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Formation of the EXO group: how did the members join? Male Korean groups: EXO.

Formation of the EXO group: how did the members join? Male Korean groups: EXO.

26.06.2019

EXO is a South Korean/Chinese boy band formed by S.M. entertainment in 2011. The group consists of 9 people (previously 12), divided into two subgroups, and EXO-M targeting the music markets of South Korea and China, respectively.

In December 2011, SM Entertainment announced the formation of a new pop group called EXO.
Since then, SM Entertainment has been representing the members of EXO by releasing a teaser video, and on March 7, 2012, the group's full line-up was revealed.
The main idea of the EXO group is that each track, single, clip of the group will have two versions, Chinese and Korean, respectively.

2012-2013:

In December 2011, SM Entertainment announced the formation of a new K-pop group called EXO. Since then, SM Entertainment has been representing the members of EXO by releasing a teaser video, and on March 7, 2012, the group's full line-up was revealed. EXO is divided into two subgroups: EXO-K (K-pop) and EXO-M (Mandarin-pop). In the first, the performers sing in Korean, while the second is aimed at the Chinese market. The main idea of the EXO group is that each track, single, clip of the group will have two versions, Chinese and Korean, respectively. In 2012, EXO released two music videos for the tracks "MAMA" and "History".

On March 25, SM Entertainment released the teaser video for the group's debut show 'EXO-SHOWCASE' on their official channel. The show aired on March 31st in Korea (for EXO-K) and April 1st in China (for EXO-M). In total, it was attended by more than 8,000 spectators. "SHOWCASE" - is a small concert of the group, during which, in addition to demonstrating their talents and skills, the members talk about themselves and answer questions from fans from around the world. SHOWCASE became a popular event among debutants in 2012.

The group's official debut date is April 8. On April 8, the official performances of the bands took place, as promised, on the same day in both countries. EXO-K performed on the SBS music show 'Inkigayo' while EXO-M held their performance at the China Film Festival. The band's debut single is "MAMA". Ahead of the group's first official entry into the music scene, SM Entertainment released the music videos for their debut single. And, on April 9, the first mini-album of the group "MAMA" was released (in two versions). Following the completion of their promotions, the group embarked on a general label tour called SMTown.

A year after their debut, the group returned to the music scene with their first full-length album. The album was titled "XOXO ~Kiss&Hug~". Just like the previous one, it consists of two parts: "XOXO - Kiss" for the EXO-K subgroup and "XOXO - Hug" for the EXO-M subgroup. In addition to new tracks, the album includes two songs: "My Lady", "Baby, Don't Cry", which viewers could hear in the debut teaser videos of the members. The title track of the album was the track "Wolf" (in a mixed style of hip-hop and dubstep, with a powerful beat), for which a video was presented. Based on the concept of the main track, EXO / EXO-K & EXO-M appeared before the audience in the form of wolf people.

With the promotion of "Wolf", the group managed to win their first awards: on June 14 on the music show "Music Bank" and the next on the music show "Show! Music Core. Exactly one year after their debut, EXO took home the award, proving that they are one of the best rookies in the music scene.

On August 5, the reformatted album was released. The title track was the composition "Growl", to which the group presented clips. With the promotion of "Growl", the group managed to collect 12 awards on music shows, including the Triple Crown (triple crown) on "Show Champion" and "Inkigayo".

On September 5th, EXO's full-length album "XOXO (Kiss&Hug)" broke a new record by selling 740,000 copies in just three months from its release! Since September 3rd KST, EXO has sold 424,260 copies of the regular version of their album "XOXO" which was released on June 3rd and 312,899 copies of its August re-release, bringing the total to 737,159 copies sold! S.M. Entertainment stated:

"According to the Korean Music Industry Association, EXO is the first artist to break the record for sales of over 700,000 units (the record has been held since 2012)"

On July 15, the group premiered the first episode of the drama's music video, and the second episode aired on September 4. The audience will see a whole series with the participation of guys, the musical accompaniment is the songs from the album (the first and reformatted). Just like the group's music videos, the drama includes two versions for the Korean and Chinese markets.

Concluding such a successful year, on December 9, the group released the winter mini-album "Miracles in December". On December 5, the group released the music video for the album's title track of the same name, featuring EXO's main vocals, while the rest of the tracks were recorded by the full line-up.

2014-2015:

The group's comeback with the 2nd mini-album "Overdose" was scheduled for April 15, 2014, but due to the Sewol ferry tragedy, the group's comeback only took place on May 7.

On May 15, 2014, EXO-M member and subgroup leader Chris (Wu Yifan) filed a lawsuit to terminate his contract. At the moment, the problem with the contract has not been resolved, and Yifan is engaged in solo activities.

From May 23 to 25, EXO held their first solo concert, EXO From EXO Planet #1 - The Lost Planet. With this program, the guys performed until October, giving concerts in various Asian countries.

