50 Fun Facts About EXO

Which agency formed EXO?

Founder Lee Soo-man announced in 2011 a boy band that would promote simultaneously in Korea and China.

The group's name is taken from which word?

The concept: the members came from a planet outside the solar system, each with a superpower.

How many members did EXO debut with in 2012?

The lineup was split into two six-member sub-groups promoting the same songs in two languages.

Exo-M promoted its songs mainly in which language?

Exo-K handled Korean while Exo-M worked the Chinese market until the 2014 EP Overdose.

What was EXO's debut single in April 2012?

Two pre-release singles, "What Is Love" and "History", had come out earlier in the year.

Which member was the first to join the agency as a trainee, back in 2006?

He trained for six years before debut and went on to lead Exo-K.

Which member won a contract at the SM Youth Best Contest in 2007?

His father encouraged him to audition; he is the group's main dancer.

Which Exo-M leader auditioned at a global SM audition in Canada?

He was the first member to sue the agency, filing in May 2014.

Which member was cast through SM auditions in Qingdao, China?

He sat out the 2015 album promotions with injuries and formally departed in March 2018.

Who was the last member to join Exo-M, in 2011?

He is one of the three main vocalists and later debuted solo with April, and a Flower.

What was the title of EXO's first studio album, released in June 2013?

Its lead single was the first track both sub-units recorded together.

Which breakthrough single titled the repackage of the first album?

It won Song of the Year at the Melon Music Awards and was choreographed by Nicholas Bass.

Which act had last sold a million copies of an album before EXO did in 2013?

That 2001 milestone stood for twelve years until EXO's first album and its repackage.

What was EXO's first reality show, which premiered in November 2013?

It promoted the winter EP Miracles in December ahead of its release.

The release of the EP Overdose was delayed because of which 2014 event?

It still became the best-selling release of 2014 in South Korea, the first EP ever to top the yearly chart.

Tickets for EXO's first headlining tour reportedly sold out in how long?

The 2014 show, The Lost Planet, set the record for fastest sell-out by a Korean artist.

What was EXO's first number one on the Gaon Digital Chart?

It came from their first live album, Exology Chapter 1: The Lost Planet.

Which single was rushed out early in March 2015 after it leaked online?

It went on to win 18 music show trophies, a record that stood for four years.

Which 2015 album was repackaged as Love Me Right?

Together the two editions became the group's second million-seller.

Which Seoul venue hosted EXO's Love Concert in October 2015?

The Seoul venue is primarily a baseball stadium with a retractable-free fixed roof.

EXO's special single "Lightsaber" promoted which film?

The collaboration between SM and Disney put the members in a "Jedi Only" club.

Part of the profits from Sing for You were donated to which UNICEF project?

The joint SM-UNICEF project funds music education for children in Asia.

Which 2016 album's singles were "Lucky One" and "Monster"?

It broke the first-week sales record that EXO themselves had set with Sing for You.

Which three members make up the sub-unit Exo-CBX?

Their first EP arrived on Halloween 2016, days after Lay's solo EP Lose Control.

Which two members form the sub-unit Exo-SC?

Their 2020 studio album was titled 1 Billion Views.

Who was the first EXO member to release a solo EP, in October 2016?

Lose Control came out three days before Exo-CBX debuted.

Which 2017 album drew a record 807,235 pre-orders?

Its lead single "Ko Ko Bop" mixed laid-back reggae with heavy electronic breaks.

Guinness credited EXO with the most Daesangs at which ceremony?

The 2018 edition of the record book listed the feat; the group has 23 Daesangs overall.

In January 2018 an EXO song became the first K-pop track played at which landmark?

Seven members flew to Dubai to watch the first showing at Burj Khalifa Lake.

What was EXO's first Japanese studio album, released in January 2018?

It made EXO the first non-Japanese band whose debut single and debut album both topped the Oricon weekly chart.

EXO performed at the closing ceremony of which Olympic Games?

They represented K-pop alongside CL; Baekhyun had sung the anthem at the IOC assembly weeks earlier.

Which body issued commemorative medals honoring EXO in April 2018?

Nine medals were struck, one for each member, recognizing their spread of Korean culture.

Which EXO album debuted at number 23 on the US Billboard 200?

It was the first release with all nine members since Lotto in 2016.

What repackage of the 2018 studio album arrived that December?

Its title track topped Billboard's World Digital Songs chart for three straight weeks.

With their 2018 album, EXO became the first act to pass what sales total in Korea?

The feat made them the first act that debuted in the 21st century to get there.

Baekhyun's 2019 solo debut EP was called what?

It came out in July 2019, making him the group's third soloist.

Baekhyun and Kai joined which SM supergroup in 2019?

The supergroup released its first studio album, Super One, in 2020.

What was the title of EXO's sixth studio album, released in November 2019?

Several tracks were debuted live at the encore shows of the Exploration tour.

Who was the first EXO member to enlist for mandatory military service?

He enlisted in May 2019 and was discharged in December 2020, the oldest member going first.

Who was the last EXO member to enlist, in December 2023?

The youngest member was discharged in September 2025.

In March 2018 EXO became Asian brand ambassadors for which sports body?

Three members attended the grand opening of the league's store in Times Square, Hong Kong.

What was the 2021 "special album" that marked Lay's return to EXO?

It was recorded in secret before Chanyeol and Baekhyun enlisted.

D.O.'s 2021 solo debut EP was called what?

He later left SM for Company Soosoo but stayed an EXO member.

Which 2023 album is EXO's best seller in South Korea, with over 2 million copies?

It was their first album promoted as seven members, with Kai enlisted and Lay in China.

In 2024 Baekhyun founded which company, recruiting two bandmates?

The three remain contracted to SM for group activities but go solo under the new label.

What was the title of EXO's eighth full album, released in January 2026?

Its nine tracks include the lead single "Crown".

EXO's first music show win, in June 2013, was for which single?

The win came on Music Bank; the group has since topped 100 music show trophies.

Which cosmetics brand did EXO endorse from 2013 until 2020?

The partnership grew into autograph events drawing up to 50,000 fans and a fan festival.

Which nickname has the Korea Tourism Organization given EXO?

They served as Korean Tourism Ambassadors in 2018, the year of the Pyeongchang Games.

EXO's stage is modeled on which shape that appears in the band's logo?

Water raining down on the members during songs like "White Noise" became a tour signature.