In Korean Mama is a term they use to address a leader or King or queen. It's a term of reverence and respect. It's similar to saying "Your majesty." If you watch very many historical Korean dramas you will hear the characters call the royal family, and especially the head of the royal family or leader, "Mama." So, in this song, they are speaking to the leader or deity who sent them to Earth, essentially asking, "Now that I'm here, Your Majesty what should I do? How do I fulfill what you have sent me to do?" etc. To truly understand EXO you need to understand that EXO debuted in 2012. "Mama" is how EXO was introduced to the world and it explains the group's concept. So to really understand EXO you need to start from the very beginning and watch BOTH of their "Mama" MVs. From day one, EXO's concept is that they are aliens from planet EXO and they came to Earth with superpowers to protect the Tree of Life from the Red Forces. Each of the members has a superpower that is unique to them and almost every MV will have at least one if not all of them using their powers. Now that you have seen the EXO-K version of "Mama" you really need to watch the EXO-M version. it's important you know EXO's story and really pay attention to the introduction of this MV to understand everything that happens from now on in all the rest of EXO's MVs. Exo, as in exoskeleton, means "outer," so as a member of EXO they are outside the ordinary.The groups concept comes from the real term exoplanet, which is a term that is used for a planet that is outside our solar system, so their name was chosen to represent the fact that they are stars that are "out of this world" when it comes to their talents. EXO's concept is also connected to real life planetary and solar events so many of EXO's comebacks and new song releases for the main group of EXO are connected to when eclipses and other planetary phenomenons take place. For example, their War album and Power album release and comeback coincided with when we had a solar eclipse, etc. SM Entertainment has all their release dates and concepts planned out for years in advance and it often has something to do with real celestial events that are predicted to take place. In order to really understand EXO, you need to know that in the beginning there was 12 members and they were split up into 2 groups EXO-K and EXO-M. EXO-K sang and performed their songs in Korean and EXO-M sang and performed those same songs in Mandarin Chinese. EXO-K had 6 Korean members and EXO-M had 4 Chinese members and 2 Korean members. So to really understand their full origin story you have to watch both the K and the M version of "Mama." However, since then 3 of the 4 Chinese members have left the group (short answer to focus on their solo work back in China) but there is still one Chinese member left, Lay. (Any performances or MVs you watch that took place prior to May 2014 you will see all 12 of the members. Kris and Luhan left in 2014 and Tao left in 2015.) Now -- because they no longer have enough Chinese members -- they no longer do separate promotions, but they still produce almost all of their main track songs in both Korean and Mandarin they just now promote all as one big group EXO with 9 members. So, not only does EXO have amazing MVs, but it's almost always double because most of the time when they have a Korean version they also will have a Mandarin version, so it means they have to shoot two separate videos.Their fandom name is EXO-L because L falls right between K and M and it stands for Love. 😍Get it? EXO-K, EXO-L, EXO-M (K-L-M in the alphabet) In the EXO-K version of "Mama" the members are using their powers to search for and meet up with the EXO-M members. That is why you see the K members traveling to find the M member. For example, you see Kai using his power of teleportation as he searches for the M members and you see Baekhyun use his power of light and Suho with his power of water, Chanyeol with the power of fire using his Phoenix wings, D.O. with the power of earth and strength and Sehun controlling the wind. Because Xiumin is a member of EXO-M, you see him appear in the mirror because the K members are searching for him and he is being summoned, etc. As the story goes, when EXO arrived on Earth they did not all arrive together. Their story starts out that they were dropped on Earth in different locations all over the world and they have to search for each other and meet up, kind of like in a quest, before they can begin to figure out how to accomplish the tasks they have been sent to Earth to do. When you see the members all together in their "Mama" MVs they are together because they are still on Planet EXO where they are still united. But when you see them separated this is when they have all been sent to Earth.They keep flashing back and forth between present moments and recent past moments. So, how I interpret the story is that at the end they aren't back together yet, but that is a scene from when they were still on Planet Exo as they are preparing to be sent to Earth. The two worlds the narrator talks about in the introduction could possibly be different dimensions, so you often see parts of their story which could be interpreted as them being in different dimensions or time periods or different moments in history. If you want to see the EXO-M members and their story and superpowers you need to watch the EXO-M (Mandarin Chinese) version of "Mama" The M version will feature the EXO-M members and they will be the ones singing the main parts of the song. You only see small clips of the M members in the Korean version. But in the Chinese version the story continues, and the EXO-M members are the ones that are highlighted. You have to see both MVs to understand the full story. Each of the members in EXO-K has a counterpart in EXO-M so part of what you were seeing in this MV was them showing you which EXO-K member corresponded with which EXO-M member. For example Suho (EXO-K) with the power of water corresponds with Xiumin (EXO-M) who has the power of frost/ice and Chanyeol (EXO-K) with the power of fire is Kris' (EXO-M) counterpart because he is the power of flight, and as you will see when you watch the EXO-M MV, Chanyeol has the power of the phoenix and Kris has the power of the dragon which both animal spirits have fire elements and flight so they connect; D.O. (EXO-K) with the power of force and Chen (EXO-M) with the power of thunder/lightning; and Sehun (EXO-K) who has the power of wind is connected to Tao (EXO-M) who controls time; Baekhyun (K) with the power of light and Lay (M) with the power of healing; and Kai (K) with teleportation and Luhan (M) with telekinesis; etc. That's how they maintain their bond even as members of separate groups. Also, each member in EXO-K has a counterpart in EXO-M that fills the same role in each group. For example, D.O. is the main vocalist in EXO-K and Chen is the main vocalist in EXO-M; Baekhyun is the other main vocalist in K and Luhan was the other main vocalist in M; Chanyeol is the main rapper in K and Kris was the main rapper in M; Sehun is the lead rapper in K and Xiumin is the lead rapper in M; Kai is the main dancer in K and Lay is the main dancer in M; and then it's Suho is a lead vocalist in K and Tao was a rapper/vocalist in M (I'm not sure how these two really work together because Tao is more of a rapper and Suho is a vocalist, but because they are the last two they are put together.) The tattoos on Kai's face and body say EXO and also all of the EXO members names, or at least the 6 EXO-K members names, as well as EXO's symbol and other hidden clues to EXO's origin story. Now that you have seen "Mama" and are starting to understand EXO's backstory, if you watch any of their other MVs, it should make more sense to you if you keep in mind all the details about them being aliens with superpowers and how they are on a mission, etc. For example, In EXO's "Overdose" MV they have been lured into and trapped in a maze by the Red Force and they are trying to use their superpowers to figure out a way to escape, but somehow the maze affects their powers and it causes them to lose control and allows the Red Force to capture them. After "Overdose," the story picks up in their "Lucky One" MV where the Red Force has transferred the members to a hospital-like setting that is supposed to be a government lab facility where the Red Force is now doing experiments on EXO to figure out what makes them special and to find a way to disrupt their connection to the Tree of Life and to prevent them from gaining control, as well as maybe figure out what they need to do to clone them like we see has been done in their "Obsession" MV, etc. In "Lucky One" the members use their powers to overthrow the Red Force and to escape the facility. And that is where the story picks up in their "Ko Ko Bop" MV. in "Ko Ko Bop" EXO are free from the Red Forces' control for the moment and they all act like they are in a drugged state. The Ko Ko Bop drink that Suho mixes and the wafers or pills that the members all take, is supposed to help them detox from the drugs they were given against their will by the Red Force when they were being experimented on. As you can see, although everything is connected, it isn't necessarily in chronological order, so if you want to follow EXO's story you have to pay attention to every detail of everything they do, in order to find the threads of connections and piece it all together.
The whole point of both the EXO-K and EXO-M versions of their songs and each MV is to introduce you to EXO's concept and storyline. "Mama" is like the first episode of EXO's drama -- it sets up everything to come in the rest of the series. And if you miss any part of the first episode you will forever be lost when it comes to the rest of EXO's story. So, in other words, you HAVE to watch the EXO-M version of "Mama." If you watch both versions of their "Mama" MV, you might be able to understand a little more about EXO's mission and everything they have been sent to Earth to do. It's very important that you pay attention to the introduction story in "Mama" because it is literally setting up EXO's storyline. The narrator is telling you EXO's whole origin story, about how EXO have been split up into two groups EXO-K and EXO-M and they are part of the same group and yet separate -- part of two worlds that come together as one, etc. And he is telling you about how the Tree of Life has been split in half to protect it from falling into the Red Forces' control -- each half of the tree representing one half of EXO (EXO-K and EXO-M) -- and EXO's mission is to find the two halves of the tree and reunite them to restore peace in the world. You also need to pay attention to the lyrics for "Mama." The majority of their chant is in English: "Shoot anonymous, anonymous; Heartless, mindless; No one who care about me ... Careless, careless (Mama: Mama in Korean means Your Majesty); Shoot anonymous, anonymous (Mama); Heartless, mindless (Mama); No one who care about me (Mama)" Also, if you pay attention to what the whole song is talking about and what the lyrics mean it will give you even more insight into why EXO have been sent to Earth and what their mission is all about. EXO's storyline begins with them being sent to Earth to try and heal the world and to stop and prevent the Red Force from taking over and corrupting everything. And the story in the lyrics of "Mama" foreshadows what they will have to overcome and understand about humans and our world to accomplish their tasks. EXO kind of takes humanity to task and asks us to explain why we would allow all this anger and hatred to cloud everything around us and why we don't love each other more? It's really a very beautiful message and the more you learn about EXO the more interesting the whole thing becomes. In the song the members, being aliens from another planet, are struggling to understand how we as humans could allow all this evil and bad things to happen all around us, such as war, hatred and the destruction of the environment, etc. and they are daunted by the fact that they are now tasked with figuring out how to fix it all and prevent more evil from taking place. That's why they need to find the two halves of the Tree of Life and reunite them to restore peace. EXO's story is part supernatural and Sci-Fi and part based on reality, which touches on real life events and things that are really happening in the world. And from the very beginning, even during pre-debut days, and everything since then and everything yet to come, it all is connected to that storyline, including Baekhyun and Kai's parts in SuperM. Whether it's an MV from the group, a solo project from one of the members, a sub-unit project, a live performance, teaser videos, concert VCRs, or even a good amount of their choreography, it all has been designed to connect to EXO's storyline. Also, the symbols you saw represent each of the members and it has to do with each of their powers. For instance, Kai's symbol is a pyramid and it represents teleportation, and Lay's symbol is a unicorn and it represents his power of healing, etc. (In future MVs and other things to do with EXO, when you see things like a pyramid, you know that is a reference to something to do with Kai, etc.) Even the most minute of details in EXO's content has something to do with their origin story and EXO's storyline. It's kind of mind blowing the amount of planning and manipulation SM has been doing over the years to connect all the dots and to continue the story. It gets even crazier when you realize how even the smallest of details were crafted to be a hidden message or detail within that storyline. Unfortunately, to make it even more difficult to understand, each part of the story is not necessarily in chronological order, so we, as EXO-L, have to become detectives and analyze every aspect of everything any of the members are involved in to try and piece it all together and figure out where each part fits within their larger storyline. To help you pinpoint the powers being used in their MVs and live performances here is a list of the members and what their special power is. EXO-K 💦 Suho (Kim JunMyeon) is the leader of the group and he is a lead vocalist -- his power is the ability to control water (Fun fact: Suho in Korean means guardian, as in the guardian of EXO. That's why as the leader of EXO, his stage name is Suho) 💡Baekhyun is a main vocalist and his superpower is the ability to control light 🔥Chanyeol is the main rapper and lead vocalist -- his power is the ability to control fire and his spirit animal is the phoenix. 🌏D.O. (Do KyungSoo) is a main vocalist and his power is the ability to control earth (dirt) which gives him strength/force ☄Kai (Kim JongIn) is a main dancer, lead vocalist and sub-rapper and his power is teleportation (Kai means opening as in a door or gateway, so his stage name is supposed to symbolize his role within EXO's storyline as the one that connects everyone together.) 🌪Sehun is the youngest member of the group and he is a lead rapper, lead dancer and a vocalist -- his power is the ability to control wind EXO-M ❄Xiumin (Kim MinSeok) is the oldest member of the group and he is a lead vocalist and lead rapper and his power is the ability to control snow/ice (frost) 🦄 Lay (Zhang Yixing) is the Chinese member of the group, he is a main dancer, lead vocalist and rapper -- his power is the ability to heal anything. 🌩 Chen (Kim JongDae) is a main vocalist and his power is the ability to control thunder/lightning/electricity (As you can see, Xiumin and Chen were given stage names that sounded more Chinese so they would fit in better in EXO-M because they are the Korean members of the Chinese group) The Chinese members who, eventually, leave the group: 🐉 Kris was the leader of EXO-M and he was a main rapper and vocalist -- his power was the ability to fly and his spirit animal was a dragon 💭 Luhan was a main vocalist and his power was telekinesis (The ability to control things with his mind) ⏰Tao (Z.Tao) was a lead rapper and vocalist and the martial artist of the group, so he did the flips and stunts in the group's routines. His power was the ability to control time
Hello there sir Austin😭 i know I probably already said this, but i’m always happy to see and hear this from my favorite reactors. The moment you reacted to Wheein’s cover of Candy. I really longed for you to react to exo. And now we’re here. Life is great.
EXO in the beginning was separated in EXO-K and EXO-M, being the first one focused on Korea and the other one in China. That´s why there is only 6 members in this one, since the other 6 where in EXO-M. So there was the korean and the chinease version of the same song. There is also some songs with the 12 version members.
Exo’s concept is a little complicated but yes they do have superpowers each member has their own which is really complex. I’m a still a new exo’L(almost 2 years) so I’m excited to go on this journey with you. Also, for obsession as you heard in a comment 3 Chinese members left -Luhan, kris wu, and tao. I follow with the members who left too because tao is one of my favorite Chinese actors. There were 2 members I believe that were in the military and Lay was in China so that’s why there were only 6 members. Ps: all the members in exo are really good singers and very versatile. Please let me know if I got anything wrong.