On August 4, 2014, SM Entertainment officially announced EXO's fandom name as EXO-L. L means "Love" (Love). Also, L is the letter that sits between K and M. The letter L represents the fans who give support to both subgroups: EXO-K and EXO-M. In addition, the group launched an official website. As of January 1, 2015, the site has a total of more than 2.9 million people.

On October 10, 2014, EXO-M subgroup member Luhan (Lu Han) filed a lawsuit to terminate the contract, but as of now, the two parties have not reached a unanimous agreement. Luhan is also busy with solo activities.

On March 7, 8, 13, 14 and 15, the second solo concert - EXO PLANET #2 - The EXO'luXion - took place in Seoul. On March 27, the title track of the second full-length album “EXODUS” was pre-released, and on March 30, the release took place. With the title song Call Me Baby, EXO won 17 music show awards, breaking their own record for previous comebacks.

On April 16, Chinese media reported that Tao was leaving EXO, but the company denied the rumors. However, just a few days later, Tao's father issued a statement asking him to leave his son SM, explaining that Tao did not receive proper support from the company, but at the same time he was exposed to too much health risk. On the same day, SM released a statement in response, claiming that they are currently in talks with Tao's father. After the release of the message from Tao's father, the company's shares fell to a record low.

Tao has officially left EXO and started solo activities.

On June 2, EXO released the music video for the title track of their repackaged EXODUS album, Love Me Right, and the album was released on June 3. The comeback was composed of 9 people.

On August 24, Tao formally filed a lawsuit with the Seoul Central Court to terminate his contract with SM Entertainment and leave EXO permanently. His legal representative was the same person who worked with Luhan and Chris. The company, in turn, issued a retaliatory statement saying that they are filing counterclaims and will take other legal action in connection with Tao's illegal activities in both Korea and China.

EXO(kor. 엑소 ) is a South Korean-Chinese boy band formed in 2012 with 12 members in Seoul, South Korea under the label SM Entertainment. The name was taken from the term "exoplanet", which refers to a planet orbiting a star, outside the solar system.
The group made their official debut on April 8, 2012 with the release of their debut single "MAMA". 5 albums have been released so far: debut EP " Mama» (2012), studio album XOXO(2013) and its re-released version Growl(2013), EP " Miracles in December» (2013), Overdose (2014), Exodus(2015), which became hits. In total, about a billion units of products are sold per year worldwide.

The group has won numerous rookie awards in 2012, and has since won over ten awards since their debut. In 2013 the band performed in Kazan, Russia at the closing of the Summer Universiade. In the fall of 2013, 1 episode of EXO'S SHOWTIME, a reality show about the group, was released on MBC Every1. A total of 12 episodes were released, the ratings of which turned out to be high.

EXO set a record for selling their first album XOXO (Kiss&Hug) with over 1 million copies. For the first time in 12 years in Korea, only they managed to set such a sales record.

2012: Formation and debut

In December 2011, SM Entertainment announced the formation of a new pop group called EXO. Since then, SM Entertainment has been representing the members of EXO by releasing a teaser video, and on March 7, 2012, the group's full line-up was revealed. EXO is divided into two subgroups: EXO-K (K-pop) and EXO-M (Mandarin-pop). In the first, the performers sing in Korean, while the second is aimed at the Chinese market. The main idea of the EXO group is that each track, single, clip of the group will have two versions, Chinese and Korean, respectively. In 2012, EXO released two music videos for the tracks "MAMA" and "History".

On March 25, SM Entertainment released the teaser video for the group's debut show 'EXO-SHOWCASE' on their official channel. The show aired on March 31st in Korea (for EXO-K) and April 1st in China (for EXO-M). In total, it was attended by more than 8,000 spectators. "SHOWCASE" is a small concert of the group, during which, in addition to demonstrating their talents and skills, the members talk about themselves and answer questions from fans from all over the world. "SHOWCASE" became a popular event among debutants in 2012.

2013: First album

"According to the Korean Music Industry Association, EXO is the first artist to break the record for sales of over 700,000 units (the record has been held since 2012)"

2014: Overdose era

The group's comeback with the 2nd mini-album "Overdose" was scheduled for April 15, 2014, but due to the Sewol ferry tragedy, the group's comeback only took place on May 7.

From May 23 to 25, EXO held their first solo concert - EXO From EXO Planet #1 - The Lost Planet. With this program, the guys performed until October, giving concerts in various Asian countries.

On August 4, 2014, SM Entertainment officially announced EXO's fandom name - EXO L. L stands for "Love" ( Love). Also, L is the letter that sits between K and M. The letter L represents the fans who give support to both subgroups: EXO-K and EXO-M. In addition, the group launched an official website. As of January 1, 2015, the site has a total of more than 2.9 million people.

2015: Second EXODUS album

On March 7, 8, 13, 14 and 15, the second solo concert took place in Seoul - EXO PLANET #2 - The EXO'luXion. On March 27, the title track of the second full-length album “EXODUS” was pre-released, and on March 30, the release took place. With the title song Call Me Baby, EXO won 17 music show awards, breaking their own record for previous comebacks.

