POP 101: A Guide to EXO

Chris and Chantel Nicole discuss the journey of EXO, one of the the biggest K-Pop boybands of all time, from "Mama" to multiple member departures, "Growl" to "Love Shot", and all the drama in between! Viewer discretion is advised, your fave will be criticized...

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References: 

Transcript:

the members of EXO are aliens yes

one of the biggest selling singles in K-pop history fewer discretion is advised your fave will be criticized that's it that's Chris welcome to CCTV the non-stop pop show and today we're heading to Pop 101 class and learning about EXO

[Music] get the ultimate pop music fix with Shannon I right here on CCTV we are experienced performers and Industry insiders bringing you in-depth reviews discussions and interviews with artists producers and creatives from across the music business you can join us on patreon at patreon.com CCTV pops and become a part of our amazing crew including Lisette Lily Emily Kevin and Juliet you can subscribe now and let's explore the world of pop music together so as your professors have mentioned we're going to talk about EXO so one of the biggest boy bands of gen 3 of Kpop which is really exciting so if you know about them please want a refresher or if you don't know about them welcome yes so yes so do you like EXO

oh I like them I will admit though at first when they came out I didn't really pay as much attention to them like I listened to the album and stuff like that but I was like a B.A.P fan like I mean I don't think people realize like before the BTS EXO like beef between the fans there was a B featuring B.A.P fans and so xol yeah because they came at the same time same kind of concept I'll get to that a little bit later but yeah I think they are some of the best music and K-pop and music in general actually I listen to them I think well why can't this artist do this like oh my God this would be so great of like Chris Brown would have done this song before all the crap that happened with him but even now he can still kind of like take a page from their book but yeah I think they're really good I think their team put a lot of love into them as a whole um and before all this SM business with the company oh yeah yeah they were definitely look at that they're definitely a golden standard I think for like K-pop Quaker for sure even girl group two like they're just a standard vocally dance wise are not great but at the time some of them are yeah at the time they were like wow revolutionary yeah yeah yeah um yeah I'm a huge EXO fan I listen as one of my favorite yeah groups yeah actually it's one of my favorite boy bands like music honestly um they were the first SM group debut I got to experience in real time oh sure right um because it was FX you know and there were a few years before EXO came oh my God yeah um and I remember them being teased and stuff at like the SM Town like the SM movie and stuff um so I was excited just to experience all of that in real time as a newer K-pop fan um and yeah as I mentioned they're still one of my go-to groups in general but also to introduce people to K-pop especially if they are from our generation who loves the holder Western boy bands and girl groups because they literally sound like NSYNC yeah but not just in sync from like the early the late 90s early 2000s but they actually sound like NSYNC if they kept going yeah and they work with a lot of Western writers and producers including a lot of Swedish ones yeah it just makes sense like the sound is really what that would be yeah totally no totally yeah we haven't talked about NSYNC on the show yet but we plan on doing it so if you're looking for an equivalent EXO is definitely that and they they oof but they have a lot more members than they're grouping we'll get to that for sure and we have creative playlists for you all to follow along on YouTube Spotify and apple music and if you want to listen to the full tracks or watch the music videos the links are below so let's get to it class is in session

so in 2011 SM Entertainment one of the biggest K-pop companies formed a 12-member boy group called EXO and they would split into two units XOK who would sing in Korean and xon who would sing those same songs but in Mandarin Chinese making it possible to promote the same group and music in multiple countries at the same time yes my guts appealing to different people at the same time but yeah so X okay for Korean was made up of member suho backyard

and XOM for M for Mandarin was made up of Chinese members Lei Luhan Tao Chris and two Korean members Chen and shumin so getting right into it I mean like their first you know presentation was a bunch of crazy teasers but uh I remember not being excited about them uh really like I thought they were cute right but I was into BH okay I really was um I did notice one thing about the teasers Kai was in all of them yes which definitely signified him being the center this is before I knew what the center was in a group but I just saw him everywhere I'm like who is this coconut-headed guy but he could dance like she's like a coconut um I did remember the the like the M members like towels martial arts I thought that was so cool yes um you know Luhan and Kai dancing to I think um machine um they just had a lot of the songs teased yes which really shows that they were working on this catalog for Lord knows how long before they premiered these guys I was definitely more interested in XOM but I didn't know that they were tiny ah I didn't know I just thought oh they're cute like I preferred them yeah um and I do remember I wasn't into Super Junior at the time but I do remember like hearing about Super Junior and seeing how many members that they had and realizing that 12 was a lot of people and at the time it wasn't a thing like now we're used to seeing like an army of boys and girls this is true you know but this one was crazy like this is an evolved version of the suji units and the powers I will give it to SM they have been on like ahead not ahead of the curve but they really ride the trend of what's really cool with like why a novels or like in the movies like for this one it was like the post-apocalyptic of Divergence kind of thing going on so they definitely followed that and gave it to the boys which I thought was yeah interesting at the time it just fit with the yeah I won't get more into the powers very shortly yeah but uh yeah I mean lisuman has always loved the whole fantasy saying right as we know because of Huang yeah so this is the precursor to Quan Yap um but yes I was very excited I I was very intrigued by this whole Chinese slash Korean sub unit situation I am Chinese so I was first off I was happy to see Chinese numbers and to kind of see them trying to go for that market and I was just curious how that would work actually um and again I was I was a big Kpop fan at the time it was quite near the beginning of my journey as K-pop fans it was just very exciting because I had at that point there weren't that many groups debuting it was still like a very manageable thing to keep up with yes and so it was always exciting when a group came out and it was SM right oh my God yeah extra exciting so I was very into it yeah they were big three for sure top of the pyramid there um so before they released the proper first single they did T they did do a teaser performance at the SBS guy audacian at the end of 2011. and then after those multiple teaser videos that you were just talking about they also then finally released a couple songs the pre-release tracks what is love and history