The EXO journey has started, yay!!! EXO started as a 12 member group 😊Three of the four Chinese members left a few years ago due to mistreatment under SM ent, so it’s actually only Lay left in terms of foreign members. Xiumin and Chen are also part of EXO-M, but they’re actually Korean. Also one of the main reasons why people love the Growl MV so much is because it was filmed as one take, rather than having multiple cuts, and that fact alone makes it so much more impressive 😊
Hi! I want to yell at the person that recommended MAMA without explaining about EXO's story (not story line, because that would take way too long to explain). EXO debuted as a 12 member group that were split into 2 sub groups EXO-K and EXO-M and they released the same songs, but in two different languages: Korean and Mandarin. In MAMA you saw only the K side of the group and heard only the K side of the group with the M members being shown for a split second. EXO-M version of the MV is totally different, since it introduces the other 6 members. The dance break was actually a combination of EXO-K and EXO-M and the one doing the flip was Tao, an ex member. For some MVs they are all together like in Growl, in some they will be together again, but the focus will be on the sub group that the version is of (Overdose MV for example) and then there will be MVs after the 3 Chinese members left where they are all one group. There are two official sub-units: EXO-CBX and EXO-SC Their world view is very extensive and nothing is in chronological order or even in the same universe so understanding the story line is quite a feat, but yes, they did stick with their story. Even Growl MV that seems like it's not connected is somehow connected and especially the second version of the MV. Umm the one with pink hair in Growl wasn't Baekhyun, it was Luhan and Baekhyun appeared right after Luhan in the bridge, he's the one with blonde hair on the left where the three members harmonize. The one in MAMA with emo hair that you said you liked is Suho and the one screaming is Kai. Hope to see more EXO reactions
Brooo... It’s always lit seeing people hear Mama for the first time. That song never fails to blow my mind. Also, about the storyline... if you watch the MV for Obsession you’ll see they still follow that intense, action-packed fantasy concept even after all this time!!! The dedication is real
Fun fact: EXO’s Mama really means “Your Majesty” in Korean, which really changes the whole vibe of the song. The lyrics? immaculate. And I strongly believe that EXO’s story is probably the one that has lasted the longest and the strongest when it comes to their origins and powers.
For MAMA, the intro story was alluding to the fact that they divided the group into two, EXO-K (Korean) and EXO-M (Mandarin/Chinese), and they all had superpowers. Each power was shared between the members of the Korean group and the Chinese one. That's what you see when they're reflections of each other in the mirror, etc. Kai was the one scream-rapping in the EXO-K version.
Also, in the beginning, they put out Korean and Chinese versions of most of the songs and some MV's, including MAMA. I recommend watching both. EXO-CBX is a sub-group made up of Chen, Baekhyun and Xiumin.
Technically every MV is related to EXO’s concept. It’s either very obvious that’s important to their plot like Obsession, a hint of their superpower like Kokobop, or not related like Love Me Right but still is because it counts as one of their parallel universe. A big chunk of EXO’s concept are shown in their teasers and VCRs. It even bleeds out into their solo works if you know what their powers are. I’d recommend listening to Power because it’s another MV with narration about their superpower/universe concept and links with their new comeback like a time skip.
If there is a song anthem for the whole third generation of K-pop, Growl is that song. That song got famous not because of how big they were (they were called flops at that time), but because of how the general public loved the song, and until now, it's still being covered by many idols in the industry.
That time I fell in love with them at the first sight. I can't believe it. It's been already more than 8 years since I knew them. They’re just amazing.
Forgot to say that EXO, NCT & Aespa are the only groups that have storylines in SM; Other SM groups don't have connected storylines. Apparently tho just like how SuperM is a way to possibly connect NCT & EXO storylines; SM planning to connect all the group together through a big storyline calling it SM culture Universe, NCT & Aespa are already kinda connected and other groups might join that storyline soon
Yes, EXO do all their vocals and harmonies themselves - they do it live too, which really has to be seen ('Mama'/'Monster'/'Wolf' live stage is great). The 'Growl' MVs (there are 2 versions, so 4 MVs in total) were filmed in one take and feature both EXO-K and EXO-M. For me, it was 'Mama' and 'Wolf' that really made me fall in love with the band. EXO’s concept is based on them being aliens from the Planet EXO. There were 2 pre-debut songs, ‘What is Love’ and ‘History’, followed by the official debut 'Mama' (which means majesty, not mother). This MV gives an introduction to each of the members and their superpowers. There are 2 versions of the MV (Korean and Chinese) and you will need to watch them both to get the full picture. The reason for this is that there were originally 12 members of EXO, who were split into two groups of 6 and each video focuses on one group. EXO-K (Korea) Suho (water) (overall Leader) (Lead Vocalist) Baekhyun (light) (Main Vocalist) Chanyeol (fire) (Main Rapper/Vocalist) D.O. (earth/power) (was Lead Vocalist now Main Vocalist) Kai (teleportation) (Main Dancer/Lead Rapper/Visual) Sehun (maknae) (wind) (Lead Dancer/Rapper) EXO-M (Mandarin) Xiumin (frost) (Lead Vocalist) Kris (flight) (M Leader) (Dancer/Rapper) Luhan (telekinesis) (Lead Vocalist/Lead Dancer/Visual) Lay (healing) (Main Dancer/Vocalist) Chen (lightning) (Main Vocalist) Tao (time control) (Lead Rapper) Although they identified as separate groups, the next few singles featured all 12 members in the MVs (like 'Growl'). However, again Korean and Mandarin versions of the MVs were released with the main vocals being provided by the relevant group. This continued until 2014/15, when 3 of the Chinese members left (Kris, Luhan and Tao) and the remaining 3 (Xiumin, Chen and Lay) joined the Korean group, now calling themselves just EXO, which made 9 members. Lay is the only one who is actually Chinese. Thus, from ‘Love Me Right’ onwards there is no difference between the K & M versions of the MVs apart from the language as all the available members take part. They also have a few Japanese releases, the MVs for which tend to be shorter than normal releases. While still very much a member of the group, Lay hasn’t been able to perform with EXO for several years because of tensions between China and Korea, so in several of the MVs the group performs as 8. However, due to the mandatory requirement for members to undertake military service before they reach 30, by the time they recorded ‘Obsession’ the number was down to 6, as Xiumin and D.O. had both enlisted. With their latest comeback, ‘Don’t Fight the Feeling’, which is coming out on 7 June 2021, Lay will be part of the group once more, which everyone is extremely excited about although he won’t be going to Korea for any promotions. For this comeback there will be 7 members as Suho and Chen are both currently enlisted. Baekhyun and Chanyeol were both involved in recording the new album. However, they have now both enlisted too, so won’t be involved in any promotion, which leaves 4 active members in Korea. The 2 youngest members (Kai and Sehun) still have to enlist sometime in the next couple of years, while Xiumin and D.O. have both been discharged. In addition to the main EXO albums, there is a lot of solo or sub-unit material from almost all the band members, even before they started enlisting, as they are all vocally excellent. Here’s a quick list of their work outside of EXO. • EXO-CBX - Sub-unit made up of Chen, Baekhyun and Xiumin - album ‘Magic’ and EPs ‘Hey Mama!’, ‘Girls’ and ‘Blooming Days’ plus several OSTs (original soundtracks) • EXO-SC - Sub-unit made up of Sehun and Chanyeol (EXO’s rappers). Album ‘1 Billion Views’ and EP ‘What a Life’ • Xiumin - single ‘You’ and various collaborations and OSTs (I am seriously praying for a solo album from him soon) (status: discharged Dec 20) • Suho (Leader) - mini album 'Self-Portrait' (my personal favourite of the solo albums so far) plus several singles and collaborations (status: currently enlisted) • Lay - ‘Sheep’, ‘Namana’, ‘Lit’, ‘Producer’, plus several EPs - ‘Lose Control’, ‘Winter Special Gift’ and ‘Honey’ (status: Chinese, so no enlistment, but also can’t come to Korea currently because of issues between the two countries and Covid) • Chen - mini albums 'April and a Flower' and 'Dear My Dear' plus various collaborations and OSTs (status: currently enlisted) • Baekhyun - mini albums ‘City Lights’, ‘Delight’, ‘Baekhyun’ and ‘Bambi’ plus several collaborations and OSTs (status: currently enlisted) • Chanyeol - several solo singles, collaborations and OSTs - the most recent being the soundtrack to his film ‘The Box’, which features covers of a lot of English language songs (and is brilliant) (status: currently enlisted) • Kai - mini album ‘Kai’ (status: not yet enlisting) • D.O. - single 'That's Okay' and several OSTs and collaborations. Currently working on a solo album to be released in the summer (hopefully) (status: discharged Jan 21). • SuperM - Baekhyun (leader) and Kai are members, along with Taemin (SHINee) and Taeyong, Mark, Ten and Lucas (NCT).
As if all that wasn’t enough, most of them play multiple instruments (especially Chanyeol and Lay who both produce and write music too - Chen and Suho also wrote their albums) and almost all of them are actors - D.O., in particular, has won multiple awards and was recently included in a campaign showcasing the top 200 actors in South Korea. Several of them have also acted in stage musicals - Xiumin is shortly to star in Hades Town. If you're interested in learning more about the band and the individual members, which will help you to recognise them, then I would suggest you start with the Cesar Oh guides as they're very good - there is a group guide and one for each member. They also do a series on EXO’s concept and where all the MVs fit in, which is extremely complex and goes way beyond the superpowers. You're definitely going to want to check out live stages as EXO are even better live than in the MVs, but beware of the Japanese ones, they often get blocked.
Thanks a looot for taking the time to explain all this to this reactor huhu, buuuut ALERT! Big mistake here, Kyungsoo is not a lead vocalist but one of the main, so along with Jongdae and Baek (you probably know it seeing that you wrote all this, but pinpointing that for you to correct). (Without forgetting his collaborations too and osts, since I saw you mentioned it for others huhu.) Love!
@@aeriallaexola6868 Thanks for commenting. When they were in their original K & M units D.O. was considered a lead vocalist rather than main - that was Baekhyun and Chen respectively, thus that is how I listed him. Of course, in the united EXO, he is very definitely a MAIN vocalist (and my joint bias along with Xiumin). I can amend it so no one else gets upset about it, though.
@@SilmeriaFantasy Thanks for commenting. When they were in their original K & M units D.O. was considered a lead vocalist rather than main - that was Baekhyun and Chen respectively, thus that is how I listed him. Of course, in the united EXO, he is very definitely a MAIN vocalist (and my joint bias along with Xiumin). I can amend it so no one else gets upset about it, though. I have to admit I'm so focused on him releasing DKS1 that I completely forgot about the OSTs etc. although there is no excuse for forgetting 'That's Okay'. I will rectify it now.
@@Taz_UK Oh no he was always considered as a main vocalist, except some wrong sources made the mistake to say he was a lead, thus that false information kept getting spread for some time T-T Anyway thanks for rectifying it!! 🙏 Yep he has such few collabs and all that we’re all eveeen more excited for DKS1 djjdns. Thanks again for the block huhu!
my absolute favorite thing on this earth is watching people react to mama because it NEVER fails to make me laugh 😂😂😂 i’m so glad you’re reacting to exo!
Oh dude the concept is definitely still going around. EXO’s concept is considered to be one of the most superior concepts till date. They’ve been keeping up with it since debut. And their comeback WHICH IS TOMORROW, revolves around it as well. They’re going to be in a spaceship in this comeback. But yes. EXO’s concept is just *chefs kiss*
Your face journey through Mama was just *crying laughing* The storyline is still very much a thing - it's why they have doubles (X-EXO) and superpowers in Obsession, and the superpowers do show up in _some_ of their other stuff (Kai's solo and SuperM) - but sometimes it's kinda vague or not there at all.
Kai in the NY cap in Growl. This is EXO's first song that I heard & watched. I had no idea who the members were but the dude in NY cap stood out coz of his sharp moves. Hip hop vibes!
Lol omgggg the funniest thing I've ever heard about MAMA Is "are they gonna sacrifice someone?" XD Yeees that's a legendary debut with rock ish and metal vibes that only exo can pull off ever since their debut. And yesss they are their vocals! They even sang it live. Well exo k and exo M were only units at the beginning now they are one group EXO just 9 members. No division. They are 2 subunites now but they just release their albums aside ^^
reminds you of a "late 90s/early 00's song" Um, of course because EXO mainly does OLDSCHOOL rnb. GROWL was produced by same ones who made "No Diggity" Some songs were even produced by Teddy Riley, Michael Jackson's producer :D
late but mama is probably my fav male kpop song of all time!!! certainly my fav exo song (though they have SO many bangers, been listening to oasis a lot lately) you’re in for a wild ride hahaha strap in!
This is a South korea national anthem btw. People forget or don't even realize or don't want to admit that EXO started it all, EXO has become the standard for kpop nowadays. Like example, EXO makes idol groups pay attention to the number of their album sales, etc. and this is the song where it all started, with sales of over 1 million copies in 2013 after 12 years. Imagine, 1 million copies in 2013 where everything is not as easy as now, the use of RUclips is not as massive as now, other social media is not as massive as it is now. But exo did it, paved the way and set a standard. Oh wait, exo didn't paved the way, EXO are not even the way, rather, EXO IS THE GOAL.
As you discovered, the performance version of EXO's "Growl" is a one take video, which means that it was shot all in one take without any cuts or edits. However, although it is a one take video, this does not mean they used the very first take, it just means that every time anyone made a mistake they had to start all over again from the very beginning. While filming the one take MV they had to dance the choreography about 7 times and this was the take the director and producer decided to use. They actually danced this choreography until they physically could not do it anymore. But, as you noticed, not even this take were technically "perfect" because Kai drops the hat in the middle of the dance in the Korean version and he smoothly bends down and picks it up. He needed the hat at the end. But because it was done so effortlessly that most people don't even notice the mistake, or assume it's just part of the choreography, they decided to use this footage anyway. And if you watch the Mandarin version, if you look closely you will see Suho steps on Sehun's foot. :D. In the beginning of the performance MV you start out by seeing 6 of the members and as the camera spins around you see the other 6 members -- There are 6 members that make up EXO-K and 6 members that make up EXO-M and when they come together they are 12 that make up one group as EXO. in the Korean version, you see the EXO-K (Korean) members featured first in the two groups, and if you watch the EXO-M (Mandarin Chinese) version, you will see the EXO-M members featured more prominently. There are 4 main vocalists in EXO: D.O. and Baekhyun were main vocalists of EXO-K and Chen and Luhan were main vocalists of EXO-M. The one with the pink hair is Luhan who was one of the Chinese members of the group. Baekhyun is the one that has the red hat on in the beginning of the MV. However, what is even more impressive about all of this, is the fact that they filmed 4 versions of the "Growl" MV, so not only did they have to perfect the dance in the Korean performance version, but they also had to do it again in the Mandarin version and then again in both the 2nd MV versions. And it wasn't like they could use the same footage because the Korean and Mandarin versions aren't exactly the same -- the EXO-M and EXO-K members had different parts in each of the MVs -- so that just adds another element to this. EXO actually filmed 5 different MVs for the song "Growl." There is still one more video that was released as part of their "Wolf" and "Growl" promotions. It's a drama version that combines their two songs "Growl" and "Wolf" and it's like a mini K-drama that is more like a movie or TV show with a complete story and the members playing characters. Here is a link to the full "Growl" and "Wolf" drama version ruclips.net/video/sFCvZUSnuus/видео.html. Plus, there are several iconic live performances of "Growl" as well.