At the moment, Tao is officially in treatment.

On June 2, EXO released the music video for the title track of their repackaged EXODUS album, Love Me Right, and the album was released on June 3. The comeback was composed of 9 people.

Members of musical groups and various shows attract a lot of attention. These are bright and talented people who are given a certain image in order to attract and retain an even larger audience. Today we are going to talk about the members of the EXO group, who have recently achieved unprecedented heights.

Formation

In the spring of 2011, at one of the Hallyu business seminars, which took place at Stanford University, Li Man talked about the fact that there is a certain development strategy for the male group. The team was planned to be split into two separate sub-groups, which would be promoted simultaneously in China and Korea. Their music would be the same, but they would sing it in two languages - Mandarin and Korean.

There were many options for the name of the future team, but in the end it became known as EXO. The name comes from the word "exoplanet". The male team was divided into 2 sub-groups: EXO-M (Northern Chinese) and EXO-K (Korean). In the winter of 2011, the group performed for the first time at one of the popular festivals.

A year later, in the winter of 2012, the first single What Is Love was released for the Korean and Chinese public. In one of the popular Gaon charts, the song only ranked 88th. In March, the second single "History" was released, which peaked at number 68 on the same chart, but peaked at number 6 on China's Sina Chart. At the end of March, the first full-fledged concert of the group took place at the Olympic Stadium. It was announced that about 8 thousand fans from all over the country would come to the show, but in fact only 3 thousand people came. In April, the University of International Economics and Business (Beijing) hosted a talented boy band. In the same month, the debut song called Mama was released. Literally a day after the release of the song, the first small album of the group appeared on the shelves. The promotion took place simultaneously in China and Korea. So, on the day of the release of the song, both sub-groups performed at high-profile popular festivals. The Chinese and Korean versions of the song were almost equally successful. By the way, the Korean version quickly took the 7th place in the overall Youtube ranking. At the end of the month, EXO-M performed by invitation in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia.

November brought new victories to the young team. The group received the Best New Asian Group nomination. EXO-K won the "Best Rookie" category, and EXO-M won the "Most Popular Group" category.

First commercial success in 2013

In the summer of 2013, the group's first studio album, called XOXO, was released. It was released in two versions. The Korean one is called Kiss, and the Chinese one is called Hug. The peculiarity of this period is that the first singles of the group were promoted separately by each sub-group, and the new album became a common project, which was most actively advertised in Korea. The main track "Wolf" was recorded with the whole band, despite the fact that all other songs from the album were written separately. The Chinese and Korean versions of the album soared to the top of the Billboard World Music Chart just a week after its release. The album was re-released in August.

The new track Growl saw the world in August and scored a huge number of points, setting a record. In just three weeks of active promotion, the group managed to win more than 10 times at various music festivals and competitions. Already in winter, sales of the XOXO album exceeded 1 million copies. Over the past 12 years, this was the first Korean team to achieve such success. Thus, the boy band received the status of the fastest selling artist. The group won the "Album of the Year" nomination and thus set another record: it became the youngest male band to receive this award. For 2013, the album was the leader in sales.

In December they released the album Miracles in December as a small Christmas present. On one of the cable channels in November, the promotion of the album began. The reality show featured Chen, Luhan, Baekhyun, and Do. As a result, a fruitful 2013 ended with the fact that all 6 albums of the group hit the Gaon chart.

Solo concerts

The members of EXO, whose names we will name below, released a small album in 2014 called Overdose. The release of the album was scheduled for April, but it had to be postponed due to the wreck of the Sewol ferry. The promotion of the album followed the same principle as the promotion of the single Mama, with EXO-K touring in Korea and EXO-M touring in China. The pre-order amounted to about 660,000 copies. There has never been such an indicator before. The Korean version peaked at number two on the Billboard World Chart and number 129 on the US Billboard 200. At the same time, the boy band had the highest number of all Korean musical groups.

EXO is a Korean group whose members once again made their best-selling album Overdose in 2014. After some time, the album took a leading position on the Gaon Chart, won the Album of the Year nomination.

In the spring, it was reported that the leader of the EXO-M subgroup, Kris, filed a lawsuit in order to break off contact. The reason was a severe violation of human rights. In October, Luhan, another EXO-M member, also filed a lawsuit to terminate his contract. The reason was a sharp deterioration in health.

Later S.M. Entertainment stated that the group will continue promotions as a 10-member group. Already in May, the group's first solo concert was held in Seoul. The Korean record was broken when all tickets sold out in just 1 minute 47 seconds.

Japanese debut

EXO members held their second solo concert in the winter of 2015. During one week of March, there were 5 concerts in Seoul. More than 1 million people are known to have tried to buy tickets online.