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when I saw history I watched the M version because I saw Luke and I saw lay with his emo boy hair I know the the Mandarin version

okay like literally because I remember watching it I was like wow wow Luhan is so but can I just pray like pretty like good looking person like he looks like a like a character from a comic book and I was really into anime at the time so I was like oh my God this is like a bichonen to come to life he's so cute but also his voice his vocal tone is really good I think M as a whole just danced better to me as well too because they also had lay what I did not know is when I went back to exo-k I was like oh wait they have better dances here and the vocalists are a little bit more not better but their tones I liked more as a whole as opposed to just liking one or two members of XOM I think Dio and Beckham snatched me because when I heard what is love yeah they were just sitting on the chair I prefer that version over Luhan and Chen's version so I was like oh it this this kind of thing I know they don't want to Foster like a back and forth between the subunits because I eventually chose like XOM personally yeah but vocally speaking when I heard what is love I was like yeah I like I can d a little bit more I don't know I'm pretty sure they don't do that on purpose but I liked it um what is love and Teddy Riley produced it and at the time he was kind of getting into K-pop or like supposedly like there's a whole Rania thing that ended up being a whole like ultimately a bust but yeah I like the whole Western hipster kind of like wow wow I didn't hear anything like that Kate Fox I liked it yeah um and uh the video itself played into the lore that the teasers already kind of established so it helped make things make more sense but not completely um for like older like newer fans listening to this now the Lord had nothing really to do with the songs no like espas no that's something I'm singing about planets and stuff yeah exactly and that's probably why I kind of got drawn into that because it was just they're singing about love and history is about making history as loves and whatnot they were just singing and stuff and just and and got tied into their lore but that's pretty much it like I liked both of the songs but depending on who was singing and depending on who was performing which or the other and made choices of like which one I like which version I liked more but you've experience that at all or well I think it's difficult to not compare yeah impossible it's like human nature to yeah choose favorites I think and to rank things um and so yeah I think that's natural I did gravitate towards M also but more so because they were Chinese oh interesting yeah because I again I as a Chinese person I just like was rooting for them yeah it was rooting for that sense yeah and so um yeah so I was already kind of more curious about them and kind of gave them more of my attention yeah I will say though vocally I actually preferred Luhan and Chen uh I knew we were gonna yeah I think I love chenstone um and I thought him and Luhan had a more interesting balance than backyard backyard and Dr quite similar yes yes whereas Luhan and Chen are not so it makes it just was an interesting Dynamic I thought um but yeah I loved both songs yeah um both very very different but very again very early 2000s boy bands um and history does have Swedish songwriters yes it does yeah of course and yes the pant shaking as you mentioned you can't see me iconic I'm sure but that was great it's iconic they always look kind of embarrassed doing it too which made it every even funnier yeah because they're facing the back and like yeah that was like Flappy Hammer plant The Harem The Harem fancy Hammer pants those are really popular and they were silver and gold so finally in April 2012 EXO released its debut single but debut even though we talk about two other singles or debut single mom

and Mama with the song music video and the EP were all released in both Korean and Mandarin by the respective subgroups and received a ton of global attention and the Gregorian chants is still remembered to this day fondly by some not so fondly by others I'm on the former oh I'm on the ladder I thought it was so funny