If you notice the camera movements are actually part of the choreography, because the camera is another character in the performance. The camera is supposed to represent the girl that they are singing to. So that is why they are looking at the camera so intensely because they are trying to get the girl's attention. They are each trying to impress her with their moves. The lyrics for "Growl" talks about how they are pretty much acting like a wolf or beast, that can no longer control themselves around the girl and they are warning her to be careful because all she does is make them want to growl and grab her and possess her, etc. "I’m warning you just in case (listen carefully) It’s dangerous now (so dangerous) Stop provoking me (there’s going to be trouble) I don’t even know myself ... My breath keeps on stopping You walk towards me You smile at me Maybe you’re attracted to me too .... A dark shadow has woken up inside of me Sparks fly in my eyes as I look at you Everyone step away from her (step away) It’s going to get fierce from now on I’m growling, growling, growling I’m growling, growling, growling I’m growling, growling, growling If you don’t back away then I don’t care if you get hurt ..." etc.
EXO got so good at this choreography that they were able to perform the whole thing live on award shows and music programs just like they did in the MV while singing live as well. You should check out their Beauty and Beast performance at the 2013 MAMA Awards to see how impressive they perform "Growl" live. ruclips.net/video/ycql_T6Fc9c/видео.html "Growl" and this one take performance is what launched EXO into super stardom and it's what made them the most popular group in Korea. It's one of the reasons why the government has given EXO the title of Korea's national Idols. However, "Growl" came out in 2013 about a year after EXO debuted, and up until that point EXO weren't very well known or popular. When they first debuted, many people called them "SM's biggest mistake." Because the concept of them being aliens from Planet Exo and the fact that they were designed specifically to debut in both Korea and China and several foreign Chinese members were chosen specifically to make up their own sub-unit, etc. many people had a hard time understanding how EXO would ever be successful. The group started out being branded as SM's first failure, and they thought Lee SooMan (the founder of SM) was crazy for coming up with the group. But when the one take video for "Growl" was released, everyone began to take notice. This video was pretty groundbreaking, no group had done a one take video quite like this and it proved to the mainstream audiences that SM really did know what they were doing. Now everyone in Korea and around the world knows EXO and they have become one of the most popular groups that are one of the biggest money-makers for SM. "Growl" has become what they are most known for. EXO even performed this song at the closing ceremonies of the Winter Olympics in 2018.
what amazes me with EXO is that they still follow their concept until now. every teaser, every mv, every concert break videos, and merchandise etc are connected to their storyline. Also, hi fellow oldie SONE! lol SNSD got me into kpop around 2009
SM started the concepts ideas with EXO who are the standards and the ones you just can never beat (They are the Kings of Vocals 👑). They have superpowers that are still with them even in their solo stuff and yes, the concept still continues because well... It's EXO, aliens coming from EXOPlanet. EXO was devided into 2 groups, EXO-K promoted in Korean and EXO-M promoted in Mandarian, but after three members left, it became one group as EXO. The sub-units are EXO-CBX (Chen, Baekhyun, Xiumin), EXO-SC (Chanyeol, Sehun).
They're still using the superpowers concept in one way or the other! Even in Kai's solo Mmh released a few months ago you can see the teaser snippets in the last scene where they show the symbol for Xiumin and D.O's superpowers since they were going to be returning from their enlistment soon after :)
MAMA will always be iconic and epic. And yup they EXO still stick to their concept and storyline until now... Growl was named Korea National Anthem (of course it's unofficial) due to it's popularity among Korean that time. Everyone knew the song and the public called EXO as Eureurong Boys. There's a saying that if you don't know them, you're a spy..
I’m glad you enjoy Exo enough to do a slightly deeper dive, since they’re tied for my ult group, the reason Exo started as subunits is because Exo was like proto-NCT since SM had had the concept of a boy group promoting in different countries, singing the same songs in different countries like a male version of the Japanese gg akb48 for more years than I really believe…since before Exo most kpop groups really didn’t promote in like more than 1 other country, usually choosing either China or Japan, though the big 3 had sporadically tried to break into the western market with English versions of songs, but even the groups that had some mild success with them, like Big Bang, 2NE1, and SNSD, it was a tiny fraction of the type of exposure kpop groups nowadays since, ya know, social media exists now, so Exo was one of the first groups to promote in China and Japan, the 2 subunits, K and M, were supposed to promote in their target countries, but, of course, it all went to hell rather quickly since SM is like the devil and non-Korean artists have always been mistreated there, and after the 3 of 4 Chinese members left they just changed it to the whole group promoting as 1, and if that wasn’t enough of a blow to SMs grand vision, the trade war between the 2 countries made the whole group promoting in China and gave Lay his own studio so they could still be making money there…….After Exos issues SM literally just tried again, but bigger with NCT, and to solve the problems about promoting in China they made them all Chinese (Ten’s Chinese Thai), that’s also why NCT as a whole actually has more non-Koreans in it than natives…I think that part of it was because around the time most NCT members were training was when the Super Junior members were having to enlist, getting through a domino effect that obviously affected their careers by the time they all were out, and SM knew a way to avoid that was to have a crap ton of foreign members….. Wow, so did not mean for that to be that long, but my brain is being faulty and it took that to get my point out, lol, so sorry
@@KpopPrince glad you understood what I was saying, I was afraid it wouldn’t make sense to anyone else, since I usually end up rambling when I am as tired as I was when I wrote that, lol…. It’s also weird to think about how much their concept, Exo and even more with NCT, was looked down on by kpop industry people, even after Exos’ debut they were considered SMs first group “flop” since their music at its core is usually R&B, but also has some very experimental music thrown in there since debut, even more than f(x) or Shinee where SM started doing that, and it wasn’t until Growl exploded in popularity that knetz opinions of them changed…..then when he talked about his idea for NCTs group concept, with the potential subunits promoting all around the world and growing in numbers and rotating members, most people, even most kpop fans, thought he was never going to pull it off since it was such an elaborate and confusing concept, especially after the drama with Exo…now SM is just laughing about that all the way to the bank
so excited for the EXO journey! they're consistently excellent! MAMA is such an good debut song, what a wild risk to take. I don't think I've encountered another kpop song with screaming in it, and I'm kind of amazed at how well it fits into the song. And then also working in the chanting?? weird song. great song. EXO has one of the best discographies in kpop to me. They definitely have some songs that miss for me, but in general, their albums are really great all the way through, and their live stuff is spectacular (the only kpop group that I listen to live albums for). I'm pumped for you to listen to more of their stuff! thanks for the reaction!
EXO has a storyline since their pre-debut teasers & ALL their mvs are part of that storyline including all the future ones. In the storyline they are basically aliens from another planet and they all has superpowers & the red force is basically an evil entity/organization that is hunting them down. The intro for MAMA is an introduction to the storyline EXO-K & EXO-M make the same songs, but exo-k song are in Korean & exo-m songs are in Chinese, but after three Chinese members left the group they just became exo without separating them into exo-k & exo-m. As for subunits EXO-CBX it's Chen, Baekhyun & Xiumin & EXO-SC is Sehun & Chanyeol
The whole point of both the EXO-K and EXO-M versions of their songs and each MV is to introduce you to EXO's concept and storyline. "Mama" is like the first episode of EXO's drama -- it sets up everything to come in the rest of the series. And if you miss any part of the first episode you will forever be lost when it comes to the rest of EXO's story. So, in other words, you HAVE to watch the EXO-M version of "Mama." If you watch both versions of their "Mama" MV, you might be able to understand a little more about EXO's mission and everything they have been sent to Earth to do. It's very important that you pay attention to the introduction story in "Mama" because it is literally setting up EXO's storyline. The narrator is telling you EXO's whole origin story, about how EXO have been split up into two groups EXO-K and EXO-M and they are part of the same group and yet separate -- part of two worlds that come together as one, etc. And he is telling you about how the Tree of Life has been split in half to protect it from falling into the Red Forces' control -- each half of the tree representing one half of EXO (EXO-K and EXO-M) -- and EXO's mission is to find the two halves of the tree and reunite them to restore peace in the world. You also need to pay attention to the lyrics for "Mama." The majority of their chant is in English: "Shoot anonymous, anonymous; Heartless, mindless; No one who care about me ... Careless, careless (Mama: Mama in Korean means Your Majesty); Shoot anonymous, anonymous (Mama); Heartless, mindless (Mama); No one who care about me (Mama)" Also, if you pay attention to what the whole song is talking about and what the lyrics mean it will give you even more insight into why EXO have been sent to Earth and what their mission is all about. EXO's storyline begins with them being sent to Earth to try and heal the world and to stop and prevent the Red Force from taking over and corrupting everything. And the story in the lyrics of "Mama" foreshadows what they will have to overcome and understand about humans and our world to accomplish their tasks. EXO kind of takes humanity to task and asks us to explain why we would allow all this anger and hatred to cloud everything around us and why we don't love each other more? It's really a very beautiful message and the more you learn about EXO the more interesting the whole thing becomes. In the song the members, being aliens from another planet, are struggling to understand how we as humans could allow all this evil and bad things to happen all around us, such as war, hatred and the destruction of the environment, etc. and they are daunted by the fact that they are now tasked with figuring out how to fix it all and prevent more evil from taking place. That's why they need to find the two halves of the Tree of Life and reunite them to restore peace. EXO's story is part supernatural and Sci-Fi and part based on reality, which touches on real life events and things that are really happening in the world. And from the very beginning, even during pre-debut days, and everything since then and everything yet to come, it all is connected to that storyline, including Baekhyun and Kai's parts in SuperM. Whether it's an MV from the group, a solo project from one of the members, a sub-unit project, a live performance, teaser videos, concert VCRs, or even a good amount of their choreography, it all has been designed to connect to EXO's storyline. Also, the symbols you saw represent each of the members and it has to do with each of their powers. For instance, Kai's symbol is a pyramid and it represents teleportation, and Lay's symbol is a unicorn and it represents his power of healing, etc. (In future MVs and other things to do with EXO, when you see things like a pyramid, you know that is a reference to something to do with Kai, etc.) Even the most minute of details in EXO's content has something to do with their origin story and EXO's storyline. It's kind of mind blowing the amount of planning and manipulation SM has been doing over the years to connect all the dots and to continue the story. It gets even crazier when you realize how even the smallest of details were crafted to be a hidden message or detail within that storyline. Unfortunately, to make it even more difficult to understand, each part of the story is not necessarily in chronological order, so we, as EXO-L, have to become detectives and analyze every aspect of everything any of the members are involved in to try and piece it all together and figure out where each part fits within their larger storyline. To help you pinpoint the powers being used in their MVs and live performances here is a list of the members and what their special power is. EXO-K 💦 Suho (Kim JunMyeon) is the leader of the group and he is a lead vocalist -- his power is the ability to control water (Fun fact: Suho in Korean means guardian, as in the guardian of EXO. That's why as the leader of EXO, his stage name is Suho) 💡Baekhyun is a main vocalist and his superpower is the ability to control light 🔥Chanyeol is the main rapper and lead vocalist -- his power is the ability to control fire and his spirit animal is the phoenix. 🌏D.O. (Do KyungSoo) is a main vocalist and his power is the ability to control earth (dirt) which gives him strength/force ☄Kai (Kim JongIn) is a main dancer, lead vocalist and sub-rapper and his power is teleportation (Kai means opening as in a door or gateway, so his stage name is supposed to symbolize his role within EXO's storyline as the one that connects everyone together.) 🌪Sehun is the youngest member of the group and he is a lead rapper, lead dancer and a vocalist -- his power is the ability to control wind EXO-M ❄Xiumin (Kim MinSeok) is the oldest member of the group and he is a lead vocalist and lead rapper and his power is the ability to control snow/ice (frost) 🦄 Lay (Zhang Yixing) is the Chinese member of the group, he is a main dancer, lead vocalist and rapper -- his power is the ability to heal anything. 🌩 Chen (Kim JongDae) is a main vocalist and his power is the ability to control thunder/lightning/electricity (As you can see, Xiumin and Chen were given stage names that sounded more Chinese so they would fit in better in EXO-M because they are the Korean members of the Chinese group) The Chinese members who, eventually, leave the group: 🐉 Kris was the leader of EXO-M and he was a main rapper and vocalist -- his power was the ability to fly and his spirit animal was a dragon 💭 Luhan was a main vocalist and his power was telekinesis (The ability to control things with his mind) ⏰Tao (Z.Tao) was a lead rapper and vocalist and the martial artist of the group, so he did the flips and stunts in the group's routines. His power was the ability to control time
for exo guides: there are several exo guides out there and i watched them all. so here it is: exo group guide by cesar oh: it is short and has basic info. if you are willing to go and watch individual guides for each member (each video is almost 30 minutes) it is a good guide to start. but you've already read those basic info on that website! but individual guides are so good if you have time for them. exo group guide by ninimad: this one is the best and the most fun and informative guide i've watched from exo. so fun. and it is one video including exo's history as a group. (how they started with 12 and ended up with 9) + a brief explanation of story line (so basic and simple info) + exo sub-units + complete explanation for each exo member (their career, different talents, personality, solo and sub-units) it is my fav guide. even if you don't want to make reaction video to it, i'm sure you will enjoy it watching by yourself off camera. (with all that info, it is just 1 hour. you can watch it in 2 parts if you want tho....) go to caption of this video and download the complete guide video if you want: ruclips.net/video/Jwbxc96WWek/видео.html if you are interested in knowing more of story line: cesar oh has a guide series to it. it is the most mind-blowing and detailed and complete concept guide of exo. she/he is amazing and did an amazing job making this series!
finally. someone watching mama again. i'm glad you had the same reaction. mama was and still is my favourite exo song. they have so many amazing songs, but this was chef's kiss. really looking forward to their comeback next week. too bad sm doesn't believe in them as much as exo-ls do.
you know exo was the first kpop group with story line....there were groups like t-ara and bap doing music videos with story....but exo started this concept of having a story line and continuing it in all social media posts and teasers and VCRs and songs and lyrics and choreos and basically every thing....) lee seo man started to write their story since yearrrs before 2000 (even the date of their debut, the reason they were 12...the date of their album and teaser releasings....all are connected to the story! mind-blowing huh? :D)
Yup, the concept is actually still going! You can see the concept in Obsession and another song called Power, which is from 2017 I think. Also Kai is the one screaming, I know, I was surprised too.