At the end of March, the second studio album of the boy band called Exodus was released. Before 24 hours had passed, the number of pre-orders had crossed over half a million. 3 days before the planned release date of the album, the world saw the track Call Me Baby. After 4 days, a video for the song was released, which in the first half of 2015 became the most viewed video. In April, the drama “EXO Next Door” began airing. The drama broke all viewing records, but soon the leading position was taken by the drama “I fell in love with Do Jung”.

The song Call Me Baby collected more than 18 victories in various competitions and nominations. Thus, it was the second track to receive the most awards. The Korean version has been in the top for over a month. The album Exodus also crossed the mark of 1 million copies, became the "Album of the Year". In May, the male group peaked at number 90 on the US Billboard 200. The group became the first Korean music group to hit the Canadian Hot 100 chart.

In April, member Tao's father posted a letter expressing his feelings about his son's work. He pointed out that lately Tao's health has deteriorated greatly, and no measures have been taken to resolve the situation. It became known that during his time at the company, Tao was repeatedly injured and did not receive any treatment. Because of this, he did not participate in Exodus promotions. After some time in the media, Tao confirmed the information that he had applied to the court to terminate the contract.

In early June, a re-release of Love Me Right was released, after which a track with the same name was released. The promotion was carried out with the participation of 9 people. In October 2015, the group became the first group to hold an EXO-Love Concert in Dome at Gocheok Sky Dome (South Korea). When tickets appeared on the site, after only 50 minutes it went down due to too many users.

In November, they released their debut Japanese album Love Me Right, which included the song of the same name and the track Drop That. On the day of release alone, 147,000 copies were sold, propelling the album to the top of the Oricon charts. In Japan, the album became the best-selling music product from Korean artists. In the same month, concerts were held in Tokyo, which were attended by a total of more than 145 thousand fans. The group became the first band to hold a concert in front of such a huge audience despite such an early debut. In collaboration with Disney, the single Lightsaber was released to promote Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Everyone must have wondered how old the members of EXO are, because it seems that these guys have 100 hours in a day. If you study their biography, it becomes clear that they are all no older than 30 years. They release albums one after another, but remain as young and vibrant as ever. In fact, the speed of promotion is determined by the company itself. In 2015, two albums of the group were released on the same day. One was dedicated to the winter holidays, and the second was called Sing For You. Over 250,000 copies were sold in the first 7 days. This once again broke all records among Korean artists. The track Unfair was included in the "Best of the Week" list from Apple Music. Some of the proceeds from the sale of the album were donated to the UNICEF Smile for You project. The year ended with the fact that the team took 7th place in the ranking of leaders in the South Korean music industry.

Members leaving the group

Biography of EXO memberswhile small, because they are all young, their life has just begun. However, it has already had its bad moments. So, in the summer two more soloists Luhan and Chris stated that they would leave the group though. Despite this, the active work of the team continued. The Exo'rdium album released. In September, the world saw the track Dancing King. The members of the EXO group, whose names sounded all over the country, became more and more popular, despite the fact that tension was growing within the group. However, no new faces appeared in the team. Consider what happened to the group this year.

EXO members (2017)

In the spring of 2017, a concert tour was held in Seoul, which became the largest event in Korea. The team became the fifth and youngest group to hold an event at a stadium with such a capacity. Tickets were sold out in just 20 minutes. In July, a new studio album called The War was released. In the history of Korea, the boy band became the best-selling group. In such a short period of time, the Korean group EXO has achieved incredible success. The biography of the participants confirms their professionalism, because almost each of the guys from childhood was fond of music, developed in this direction.

What is the composition of the EXO group? Every teenager in China and Korea knows the names of participants and photos. But in our country only a few will be able to name these artists.

What is the composition of the EXO group? The names of participants and photos, as well as brief biographical information, will be discussed below.

Xiumin and Suho

Xiumin's full name is Kim Min Suk. In the group, he is the vocalist and main dancer. The guy was born in March 1990 in South Korea. Aries by zodiac sign. In 2008, he auditioned for SM, where he took second place. Already in the winter of 2012, he was taken as the seventh member of the boy band.

In the group, Tao was his best friend. Most of all, the artist loves to eat pork and sweets. He is good at cooking spaghetti. Respect for cleanliness and order.

The leader of the group is Suho, whose full name is Kim Jun Myung. The guy was born in May 1991 in Seoul, according to the sign of the zodiac twins. He has an older brother. At school, the boy studied well, was a leader. Interested in acting. Favorite movie is Pirates of the Caribbean, favorite number is 8.

Lay and Baekhyun

Lei's real name is Zhang Yi Xing. In the team, he is the lead dancer and vocalist. Born in October 1991 in the province of China. The sign of the zodiac is Libra. Got into the group through SM casting. Most of all he loves spicy and fried food, respects the action genre, loves to cook. Plays the guitar, composes songs.

Baekhyun's real name is Byun Baek Hyun. He is the main vocalist in the group. Born in May 1992 in South Korea. The zodiac sign is Taurus. Successfully graduated from Jungwon High School. I got into the group during the exam in a music school. In 2012, he became the 9th member of the team. Likes science fiction films.

