Exo facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Exo
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Exo in June 2016
From left to right, standing: Baekhyun, Chen, Lay, Sehun, Chanyeol, D.O., Kai From left to right, kneeling: Suho, Xiumin |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Seoul, South Korea |
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| Years active | 2012–present |
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| Members | |
| Past members | |
Exo (Hangul: 엑소; RR: Ekso; stylized in all caps) is a South Korean 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 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 with its repackage, 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 combined with their repackages 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. Their eighth studio album, Exist (2023), is their best selling album in South Korea, where it sold over 2 million copies.
Exo have won numerous awards, including five consecutive Album of the Year awards at the MAMA 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 40 list from 2014 to 2018. They have been labeled "Nation's Pick" by the Korea Tourism Organization and by some as the "Kings of K-pop". 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.
Awards and achievements
Exo have won numerous awards both in South Korea and internationally. The band earned their first-ever music show win in June 2013 for their single "Wolf" on the South Korean music program Music Bank. For four years, Exo held the record for the most music show wins for a single song, with 18 for "Call Me Baby" (2015). The band have won over 100 music program awards cumulatively, becoming the second act to do so after their label-mates Girls' Generation. Exo have received 23 Daesang awards from various year-end award shows, including six from the Mnet Asian Music Awards, a feat that was recorded in the 2018 Guinness World Records book.
On November 3, 2017, Exo received a Prime Minister Commendation at the Korean Popular Culture and Arts Awards, an honor bestowed in recognition of public service and/or excellence in a given field. When receiving the award, Suho said: "We have received such a big award alongside brilliant people ... It's such a huge honor. We will become performers who promote not only K-pop, but also Korea."
Philanthropy
The members of Exo-K became goodwill ambassadors for South Korea's Red Cross Youth in December 2012. Members of Exo were appointed as official ambassadors for Fashion-KODE 2014, which was hosted by South Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Active Content Agency Fashion Festival in July 2014. That same month, Samsung announced Exo as its brand ambassadors for the 2014 Summer Youth Olympics. Since their debut, Exo members have been involved in charity, such as volunteering for and making personal donations to organizations including childcare centers, the Korea Childhood Leukemia Foundation, Siheung Women's Resources Development Center, and China's Hunan province medical services.
In 2015, Exo began participating in Smile For U, a joint SM Entertainment and UNICEF project that supports music education for children in Asia. Part of the proceeds from the band's second special winter release Sing for You and multiple subsequent albums were donated to the campaign.
Images for kids
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Exo at SM Town Live World Tour III in Singapore in November 2012
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Exo with South Korean President Park Geun-hye in China on June 28, 2013
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From left to right: D.O, Lay, and Kai at the 24th Seoul Music Awards in January 2015
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Exo at Ex'act release press conference in June 2016
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Exo-CBX at their debut showcase in Seoul on October 31, 2016
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Exo at the Dream Concert in June 2017
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Exo with the President of South Korea, Moon Jae-in, Ivanka Trump and CL at the 2018 Winter Olympics in February 2018
See also
In Spanish: EXO para niños