Mama was so epic!!!! They came out with a bang and was like we are here to stay… and they still are here making an impact with members in the military, members removed and still doing it..
woh!! MAMA was a shock to him, I feel great pride as an EXO-L watching how people react to it. And the concept is still going on with EXO, You already seen obsession they have their powers there too. Yeah it scared me away back at 2012 when it came up, I only watched the intro and didn't watch exo again for two years after that but then I was back at 2014 and Mama became my favotie EXO song up to when lotto and KOKOBOP came out
EXO's concept is still being used till today. Even the theme for their concerts evolve in this storyline which makes it epic. Feels like you're watching a movie. Even in obsession the storyline is about EXO fighting their evil clones which was made by the red force mentioned in Mama intro. Their super powers appears in a lot of their MVs like Lucky One, Kokobop, Power, Obsession. Even in Kai's solo MV he's teleporting, and the power of 2 members that just came out from the military that time was shown in the end credit signalling tgeir comeback in the industry. In superM Kai and Baekhyun retains their super powers in their trailers. But their super power concept is most apparent during concerts.
Exo was divided into 2 units ExoK (Korean) ExoM (Mandarin) Mostly some of their release song has Korean and Mandarin Version. EXO concept is a little bit complicated but if you wanna know them better , Better check out Cesar Oh Exo Guide .. Here's some Guide For you Exo K Kai - Main Dancer, Center , Visual , Sub Rapper , Sub Vocal (Power : Teleportation) 🐻 Sehun - Main Dancer, Lead Rapper, Visual , Maknae (Power: Wind) 🐣 Suho - Leader , Lead Vocal , Visual (Power: Water) 🐰 Baekhyun - Main Vocalist (Power:Light) 🐶 D.o - Main Vocalist (Power: Earth/Force) 🐧 Chanyeol - Main Rapper, Visual (Power :Fire) 🦒 Exo M Chen - Main Vocal (Power : Thunder) 🦕 Xiumin - Lead Vocal , Lead Dancer, SubRapper (Power :Frost) 🐱 Lay - Main Dancer , Sub Vocal (Power:Healing) 🦄 Members Left the Group Tao, Kris and Luhan from Exo M Funfact: Growl Mv was One Take Shoot kind of Mv, No cuts , No stop , so if ever one of them will have a mistake , they will take it again from the start .. Growl was also the most popular song during its release (it was also called national anthem because almost all korean knows the song)
So here’s all the information you need? EXO started as a 12 membered boy group. Which was divided into two subunits EXO-K and EXO-M. They both produced the same song, just EXO-K sung it in korean while EXO-M sung it in mandarin. So yes often times on stages they did join up and lines were distributed among the whole group based on which language they were going to be singing? Like if they were singing in korean but it was an award show or something, EXO-K members would get more lines and what not. Anyways in 2015, EXO became a 9 membered group as Three Chinese members (kris, Luhan and Tao) from EXO-M left SM after suing the company for unfair treatment and other things. The EXO you’ll see now is OT9. Having members Suho(leader, lead vocalist) - he’s the dude with the emo hair cut you liked 😭 Xuimin (Oldest, lead vocalist) Lay (main dancer, lead vocalist) Baekhyun (main vocalist) Chen (main vocalist) D.O (main vocalist) Kai- HE WAS THE ONE SCREAMING (main dancer, center) Chanyeol - The dude with the pheonix (Main rapper, vocalist) Sehun - The blonde dude that was staring into your soul (main dancer, main rapper.) Since 2017, the only Chinese member lay, has been an inactive member of EXO due to the THAAD issue. However he has taken part in the tempo mv. AND IS GOING TO BE IN THE COMEBACK TOMORROW (eeek everyone is so excited lmao. He’s the MC for this comeback. But yes.) In obsession mv. As well as Don’t fight the feeling (which will drop tomorrow) all 9 members aren’t present because ya know enlistment and all. In the obsession mv, Xuimin, D.O and Lay were missing. And dftf won’t have Suho and Chen. Currently two members Xuimin and Kyungsoo have completed their military duties. 4 members (Baekhyun, Chanyeol, Chen and suho) are in the military. And 2 members (kai and sehun) still have to enlist sometime in the near future. So by 2024-2025, all the members will be done with the enlistment and welp well have a full group comeback! Also before I forget about the subunits. There is no EXO-K and EXO-M, it’s just EXO now (9 members) However there are two NEW subgroups. That aren’t currently active due to members being in the army. •EXO-CBX has Chen, Baekhyun and Xuimin. (Two main, one lead vocalist) •EXO-SC has Sehun and Chanyeol (main rappers. The albums under EXO-SC are self produced by the members.) ----------------------- A little bit information about their concept. EXO was the first group to have a storyline concept. And their concept wasn’t just planned out of the blue. It actually seems to be something LSM has been working on since the 1970 when 12 UFOs were spotted for the first time in SK. So yeah. Basically as you can tell. They have super powers. They’re suppose to be these extraterrestrial beings with powers, created to be the guardians of the tree of life, which essentially is the life source of the universe. All their mvs, teasers, VCRs and even certain stages are connected, even though all of them might not have them using their powers, however it’s all part of a narrative. Mvs you’ll see them using their powers in are Ofc MAMA, call me baby (teasers not the Mv though), kokobop and obsession. Not just EXO but rather, in their solo mvs their powers are also highlighted. Baekhyuns Power is LIGHT, his first album was called city LIGHTS with the title track UN village which basically focused on different lighting. His second album is called deLIGHT. And his first solo concert was called LIGHT. So yes. Pretty highLIGHTED (I’m sorry I just had to🤡). Kai’s Power is teleportation. The entire mmmh mv as well as the Kai film depicts him teleporting from one place to another. His album cover shows him creating a wormhole (connection between two parallel universes.) Suho’s Power is water, the title mv (lets love) for his first album called self portrait, also highlights water. It’s literally everywhere. Not only that but his pen name for song writing is SH20. 🤡😭 Lay’s first mini album “lose control” has the album cover as an eclipse (which is something that’s very important to the EXO storyline) and his 4th album LIT has flowers on its cover (lays Power is healing and is often in the storyline symbolised as flowers.) So yes. Powers are pretty epic. And it’s a concept that they’ve carried for over 9 years now. ----------------------- They also name their concerts. Which again is kind of unique like their storyline which is pretty space based(Honestly everything is connected.) EXOplanet 1: the lost planet. EXOplanet 2: EXO'luxion EXOplanet 3: EXO’rdium EXOplanet 4: ElyXiOn EXOplanet 5: EXplOration. ----------------------- Yes I think that’s all the basic information you need. Lol it’s a lot to absorb. I don’t expect you remember even quarter of it. Cause well 9 members with 9 years of discography is hard to remember. But since you asked lol. Here is all the information. I hope you’ll continue to react to EXO as they are my ults 🥺
Mama is their debut song (2012). They have 2 pre debut songs, What is Love and History. Exo-K are all Koreans promoting in Korea and Exo-M (mandarin) are 2 Koreans and 4 chinese, promoting in China. All their MVs have Chinese version, even Obsession. When the 3 Chinese members left, they combine it and jsut name it EXO. There 6 members in Obsession because 2 of the members (Xiumin and D.O) were in military that time and Lay's in China doing solo and inactive since 2017 due to political issues between Korea and China. But their comeback in June 7, Lay is in there. We don't know how long will he be in the mv, so we are very excited for the comeback on Monday. If you wanna know Lay, the only Chinese member, please watch Honey and Namanana MVs and dance practice (for a start) for you to see the whole choreo and how great he dance.
Of course, their live performances were just amazing as always. I really love to listen to their old songs too. I mean, still, their songs are just masterpieces.
SM is mad crazy with their storylines. EXO's concept is insane, possibly ties with Red Velvet, now you have Aespa and they definitely seem to tie with NCT, and SuperM showed EXO's powers as well so there will be some sort of connection. We're all going to be mind blown when the whole story comes to light
With the subunits, many have already explained what EXO-K and EXO-M mean, but to explain the other ones: EXO-CBX: Subunit with Chen, Baekhyun and Xiumin. Have had a bunch of releases both in Korea and Japan. EXO-SC: Subunit consisting of Sehun and Chanyeol, the main rappers. They have had 1 full album and 1 ep.
Yes their concept and storyline is connected almost in every comeback, mv, also some of their individual Solo project and still going on even until this upcoming comeback... 11:29 yes its theirs, and also EXO is called the King of vocal in kpop *sorry if there’s any wrong word, im not good in english
This feels so nostalgic for me. When EXO debuted I had just really gotten into Kpop and I listened to them a lot! Now I'm going to go and listen to their discography 😁 Great reaction!
Exo ot9, 3 main vocalist its D.O, CHEN ,BAEKHYUN,...that mv is so important so you can follow their concept from 2012 till present.yes thats their vocals,thats why they are the vocal Kings of kpop..the Kings of kpop.....exo k in korean version and exo m in mandarin chinese version...GROWL 12 members combined as EXO
Thank you for your reaction! 🙌 The pink haired boy in growl was Luhan 😅 (former EXO-M member) but Baekhyun came in right after with Suho and Chen (as a Trio). Oh and welcome to the exoplanet! ☺️
For your easy guide, EXO these days has 9 members which include 1 leader - Suho 2 main rappers - Chanyeol and Sehun 2 sub-units - EXO-CBX and EXO-SC 3 main vocalists - D.O, Chen and Baekhyun 3 main dancers - Kai, Lay, Sehu
Wow, you finally reacted to the kings themselves. God bless. No but seriously, thank you for reacting to them. Btw, their concept is still being done by sm. It’s not usually in your face and being pushed as their identity very strongly, like aespa, but some mvs are very focused on their concept (like mama(of course), obsession, and most likely the new comebacks since it’s a part 2 of their song “power” oh and Kai’s solo too), but otherwise it’s all lowkey. Also exo used to be split into 2 when they were still 12 members(hence the exo-k and exo-m) but after 3 Chinese members left, they’re just EXO now. The only subunits are EXO-cbx(Chen, Baekhyun, Xiumin) and EXO-sc(Sehun, Chanyeol). You won’t hear Chen’s crazy vocals in EXO-K ver. Songs since he used to be a part of EXO-M. Thank you for finally diving into them. I know you’re not the most fond person of lore-focused concepts. It’s okay, there’s no need to learn terminologies to understand exo songs lmao. I don’t remember if you’ve already reacted to their solos, but exo is in their point of careers where they’re all stemming their own individual names now, especially now that they’re going through their enlistments. So i’d love reactions to their solo works too. Btw Baekhyun and Chanyeol are currently in the military(but they filmed their comeback before leaving). The reason why obsession only has 6 members is cause (Lay is in China, unable to promote with exo because of china-korea political conflict) and Xiumin, as well as D.O were serving their time in the military. They recently came back and will participate in this comeback. I love sm debut songs, it’s all so experimental and unique. Other examples are Red velvet Happiness, and nct u 7th sense. Note: i’d love more nct dream reactions too please
I do like lore related storylines, especially with LOONA being my ultimate group. I just like it to be veeeery subtle. Something you could completely miss if you didn't know, yet at the same time has a lot of layers for theories and foreshadowing.
Well, we have to recognise that EXO was really the first group in K-pop with lore ;o There were plenty of 2nd-gen groups with dramatic stories, and some MV storylines being connected, but EXO was the first to have that lore baked into the group, this being the 12 members with their super powers, and living in their parallel worlds of EXO-K and EXO-M ;o
For the one who wanna to get to know EXO, I always highly recommend to check out the group guide and the individual guides (on Cesar Oh channel). PLEASE react to the guides, they have all information that you need! Thank you for this bruh
for mama you need to watch the M version as well since the mandarin version highlight the exo-m members' superpower and yes they still continue with their superpower and exoplanet lore. with the coming comeback we might get new insight of the exo theory since the lore is embedded in their teaser/vcr/mv.
In Korean Mama is a term they use to address a leader or King or queen. It's a term of reverence and respect. It's similar to saying "Your majesty." If you watch very many historical Korean dramas you will hear the characters call the royal family, and especially the head of the royal family or leader, "Mama." So, in this song, they are speaking to the leader or deity who sent them to Earth, essentially asking, "Now that I'm here, Your Majesty what should I do? How do I fulfill what you have sent me to do?" etc.
To truly understand EXO you need to understand that EXO debuted in 2012. "Mama" is how EXO was introduced to the world and it explains the group's concept. So to really understand EXO you need to start from the very beginning and watch BOTH of their "Mama" MVs. From day one, EXO's concept is that they are aliens from planet EXO and they came to Earth with superpowers to protect the Tree of Life from the Red Forces. Each of the members has a superpower that is unique to them and almost every MV will have at least one if not all of them using their powers.
Now that you have seen the EXO-K version of "Mama" you really need to watch the EXO-M version. it's important you know EXO's story and really pay attention to the introduction of this MV to understand everything that happens from now on in all the rest of EXO's MVs.
Exo, as in exoskeleton, means "outer," so as a member of EXO they are outside the ordinary.The groups concept comes from the real term exoplanet, which is a term that is used for a planet that is outside our solar system, so their name was chosen to represent the fact that they are stars that are "out of this world" when it comes to their talents. EXO's concept is also connected to real life planetary and solar events so many of EXO's comebacks and new song releases for the main group of EXO are connected to when eclipses and other planetary phenomenons take place. For example, their War album and Power album release and comeback coincided with when we had a solar eclipse, etc. SM Entertainment has all their release dates and concepts planned out for years in advance and it often has something to do with real celestial events that are predicted to take place.
In order to really understand EXO, you need to know that in the beginning there was 12 members and they were split up into 2 groups EXO-K and EXO-M. EXO-K sang and performed their songs in Korean and EXO-M sang and performed those same songs in Mandarin Chinese. EXO-K had 6 Korean members and EXO-M had 4 Chinese members and 2 Korean members. So to really understand their full origin story you have to watch both the K and the M version of "Mama."
However, since then 3 of the 4 Chinese members have left the group (short answer to focus on their solo work back in China) but there is still one Chinese member left, Lay. (Any performances or MVs you watch that took place prior to May 2014 you will see all 12 of the members. Kris and Luhan left in 2014 and Tao left in 2015.) Now -- because they no longer have enough Chinese members -- they no longer do separate promotions, but they still produce almost all of their main track songs in both Korean and Mandarin they just now promote all as one big group EXO with 9 members.