Chen and Chanyeol

Chen's full name is Kim Jong Dae. In the group, the guy is the lead vocalist. Born in September 1992 in South Korea, according to the zodiac sign Virgo. Has an older brother. Plays the piano, loves to sing and eat chocolate.

Chanyeol's full name is Park Chanyeol. Born in November 1992 in Seoul. The sign of the zodiac is Sagittarius. Has an older sister. Before participating in the group, he starred in many videos. Became 12 members of the group in 2012. It is believed that Lay, Baekhyun and Chanyeol are the funniest guys in the group.

D.O, Kai and Sehun

D.O's full name is Do Kyung Soo. He is the lead vocalist in the group. Born in the winter of 1993 in the province of South Korea, according to the horoscope Capricorn. Since childhood, he participated in various music competitions. He became the eighth member of the group.

Kai's full name is Kim Jong In. Born in the winter of 1994 in Seoul. Zodiac sign - Capricorn. Sehun's full name is Oh Se Hun. Born in 1994 in Seoul (Aries).

We learned the names of the members of the EXO group, got acquainted with their biography, declassified their little secrets. These guys create massive music that breaks all records. Many dream of being in their place. The girls try to get their autographs. And very few people know what their life is like in reality. These guys create massive music that breaks all records. How many members are in EXO? Today there are only five of them. But no matter how many of them remain, the group's popularity will not fall anyway, and fame will follow on their heels. No one knows how their career path will develop further, but this is definitely not the limit of their capabilities. would not remain, all the same, popularity will follow on their heels. No one knows how the career path will develop further, but this is definitely not the limit of their capabilities. The members of the EXO group, whose photos we presented to you, is a Korean phenomenon that has captured millions of hearts.

Summing up the article, I would like to say that the world of music is very diverse. Criticizing someone's work is always easy, but not everyone can try to do something on their own. No one says that the group discussed in the article is a standard, but there are people who like this kind of music and this choice must be respected. The guys really work hard, it is very difficult to keep their schedule. It's incredible how they manage to release 2 albums a month. At the same time, it is necessary to take into account participation in various events, competitions and festivals, as well as regular tours. Young guys are still full of strength and energy to go further, but health should come first. Without it, career success and popularity are worthless.

Boy band EXO is one of the most popular South Korean groups of the last decade. The biography of the team began with a resounding success and continues to develop along the same track. How did this story begin, what did you have to go through and what success did you achieve? More on this later.

EXO: group biography

The group was first mentioned by Korean music mogul Lee Soo-man. He shared his thoughts on the upcoming project with the participants of the seminar at Stanford in May 2011.

The producer said that he plans to create a team divided into two groups. One will sing for the Chinese market and the other for the South Korean market. At the same time, the style and music are exactly the same.

At that time, the working name of the team was "M1", but no one knew anything about the composition. After dozens of castings and reviews, the members of the group were:

Oh Se Hong.
Kim Jun Myung.
Zhang Yi Xing.
Kim Min Seok.
Kim Jongdae.
Byun Baek Hyun.
Do Kyung Soo.
Park Chanyeol.
Kim Jongin.
Wu Yi Fan.
Huang Qi Tao.
Lu Han.

The name had to be changed to EXO. It comes from the astronomical term ‘echoplanet’, a planetoid located outside the solar system. The twelve members were divided into two lineups: Exo-K and Exo-M. The former performed on the Korean stage, and the latter performed songs in Chinese in the north of China.

The guys first appeared in public on December 29, 2011. The test of the pen took place at a festival organized by SBS, the largest television and radio company in South Korea.

Assessing the reaction of the audience, the producer gave the go-ahead to record the first single What Is Love. The song entered the top 100 of the Gaon Music Chart. The second trial song History was also a success.

At the end of March 2012, EXO performed at Jamsil Stadium. A week later, the first full-fledged song Mama was released. The single immediately soared to the top of the music ratings. The same fate awaited the self-titled album, released a few days later.

Both subgroups' versions of Mama's album held roughly the same positions in the global and national charts, but the Korean version still outpaced the adaptation for the Chinese market.

The result of the first year of work was the title of "Best Asian Boy Band" according to the Mnet Asian Music Awards, a victory in three categories at the 27 Golden Disk Awards and the "Most Popular Music Group" award at the Top Chinese Music Awards.

During the first half of 2013, EXO has been working on recording their second album XOXO. The compilation was presented at the end of June, and it immediately received enthusiastic support from the fans. Unlike the first disc, the guys were engaged in the promotion of "XOXO" in full force. In addition, all twelve performers participated in the recording of the Wolf song.

The Chinese and Korean versions of the albums entered the top 10 on the Billboard World Album Chart seven days after release. A month later, the guys released an extended generation of the collection with the main song Growl. Soon this single collected a dozen national awards.

By mid-autumn, over a million people had bought the album, making EXO the most commercially successful Korean boy band of the early 21st century. At the same time, the song Growl earned the title "Single of the Year" (according to the Mnet Asian Music Awards).

