TWELVE BOYS, TWO COUNTRIES, ONE MUSICS.
#WE ARE ONE
#EXOFACTS
Long before boy band EXO debuted, Korea and the rest of the world were eagerly awaiting them. Word of SM ENTERTAINMENT (SME) forming a new group began in early 2011 when producer Lee Soo Man announced the creation of code name M1, a boy group that would debut in May of the same year.
Months later, Soo Man revealed that two groups would be debuting instead: M1 and M2 would be promoting the same music in different languages in Korea and China.
Originally touted as the male version of SNSD, EXO caused a stir as rumors of possible members started going around. M1 and M2 got officially introduced as 12-member super group EXO in December 2011.
Eight Korean members and four Chinese members were introduced to the public through a series of 23 video teasers. The group's name was derived from "EXOPLANET," a term for planet outside the solar system.
The first teaser alone gained more than a million online views in a short period of time.
But while the public clamor for EXO's debut grew, fans had to wait a little longer as SME chose to give them a taste of group's music through prologue singles.
The first one, "What Is Love," was released as a digital single and peaked at no.88 on the Gaon Singles Chart. Meanwhile, the second single, "History," reached no.68 on Gaon and no.6 on the China Sina Chart.
After months of waiting, fans got their wish. EXO made their debut in April 2012 with the single "Mama," a fierce pop song that talks about turning the world back to what it once was.
Two music videos, one in Mandarin for subgroup EXO-M and one in Korean for EXO-K, told the story story of legends: 12 boys with super powers separated into two groups to keep the heart of the tree of life alive. The day they unite, the videos foretold, a new world would open up.
"Into Your World"
During their first year as rookies EXO-K (Suho, Kai D.O., Chanyeol, Baekhyun and Sehun) and EXO-M (Kris, Lu Han, Tao, Lay, Xiumin and Chen) did separate promotions in Korea and China. EXO-K made waves in Korea as the EP MAMA peaked at no.1 on the Gaon Album Chart. Meanwhile, EXO-M achieved similar success, the song "Mama," topping several local charts in China while the album peaked at no.2 on the Sina Album Chart.
Still hesitant and unpolished, the subgroup's first stages were not without mishaps. But fans from all over the world were charmed by the boy's raw talent and vulnerability, making them eager to see EXO grow from uncertain newbies to confident superstars.
Despite the rough start, EXO-K and EXO-M both went on to achieve quick success. EXO-M got to show off their variety skills in a multitude of Chinese shows, endearing themselves to Chinese fans. EXO-K scored several product endorsement that had them modeling jeans for Calvin Klein and school uniforms for Ivy Club.
EXO also took home a lot of awards. EXO-K walked away with Best Newcomer awards at the 2013 Golden Disk Awards and Seoul Music Awards, while EXO-M got the Popularity awards at the 2013 Top Chinese Music Awards and the Yinyuetai V-Chart Awards, among other things. EXO as a group also snagged the Popularity Award at the 2013 Asian Idol Awards and Best New Asian Artist at the 2012 Mnet Asian Awards.
Things came to a lull after MAMA promotions, but while EXO made no music show appearances, they continued to stay active, accompanying their labelmates around the world through SME's SMTown concerts with other K-pop artists.
"We Are One!"
Despite most groups having multiple releases with only a few months in between, EXO didn't have a comeback until more than a year after their debut, much to the distress of their growing fanbase. The long wait proved to be worth it as EXO's popularity exploded with the release of their first album, XOXO, in June 2013. Songs from the two versions, Kiss(Korean) ang Hug(Mandarin), topped real-time charts in Korea and China. The combined sales of both versions even made the album hit no.1 on the Billboard World Album Chart in just a week!
The boys came back more ferocious than ever with their title song, "Wolf". This time around, EXO-K and EXO-M combined to do promotions. "We Are One," the members say before every interview and show appearance. There must be truth to the saying "There's strength in numbers" because soon enough, EXO got to taste their first no.1 at KBS Music Bank. EXO-K's leader, Suho, teared up as he made a thank you speech on behalf of the members. EXO-M's leader, Kris, also acknowledged their Chinese and international fans for their support. The song went on to win on Korea's other big music show: MCountdown, SBS Inkagayo and MBC Show Champion
EXO's winning streak continued with the release of the repackaged XOXO album, featuring three new tracks. The new lead single, an R&B track called "GROWL," garnered a lot of attention thanks to its catchy sound and unique music video, which featured the boys in high school uniforms performing tight choreography in one-shot take.
At the end of August, XOXO's combined album sales also went beyond 501,000 copies, making EXO the prestigious Hanteo Chart's first best-selling artist since Super Junior in 2009. They eventually hit 737,159 in September, making them the first artist to go over 700,000 units sold since 2001. With a stunning record like this, EXO are well on their way to living up to their out-of-this-world name and becoming the legends their debut song foresaw they would be.
---------------------------------
Credits to Miss Belle Yambao.
Hope you like it guys. Comment vote and share. Thank you for reading
- MarjSheena♥