boss random English SM I'll tell you SM has the best English English lines ever okay you want to talk about random English I was never checked go to sm's like old catalog it was so much fun and I used to make my niece stand in my bathroom and my hoodies and sing Kevin just nobody care about me she was like a little kid in the hallway because she thought it was funny too she's like why are they in the hood like it was just I think about so much fun memories from that video you know um and I remember this video because the legend the the lore had a storyline finally added to it in the beginning there was like a scroll like artwork and the guy was like in the beginning the Wombo Legends he was saying won the Legends for a year I heard Mumbai Legends so I was like one bull Legend what the heck is someone Bulletin I thought that was great I was not happy about mama I think because like all the songs that were teased in the like machine and stuff like it all sounded again like insane basically and then this song came out and I was like this doesn't sound like insane what happened um it's it's hard to take it seriously it's not a good song but no it's not a good subtle I mean I actually like the chorus of it um it's very dramatic yeah yeah it's very dramatic the harmonies are really nice but the song as a whole is just I don't get it I don't really understand why they did that I mean it gained attention yes it commanded attention yeah and it's memorable yes um so that's what they're going for then sure yes um but at this point for sure like every other song on the EP is better than this one oh truly truly um I mean nothing will beat roll like a buffalo um on one of their songs with key on the out the debut album but I think it was interesting for me because like I said I wasn't to be P at the time so when I heard this I was like yeah it's cool PVP has better songs and they at the time they did they really did um and for what they were trying to do like in the intense stuff VIP was doing it better for me um but I will say that as like a heavy metal fan the screamo part at the end I actually kind of like that they tried something different I'm getting the face here y'all can't for those who are listening I'm getting a eyebrow burrow but I I like that honestly I'm not gonna lie to you I liked it I was like oh this is aggressive it's in your face I don't know what's going on like it was just something different um I do hate that that was like schumann's only 16 bars in the EXO song but it's okay um that was the longest part I've ever seen human have ever EXO song no it's probably not but they let it be him you know I probably have I'm just kidding I'm teasing but it was nice to kind of see it and it definitely brought the I guess that first story to an to a head right it was like really intense it's really like dramatic they were they were like you know trying to escape from this planet and they're screaming about it so it kind of brought the storyline to it yeah so the music video confirmed the overall concept that the members of EXO are aliens yes and the name EXO actually comes through the term exoplanet which is a planet that orbits a star outside of our solar system um and so yeah this alien concept has stayed throughout the years with the members showcasing their unique powers not just in music videos but during concerts and also even in their solo careers like for example we reviewed humans solo freezing things with the spice Powers the whole time so yeah it comes up a lot but they've actually done a good job I think of keeping it not overly CR it's not like Quang yet where it's like oh my gosh they're like keep mentioning they actually balance it relatively well they don't push it too hard like the little references in the concerts are fun like there's one point I think like during Thunder like one random Spotlight will appear on Chen you know like little things like that but it's really just for the fans yeah it's like Easter egging as opposed to like yeah they've always just kind of had an idea what they wanted for this group for sure um but like I said they never said in the song like oh girl let's fly out of here because Chris was a dragon you know if it was never enough that kind of yeah yeah yeah it would have been so bad can you imagine if all their lyrics coincided with their powers oh Lord you know the hilarious okay but which power would you want who which member which member good okay um oh dang it that's tough because like asking what kind of like honestly because Luan was Luan was like a um he was in the Unicorn that was lay was the Unicorn they all had symbols too I forgot their symbols healing healing they was a healing unicorn which is hilarious um I think luhan's Tower of telekinesis is I mean I was always like a Charmed fan so Prue hollywell and the movement yes I like mentally moving things that'd be that'd be fun one probably you kind of power would you want well as a Sailor Jupiter stand of course I love lightning but also in love Sailor Uranus so the wind would be oh my God leave a comment below if you would pick one of these you have 12 powers to pick from so pick one leave a comment below yeah which one would you want

so yeah both the X okay and XOM releases did well in their respective countries and the group went on to be nominated and even win awards at the end of 2012. the group was working hard on their first album XOXO and released the title track wolf in May 2013 which featured all 12 members singing in both Korean and Mandarin [Music]

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[Music] the unique song gave EXO their first music show win and it featured choreography by Tony Testa yes we love Tony Testa gold had me on the show listen y'all oh yeah that'd be great yes um so yes first off I'm glad it was all 12 of them yeah um because I liked the sub unit thing I was intrigued by it by the end of the day I like the full group so I was I'm glad that they did that um yeah what do you think of wolf because I personally think this is my least favorite EXO title track ever it's like a dubs it's like it's not aged well either it's like this dubsteppy like noisy mess um however though yeah going back to Tony Testa yeah the choreography and performance was amazing like absolutely brilliant the tree formation is so beautiful there's some really cool moments all throughout it and I have to give a shout out to the exoplanet 3 version where they did this it was like a six minute version with like all these extended breakdowns and really cool projections um and even more intense production um and that showcased the song at it at its very Peak and I don't think they ever need to perform it again because I don't think they can top that yeah crying I'm crying yeah um honestly when I first heard this song man um you know SM was hopping on another tread so it was Twilight at the time Twilight was hot at the time you know Jacob or yeah or not Kevin that's the boys

watch our Pop 101 of the boys if you have not and learn about k-pop's exos I think they're they're coming up after EXO just want to say that oh that's a faith they could um okay I'm reading anyway Jayco or Edward there we go so in between those two right and they went for Jacob there I guess SM is Team Jacob so the wolf thing was really cool um I do want to say that the things that got me about this video was like the tree you know it sounded like you know well it sounded very mystical mystical beginning so chanyeol in his pimp hat you know Chris's haircut uh because at this time he was AO what up crease because their showcase had gone and there's a lot of just black sense going on so he was crease at the time so Chris had this I had those yeah when I saw that that's what kind of almost took me out I was like I don't know how I feel about that um okay so here's the thing I didn't pay attention to Tim before but when I saw those braids I was like why'd I do that um I'm not a fan of the gangster rapper braids especially since he was rapping but aside from that the structure of the song was crazy absolutely crazy but I think now even like looking at it and thinking about the whole like concept it was meant to be a movie and it's hard to sit there and put like an OST for a whole concept until one song because the song The structurally it is so strange but it does oh my God the way music switches up now this was this is Child's Play yes right so it did change up quite a bit but the production was pretty normal like it sounded all the same but what made it really weird was the Top Line like right after raps there's a chorus and a post course and another section and then the bridge where all these main vocals are having like a VH1 Diva sing-along yeah she would love that so well 10 was going all off at the end yeah because right after the bridge we have beg Ken singing in the Dio thing and then Beckham sing it what did I say like what is going on and then my favorite part is that ratchet ratchet that ain't hey y'all I don't know who thought oh my gosh that's terrible is that even one of them or it's like is one of them pitched up did Kenzie produce this because of Kenzie did I could hear her because I didn't I don't know but the house ongoing hey y'all and I hate that I hate that too y'all oh it's just like I got the ratchet is I think I think of a like an American person like on the internet that's what it felt like don't like that um but yeah I mean as a song I actually do kind of like it I never dated hated it but I just thought of that took me out but you've listened to it yeah my I legit I can't do the rap but I can Mumble it yeah no I I'll watch the exoplanet 3 Performance but that's pretty much it over it yeah