It would seem that a great end to the year, but the guys did not stop there. Right after the end of promotions for "XOXO", the group stated that they are already working on a new mini-compilation, Miracles in December, and hope for the support of fans.

And they got it. Even before the release, the number of requests for purchase exceeded 400 thousand copies, which already guaranteed success.

The spring of 2014 marked three milestones for EXO:

A new record for pre-orders.

Before the release of the new collection, the group's management received 660,000 applications. This made the future mini-album the record for this indicator in the history of show business.

Release of the album Overdose.

Departure of two team members.

In early May, EXO's main vocalist Wu Yi Fan, nicknamed Chris, sued the production agency to terminate his contract. The official reason is a violation of human rights.

Six months later, another participant followed his example - Lu Han, who complained of health problems and the inability to participate normally in the life of the team.

Over the next two years, EXO released five more studio albums. The last of these was The War, which was released in May 2017. Less than a month after the release, the number of sales crossed the one million mark.

Unfortunately, by this time, another member had left the band. Huang Qi Tao, nicknamed Tao, terminated his contract with the agency due to a sharp deterioration in health. Apparently, the load for the guy was excessive.

At the beginning of 2018, there were nine guys in the group. All of them play an important role in creating a vocal and dance show. A few words about each of the participants:

Kim Min Suk (Xiumin).

He joined the group after winning the SM Everysing Contest. Then he was barely eighteen years old. In 2012, he became the main dancer of EXO and also performs vocals. Among his friends, he is called "Bun". Experiencing a complex due to short stature.

Kim Jun Myung (Suho).

Group leader and main vocalist. He has an innate talent to lead people. He was class president in elementary school and vice president in high school. Studied acting, loves to ride a bike. Prior to joining the group, he made a cameo appearance in the film Super Junior.

The only Chinese member of EXO. Plays the role of lead dancer and vocalist. Prior to joining the boy band, he appeared on local TV variety shows and also filled in for John Hyun's dance performances. She enjoys cooking, playing the piano and writing songs.

Byun Baek Hyun (Baekhyun).

In his youth he was in the school musical group. Then the guy already knew that he would connect life with creativity. Fate provided a chance at the entrance exams to the College of Music. There he was noticed by a representative of the agency and offered to become the main vocalist of a new boy band.

The last to join the group. He performed with the group for the first time at the SBS Gayo Daejun festival.

He considers himself a stubborn person, but he does not like to play anything, as he constantly remains with his nose. When asked what he would have become if it wasn't for his EXO career, Chen replies, "A fan of Lay." Hobbies - playing the keyboard and singing.

Park Chanyeol (Chanyeol)

I became interested in music after watching "School of Rock". He learned to play the drums and formed his own band, Heavy Noise. He became a member of EXO after a modeling contest. The team is listed as the main rapper.

Before the boy band gained mainstream recognition, Chanyeol starred with Kai and Suho in the music video for TVXQ's HaHaHa Song.

Do Kyung Soo (D.O).

He took up singing in elementary school. In 2010, after winning another competition, he was recommended to a production center that was promoting a new boy band.

As a child, he dreamed of becoming a cook, so he often cooks for his comrades. After completing my career, I would like to try myself as a stylist or fashion designer.

One of the most promising artists of the EXO team. Kai is not only the main dancer, but also the vocalist.

In addition to his main employment, Kai is a member of The Performance dance group, and also performs in the Younique Unit group with Lu Han, who left the boy band.

He has been dancing since the age of eight, inspired by the ballet The Nutcracker. Before joining the stage, he performed at ballet competitions of various sizes.

Oh Se Hun (Sehun).

Plays the role of a rapper, dancer and vocalist. He got into EXO thanks to incredible perseverance. The manager of the SN agency, which promotes the boy band, noticed the guy when he was 12 years old. Sehun went through dozens of auditions until he signed a contract in 2008.

Before the arrival of popularity, he appeared in the video of the TTS group for the song Girl "s Generation. As a child, he dreamed of becoming president in order to outdo the mayor of Seoul (2006‒2011), which is his full namesake.

So many facts are connected with the creative activity of the team that it is impossible to fit them all within the framework of one article. However, some of them need to be mentioned:

In May 2014, tickets for the group's first solo concert were sold out in 1 minute 47 seconds. Then 3 thousand people out of 8 thousand declared were able to get to the performance.

In the spring of 2015, their popularity increased many times over. Therefore, EXO performed five concerts in seven days in Seoul alone. In total, about a million spectators wanted to get to the performance.

EXO has released nine albums in their five years of existence. Each of them beat the records of the previous one. So, the last album The War set a historical record for pre-orders. Even before the release, the collection was paid for by 800 thousand people.

EXO also holds the record for an unbroken streak of Album of the Year awards. Their compilations have won three Mnet Asian Music Awards since 2013.

Total sales of four studio albums, excluding EPs and re-released versions, exceeded 5 million copies, an unprecedented figure for the Asian market.

