their highest-charting album on the US Billboard 200, debuting at #23.
○ It is their best selling album with over 1.9 million copies sold in South Korea.
○ The album received 1,104,617 pre-orders, surpassing the group's own previous record.
○ The album was a commercial success, selling 1,179,997 copies by November 30, making Exo "quintuple million sellers" in the media.
○ With the release of Don't Mess Up My Tempo, Exo became the 1st artist to surpass 10 million total album sales in South Korea.
○ The album debuted at #23 on the Billboard 200 with 23,000 equivalent album sales and #1 on the Independent Albums and World Albums Billboard charts.
○ The album is Exo's highest charting album on the Billboard 200 and 4th #1 album on the World Albums Chart.
○ Don't Mess Up My Tempo sold 1,951,879 copies in South Korea in 2018 and is Exo's best selling album.
○ Love Shot (repackaged album edition December 13
○ The lead single, titled "Love Shot", became Exo's 3rd #1 single on the Billboard World Digital Songs chart and held the position for 3 consecutive weeks.
• Exo performed at the closing ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang on February 25, serving as representatives of K-pop .
○ Baekhyun sang the national anthem at the opening ceremony of the International Olympic Committee general assembly on February 5
○ Exo performed at the official D-100 Concert in late 2017, which marked 100 days until the start of the Winter Olympics.
○ The band's performance drew widespread global media attention and praise.
○ In December 2015, South Korean entertainment industry leaders ranked Exo at #7 in the top 10 pop culture leaders of 2015, the highest rank held by a K-pop artist.
• EXO are known for their work beyond music, which includes 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.
• On August 29, the 2018 edition of the Guinness World Records named Exo as having won the "Most Daesang" (grand prize) awards at the Mnet Asian Music Awards.
On January 31, Exo released its 1st Japanese studio album Countdown. Exo was the 1st non-Japanese band whose debut single and debut studio album both reached #1 on the weekly Oricon chart.
○ 10 days after its release, on February 9, Countdown was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of Japan.
• In March 2018, the Korean Mint Corporation announced plans to create official commemorative medals for Exo, honoring the group for their contribution to the global spread of Korean culture.
○ The medals were unveiled on April 18, at a ceremony in Seoul.
• In October 2018, Lay debuted in the U.S. with his 3rd solo album Namanana.
○ The album topped the charts of Billboard's World Albums and Independent Albums, and #21 on Billboard 200, making Lay the highest-ranked Mandopop artist on the chart.
• Chen became the 2nd Exo member to debut as a soloist with his debut EP April, and a Flower, which was released on April 1, 2019. The album peaked at #3 on the Billboard World Albums Chart.
• With the release of their debut studio album in 2013, Exo became the first South Korean artists in 12 years to sell over one million copies of an album. In 2018, Exo became "quintuple million sellers", meaning the band has sold over 1 million copies apiece for 5 different albums.
○ Following the release of their 5th studio album, Don't Mess Up My Tempo, Exo became the first South Korean artist who debuted in the 21st century to sell 10 million albums cumulatively.
• In April 2018, Forbes described Exo as one of the two artists worldwide that dramatically over-perform on social media.
○ with 24 million mentions in one week, Exo recorded 14,000 times more than expected.
○ Exo also ranked at #2 on the 2018 Billboard Social 50 end of year ranking.
Most Music Show Wins of All Time for a KPOP Group
111 wins
Call Me Baby – 18 wins
Growl – 14 wins
Ko Ko Bop - 11 wins
Love Me Right – 11 wins
Overdose – 10 wins
Miracles in December – 10 wins
Monster - 9 wins
Lotto - 7 wins
Power - 5 wins
Wolf – 4 wins
Sing for You – 3 wins
Universe - 3 wins
Love Shot - 3 wins
Tempo - 2 wins
Members
Stage Name: Xiumin (시우민)
Korean Name: Kim Min Seok (김민석)
Singer and actor
Position: Lead Vocalist, Lead Dancer, Rapper
Birthday: March 26, 1990
Nationality: Korean
Specialties: Taekwondo, kendo
Subunit: EXO-M, EXO-CBX
Super Power (Badge): Frost (Snowflake)
Animal: Cat
Fandom name: Elsas
Education: Catholic Kwandong University (PhD)
– Personality: Kind, very clean and tidy, cute, prankster, funny.
– nicknames: Bao Zi (Little Bun), Mandoo, King of Detail
– good cook.
– Taekwondo, Fencing, Kendo, and Soccer.
– neatest, strongest and cleanest member in EXO-M.
– Soothing voice
– Scared of pigeons, quiet, calm, sweet
– Xiumin enlisted for his mandatory military service as an active duty soldier on May 7, 2019. His military release date is December 6, 2020.
Stage Name: Suho (수호)
Birth Name: Kim Jun Myeon (김준면)
Songwriter, actor, and model
Position: Leader, Lead Vocalist
Birthday: May 22, 1991
Nationality: Korean
Subunit: EXO-K
Super Power (Badge): Water
Animal: Bunny
Fandom name: Bunny Citizens
Education: Kyung Hee Cyber University (Culture and Arts Business Department- master's degree)
out of all of the EXO members, he’s the best at public speaking.
polite, considerate, funny, kindspeaks basic English.– likes joking a lot, but the members say his jokes aren’t funny.
– hobbies: cycling, acting, golf
Stage Name: Lay (레이)
Birth Name: Zhang Jiashuai, his legalized name is Zhang Yixing (张艺兴)
Singer-songwriter, music producer, dancer, and actor
Position: Main Dancer, Vocalist
Birthday: October 7, 1991
Nationality: Chinese
Subunit: EXO-M
Specialties: Guitar, dancing, piano
Super Power (Badge): Healing (Unicorn)
Animal: Sheep
Fandom name: Xingmis
– Education: Hunan Normal University High School
– He speaks Chinese, Korean and English.