um so the album XOXO released in both Korean and Mandarin eventually became one of the highest selling albums ever in Korea yeah and this was helped with the repackaged album released in August 2013 with the title track that would become one of EXO's signature hits growl

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yes so as one of the biggest selling singles in K-pop history and still is growl won countless Awards and continues to be referenced as one of the best K-pop songs of all time and the group even performed it a couple years later in 2018 at the closing ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympics yes yeah you know at this time was interesting because like you could see again the wheels of sm's creative team you know going right you have XOXO and then they were wearing like 88 and 88 in Morse code means hugs and kisses and the album's you know hug version and the kiss version and then you get the wolf you're like okay and then you get growls like oh my God wolves growl but then you get this song that's actually a song

um I think some writers from juneboss actually did this one um I used to work for them and I remember looking at the publishing for this and it was like some African guy's name like there's a lot of like black songwriters and some Korean like translators and whatnot and you can hear that like this song to me sounded like No Diggity when I was younger and there's some videos floating around of No Diggity being snatched up with the choreography and it fits perfectly yeah um you know things like that just made me go like wow they were I think that's some as a company has always been willing to Outsource different writers as opposed to just being like Oh yeah you know this is easy let's just make it like palatable for our market like they were thinking Global um and I appreciate that for sure and uh it's crazy that right after their first album they blew up like this because I remember at the mama Awards it was B.A.P and EXO and there was a beaver and they announced as Best New Artist I was like who the [ __ ] about you don't even talk about Busker Busker anymore right unless you're like a huge fan that's how crazy it was so for them to go go from like nothing to something like this absolute glow up um I really do enjoy the harmonies of this song like there's harmonies in the bridge because Harmony is of course in the course that's just SM but you could hear them sometimes even singing now and they're holding handheld mic so actually sing the Harmons with each other um kyungsu's red hair Theo by the way suho in those shorts with the leggings underneath them but speaking of which in the video I feel like the first version of the video is more well known because you know they're in that basement and dancing and the and the school Schoolboy outfit people know that more than the second version of the video that came out which is when they're in the warehouse above the basement yeah well that one felt more like a regular music video yeah which was interesting because that look that builds like a performance video Kai drops his hat I feel like that was supposed to be the real music video and everyone they could just tell that the performance one was the one to go with yeah which was the right move because the choreography is amazing yeah um yeah I think growl I've said it's still one of my favorite top songs ever yes honestly um and it's such a cool song it's got a perfect hook they sound great as you mentioned um and I actually had to remember reading that they had one had wanted to release growl earlier on like they had growl from the very beginning but I guess they wanted to show off their like performance abilities and just do some more dramatic stuff with Mama and wolf before they launched this one which ended up working out for them because I feel like their popularity was already there so the song is probably even bigger because they waited to release it um so yeah growl is so good it stood the test of time I still listen to it a lot I still watch that music video a lot actually yeah um so yeah and the album was great Alba had some really great moments Black Pearl my lady it's still one of my favorite EXO songs ever um Quality was there yes solid boy group album for sure and like they were definitely like um starting to influence a lot of the things that happened like the yearbook photos of that time people do your book photos now the Schoolboy thing not saying it was a New Concept but because they were so huge you could start to see the trickle-down effect for sure and um at the end of 2013 the group released their first winter single and EP miracles in December and this became somewhat of a tradition for the group with multiple winter singles and projects that charted very well and continued to appear in the charts every winter season and in May 2014 the groups split back into their respective subgroups XOK and XOM for the release of overdose [Music]

okay [Music] and anticipation for the release was high with the EP receiving over 600 000 pre-orders and unprecedented number at the time which is crazy right overdose thoughts feelings yes I love overdose this is first off it was done by The Underdogs known for their work with like pink Justin Timberlake they did the soundtracks for dream girl and Pitch Perfect so they've done a lot of SM stuff but I'm I'm a big fan of theirs um and this is just a great boy band song of course yeah I will say I love the video versions where all 12 of them saying I think I got attached to all 12 of them because that's what we got the last two singles at this point and so I was like oh I don't really need the subgroups anymore but we could kind of tell just a little foreshadowing XOM was already you know their video views weren't as much the sales as much for XOM yeah so you can kind of tell there's already some favoritism going on for X okay yeah um so I thought it was an interesting choice to split them back up because it really showed I think how differently the two units were doing both commercially and like yeah company yeah it's such a it's such a shame because even by then I don't think I actually like had like a serious prize I think I liked Dio at the time because I watched like a fan meeting and he did like a beat box of Like My Humps ironically enough we also I like him I didn't like I still like XOM I was still following them like as a fan at the time as an exotic at the time if you know if you know you know at this exotic at the time I was watching the Chinese promotions and they're going to Dailymotion all these random websites trying to find part one to part three yes I was doing that too because I wanted to support XOM and it was sad because you like Som you know our ex-o-k of course they get to do all the standard Korean music shows where they perform four or five times a week they get home plate Advantage XOM it's like they get to appear on this random Chinese show that has nothing to do with music and it was yeah it was a little sad to watch it was I mean 2014 was like a serious time because like after two years Exotics finally we got our name as xol xol is the thing between M and K L M element K ml wait

