EXO

Exo (Korean: 엑소; stylized in all caps) is a South Korean-Chinese boy band based in Seoul, consisting of nine members: Xiumin, Suho, Lay, Baekhyun, Chen, Chanyeol, D.O., Kai and Sehun. The band was formed by SM Entertainment in 2011 and debuted in 2012. Their music—released and performed in Korean, Mandarin, and Japanese—primarily incorporates pop, hip-hop, and R&B, including elements of electronic dance music genres such as house and trap. The band 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.

The band debuted with twelve members separated into two sub-groups: Exo-K (Suho, Baekhyun, Chanyeol, D.O., Kai, and Sehun) and Exo-M (Xiumin, Lay, Chen, and former members Kris, Luhan, and Tao). Kris, Luhan, and Tao departed the group individually amid legal battles 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 2015, Exo have exclusively performed as one group while continuing to release and perform music in multiple languages. Members Chen, Baekhyun, and Xiumin debuted as 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 album XOXO (2013), released alongside breakthrough single "Growl", was a critical and commercial success; it sold over one million copies, which made Exo the first Korean artist to do so in twelve years. Their later works also had strong sales, with their Korean studio albums each selling over one million copies. Exo's sixth 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 throughout their career, 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. Outside of music, the band members have endorsement deals with 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.

EXO - CBX

In October 2016, SM Entertainment formed the group's first sub-unit, Exo-CBX (also known as Chen-Baek-Xi), which is composed of three members: Chen, Baekhyun, and Xiumin. Exo-CBX has released one studio album: Magic (2018)  and three extended plays: Hey Mama! (2016), Girls (2017), and Blooming Days (2018).

EXO - SC

In July 2019, SM Entertainment formed the group's second sub-unit, Exo-SC, which is composed of members Sehun and Chanyeol. Exo-SC has released one studio album: 1 Billion Views (2020) and one extended play: What a Life (2019).

On January 16, 2018, "Power" became the first K-Pop song to play at The Dubai Fountain at Burj Khalifa Lake, Dubai. Seven members of the group traveled to Dubai to view the first showing. The song's initial run was extended from January to March. It was also brought back from September until November of the same year.  On January 31, Exo released its first Japanese studio album Countdown. The album debuted at number one on the weekly Oricon chart, selling approximately 89,000 copies. This achievement made Exo the first non-Japanese band whose debut single and debut studio album both reached number one on the weekly Oricon chart. Ten days after its release, on February 9, Countdown was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of Japan.

Exo performed at the closing ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang on February 25, serving as representatives of K-pop along with CL. Prior to the performance, Baekhyun sang the national anthem at the opening ceremony of the International Olympic Committee general assembly on February 5, and 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. The Russian two time Olympic silver medalist and figure skating world champion Evgenia Medvedeva also drew media attention for her support of Exo. In April 2018, the Korean Mint Corporation released official commemorative medals for Exo, honoring the group for their contribution to the global spread of Korean culture. The nine medals, each commemorating one of the group's members, were unveiled at a ceremony in Seoul. In October 2018, Lay debuted in the U.S. with his third solo album Namanana. The album topped the charts of Billboard's World Albums and Independent Albums, and placed 21st on the Billboard 200, making Lay the highest-ranked Mandopop artist on the chart.

Exo's sixth studio album, Don't Mess Up My Tempo, was released on November 2, 2018.  Don't Mess Up My Tempo featured all nine Exo members – the group's first release to do so since Lotto in 2016. 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 first artist to surpass 10 million total album sales in South Korea. The album debuted at number 23 on the Billboard 200 with 23,000 equivalent album sales and number one on the Independent Albums and World Albums Billboard charts. The album is Exo's highest charting album on the Billboard 200 and fourth number one album on the World Albums Chart.  Love Shot was released on December 13, as a repacked version of Don't Mess Up My Tempo. The lead single, also titled "Love Shot", became Exo's third number one single on the Billboard World Digital Songs chart and held the position for three consecutive weeks. Don't Mess Up My Tempo sold 1,951,879 copes in South Korea in 2018 and is Exo's best selling album.

Chen became the second 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 number two on the Gaon Album chart and number three on the Billboard World Albums Chart. Xiumin enlisted for his mandatory military service as an active duty soldier on May 7, 2019. D.O. enlisted as an active duty soldier on July 1. Baekhyun debuted as the group's third soloist with the release of his EP, City Lights, on July 10. City Lights sold over 500,000 copies in July 2019, breaking the Gaon Chart record for the highest monthly album sales by a solo artist.  The album also peaked at number four on both Billboard's World Albums and Heatseekers Albums charts.  Chanyeol and Sehun debuted as Exo's second official sub-unit, Exo-SC, and released their first EP, What a Life, in July 22; the duo released "We Young" for SM Station X 0 in September 2018. What a Life debuted at number eight at the World Albums chart, and at number ten at the Heatseekers Chart. Chen released his second EP, Dear My Dear, on October 1;^] the album peaked at number one at the Gaon Album Chart.  Exo is currently embarking on its fifth headlining tour, Exo Planet 5 – The Exploration, with six dates in Seoul from July 19–28.

Exo's seventh studio album, Obsession, will be released on November 27, 2019. It was the first album that featured a six-member lineup. Obsession debuted at number one on the Gaon Album Chart. The group debuted several songs from the album live through Exo Planet 5 - Exploration [dot] encore concerts in December 2019, which also served as the tour's concluding shows.

In February 2020, SM Entertainment revealed that Exo members would prioritize solo and unit activities for 2020, due to hiatuses from the group by several members while serving their military enlistment. Suho became the fourth Exo member to debut as a soloist with his debut EP Self-Portrait which was released on March 30, 2020. Self-Portrait sold over 200,000 copies in March 2020 and peaked at number one at the Gaon Album Chart. Suho enlisted in the military as a public service officer on May 14. On May 25, Baekhyun released Delight, featuring the lead single "Candy". The EP garnered over 732,000 pre-orders, making it the most pre-ordered album by a soloist in South Korean history. On July 1, it was announced that the album had sold more than 1,000,000 copies, making it the first solo album in South Korea to do so since Another Days (2001) by Kim Gun-mo. Lay released his third studio album, Lit, through two-part EPs; the first part was released on June 1, while the second part was released on July 21. The album's pre-orders surpassed 1.5 million copies within seven minutes; Lit went on to sell 2.5 million records, making Lay the best-selling artist in China in 2020. The album also reached number one on iTunes charts in twenty-one countries. Exo-SC released their first studio album, 1 Billion Views, on July 13. The album debuted atop the Gaon Album Chart. Baekhyun and Kai returned to activities with SuperM for the group's first studio album, Super One, which debuted atop the Gaon Album Chart and number two at the Billboard 200 albums chart. Chen enlisted as an active duty soldier on October 26. Kai debuted as the group's fifth soloist with his self-titled mini-album on November 30.  Xiumin was officially discharged from the military on December 6, while D.O. was discharged on January 25, 2021.