Successful sales are largely due to high-quality promotion. The boy band is extremely active in the media space. Guys often appear in entertainment shows, in episodes of TV shows and at social events.

However, they are not limited to this. Since 2012, there have been six reality shows on Korean and Chinese television, as well as two television series. On the air of the programs, the stars played various games related to music and vocals, talked about themselves and communicated with fans.

The EXO group is an example of a successful combination of talent, hard work and marketing. Their performances are not just a show, it is a real celebration of creativity. A vivid confirmation of their success is tens of millions of fans not only in Asia, but throughout the world. Do you like EXO?

Name: Do Kyung Soo / D.O. / Do Kyung Soo / D.O. / 도경수
Occupation: singer, actor
Height: 173 cm
Date of birth: January 12, 1993
Birthplace: Goyang, South Korea
Family: parents and older brother

Movies

Trolley | Cart (2014) Supporting role, Tae-young

Series

Hello monster | Hello Monster / I Remember You (2015)
My EXO Neighbors | EXO Next Door (2015) Main role
It's all right, it's love | It's Okay, That's Love (2014) Supporting role, Han Kang Woo
For you in all colors | To The Beautiful You (2012) Cameo in the second series

Biography

South Korean singer and actor Do Kyung-soo (stage name D.O.) was born on January 12, 1993 in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province. He is one of the main vocalists of the popular group EXO and its subgroup EXO-K. Kyung-soo can be compared to a volcano: outwardly quiet and calm, but inside it burns a flame, the warmth of which has already warmed more than one heart.

Kyung-soo began his musical career long before his debut. Since childhood, he loved to listen to music and sing. As an elementary school student, he began participating in local song festivals and competitions. The love for music has grown stronger over the years. In high school, he signed up for vocal lessons while continuing to compete for first place in music competitions. In 2010, after winning one of them, Kyung-soo was invited to audition for SM Entertainment, which he successfully passed. For the next 2 years, he was a trainee at SM Ent. Modest by nature, after signing a contract with the company, Kyung-soo didn't brag about it at school. Moreover, he did not want any of his friends and acquaintances to find out about this, because he wanted to finish his studies without attracting undue attention to himself. Which he did.

On January 29, 2012, EXO-K and EXO-M's first single "What Is Love" was released in Korean and Chinese. The next day, January 30, Kyung Soo was officially introduced as the eighth member of EXO. On March 9, 2012, the second single "History" was released, also in two versions. On March 31, the group held their first concert. In July of the same year, EXO took part in the Chinese variety show 'Happy Camp'. After returning from China, the "Korean" half of the group soon returned to the small screen. In August 2012, the series “For You in All Your Color” began airing, in which EXO-K members made a cameo in the 2nd episode.

EXO's popularity has grown rapidly since their debut, and with it, the number of TV show filming offers has grown. In 2013, Kyung-soo and the rest of the EXO members appeared on "After School Club" (ep. 9), "Happy Camp", "Challenge 1000 Songs", "Weekly Idol" (ep. 103 and 108), "China Love Big Concert", "Infinity Challenge", "Beatles Code 2" and "Running Man". In July 2013, Kyung-soo and F(x) recorded the song "Goodbye Summer", which is featured on F(x)'s new album Pink Tape. Kyung Soo became the first EXO member to record a collaborative song with other artists. In December, he and two other EXO members, Byun Baek Hyun (Baekhyun) and Kim Jong Dae (Chen), released a special Christmas ballad, "Miracles in December." The song became very popular and topped the music charts more than once, and its performers received positive reviews for their musical abilities.

2014 turned out to be a very fruitful and busy year for Kyung-soo. First of all, this, of course, is employment in EXO, who once again became guests at the “Happy Camp” and “Infinity Challenge” shows that year, and also held their first concert tour “EXOPLANET #1 - THE LOST PLANET”. The first performance of the tour took place on May 23 in Seoul, and the last on December 24 in Osaka. During the tour, Kyung-soo performed the song "Tell Me What Is Love", which had lyrics written by himself. In addition to EXO's activities, 2 new items have been added to Kyung Soo's schedule: shooting for the TV series "It's OK, It's Love" and the movie "Cart", for which he recorded the OST "Crying Out".

In “It's Okay, It's Love,” Kyung-soo played the supporting role of an 18-year-old teenager named Han Kang-woo who dreams of becoming a famous writer. And although the role of Kyung-soo was not the main one, the audience noted his potential and good acting skills, for which later, at the 16th Seoul International Youth Film Festival (2014) and 3rd APAN Star Awards (2014), he received 2 awards in the Best Young Actor" and "Best New Actor", respectively. For the film "Cart", where he also got a minor role, Do Kyung-soo was presented in two categories: "Best Newcomer" - at the 9th Asian Film Awards (2015) and "Best New Actor" - at the 10th Max Movie Awards ( 2015). The victory in both categories went to other artists.