wait what anyway it was nice to see them together because like you said it's annoying that they got split up again because EXO Showtime had come out right before overdose you could see how awkward they were oh my God you could totally see it and it's like you be trained together we're kind of like not beefing but like now we're together in one room at this one table High what I noticed with the XOM and X okay versions of the videos is that um oh my God the choreography different for each member singing the camera were different for each freaking video I mean at one point Kai doesn't even sing his Chinese Parts in Exo overdose in the overdose in the XOM video and I was like boy Matthew not practicing the Mandarin before you get what you're doing your steps right um but yeah there's a lot of interesting things in the video to kind of notice like how hard they were working having to sing in two different languages learn two different formations two different blockings it is difficult to do that kind of thing um they were working the guys a little bit too hard I think you could see that yes all right so more on that very soon but first there was a little bit of controversy because in 2014 remember Becky on was revealed to be dating the leader of the nation's biggest girl group taeyeon of girls generation and fans were not happy so um very mixed reactions there but they actually are no longer together so that's irrelevant but it was it was a big drama it was funny everyone was like oh my God about my bacon but people really attached to them I mean well that was just the first dating Scandal that you'll hear about more very soon but first more drama a word from our drama sponsors EXO was gaining extreme popularity especially in Korea with their first concert announce and overdose eventually became the best-selling release of the Year whoa however only after a week of overdoses released Chris the leader of XOM filed a lawsuit against SM to terminate his exclusive contract claiming that the company treated him like a machine part and disregarded his health and basic human rights and though it has been well known the K-pop industry that the contracts are restrictive and that the idols have to meet unrealistic expectations it should be noticed that Chris didn't totally do this on his own yes yeah Chinese entertainment companies were swirling and could see the potential in the Chinese members of EXO and those Chinese agencies had lots of money and could offer not just that money but also opportunities in China that could turn them into solo Superstars so SM Entertainment also filed a lawsuit against Chris and the Chinese companies that he was working with claiming that their business dealings were unethical and breached his contract with SM Entertainment so since then Chris was very quick to release solo material yeah and he had have had become a huge star in China right but no longer is because he's currently serving 13 years in prison for sa and also was fined for tax evasion man so bye Chris oh it's so annoying because he actually was like a little bit not my favorite but I liked him when you're an XOM fan like you like all of them and that's the kind of person I was it took me a while to get biases and groups but you know but for them I like them he ruined it um but yeah around this time was like the first time I heard about slave contracts uh like hearing of 10 to 15 years from any company like that's what we would call giving someone the best years of your life I can't imagine that now oh I mean suju complained jyj was a first actually yeah can you imagine reading that kind of contract as like a Chinese Canadian immigrant like how do you decipher that how do you decode that knowing what you're signing up for not knowing that you would be told to you know run around with like 12 other guys like whatever the situation was if you got offered a lot of money for him but it just sucks that it went down like this but yeah it was kind of it was rough to see that because a lot of um fans were really a messy toward him like me I didn't really I was kind of like oh dang he's gone that stinks but a lot of people took it to heart it kind of it's kind of like when we interviewed Melissa from dream like if you want to make it you gotta sign this contract they have no you don't have any power in this situation so I think they did know they were getting into these crazy contracts but that was the only way to get your foot in the door yeah you know um and so that's just the way the music business is unfortunately yeah I am actually surprised after what happened with hungang from the Super Junior that they SM wasn't more prepared for this to happen like that's what I'm saying right um yeah I find that a little weirder um like you were saying yeah I think they were clearly being pushed to their limits physically um and also Chris mentioned they had no say creatively he did not like the music Direction they were going in yeah um and they also started off in extreme debt as all I mean a lot of musicians do but especially in K-pop because you have to make back what the company spent on you before you get your money and their k-pop's expensive you know those music videos those costumes like that's it's a lot of money it is and it's a group too and it's 12 members so think about how much money they're staying on each member yeah and the one album it costs the same as you know a solo artist album you know so it's even harder to make back the money when you have that many members so yeah um I personally don't blame him for leaving I what I didn't appreciate is from what we know um he didn't actually tell any of the members what he was doing that's why I was like um I don't like that and they actually had a concert a week after that so they had to rejig the whole concert without him um so I more so feel bad for the other members but honestly you do what you need to do like he wasn't happy he wasn't being treated well and you know these companies in China offered him the money to do too she was like in a movie right after that yeah like they offered him a ton of money they were able to pay for the lawsuits yeah and she became way more successful than he would have been if he stayed in EXO so yeah I remember that is what it is we can forget about him because he's in jail wow okay well you know um a member that's not in jail that left uh was Luke Han because you know a few months later he actually did file a lawsuit against SM Entertainment to terminate his contract as well and prior to that he had missed some engage engagements due to health issues and like Chris also claim that the company did not treat him well even alleging that the company treated the Chinese members differently from the Korean members like Chris Luhan had help from Chinese agencies and SM Entertainment again filed their own lawsuit seeking damages for breach of contract essen's lawsuit with Chris and Lujan were eventually settled in 2016. they had a term up until I think 2022 which was just last year I remember seeing that 2022 felt so far away at the time so it's interesting I mean Luhan now continues to be a successful star in China his solo sub I listened to um it is hilarious especially listen to Lou stream Lou that song is a demo gone Rogue yes um okay so yeah so basically I believe in the settlement with SM they basically agreed that SM would still be their Management in Korea and Japan but that they were allowed to pursue to their own thing outside of that so yes that contract has only just ended last year which is a little crazy um but you know I think it was a good compromise like I said this is what it is like they took the opportunity that they could um I was much more sad about Luhan leaving than Chris leaving actually because I loved luhan's voice he's such a great vocal tone um and he did seem like he had a better relationship with the group than Chris did as well and it sounds like from what we know that he did discuss what was going on with the group members yeah he does actually follow a bunch of them on socials and stuff now so clearly that I mean we will never see them together because uh SM is crazy like that yeah um but I assumed that he left on better terms at least can you imagine like a week couple weeks a couple months later oh good hey guys um quick question would you mind if I like we just sat down and talked like I think he did the right way I think he saw Chris's situation was like how can I like yeah lessen that all right so meanwhile EXO was touring around Asia and also preparing for their next album so with two XOM members now gone the group went back to releasing as a full lineup of 10 with the album Exodus and the title track Call Me Baby released in March 2015.