So, not only does EXO have amazing MVs, but it's almost always double because most of the time when they have a Korean version they also will have a Mandarin version, so it means they have to shoot two separate videos.Their fandom name is EXO-L because L falls right between K and M and it stands for Love. 😍Get it? EXO-K, EXO-L, EXO-M (K-L-M in the alphabet)
In the EXO-K version of "Mama" the members are using their powers to search for and meet up with the EXO-M members. That is why you see the K members traveling to find the M member. For example, you see Kai using his power of teleportation as he searches for the M members and you see Baekhyun use his power of light and Suho with his power of water, Chanyeol with the power of fire using his Phoenix wings, D.O. with the power of earth and strength and Sehun controlling the wind. Because Xiumin is a member of EXO-M, you see him appear in the mirror because the K members are searching for him and he is being summoned, etc. As the story goes, when EXO arrived on Earth they did not all arrive together. Their story starts out that they were dropped on Earth in different locations all over the world and they have to search for each other and meet up, kind of like in a quest, before they can begin to figure out how to accomplish the tasks they have been sent to Earth to do.
When you see the members all together in their "Mama" MVs they are together because they are still on Planet EXO where they are still united. But when you see them separated this is when they have all been sent to Earth.They keep flashing back and forth between present moments and recent past moments. So, how I interpret the story is that at the end they aren't back together yet, but that is a scene from when they were still on Planet Exo as they are preparing to be sent to Earth.
The two worlds the narrator talks about in the introduction could possibly be different dimensions, so you often see parts of their story which could be interpreted as them being in different dimensions or time periods or different moments in history.
If you want to see the EXO-M members and their story and superpowers you need to watch the EXO-M (Mandarin Chinese) version of "Mama" The M version will feature the EXO-M members and they will be the ones singing the main parts of the song. You only see small clips of the M members in the Korean version. But in the Chinese version the story continues, and the EXO-M members are the ones that are highlighted. You have to see both MVs to understand the full story.
Each of the members in EXO-K has a counterpart in EXO-M so part of what you were seeing in this MV was them showing you which EXO-K member corresponded with which EXO-M member. For example Suho (EXO-K) with the power of water corresponds with Xiumin (EXO-M) who has the power of frost/ice and Chanyeol (EXO-K) with the power of fire is Kris' (EXO-M) counterpart because he is the power of flight, and as you will see when you watch the EXO-M MV, Chanyeol has the power of the phoenix and Kris has the power of the dragon which both animal spirits have fire elements and flight so they connect; D.O. (EXO-K) with the power of force and Chen (EXO-M) with the power of thunder/lightning; and Sehun (EXO-K) who has the power of wind is connected to Tao (EXO-M) who controls time; Baekhyun (K) with the power of light and Lay (M) with the power of healing; and Kai (K) with teleportation and Luhan (M) with telekinesis; etc. That's how they maintain their bond even as members of separate groups.
Also, each member in EXO-K has a counterpart in EXO-M that fills the same role in each group. For example, D.O. is the main vocalist in EXO-K and Chen is the main vocalist in EXO-M; Baekhyun is the other main vocalist in K and Luhan was the other main vocalist in M; Chanyeol is the main rapper in K and Kris was the main rapper in M; Sehun is the lead rapper in K and Xiumin is the lead rapper in M; Kai is the main dancer in K and Lay is the main dancer in M; and then it's Suho is a lead vocalist in K and Tao was a rapper/vocalist in M (I'm not sure how these two really work together because Tao is more of a rapper and Suho is a vocalist, but because they are the last two they are put together.)
The tattoos on Kai's face and body say EXO and also all of the EXO members names, or at least the 6 EXO-K members names, as well as EXO's symbol and other hidden clues to EXO's origin story.
Now that you have seen "Mama" and are starting to understand EXO's backstory, if you watch any of their other MVs, it should make more sense to you if you keep in mind all the details about them being aliens with superpowers and how they are on a mission, etc. For example, In EXO's "Overdose" MV they have been lured into and trapped in a maze by the Red Force and they are trying to use their superpowers to figure out a way to escape, but somehow the maze affects their powers and it causes them to lose control and allows the Red Force to capture them. After "Overdose," the story picks up in their "Lucky One" MV where the Red Force has transferred the members to a hospital-like setting that is supposed to be a government lab facility where the Red Force is now doing experiments on EXO to figure out what makes them special and to find a way to disrupt their connection to the Tree of Life and to prevent them from gaining control, as well as maybe figure out what they need to do to clone them like we see has been done in their "Obsession" MV, etc. In "Lucky One" the members use their powers to overthrow the Red Force and to escape the facility. And that is where the story picks up in their "Ko Ko Bop" MV. in "Ko Ko Bop" EXO are free from the Red Forces' control for the moment and they all act like they are in a drugged state. The Ko Ko Bop drink that Suho mixes and the wafers or pills that the members all take, is supposed to help them detox from the drugs they were given against their will by the Red Force when they were being experimented on.
As you can see, although everything is connected, it isn't necessarily in chronological order, so if you want to follow EXO's story you have to pay attention to every detail of everything they do, in order to find the threads of connections and piece it all together.
The whole point of both the EXO-K and EXO-M versions of their songs and each MV is to introduce you to EXO's concept and storyline. "Mama" is like the first episode of EXO's drama -- it sets up everything to come in the rest of the series. And if you miss any part of the first episode you will forever be lost when it comes to the rest of EXO's story. So, in other words, you HAVE to watch the EXO-M version of "Mama." If you watch both versions of their "Mama" MV, you might be able to understand a little more about EXO's mission and everything they have been sent to Earth to do.
It's very important that you pay attention to the introduction story in "Mama" because it is literally setting up EXO's storyline. The narrator is telling you EXO's whole origin story, about how EXO have been split up into two groups EXO-K and EXO-M and they are part of the same group and yet separate -- part of two worlds that come together as one, etc. And he is telling you about how the Tree of Life has been split in half to protect it from falling into the Red Forces' control -- each half of the tree representing one half of EXO (EXO-K and EXO-M) -- and EXO's mission is to find the two halves of the tree and reunite them to restore peace in the world.
You also need to pay attention to the lyrics for "Mama." The majority of their chant is in English: "Shoot anonymous, anonymous; Heartless, mindless; No one who care about me ... Careless, careless (Mama: Mama in Korean means Your Majesty); Shoot anonymous, anonymous (Mama); Heartless, mindless (Mama); No one who care about me (Mama)" Also, if you pay attention to what the whole song is talking about and what the lyrics mean it will give you even more insight into why EXO have been sent to Earth and what their mission is all about. EXO's storyline begins with them being sent to Earth to try and heal the world and to stop and prevent the Red Force from taking over and corrupting everything. And the story in the lyrics of "Mama" foreshadows what they will have to overcome and understand about humans and our world to accomplish their tasks. EXO kind of takes humanity to task and asks us to explain why we would allow all this anger and hatred to cloud everything around us and why we don't love each other more? It's really a very beautiful message and the more you learn about EXO the more interesting the whole thing becomes.
In the song the members, being aliens from another planet, are struggling to understand how we as humans could allow all this evil and bad things to happen all around us, such as war, hatred and the destruction of the environment, etc. and they are daunted by the fact that they are now tasked with figuring out how to fix it all and prevent more evil from taking place. That's why they need to find the two halves of the Tree of Life and reunite them to restore peace.
EXO's story is part supernatural and Sci-Fi and part based on reality, which touches on real life events and things that are really happening in the world. And from the very beginning, even during pre-debut days, and everything since then and everything yet to come, it all is connected to that storyline, including Baekhyun and Kai's parts in SuperM. Whether it's an MV from the group, a solo project from one of the members, a sub-unit project, a live performance, teaser videos, concert VCRs, or even a good amount of their choreography, it all has been designed to connect to EXO's storyline.
Also, the symbols you saw represent each of the members and it has to do with each of their powers. For instance, Kai's symbol is a pyramid and it represents teleportation, and Lay's symbol is a unicorn and it represents his power of healing, etc. (In future MVs and other things to do with EXO, when you see things like a pyramid, you know that is a reference to something to do with Kai, etc.) Even the most minute of details in EXO's content has something to do with their origin story and EXO's storyline.
It's kind of mind blowing the amount of planning and manipulation SM has been doing over the years to connect all the dots and to continue the story. It gets even crazier when you realize how even the smallest of details were crafted to be a hidden message or detail within that storyline.
Unfortunately, to make it even more difficult to understand, each part of the story is not necessarily in chronological order, so we, as EXO-L, have to become detectives and analyze every aspect of everything any of the members are involved in to try and piece it all together and figure out where each part fits within their larger storyline.
To help you pinpoint the powers being used in their MVs and live performances here is a list of the members and what their special power is.
EXO-K
💦 Suho (Kim JunMyeon) is the leader of the group and he is a lead vocalist -- his power is the ability to control water (Fun fact: Suho in Korean means guardian, as in the guardian of EXO. That's why as the leader of EXO, his stage name is Suho)
💡Baekhyun is a main vocalist and his superpower is the ability to control light
🔥Chanyeol is the main rapper and lead vocalist -- his power is the ability to control fire and his spirit animal is the phoenix.
🌏D.O. (Do KyungSoo) is a main vocalist and his power is the ability to control earth (dirt) which gives him strength/force
☄Kai (Kim JongIn) is a main dancer, lead vocalist and sub-rapper and his power is teleportation
(Kai means opening as in a door or gateway, so his stage name is supposed to symbolize his role within EXO's storyline as the one that connects everyone together.)
🌪Sehun is the youngest member of the group and he is a lead rapper, lead dancer and a vocalist -- his power is the ability to control wind
EXO-M
❄Xiumin (Kim MinSeok) is the oldest member of the group and he is a lead vocalist and lead rapper and his power is the ability to control snow/ice (frost)
🦄 Lay (Zhang Yixing) is the Chinese member of the group, he is a main dancer, lead vocalist and rapper -- his power is the ability to heal anything.
🌩 Chen (Kim JongDae) is a main vocalist and his power is the ability to control thunder/lightning/electricity
(As you can see, Xiumin and Chen were given stage names that sounded more Chinese so they would fit in better in EXO-M because they are the Korean members of the Chinese group)
The Chinese members who, eventually, leave the group:
🐉 Kris was the leader of EXO-M and he was a main rapper and vocalist -- his power was the ability to fly and his spirit animal was a dragon
💭 Luhan was a main vocalist and his power was telekinesis (The ability to control things with his mind)
⏰Tao (Z.Tao) was a lead rapper and vocalist and the martial artist of the group, so he did the flips and stunts in the group's routines. His power was the ability to control time
You're great 😘
Holy macaroni that's a lot
OMG! My #1 group!!!! 😍
Hello there sir Austin😭 i know I probably already said this, but i’m always happy to see and hear this from my favorite reactors. The moment you reacted to Wheein’s cover of Candy. I really longed for you to react to exo. And now we’re here. Life is great.
Austin!!! You came here for EXO
Yesssssss same you
Hello Sir Austin!
Hi Sir Austin.
omg austin is here too ;DD My fav yt reactor! hahha
Because no one said it: Kai is the one screaming in Mama (also the one with half-half reflective pants)
EXO in the beginning was separated in EXO-K and EXO-M, being the first one focused on Korea and the other one in China. That´s why there is only 6 members in this one, since the other 6 where in EXO-M. So there was the korean and the chinease version of the same song. There is also some songs with the 12 version members.
Say Hi to the kings of K-Pop! 😭❤️
Exo’s concept is a little complicated but yes they do have superpowers each member has their own which is really complex. I’m a still a new exo’L(almost 2 years) so I’m excited to go on this journey with you. Also, for obsession as you heard in a comment 3 Chinese members left -Luhan, kris wu, and tao. I follow with the members who left too because tao is one of my favorite Chinese actors. There were 2 members I believe that were in the military and Lay was in China so that’s why there were only 6 members. Ps: all the members in exo are really good singers and very versatile. Please let me know if I got anything wrong.
The EXO journey has started, yay!!! EXO started as a 12 member group 😊Three of the four Chinese members left a few years ago due to mistreatment under SM ent, so it’s actually only Lay left in terms of foreign members. Xiumin and Chen are also part of EXO-M, but they’re actually Korean.
Also one of the main reasons why people love the Growl MV so much is because it was filmed as one take, rather than having multiple cuts, and that fact alone makes it so much more impressive 😊
Hi!
I want to yell at the person that recommended MAMA without explaining about EXO's story (not story line, because that would take way too long to explain).
EXO debuted as a 12 member group that were split into 2 sub groups EXO-K and EXO-M and they released the same songs, but in two different languages: Korean and Mandarin.
In MAMA you saw only the K side of the group and heard only the K side of the group with the M members being shown for a split second. EXO-M version of the MV is totally different, since it introduces the other 6 members. The dance break was actually a combination of EXO-K and EXO-M and the one doing the flip was Tao, an ex member.
For some MVs they are all together like in Growl, in some they will be together again, but the focus will be on the sub group that the version is of (Overdose MV for example) and then there will be MVs after the 3 Chinese members left where they are all one group.
There are two official sub-units: EXO-CBX and EXO-SC
Their world view is very extensive and nothing is in chronological order or even in the same universe so understanding the story line is quite a feat, but yes, they did stick with their story. Even Growl MV that seems like it's not connected is somehow connected and especially the second version of the MV.
Umm the one with pink hair in Growl wasn't Baekhyun, it was Luhan and Baekhyun appeared right after Luhan in the bridge, he's the one with blonde hair on the left where the three members harmonize.
The one in MAMA with emo hair that you said you liked is Suho and the one screaming is Kai.
Hope to see more EXO reactions
Brooo... It’s always lit seeing people hear Mama for the first time. That song never fails to blow my mind. Also, about the storyline... if you watch the MV for Obsession you’ll see they still follow that intense, action-packed fantasy concept even after all this time!!! The dedication is real
Same 😍
Fun fact: EXO’s Mama really means “Your Majesty” in Korean, which really changes the whole vibe of the song.
The lyrics? immaculate.
And I strongly believe that EXO’s story is probably the one that has lasted the longest and the strongest when it comes to their origins and powers.
For MAMA, the intro story was alluding to the fact that they divided the group into two, EXO-K (Korean) and EXO-M (Mandarin/Chinese), and they all had superpowers. Each power was shared between the members of the Korean group and the Chinese one. That's what you see when they're reflections of each other in the mirror, etc. Kai was the one scream-rapping in the EXO-K version.