– Lay has a 4D personality.
– really funny
– scared of fowl, polite, hard-working, considerate
– always cooking, especially for EXO-M
– He established his own charity foundation entitled “Zhang Yixing Arts Scholarship”.
– Lay didn’t participate in a few comebacks staring with “KoKoBop” promotions with EXO, due to conflict with his promotion schedule in China.
– Lay is first ambassador of Perrier company in China, first ambassador to the Valentino brand, Huawei Nova ambassador, first ambassador of Milka company, first ambassador of Converse in Asia and Pacific Ocean.
attended the 61st Annual Grammy Awards as its Promotion Ambassador on February 10, and was the only Chinese celebrity invited to the red carpet event and live ceremony.On May 6, 2019 made his first appearance at the annual fashion exhibition Met Gala in New York City as an ambassador of Valentino.
Stage Name: Baekhyun (백현)
Birth Name: Byun Baek Hyun (변백현)
Singer, songwriter, actor, and model
Position: Main Vocalist
Birthday: May 6, 1992
Nationality: Korean
Specialties: Hapkido, piano
Subunit: EXO-K, EXO-CBX
Super Power (Badge): Light (Sun)
Animal: Puppy
Fandom name: Erikyoongs/Shiners
– Education: Kyung Hee Cyber University (Culture and Arts Business Department)
– His popular nickname is “Bacon”.
– Personality: bright, cheerful, silly, funny, scared of rollercoasters and haunted houses
– He can learn the choreography for a new song within a day
– He doesn’t like going out, prefers to play video games
– His hobbies are: Aikido, Piano, listening to music, watching movies, singing.
– launched his own fashion brand, “Privé by BBH”, on July 1st 2018.
Stage Name: Chen (첸)
Korean Name: Kim Jong Dae (김종대)
Position: Main Vocalist
Birthday: September 21, 1992
Nationality: Korean
Specialties: Singing, piano
Subunit: EXO-M, EXO-CBX
Super Power (Badge): Thunder (Lightning)
Animal: Dinosaur
Fandom name: Soondingies
– Education: Hanyang Cyber University (Advertisement Media MBA- master's degree)
– humorous and playful personality, not afraid of haunted houses, kind, sweet, thoughtful, brave, courageous, very hyper
– powerful voice, amazing high notes
– His English name is Matteo.
– Likes to joke around and prank his fellow members.
– Speaks basic English.
Stage Name: Chanyeol (찬열)
Birth Name: Park Chan Yeol (박찬열)
Rapper, singer, songwriter, actor and model
Position: Main Rapper, Vocalist, Visual
Birthday: November 27, 1992
Nationality: Korean
Specialties: Playing musical instruments (guitar, drum, bass, djembe), rap, acting
Subunit: EXO-K
Super Power (Badge): Fire (Phoenix)
Animal: Tiger
Fandom name: Yeolmaes
– Education: Kyung Hee Cyber University (Culture and Arts Business Department)
– deep, manly voice.
– designed EXO’s hexagon logo.
– has written multiple songs for EXO and plays multiple instruments
– Always cheerful, passionate, and bright.
– Very strong, athletic, and competitive
– Super tall
– Knows how to cook
– He speaks basic English.
Stage Name: D.O. (디오)
Birth Name: Do Kyung Soo (도경수)
Singer and actor
Position: Main Vocalist
Birthday: January 12, 1993
Nationality: Korean
Specialties: Singing, beat box, acting
Subunit: EXO-K
Super Power (Badge): Force
Animal: Penguin
Fandom name: Dandanies
– Education: Baekseok High School
– Personality: Quiet, considerate, shy, logical, calm, sweet smile, cute laugh, bright eyes, deep voice
– Great chef, loves cooking
– D.O can speak basic English.
– Obsessed with cleaning. He is always tidy and likes to sort things by color, brands, and type.
– Shy with strangers
– D.O. will enlist as an active duty soldier on July 1, 2019. His military release date is January 25, 2021.
Stage Name: Kai (카이)
Birth Name: Kim Jong In (김종인)
Singer, model, actor and dancer
Position: Main Dancer, Lead Rapper, Vocalist, Visual, Center
Birthday: January 14, 1994
Nationality: Korean
Specialties: Dance (ballet, jazz, hip hop, popping, rocking)
Subunit: EXO-K
Super Power (Badge): Teleportation
Animal: Bear
Fandom name: Erigoms
– Education: School of Performing Arts Seoul
– Personality: Kind-hearted, quiet, shy, sweet, always happy, never complains, and is very gentle
– He loves playing video games.
– Has been dancing since he was a kid, his dream was to be a ballerina
– Can learn the choreography for a dance after seeing it one time
– Kai is ranked 51st on TC Candler “The 100 Most Handsome Faces of 2018”.
South Korean ambassasdor for Gucci and the face of the brand
Stage Name: Sehun (세훈)
Birth Name: Oh Se Hun (오세훈)
Dancer, rapper, singer, model and actor
Position: Lead Dancer, Lead Rapper, Sub-Vocalist, Visual, Maknae
Birthday: April 12, 1994
Nationality: Korean
Specialties: Dancing, acting
Subunit: EXO-K
Super Power (Badge): Wind
Animal: Wolf
Fandom name: Xunqis
– Education: School of Performing Arts Seoul
– shy personality,mischievous, sincere, considerate, and caring
– Sehun is ranked 15th on TC Candler “The 100 Most Handsome Faces of 2018”.