[Music]

so is this my favorite EXO song Maybe it's up there for sure yeah um because again just one of the best boy band songs of all time like I talked about them sounding like insane this song could literally be an instinct song for sure um and you know I think all the drama actually did help bring the rest of the members together the chemistry in this music video and the performances are really really good um and The Styling was a little better it was more mature it was more slick um and yeah this song is just it's slightly cheesy which we love in a boy band song but it's cooler it's cool and there's some sexiness to it as well um so it's just a great balance um you can actually find the original English demo on YouTube or SoundCloud as well and the original English lyrics were call me Daddy thank the Lord that they changed that yeah remember that one that was that was a fun conversation to have um the song was played constantly for sure it was fun I remember being in my mom's car listening to it over and over again oh it was really bad uh but yeah like they had a lot of good performances I remember this one music Bank performance where they they had like the couches and they were running through the stage and it was really fun um I remember the guys used to sing live too I Remember Mama oh God I was a tough one singing like but they would sing sometimes sing live to this one it was fun to watch them actually enjoy the music too like the song felt like authentic yeah yeah yeah um I think Super J would have cut the daddy I'm joking um but yeah this album was also very solid for sure and Christy covered those stands too so I did you want to check out a land I'm crying Instagram account this is very true he's a featured dancer on Instagram uh the Instagram for a land but um I brought the dancing thing to you because we didn't talk about the dancing really like uh for uh overdose but overdose had awesome dance moves too and whatnot this is this is one of those like all 12 members dancing together again well my all-time members TV all 10 members dancing together and it was so much fun to see them like going at it and you you can see Kai life you're dancing better than everybody it's crazy um but yeah um I think this is uh one of my favorite choreographies from them because it's not super complicated it wasn't like wild like a wolf just great musicality yeah straight musicality and just good boy band choreo honestly and yeah as you mentioned the album is so good Playboy was written by Jung Hyun um Transformers awesome Kurt is a little more mature like just really solidified them as just a top-notch boy band and like yeah such solid albums and that would continue for sure so even with all the performances remember Tao wasn't able to promote with the group due to multiple health issues and withdrew from them to heal his father publicly posted a letter without Tao's knowledge detailing towels injuries and noting that he needed to force Tau to withdraw as these injuries had long-term consequences if he didn't arrest and Tao's father also claimed that he attempted to resolve this directly with SM but this didn't really work so you know contact matters in its own hands and posted on weibo um but more on that shortly we'll get to that um the remaining nine members of EXO had repackaged their album and they were ready to go and they released love me right in June 2015. [Music] Adventures [Music]