Also, in the beginning, they put out Korean and Chinese versions of most of the songs and some MV's, including MAMA. I recommend watching both. EXO-CBX is a sub-group made up of Chen, Baekhyun and Xiumin.
Technically every MV is related to EXO’s concept. It’s either very obvious that’s important to their plot like Obsession, a hint of their superpower like Kokobop, or not related like Love Me Right but still is because it counts as one of their parallel universe.
A big chunk of EXO’s concept are shown in their teasers and VCRs. It even bleeds out into their solo works if you know what their powers are.
I’d recommend listening to Power because it’s another MV with narration about their superpower/universe concept and links with their new comeback like a time skip.
If there is a song anthem for the whole third generation of K-pop, Growl is that song. That song got famous not because of how big they were (they were called flops at that time), but because of how the general public loved the song, and until now, it's still being covered by many idols in the industry.
Yes, they're still using their storyline and concepts although not for every comeback.. also they did it a lot for concerts, concert vcr or teasers..
That time I fell in love with them at the first sight. I can't believe it. It's been already more than 8 years since I knew them. They’re just amazing.
8 years as a fan? Wow! 😊
@@KpopPrince Yeah, time flies so fast.
Same exo are my favorite groep i ❤ all of them but my bias is beakhyun our genius idol from the begin til now
Forgot to say that EXO, NCT & Aespa are the only groups that have storylines in SM; Other SM groups don't have connected storylines. Apparently tho just like how SuperM is a way to possibly connect NCT & EXO storylines; SM planning to connect all the group together through a big storyline calling it SM culture Universe, NCT & Aespa are already kinda connected and other groups might join that storyline soon
Yes, EXO do all their vocals and harmonies themselves - they do it live too, which really has to be seen ('Mama'/'Monster'/'Wolf' live stage is great). The 'Growl' MVs (there are 2 versions, so 4 MVs in total) were filmed in one take and feature both EXO-K and EXO-M. For me, it was 'Mama' and 'Wolf' that really made me fall in love with the band.
EXO’s concept is based on them being aliens from the Planet EXO. There were 2 pre-debut songs, ‘What is Love’ and ‘History’, followed by the official debut 'Mama' (which means majesty, not mother). This MV gives an introduction to each of the members and their superpowers. There are 2 versions of the MV (Korean and Chinese) and you will need to watch them both to get the full picture. The reason for this is that there were originally 12 members of EXO, who were split into two groups of 6 and each video focuses on one group.
EXO-K (Korea)
Suho (water) (overall Leader) (Lead Vocalist)
Baekhyun (light) (Main Vocalist)
Chanyeol (fire) (Main Rapper/Vocalist)
D.O. (earth/power) (was Lead Vocalist now Main Vocalist)
Kai (teleportation) (Main Dancer/Lead Rapper/Visual)
Sehun (maknae) (wind) (Lead Dancer/Rapper)
EXO-M (Mandarin)
Xiumin (frost) (Lead Vocalist)
Kris (flight) (M Leader) (Dancer/Rapper)
Luhan (telekinesis) (Lead Vocalist/Lead Dancer/Visual)
Lay (healing) (Main Dancer/Vocalist)
Chen (lightning) (Main Vocalist)
Tao (time control) (Lead Rapper)
Although they identified as separate groups, the next few singles featured all 12 members in the MVs (like 'Growl'). However, again Korean and Mandarin versions of the MVs were released with the main vocals being provided by the relevant group. This continued until 2014/15, when 3 of the Chinese members left (Kris, Luhan and Tao) and the remaining 3 (Xiumin, Chen and Lay) joined the Korean group, now calling themselves just EXO, which made 9 members. Lay is the only one who is actually Chinese. Thus, from ‘Love Me Right’ onwards there is no difference between the K & M versions of the MVs apart from the language as all the available members take part. They also have a few Japanese releases, the MVs for which tend to be shorter than normal releases.
While still very much a member of the group, Lay hasn’t been able to perform with EXO for several years because of tensions between China and Korea, so in several of the MVs the group performs as 8. However, due to the mandatory requirement for members to undertake military service before they reach 30, by the time they recorded ‘Obsession’ the number was down to 6, as Xiumin and D.O. had both enlisted.
With their latest comeback, ‘Don’t Fight the Feeling’, which is coming out on 7 June 2021, Lay will be part of the group once more, which everyone is extremely excited about although he won’t be going to Korea for any promotions. For this comeback there will be 7 members as Suho and Chen are both currently enlisted. Baekhyun and Chanyeol were both involved in recording the new album. However, they have now both enlisted too, so won’t be involved in any promotion, which leaves 4 active members in Korea. The 2 youngest members (Kai and Sehun) still have to enlist sometime in the next couple of years, while Xiumin and D.O. have both been discharged.
In addition to the main EXO albums, there is a lot of solo or sub-unit material from almost all the band members, even before they started enlisting, as they are all vocally excellent. Here’s a quick list of their work outside of EXO.
• EXO-CBX - Sub-unit made up of Chen, Baekhyun and Xiumin - album ‘Magic’ and EPs ‘Hey Mama!’, ‘Girls’ and ‘Blooming Days’ plus several OSTs (original soundtracks)
• EXO-SC - Sub-unit made up of Sehun and Chanyeol (EXO’s rappers). Album ‘1 Billion Views’ and EP ‘What a Life’
• Xiumin - single ‘You’ and various collaborations and OSTs (I am seriously praying for a solo album from him soon) (status: discharged Dec 20)
• Suho (Leader) - mini album 'Self-Portrait' (my personal favourite of the solo albums so far) plus several singles and collaborations (status: currently enlisted)
• Lay - ‘Sheep’, ‘Namana’, ‘Lit’, ‘Producer’, plus several EPs - ‘Lose Control’, ‘Winter Special Gift’ and ‘Honey’ (status: Chinese, so no enlistment, but also can’t come to Korea currently because of issues between the two countries and Covid)
• Chen - mini albums 'April and a Flower' and 'Dear My Dear' plus various collaborations and OSTs (status: currently enlisted)
• Baekhyun - mini albums ‘City Lights’, ‘Delight’, ‘Baekhyun’ and ‘Bambi’ plus several collaborations and OSTs (status: currently enlisted)
• Chanyeol - several solo singles, collaborations and OSTs - the most recent being the soundtrack to his film ‘The Box’, which features covers of a lot of English language songs (and is brilliant) (status: currently enlisted)
• Kai - mini album ‘Kai’ (status: not yet enlisting)
• D.O. - single 'That's Okay' and several OSTs and collaborations. Currently working on a solo album to be released in the summer (hopefully) (status: discharged Jan 21).
• SuperM - Baekhyun (leader) and Kai are members, along with Taemin (SHINee) and Taeyong, Mark, Ten and Lucas (NCT).
As if all that wasn’t enough, most of them play multiple instruments (especially Chanyeol and Lay who both produce and write music too - Chen and Suho also wrote their albums) and almost all of them are actors - D.O., in particular, has won multiple awards and was recently included in a campaign showcasing the top 200 actors in South Korea. Several of them have also acted in stage musicals - Xiumin is shortly to star in Hades Town.
If you're interested in learning more about the band and the individual members, which will help you to recognise them, then I would suggest you start with the Cesar Oh guides as they're very good - there is a group guide and one for each member. They also do a series on EXO’s concept and where all the MVs fit in, which is extremely complex and goes way beyond the superpowers.
You're definitely going to want to check out live stages as EXO are even better live than in the MVs, but beware of the Japanese ones, they often get blocked.
Thanks a looot for taking the time to explain all this to this reactor huhu, buuuut ALERT! Big mistake here, Kyungsoo is not a lead vocalist but one of the main, so along with Jongdae and Baek (you probably know it seeing that you wrote all this, but pinpointing that for you to correct). (Without forgetting his collaborations too and osts, since I saw you mentioned it for others huhu.) Love!
Thanks for your explanation of our EXO planet but D.O. is one of the three MAIN VOCALIST(Baekhyun, Chen and D.O. are)!
@@aeriallaexola6868 Thanks for commenting. When they were in their original K & M units D.O. was considered a lead vocalist rather than main - that was Baekhyun and Chen respectively, thus that is how I listed him. Of course, in the united EXO, he is very definitely a MAIN vocalist (and my joint bias along with Xiumin). I can amend it so no one else gets upset about it, though.
@@SilmeriaFantasy Thanks for commenting. When they were in their original K & M units D.O. was considered a lead vocalist rather than main - that was Baekhyun and Chen respectively, thus that is how I listed him. Of course, in the united EXO, he is very definitely a MAIN vocalist (and my joint bias along with Xiumin). I can amend it so no one else gets upset about it, though. I have to admit I'm so focused on him releasing DKS1 that I completely forgot about the OSTs etc. although there is no excuse for forgetting 'That's Okay'. I will rectify it now.
@@Taz_UK Oh no he was always considered as a main vocalist, except some wrong sources made the mistake to say he was a lead, thus that false information kept getting spread for some time T-T Anyway thanks for rectifying it!! 🙏 Yep he has such few collabs and all that we’re all eveeen more excited for DKS1 djjdns. Thanks again for the block huhu!
my absolute favorite thing on this earth is watching people react to mama because it NEVER fails to make me laugh 😂😂😂
i’m so glad you’re reacting to exo!
man... FINALLY!!! Please react to Overdose (song that purple kiss performed in the relay cam, AMAZING) and Lucky one next
Oh dude the concept is definitely still going around. EXO’s concept is considered to be one of the most superior concepts till date. They’ve been keeping up with it since debut. And their comeback WHICH IS TOMORROW, revolves around it as well. They’re going to be in a spaceship in this comeback. But yes. EXO’s concept is just *chefs kiss*
Your face journey through Mama was just *crying laughing*
The storyline is still very much a thing - it's why they have doubles (X-EXO) and superpowers in Obsession, and the superpowers do show up in _some_ of their other stuff (Kai's solo and SuperM) - but sometimes it's kinda vague or not there at all.
17:49 that's Luhan one of the Chinese members in Exo M and who left SM after kris
17:56 from left is Baekhyun, Suho and Chen
im not sure if you noticed but growl is a one-shot mv, just puttin it out there
p.s: love your reactions
Kai in the NY cap in Growl. This is EXO's first song that I heard & watched. I had no idea who the members were but the dude in NY cap stood out coz of his sharp moves. Hip hop vibes!
Lol omgggg the funniest thing I've ever heard about MAMA Is "are they gonna sacrifice someone?" XD
Yeees that's a legendary debut with rock ish and metal vibes that only exo can pull off ever since their debut. And yesss they are their vocals! They even sang it live.
Well exo k and exo M were only units at the beginning now they are one group EXO just 9 members. No division. They are 2 subunites now but they just release their albums aside ^^
some other songs you should check out:
overdose
loveshot
call me baby
tempo
love me right
reminds you of a "late 90s/early 00's song" Um, of course because EXO mainly does OLDSCHOOL rnb. GROWL was produced by same ones who made "No Diggity"
Some songs were even produced by Teddy Riley, Michael Jackson's producer :D
Yeah i believe He produced “Call me baby”. The Mv more or less has more MJ dancing vibes than other EXO mvs too.
late but mama is probably my fav male kpop song of all time!!! certainly my fav exo song (though they have SO many bangers, been listening to oasis a lot lately) you’re in for a wild ride hahaha strap in!
No wonder why mama is the best debut song in pop music .
This is a South korea national anthem btw.
People forget or don't even realize or don't want to admit that EXO started it all, EXO has become the standard for kpop nowadays. Like example, EXO makes idol groups pay attention to the number of their album sales, etc.
and this is the song where it all started, with sales of over 1 million copies in 2013 after 12 years. Imagine, 1 million copies in 2013 where everything is not as easy as now, the use of RUclips is not as massive as now, other social media is not as massive as it is now. But exo did it, paved the way and set a standard. Oh wait, exo didn't paved the way, EXO are not even the way, rather, EXO IS THE GOAL.
As you discovered, the performance version of EXO's "Growl" is a one take video, which means that it was shot all in one take without any cuts or edits. However, although it is a one take video, this does not mean they used the very first take, it just means that every time anyone made a mistake they had to start all over again from the very beginning. While filming the one take MV they had to dance the choreography about 7 times and this was the take the director and producer decided to use. They actually danced this choreography until they physically could not do it anymore. But, as you noticed, not even this take were technically "perfect" because Kai drops the hat in the middle of the dance in the Korean version and he smoothly bends down and picks it up. He needed the hat at the end. But because it was done so effortlessly that most people don't even notice the mistake, or assume it's just part of the choreography, they decided to use this footage anyway.
And if you watch the Mandarin version, if you look closely you will see Suho steps on Sehun's foot. :D.
In the beginning of the performance MV you start out by seeing 6 of the members and as the camera spins around you see the other 6 members -- There are 6 members that make up EXO-K and 6 members that make up EXO-M and when they come together they are 12 that make up one group as EXO. in the Korean version, you see the EXO-K (Korean) members featured first in the two groups, and if you watch the EXO-M (Mandarin Chinese) version, you will see the EXO-M members featured more prominently.
There are 4 main vocalists in EXO: D.O. and Baekhyun were main vocalists of EXO-K and Chen and Luhan were main vocalists of EXO-M. The one with the pink hair is Luhan who was one of the Chinese members of the group. Baekhyun is the one that has the red hat on in the beginning of the MV.
However, what is even more impressive about all of this, is the fact that they filmed 4 versions of the "Growl" MV, so not only did they have to perfect the dance in the Korean performance version, but they also had to do it again in the Mandarin version and then again in both the 2nd MV versions. And it wasn't like they could use the same footage because the Korean and Mandarin versions aren't exactly the same -- the EXO-M and EXO-K members had different parts in each of the MVs -- so that just adds another element to this.
EXO actually filmed 5 different MVs for the song "Growl." There is still one more video that was released as part of their "Wolf" and "Growl" promotions. It's a drama version that combines their two songs "Growl" and "Wolf" and it's like a mini K-drama that is more like a movie or TV show with a complete story and the members playing characters. Here is a link to the full "Growl" and "Wolf" drama version ruclips.net/video/sFCvZUSnuus/видео.html. Plus, there are several iconic live performances of "Growl" as well.
If you notice the camera movements are actually part of the choreography, because the camera is another character in the performance. The camera is supposed to represent the girl that they are singing to. So that is why they are looking at the camera so intensely because they are trying to get the girl's attention. They are each trying to impress her with their moves.