In March 2015, EXO's second concert tour "EXOPLANET #2 - The EXO'luXion" began.

In April 2015, Kyung-soo, along with the members of EXO, participated in the recording of the 424th episode of 'Infinity Challenge'. On the 9th of the same month, the web series “My Neighbors EXO” began airing on Naver TV, in which Kyung-soo played himself. The series about a girl who lives next door to 4 famous idols and, moreover, is forced to work for them as a cleaner, was a huge success in South Korea and became one of the most popular, gaining more than 50 million views.

On June 22, the shooting of the film "Pure Love" began, which is based on the love story of two teenagers living in a small provincial town. In this film, Kyung-soo will play his first lead role. His partner was a young, but already very popular and sought-after actress Kim So Hyun (“Who are you: School 2015”, “I miss you”, “The sun in the arms of the moon”, etc.). Despite the fact that Kyung Soo's acting experience is much less than Seo Hyun's, he managed to get a lot of positive feedback not only from the audience, but also from film critics. His most recent cameo role in Hello Monster, which launched to coincide with the filming of Pure Love, was also highly acclaimed. Whether Kyung-soo will be able to pull off his role in "Pure Love" as well will be known after the film's premiere, which is scheduled for spring 2016.

Personal life

Ideal Type: Pretty, kind, with a sweet smile. Like girls with very fair skin. Prefer a girl with a good appetite. He thinks he can't fall in love at first sight. His feelings will develop as he gets to know the person.

He believes that during recognition, the most important thing is not the atmosphere and the beauty of words, but the sincerity coming from the heart. To a girl he likes, he would confess by asking her "Can I be your boyfriend?".

In 2014-2015, Kyung-soo became the subject of gossip due to rumors about his relationship with Girl's Day member Park Seo-jin. It all started with the fact that in March 2014, a nail artist posted on Instagram a photo of his nail design adorning Seo Jin's fingers. On one of the nails, fans saw the inscription "I<3 DO». После этого случая они стали искать другие доказательства ее отношений с Кён Су, однако все «находки» являлись лишь предположениями, основанными на мнении фанатов. Новая волна слухов о том, что Кён Су и Со Джин находятся в отношениях, вспыхнула после того, как на одном из радио-шоу девушка довольно четко описала свой идеальный тип мужчины, в котором поклонники EXO узнали Кён Су. Встречается ли на самом деле Кён Су с Со Джин, не известно, так как агентства обеих звезд никак не комментируют эти слухи.

His father is an art businessman, and his mother is a professional dancer. When Kyung-soo said that he wanted to become a singer, his parents approved of his choice and supported him.
Education: Primary school - Poongsan, middle school - Baekshin, high school - Baekseok.
Close friends with BTOB's Hyung Sik.
Fans call him "Rich in Eye Whites" because the whites of his eyes are more prominent than the pupils.
Personal talent: imitating the voice of actor Oh Kwang Rok.
Favorite number: 1.
Favorite color: black.
Favorite movie genre: fantasy. I also like action movies and light romantic films.
Favorite band: F(x).
Favorite song: Travie McCoy - "Billionaire" (ft. Bruno Mars)
I like R&B songs.
Favorite composer: Yoo Young Jin.
Actors he respects: Song Kang Ho and Kim Yoon Suk. Dreams of working with them.
Hobbies: singing, beatboxing.
Doesn't like to read.
He prefers quiet and secluded places to noisy crowded places.
Favorite food: spaghetti.
If I had not become a singer, I would like to become a cook. Her dream is to learn how to cook stew and cook the best sesame paste in the world.
I worked in a meat restaurant.
A little afraid of the dark, so he often sleeps with soft toys.
Prefers to be addressed by his real name rather than his stage name.
A real man, according to Kyung-soo, must have good manners.
In people, first of all, he appreciates honesty.
He has many moles on his body. He considers this one of the secrets of his success.
By nature he is calm and shy. Considers himself an introvert. However, in the circle of close friends often jokes.
Kyung-soo is difficult to start a dialogue with someone. Therefore, he is happy when people themselves come up to him and are the first to speak to him.
Due to strong excitement, he can confuse or forget all the words.
Very neat and clean. According to his colleagues in the group, even too clean.
Prefers free style in clothes. Things in the closet are laid out by color and style.
He does not know how to hide hostility if he does not like someone. This will certainly be noticeable in the expression of his face.
Do Kyung Soo doesn't like emoji.
Once he said that he would like to be a stylist or designer for EXO, to which the rest of the group unanimously replied “No, thanks.”
"Mommy" of the group, as his fans called him. Responsible for cooking and cleaning in the dormitory.
She dreams of singing a solo without musical accompaniment at one of the concerts.
In July 2015, after returning from Japan from one of the concerts held as part of the "EXOPLANET #2 - The EXO'luXion" tour, Kyung-soo was seen at the airport in a wheelchair. As later explained by the singer's agency, Kyung-soo was injured during the performance, but there were no serious injuries.
Motto: "Be the first."