um yeah before we get into the song what do you remember about this time with Tao and the hole him being missing situation yeah well he had been talking about injuries for a while um and so and like you know the martial arts stuff like he would do some crazy tricks on this concerts and stuff so yeah I felt really bad for him yeah I think you could tell he was very passionate about the group like he even publicly like bad-mouthed Chris and he was like how dare he betray us you know um and you know he clearly loved performing and he was pushing himself to the Limit the company was pushing him to limit but you could kind of tell how tired they were like I was watching a bunch of the comeback performances and stuff and I was like oh they look tired um and honestly the fact that they just kept it moving and they were like all right we're gonna perform without him and then loving right's gonna come out at him like who cares um it just shows how little they valued him and how this really is a machine right so yeah I felt really bad for him yeah um it was interesting because on the internet there would be there would be saying that he was faking it like there'd be some pictures of him like standing after being in the wheelchair or like it was weird because I've seen his attendance like his Achilles tendons they were bruised at one point I think he tore them or pulled them yeah he was he was down bad like it was really bad I remember early on even before they debuted after they debuted actually a Chinese show he's like yeah my back's kind of like a little rough he like you said he was a pretty dope member and he was kind of like the only one to really hold it down in the rap realm for XOM I mean they had Schumann but Schumann was also a singer you know so she would have to jump in and someone never don't mind a bad thing like it wasn't his thing to do I love shooting man I love bowsie he was so cute he's not a rapper so Tau had a lot of responsibility yeah to kind of like take on that stuff um I mean late too but lay uh we'll get that in a second but he wasn't really one of the people that kind of vocally expressed you know again this is rough I'm having a hard time injured um but yeah you know they weren't being treated right um like the lovely right song asks to be um but that sounds like a really good song so I mean this song's great I wish I wish you could have gotten talent I would love to see Tao in this video but you know timing was just not there but yeah love me right was great we got the numbers back on Excel from the EXO era on the football jersey um the song makes you want to party to the Sundown you know yeah yeah it's also one of my favorites this one yeah so back to town though um like Chris and Luhan Tao did file a lawsuit against sm entertainment in August 2015 noting the unfair contract and mistreatment and just like before SM filed their own lawsuit right back at him um but actually this time SM won in Korea uh but they did lose in China um so a slightly different situation and maybe partly why some fans felt he was faking right um because you know let's be real he was definitely being pursued by these Chinese companies at the same time that the other two were but again just based on what he's he was saying at the time based on what he said since then it does feel like you didn't really want to leave you know what yeah because I I feel like he doesn't even now as like Zito he doesn't really trash them right I've noticed that he'll say certain things but nothing like all you know life is hard at a certain time it was rough but even when he's like uh giving advice to people on lives or whatever like talking and trying to be like a mentor sense he's never been like oh yeah there's one company it was just you have to work hard yeah you know and I'm gonna guess this is just my opinion so I'm not assuming anything but I would think that I think after discussing with his father who was very vocal about it and did go to SM to try and figure things out and and just kind of looking at his options just like the other two it was like look at the end of the day you'll be treated better if you go to China just just do it yeah yeah that makes sense that's why I do with my mama well what about lay he was the only remaining Chinese member and fans were very worried that he would also leave and SM probably felt the same because they very quickly set and lay up with his own Workshop in quotes in China because what is that um but in interviews he stated that he would not leave EXO and that he made a promise to his members that he would always be a member of EXO but he did start his own solo activities in China appearing in various television shows and movies and releasing solo music yeah I fall I have to follow the way when he went to China like I like his solo Club it's actually stuff that I feel like he's super proud of you know uh so that he's actually participating because he's he's got a lot of musical Talent he plays the guitar or he sings while he dances he writes he's very talented dude um but again when you're shoved in a group of 12 and then you're a Chinese member and then you only get to sing all the Chinese songs and then we get put as a group you get to sing sub vocal Hearts yeah uh it's a little rough I mean he did get Center for like ludodong at the end in the circle he does get Center for certain things if they do like um call me baby like he's in the center yeah the Chinese version so I guess that was cute um but yeah I mean SM good on them for being like listen if you don't leave but yeah first off going back to what you're saying earlier lay is super super talented yeah but is he Elite vocalist no um his tone is very similar to suho so they would fight for parts I think um and is he an amazing dancer yes but then they have Kai and then Sehun right after so it's like he he never really played a really pivotal role in the group unfortunately but he is a star and so him going solo really did make sense for him but I am very thankful to him that he did stay I mean it helped obviously that SM finally got their act together to give him stuff because I'm sure he was being poached as well um but I can't imagine the pressure he was feeling as well he has mentioned that he felt he had to stay in a way because he was representing China as the last remaining member um and that if he left that no Korean entertainment agency would ever trust a Chinese trainee or member again and yeah this whole thing is also very awkward for the other team members as well like you mentioned like the whole kind of cultural kind of issue going on um but you know I'm sure after the last three members left they had a good understanding they all seemed to support lay going off on his own and kind of understood that that's just what needed to happen on the business end and lay has always showed support to the group like always whenever he's interviewed and asked about it he always says that the members are his brothers yeah that he's there for them whenever they need him yeah um and so yeah I think the relationship is strong there um and so yeah I'm really glad that he stayed for sure yeah for sure I I wrote that downtails like I'm I feel like he had the weight of the shoulders the weight of China on his shoulders literally ending 20 15 with the successful release of the Japanese version of love me right and another winter EP sync for you EXO success was still growing note that we will not be covering the Japanese singles from the group in this episode but let us know if you'd like for us to discuss those in some of their releases a little bit later because they're great I think they're really good songs yes EXO released their next album exact in June 2016 with the two lead singles lucky one and Monster [Music]