The lyrics for "Growl" talks about how they are pretty much acting like a wolf or beast, that can no longer control themselves around the girl and they are warning her to be careful because all she does is make them want to growl and grab her and possess her, etc. "I’m warning you just in case (listen carefully)
It’s dangerous now (so dangerous) Stop provoking me (there’s going to be trouble) I don’t even know myself ... My breath keeps on stopping You walk towards me You smile at me Maybe you’re attracted to me too .... A dark shadow has woken up inside of me Sparks fly in my eyes as I look at you
Everyone step away from her (step away) It’s going to get fierce from now on I’m growling, growling, growling I’m growling, growling, growling I’m growling, growling, growling If you don’t back away then I don’t care if you get hurt ..." etc.
EXO got so good at this choreography that they were able to perform the whole thing live on award shows and music programs just like they did in the MV while singing live as well. You should check out their Beauty and Beast performance at the 2013 MAMA Awards to see how impressive they perform "Growl" live. ruclips.net/video/ycql_T6Fc9c/видео.html
"Growl" and this one take performance is what launched EXO into super stardom and it's what made them the most popular group in Korea. It's one of the reasons why the government has given EXO the title of Korea's national Idols.
However, "Growl" came out in 2013 about a year after EXO debuted, and up until that point EXO weren't very well known or popular. When they first debuted, many people called them "SM's biggest mistake." Because the concept of them being aliens from Planet Exo and the fact that they were designed specifically to debut in both Korea and China and several foreign Chinese members were chosen specifically to make up their own sub-unit, etc. many people had a hard time understanding how EXO would ever be successful. The group started out being branded as SM's first failure, and they thought Lee SooMan (the founder of SM) was crazy for coming up with the group.
But when the one take video for "Growl" was released, everyone began to take notice. This video was pretty groundbreaking, no group had done a one take video quite like this and it proved to the mainstream audiences that SM really did know what they were doing. Now everyone in Korea and around the world knows EXO and they have become one of the most popular groups that are one of the biggest money-makers for SM. "Growl" has become what they are most known for. EXO even performed this song at the closing ceremonies of the Winter Olympics in 2018.
what amazes me with EXO is that they still follow their concept until now. every teaser, every mv, every concert break videos, and merchandise etc are connected to their storyline. Also, hi fellow oldie SONE! lol SNSD got me into kpop around 2009
SM started the concepts ideas with EXO who are the standards and the ones you just can never beat (They are the Kings of Vocals 👑). They have superpowers that are still with them even in their solo stuff and yes, the concept still continues because well... It's EXO, aliens coming from EXOPlanet.
EXO was devided into 2 groups, EXO-K promoted in Korean and EXO-M promoted in Mandarian, but after three members left, it became one group as EXO.
The sub-units are EXO-CBX (Chen, Baekhyun, Xiumin), EXO-SC (Chanyeol, Sehun).
They're still using the superpowers concept in one way or the other! Even in Kai's solo Mmh released a few months ago you can see the teaser snippets in the last scene where they show the symbol for Xiumin and D.O's superpowers since they were going to be returning from their enlistment soon after :)
MAMA will always be iconic and epic. And yup they EXO still stick to their concept and storyline until now...
Growl was named Korea National Anthem (of course it's unofficial) due to it's popularity among Korean that time. Everyone knew the song and the public called EXO as Eureurong Boys. There's a saying that if you don't know them, you're a spy..
The concept is the reason I am interested to know exo in 2012 and im glad they stick to it till now.
They have two pre debut songs, What is Love and History. And yes, that’s their vocals, they are called vocal kings of kpop.
I’m glad you enjoy Exo enough to do a slightly deeper dive, since they’re tied for my ult group, the reason Exo started as subunits is because Exo was like proto-NCT since SM had had the concept of a boy group promoting in different countries, singing the same songs in different countries like a male version of the Japanese gg akb48 for more years than I really believe…since before Exo most kpop groups really didn’t promote in like more than 1 other country, usually choosing either China or Japan, though the big 3 had sporadically tried to break into the western market with English versions of songs, but even the groups that had some mild success with them, like Big Bang, 2NE1, and SNSD, it was a tiny fraction of the type of exposure kpop groups nowadays since, ya know, social media exists now, so Exo was one of the first groups to promote in China and Japan, the 2 subunits, K and M, were supposed to promote in their target countries, but, of course, it all went to hell rather quickly since SM is like the devil and non-Korean artists have always been mistreated there, and after the 3 of 4 Chinese members left they just changed it to the whole group promoting as 1, and if that wasn’t enough of a blow to SMs grand vision, the trade war between the 2 countries made the whole group promoting in China and gave Lay his own studio so they could still be making money there…….After Exos issues SM literally just tried again, but bigger with NCT, and to solve the problems about promoting in China they made them all Chinese (Ten’s Chinese Thai), that’s also why NCT as a whole actually has more non-Koreans in it than natives…I think that part of it was because around the time most NCT members were training was when the Super Junior members were having to enlist, getting through a domino effect that obviously affected their careers by the time they all were out, and SM knew a way to avoid that was to have a crap ton of foreign members…..
Wow, so did not mean for that to be that long, but my brain is being faulty and it took that to get my point out, lol, so sorry
Ah them being a proto-NCT actually makes a lot of sense and you can see the foundation.
@@KpopPrince glad you understood what I was saying, I was afraid it wouldn’t make sense to anyone else, since I usually end up rambling when I am as tired as I was when I wrote that, lol….
It’s also weird to think about how much their concept, Exo and even more with NCT, was looked down on by kpop industry people, even after Exos’ debut they were considered SMs first group “flop” since their music at its core is usually R&B, but also has some very experimental music thrown in there since debut, even more than f(x) or Shinee where SM started doing that, and it wasn’t until Growl exploded in popularity that knetz opinions of them changed…..then when he talked about his idea for NCTs group concept, with the potential subunits promoting all around the world and growing in numbers and rotating members, most people, even most kpop fans, thought he was never going to pull it off since it was such an elaborate and confusing concept, especially after the drama with Exo…now SM is just laughing about that all the way to the bank
EXO's Concept is still ongoing and it's present in everything that's even just a tiny bit EXO related.
so excited for the EXO journey! they're consistently excellent! MAMA is such an good debut song, what a wild risk to take. I don't think I've encountered another kpop song with screaming in it, and I'm kind of amazed at how well it fits into the song. And then also working in the chanting?? weird song. great song.
EXO has one of the best discographies in kpop to me. They definitely have some songs that miss for me, but in general, their albums are really great all the way through, and their live stuff is spectacular (the only kpop group that I listen to live albums for).
I'm pumped for you to listen to more of their stuff! thanks for the reaction!
EXO has a storyline since their pre-debut teasers & ALL their mvs are part of that storyline including all the future ones. In the storyline they are basically aliens from another planet and they all has superpowers & the red force is basically an evil entity/organization that is hunting them down. The intro for MAMA is an introduction to the storyline
EXO-K & EXO-M make the same songs, but exo-k song are in Korean & exo-m songs are in Chinese, but after three Chinese members left the group they just became exo without separating them into exo-k & exo-m. As for subunits EXO-CBX it's Chen, Baekhyun & Xiumin & EXO-SC is Sehun & Chanyeol
The whole point of both the EXO-K and EXO-M versions of their songs and each MV is to introduce you to EXO's concept and storyline. "Mama" is like the first episode of EXO's drama -- it sets up everything to come in the rest of the series. And if you miss any part of the first episode you will forever be lost when it comes to the rest of EXO's story. So, in other words, you HAVE to watch the EXO-M version of "Mama." If you watch both versions of their "Mama" MV, you might be able to understand a little more about EXO's mission and everything they have been sent to Earth to do.
It's very important that you pay attention to the introduction story in "Mama" because it is literally setting up EXO's storyline. The narrator is telling you EXO's whole origin story, about how EXO have been split up into two groups EXO-K and EXO-M and they are part of the same group and yet separate -- part of two worlds that come together as one, etc. And he is telling you about how the Tree of Life has been split in half to protect it from falling into the Red Forces' control -- each half of the tree representing one half of EXO (EXO-K and EXO-M) -- and EXO's mission is to find the two halves of the tree and reunite them to restore peace in the world.
You also need to pay attention to the lyrics for "Mama." The majority of their chant is in English: "Shoot anonymous, anonymous; Heartless, mindless; No one who care about me ... Careless, careless (Mama: Mama in Korean means Your Majesty); Shoot anonymous, anonymous (Mama); Heartless, mindless (Mama); No one who care about me (Mama)" Also, if you pay attention to what the whole song is talking about and what the lyrics mean it will give you even more insight into why EXO have been sent to Earth and what their mission is all about. EXO's storyline begins with them being sent to Earth to try and heal the world and to stop and prevent the Red Force from taking over and corrupting everything. And the story in the lyrics of "Mama" foreshadows what they will have to overcome and understand about humans and our world to accomplish their tasks. EXO kind of takes humanity to task and asks us to explain why we would allow all this anger and hatred to cloud everything around us and why we don't love each other more? It's really a very beautiful message and the more you learn about EXO the more interesting the whole thing becomes.
In the song the members, being aliens from another planet, are struggling to understand how we as humans could allow all this evil and bad things to happen all around us, such as war, hatred and the destruction of the environment, etc. and they are daunted by the fact that they are now tasked with figuring out how to fix it all and prevent more evil from taking place. That's why they need to find the two halves of the Tree of Life and reunite them to restore peace.
EXO's story is part supernatural and Sci-Fi and part based on reality, which touches on real life events and things that are really happening in the world. And from the very beginning, even during pre-debut days, and everything since then and everything yet to come, it all is connected to that storyline, including Baekhyun and Kai's parts in SuperM. Whether it's an MV from the group, a solo project from one of the members, a sub-unit project, a live performance, teaser videos, concert VCRs, or even a good amount of their choreography, it all has been designed to connect to EXO's storyline.
Also, the symbols you saw represent each of the members and it has to do with each of their powers. For instance, Kai's symbol is a pyramid and it represents teleportation, and Lay's symbol is a unicorn and it represents his power of healing, etc. (In future MVs and other things to do with EXO, when you see things like a pyramid, you know that is a reference to something to do with Kai, etc.) Even the most minute of details in EXO's content has something to do with their origin story and EXO's storyline.
It's kind of mind blowing the amount of planning and manipulation SM has been doing over the years to connect all the dots and to continue the story. It gets even crazier when you realize how even the smallest of details were crafted to be a hidden message or detail within that storyline.
Unfortunately, to make it even more difficult to understand, each part of the story is not necessarily in chronological order, so we, as EXO-L, have to become detectives and analyze every aspect of everything any of the members are involved in to try and piece it all together and figure out where each part fits within their larger storyline.
To help you pinpoint the powers being used in their MVs and live performances here is a list of the members and what their special power is.
EXO-K
💦 Suho (Kim JunMyeon) is the leader of the group and he is a lead vocalist -- his power is the ability to control water (Fun fact: Suho in Korean means guardian, as in the guardian of EXO. That's why as the leader of EXO, his stage name is Suho)
💡Baekhyun is a main vocalist and his superpower is the ability to control light
🔥Chanyeol is the main rapper and lead vocalist -- his power is the ability to control fire and his spirit animal is the phoenix.
🌏D.O. (Do KyungSoo) is a main vocalist and his power is the ability to control earth (dirt) which gives him strength/force
☄Kai (Kim JongIn) is a main dancer, lead vocalist and sub-rapper and his power is teleportation
(Kai means opening as in a door or gateway, so his stage name is supposed to symbolize his role within EXO's storyline as the one that connects everyone together.)
🌪Sehun is the youngest member of the group and he is a lead rapper, lead dancer and a vocalist -- his power is the ability to control wind
EXO-M
❄Xiumin (Kim MinSeok) is the oldest member of the group and he is a lead vocalist and lead rapper and his power is the ability to control snow/ice (frost)
🦄 Lay (Zhang Yixing) is the Chinese member of the group, he is a main dancer, lead vocalist and rapper -- his power is the ability to heal anything.
🌩 Chen (Kim JongDae) is a main vocalist and his power is the ability to control thunder/lightning/electricity
(As you can see, Xiumin and Chen were given stage names that sounded more Chinese so they would fit in better in EXO-M because they are the Korean members of the Chinese group)
The Chinese members who, eventually, leave the group:
🐉 Kris was the leader of EXO-M and he was a main rapper and vocalist -- his power was the ability to fly and his spirit animal was a dragon
💭 Luhan was a main vocalist and his power was telekinesis (The ability to control things with his mind)
⏰Tao (Z.Tao) was a lead rapper and vocalist and the martial artist of the group, so he did the flips and stunts in the group's routines. His power was the ability to control time
for exo guides:
there are several exo guides out there and i watched them all. so here it is:
exo group guide by cesar oh: it is short and has basic info. if you are willing to go and watch individual guides for each member (each video is almost 30 minutes) it is a good guide to start. but you've already read those basic info on that website! but individual guides are so good if you have time for them.
exo group guide by ninimad: this one is the best and the most fun and informative guide i've watched from exo. so fun. and it is one video including exo's history as a group. (how they started with 12 and ended up with 9) + a brief explanation of story line (so basic and simple info) + exo sub-units + complete explanation for each exo member (their career, different talents, personality, solo and sub-units) it is my fav guide. even if you don't want to make reaction video to it, i'm sure you will enjoy it watching by yourself off camera.
(with all that info, it is just 1 hour. you can watch it in 2 parts if you want tho....)
go to caption of this video and download the complete guide video if you want:
ruclips.net/video/Jwbxc96WWek/видео.html
if you are interested in knowing more of story line: cesar oh has a guide series to it. it is the most mind-blowing and detailed and complete concept guide of exo. she/he is amazing and did an amazing job making this series!
Welcome to the vocal land...of EXO
When you start Jong-in
You cannot Jong-out
Lets be Exo-L..
finally. someone watching mama again. i'm glad you had the same reaction. mama was and still is my favourite exo song. they have so many amazing songs, but this was chef's kiss. really looking forward to their comeback next week. too bad sm doesn't believe in them as much as exo-ls do.
YASS..Thats how amusing EXO'S VOCALS ARE
you know exo was the first kpop group with story line....there were groups like t-ara and bap doing music videos with story....but exo started this concept of having a story line and continuing it in all social media posts and teasers and VCRs and songs and lyrics and choreos and basically every thing....)
lee seo man started to write their story since yearrrs before 2000 (even the date of their debut, the reason they were 12...the date of their album and teaser releasings....all are connected to the story! mind-blowing huh? :D)
They have superpower by each member, there's so much things you should learn about exo to get to it
Yup, the concept is actually still going! You can see the concept in Obsession and another song called Power, which is from 2017 I think.
Also Kai is the one screaming, I know, I was surprised too.
15:26 is SEHUN
Mama was so epic!!!! They came out with a bang and was like we are here to stay… and they still are here making an impact with members in the military, members removed and still doing it..
mama and growl r by far my fav exo songs,, so good
woh!! MAMA was a shock to him, I feel great pride as an EXO-L watching how people react to it. And the concept is still going on with EXO, You already seen obsession they have their powers there too.
Yeah it scared me away back at 2012 when it came up, I only watched the intro and didn't watch exo again for two years after that but then I was back at 2014 and Mama became my favotie EXO song up to when lotto and KOKOBOP came out
KINGS OF CONCEPT
EXO's concept is still being used till today. Even the theme for their concerts evolve in this storyline which makes it epic. Feels like you're watching a movie. Even in obsession the storyline is about EXO fighting their evil clones which was made by the red force mentioned in Mama intro. Their super powers appears in a lot of their MVs like Lucky One, Kokobop, Power, Obsession. Even in Kai's solo MV he's teleporting, and the power of 2 members that just came out from the military that time was shown in the end credit signalling tgeir comeback in the industry. In superM Kai and Baekhyun retains their super powers in their trailers. But their super power concept is most apparent during concerts.
Exo was divided into 2 units
ExoK (Korean)
ExoM (Mandarin)
Mostly some of their release song has Korean and Mandarin Version.
EXO concept is a little bit complicated but if you wanna know them better , Better check out Cesar Oh Exo Guide ..
Here's some Guide For you
Exo K
Kai - Main Dancer, Center , Visual , Sub Rapper , Sub Vocal (Power : Teleportation) 🐻
Sehun - Main Dancer, Lead Rapper, Visual , Maknae
(Power: Wind) 🐣
Suho - Leader , Lead Vocal , Visual (Power: Water) 🐰
Baekhyun - Main Vocalist (Power:Light) 🐶
D.o - Main Vocalist (Power: Earth/Force) 🐧
Chanyeol - Main Rapper, Visual (Power :Fire) 🦒
Exo M
Chen - Main Vocal (Power : Thunder) 🦕
Xiumin - Lead Vocal , Lead Dancer, SubRapper (Power :Frost) 🐱
Lay - Main Dancer , Sub Vocal (Power:Healing) 🦄
Members Left the Group
Tao, Kris and Luhan from Exo M
Funfact: Growl Mv was One Take Shoot kind of Mv, No cuts , No stop , so if ever one of them will have a mistake , they will take it again from the start .. Growl was also the most popular song during its release (it was also called national anthem because almost all korean knows the song)
So here’s all the information you need?
EXO started as a 12 membered boy group. Which was divided into two subunits EXO-K and EXO-M. They both produced the same song, just EXO-K sung it in korean while EXO-M sung it in mandarin. So yes often times on stages they did join up and lines were distributed among the whole group based on which language they were going to be singing? Like if they were singing in korean but it was an award show or something, EXO-K members would get more lines and what not.
Anyways in 2015, EXO became a 9 membered group as Three Chinese members (kris, Luhan and Tao) from EXO-M left SM after suing the company for unfair treatment and other things.
The EXO you’ll see now is OT9. Having members
Suho(leader, lead vocalist) - he’s the dude with the emo hair cut you liked 😭
Xuimin (Oldest, lead vocalist)
Lay (main dancer, lead vocalist)
Baekhyun (main vocalist)
Chen (main vocalist)
D.O (main vocalist)
Kai- HE WAS THE ONE SCREAMING (main dancer, center)
Chanyeol - The dude with the pheonix
(Main rapper, vocalist)
Sehun - The blonde dude that was staring into your soul (main dancer, main rapper.)
Since 2017, the only Chinese member lay, has been an inactive member of EXO due to the THAAD issue. However he has taken part in the tempo mv. AND IS GOING TO BE IN THE COMEBACK TOMORROW (eeek everyone is so excited lmao. He’s the MC for this comeback. But yes.)
In obsession mv. As well as Don’t fight the feeling (which will drop tomorrow) all 9 members aren’t present because ya know enlistment and all. In the obsession mv, Xuimin, D.O and Lay were missing. And dftf won’t have Suho and Chen.
Currently two members Xuimin and Kyungsoo have completed their military duties. 4 members (Baekhyun, Chanyeol, Chen and suho) are in the military. And 2 members (kai and sehun) still have to enlist sometime in the near future. So by 2024-2025, all the members will be done with the enlistment and welp well have a full group comeback!
Also before I forget about the subunits. There is no EXO-K and EXO-M, it’s just EXO now (9 members)
However there are two NEW subgroups. That aren’t currently active due to members being in the army.
•EXO-CBX has Chen, Baekhyun and Xuimin. (Two main, one lead vocalist)
•EXO-SC has Sehun and Chanyeol (main rappers. The albums under EXO-SC are self produced by the members.)
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A little bit information about their concept.
EXO was the first group to have a storyline concept. And their concept wasn’t just planned out of the blue. It actually seems to be something LSM has been working on since the 1970 when 12 UFOs were spotted for the first time in SK. So yeah.
Basically as you can tell. They have super powers. They’re suppose to be these extraterrestrial beings with powers, created to be the guardians of the tree of life, which essentially is the life source of the universe.
All their mvs, teasers, VCRs and even certain stages are connected, even though all of them might not have them using their powers, however it’s all part of a narrative. Mvs you’ll see them using their powers in are Ofc MAMA, call me baby (teasers not the Mv though), kokobop and obsession.
Not just EXO but rather, in their solo mvs their powers are also highlighted.
Baekhyuns Power is LIGHT, his first album was called city LIGHTS with the title track UN village which basically focused on different lighting. His second album is called deLIGHT. And his first solo concert was called LIGHT. So yes. Pretty highLIGHTED (I’m sorry I just had to🤡).
Kai’s Power is teleportation. The entire mmmh mv as well as the Kai film depicts him teleporting from one place to another. His album cover shows him creating a wormhole (connection between two parallel universes.)
Suho’s Power is water, the title mv (lets love) for his first album called self portrait, also highlights water. It’s literally everywhere. Not only that but his pen name for song writing is SH20. 🤡😭
Lay’s first mini album “lose control” has the album cover as an eclipse (which is something that’s very important to the EXO storyline) and his 4th album LIT has flowers on its cover (lays Power is healing and is often in the storyline symbolised as flowers.)
So yes. Powers are pretty epic. And it’s a concept that they’ve carried for over 9 years now.
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They also name their concerts. Which again is kind of unique like their storyline which is pretty space based(Honestly everything is connected.)
EXOplanet 1: the lost planet.
EXOplanet 2: EXO'luxion
EXOplanet 3: EXO’rdium
EXOplanet 4: ElyXiOn
EXOplanet 5: EXplOration.
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Yes I think that’s all the basic information you need. Lol it’s a lot to absorb. I don’t expect you remember even quarter of it. Cause well 9 members with 9 years of discography is hard to remember. But since you asked lol. Here is all the information. I hope you’ll continue to react to EXO as they are my ults 🥺
Their predebut songs are what is love and history......
Mama is their debut song (2012). They have 2 pre debut songs, What is Love and History. Exo-K are all Koreans promoting in Korea and Exo-M (mandarin) are 2 Koreans and 4 chinese, promoting in China. All their MVs have Chinese version, even Obsession. When the 3 Chinese members left, they combine it and jsut name it EXO.
There 6 members in Obsession because 2 of the members (Xiumin and D.O) were in military that time and Lay's in China doing solo and inactive since 2017 due to political issues between Korea and China. But their comeback in June 7, Lay is in there. We don't know how long will he be in the mv, so we are very excited for the comeback on Monday.
If you wanna know Lay, the only Chinese member, please watch Honey and Namanana MVs and dance practice (for a start) for you to see the whole choreo and how great he dance.
Of course, their live performances were just amazing as always. I really love to listen to their old songs too. I mean, still, their songs are just masterpieces.
SM is mad crazy with their storylines. EXO's concept is insane, possibly ties with Red Velvet, now you have Aespa and they definitely seem to tie with NCT, and SuperM showed EXO's powers as well so there will be some sort of connection. We're all going to be mind blown when the whole story comes to light
With the subunits, many have already explained what EXO-K and EXO-M mean, but to explain the other ones:
EXO-CBX: Subunit with Chen, Baekhyun and Xiumin. Have had a bunch of releases both in Korea and Japan.
EXO-SC: Subunit consisting of Sehun and Chanyeol, the main rappers. They have had 1 full album and 1 ep.
Yes their concept and storyline is connected almost in every comeback, mv, also some of their individual Solo project and still going on even until this upcoming comeback...
11:29 yes its theirs, and also EXO is called the King of vocal in kpop
*sorry if there’s any wrong word, im not good in english
exo songs need to be listened live, honestly the vocal power n this group, DO, beakhyun and chen lay the base of their stages so well!
This feels so nostalgic for me. When EXO debuted I had just really gotten into Kpop and I listened to them a lot! Now I'm going to go and listen to their discography 😁 Great reaction!
Exo ot9, 3 main vocalist its D.O, CHEN ,BAEKHYUN,...that mv is so important so you can follow their concept from 2012 till present.yes thats their vocals,thats why they are the vocal Kings of kpop..the Kings of kpop.....exo k in korean version and exo m in mandarin chinese version...GROWL 12 members combined as EXO
EXO:MONSTER
EXO:LOVE ME RIGHT
EXO:LOVE SHOT
EXO:OBSESSION
EXO:TEMPO
Hello there! Baekhyun is wearing a red hat in Growl @14:47 and followed by Chen. Then again Baekhyun @15:15.
And yes they have super power.
I have fallen down a f***in rabbit hole. Thanks, Prince LOL!!! (when you said "are they gonna sacrifice somebody?" i LOST IT!!)
Growl is one of my favourite songs, it's so chill and i never get tired of it
You should watch their concert intro. They used their powers there.. STUNNING..AMAZING..
Thank you for your reaction! 🙌
The pink haired boy in growl was Luhan 😅 (former EXO-M member) but Baekhyun came in right after with Suho and Chen (as a Trio). Oh and welcome to the exoplanet! ☺️
For your easy guide, EXO these days has 9 members which include
1 leader - Suho
2 main rappers - Chanyeol and Sehun
2 sub-units - EXO-CBX and EXO-SC
3 main vocalists - D.O, Chen and Baekhyun
3 main dancers - Kai, Lay, Sehu
EXO don't fight the feeling comeback june7 so close and I am so excited
KINGS OF KPOP
EXO created the 3rd generation and their concept is really mind blown
Dude, they still follow the concept. That Intelligent concept.
#1 KINGS OF VOCALS
In this they show there powers and they kept there powers through all of there videos even solo work they do
EXO Title: Vocal kings, nation's pick
Wow, you finally reacted to the kings themselves. God bless. No but seriously, thank you for reacting to them. Btw, their concept is still being done by sm. It’s not usually in your face and being pushed as their identity very strongly, like aespa, but some mvs are very focused on their concept (like mama(of course), obsession, and most likely the new comebacks since it’s a part 2 of their song “power” oh and Kai’s solo too), but otherwise it’s all lowkey. Also exo used to be split into 2 when they were still 12 members(hence the exo-k and exo-m) but after 3 Chinese members left, they’re just EXO now. The only subunits are EXO-cbx(Chen, Baekhyun, Xiumin) and EXO-sc(Sehun, Chanyeol). You won’t hear Chen’s crazy vocals in EXO-K ver. Songs since he used to be a part of EXO-M. Thank you for finally diving into them. I know you’re not the most fond person of lore-focused concepts. It’s okay, there’s no need to learn terminologies to understand exo songs lmao. I don’t remember if you’ve already reacted to their solos, but exo is in their point of careers where they’re all stemming their own individual names now, especially now that they’re going through their enlistments. So i’d love reactions to their solo works too. Btw Baekhyun and Chanyeol are currently in the military(but they filmed their comeback before leaving). The reason why obsession only has 6 members is cause (Lay is in China, unable to promote with exo because of china-korea political conflict) and Xiumin, as well as D.O were serving their time in the military. They recently came back and will participate in this comeback.
I love sm debut songs, it’s all so experimental and unique. Other examples are Red velvet Happiness, and nct u 7th sense.
Note: i’d love more nct dream reactions too please
I do like lore related storylines, especially with LOONA being my ultimate group. I just like it to be veeeery subtle. Something you could completely miss if you didn't know, yet at the same time has a lot of layers for theories and foreshadowing.
Finally found the K pop legends..the Vocals kings....
Exo is absolutely perfect
"Are they gonna sacrifice somebody?"
Hahashsjsjhshsjdejdjdijd I fucking lost it hahahahahaga
EXO's concept and storyline is still strong. It continues in EXO's next comeback on 7 June 2021 with their new album Don't Fight The Feeling.
Your face during THAT part in MAMA was gold XD
I know them for 7 years.. my first kpop group and they still my ult group.
Welcome to the EXO World! I wish there were subtitles on the Mama mv. Then you could have been more completely shocked and immersed lol
Well, we have to recognise that EXO was really the first group in K-pop with lore ;o There were plenty of 2nd-gen groups with dramatic stories, and some MV storylines being connected, but EXO was the first to have that lore baked into the group, this being the 12 members with their super powers, and living in their parallel worlds of EXO-K and EXO-M ;o
i love ur reaction very genuine! and yes that's their vocals
Here for the exo and will stay for the exo.
Exo - love shot, Tempo, obsession.
For the one who wanna to get to know EXO, I always highly recommend to check out the group guide and the individual guides (on Cesar Oh channel). PLEASE react to the guides, they have all information that you need! Thank you for this bruh
EXO have the most strongest story line and concept
'someone screaming, someone flipping'... They're rare. Long story short, no one can beat them😂
for mama you need to watch the M version as well since the mandarin version highlight the exo-m members' superpower and yes they still continue with their superpower and exoplanet lore. with the coming comeback we might get new insight of the exo theory since the lore is embedded in their teaser/vcr/mv.
Thank you so much for reacting to EXO 💕 I will eagerly await your other reactions 👐
*"EXO"* will have a comeback this Monday June 7th with their new album *"Don't fight the feeling"* hope you will be there to react to them , merciii
I’ve waited forever for this!!!!! Thank you :)
Mamama-ing.. you got me! Am subscribing to your channel! haha!