[Music] [Applause] [Music] and the group broke their own record for highest first week sales in Korea and monster even hit number one on the billboard World digital songs chart which with groundbreaking at the time I know that happens all the time now but you fans to understand how amazing it was every time we got these little accomplishments right yeah seriously um anyway you love a double a side moment you know all the UK groups used to do that so that always reminded me of that um lucky one is good but it feels a little redundant it feels a little like love me right part two and I like love me writing more um but I like the overall idea of pairing a bright song with a darker song to just show their range and I do like lucky one I just didn't think it really was Innovative in that way yeah um but monster though love monster that chorus is so good again you get those great harmonies a little more Sleek this time uh more mature progression from overdose but yeah what did you think of the double a side again this came out oh my God it was so good like gen 3 three boy girls man we had Got7 X BTS was you know coming out at the time so you had different sounds right but nothing quite sounded like this I mean Moss X is coming up but most sex was still going through their little hip-hop phase oh my God but you know this piece to a sides man did not sound like anything else that was out and anything else that sounded like this was trying to copy this that's what it felt like for me that's how good it was um that's how it felt at the time because it was just like whoa what happens this because lucky one was like not elevator music but it's just kind of just like it's just the thing about it it's like outstanding in terms of what we're used to from them but then monster as a follow was just like oh this was like an order this was the main chorus um lucky one I think is is really cool because it shows you what the rest of the album could sound like it was going to sound like B sidewise and then Moss are also introduced you to sounds that were on that album it really shows that they can do bright and dark like you said but that also not just show like conceptually that they can do it but vocally they can do it they don't have to be sitting there belting their faces off all the time they can sit there and say yeah the lucky ones oh what the come on the song is like really chill vocally for all of them everyone Dio bacon no one's screaming their face off but they still deliver because they can sing oh yeah you know and then you have Monster which is pretty much a good the early kind of version of Noise music but it's a little bit more refined uh it's definitely a lot more focused on the hip-hop and actually remember them saying since then that lucky one's one of their hardest choreographies also like they avoid performing it they don't want to do the choreography because as you mentioned the album is very diverse yeah in sound and it's really good and again I'm going to use the word sleek it's a very Sleek album yeah there's white noise one and only yeah um yeah their albums are so consistent rarely any skips really yeah yeah no this is good that's good yeah I enjoyed it a lot so EXO released the repackaged album with the title track lotto and the group went on another huge tour which included International dates which I went to one did you go as well no I couldn't afford it oh all right well and the group also released their third winter project for life Let It Be know that I have seen EXO as XOM from kcon 12 and then EXO after the XOXO album at kcon 2013. so I have seen them I just haven't seen them at their Prime I've seen them when they were like coming up stuff got it also at this time it should be noted that in 2016 Kai was revealed to be dating FX member Crystal and for the people who don't know FX I mean at this point you should if you don't know what FX is even though SM tries to shove them down in the basement they existed oh brilliant yes but they're no longer dating we can we can attest to that yes we should also note that lay made his final public performance with EXO at the Hong Kong tour dates in February 2017 but again he's made it very clear that he had not left the group and he was just on a Hiatus to concentrate on his solo career and he has said that many many times since then and that he will always be there for his members as I had said as well uh whenever they need him and he has appeared in casual photos with the group since then um along with just other interactions like he called in to Schumann little fan meeting like they do mention him uh a lot and he shows up at various moments and he showed up at one of their military yeah um like departures yeah yeah yeah that's so funny all right so after mods to the boys decided to slow it down get a little groovy without lay and returned with their fourth album the war with a title track cocobop and July 2017.

[Music]

and again they broke the record for pre-sale numbers yeah the war we love the war um so now like I said but going from Monster which is like in your face big choreographer swinging the arms and you're talking about gonna creep on the girl because someone was a lot more chill and I love the concept for this song because I do believe it was for a girl group um you're like a girl group because a woman had actually demoed the song not saying that women can't sing it but I do believe that the songwriter has now released it on YouTube and she said it was for a girl group so and I can totally hear I love that they used the the downtown baby hand the old hand game as the chorus like I love that I think that's what really stood out to me about this song um and kudos to them for coming right after their tour exoplanet 3. their schedule was no joke and cocobop wasn't either dang it but that's not a [ __ ] it never ended like once it was released I heard it everywhere um and at the time I was actually a little like light Barb you know Nicki Minaj Stand so when she had light my body up with David Guetta that little I don't know it's like a splice or like um I'll put arcade sample so they used it too and I was like yeah this makes sense because it adds to the whole trippiness of the whole vibe behind the song um I will make a note real quick they're not like Kai's hair at all I again he looked cute I'm not gonna hold he did look cute he looked cute because he's cute but considering how his whole career he's been The Dark One or the black one I just don't like that they ridiculed him publicly and then they put him in like black hairstyles um so yeah don't do that again um the war was an album like an okay album I will say like like it was okay it was kind of like a repeat of what they've done before um I will say that touch it was a highlight for me though oh I think Coco Bop is really cool it's like a little reggae inspired a little experimental yeah um and very different from what we'd heard from them before and it did feel like they were maturing um which I appreciated and yeah I think the album they did reach out to again more kind of international producers kind of interesting writers and stuff so yeah I think it's still decent across um I don't think I hate it as much as you do yeah no I think I actually do like the album um and of course we have to mention the eve which even though it wasn't a title track it's actually still one of their biggest songs on streaming from what I could see on on Spotify yeah um and one of their performances did go viral because of the sexy dance yeah that the eve has um so yeah um solid solid release um and cool to kind of even do something a little different for sure okay so before I do their next tour the group release a repackaged album the war the power of music with a cute little comic book album is so cute with an EDM title check power making the War album EXO's highest selling album so far the group ended 2017 with another hugely successful winter EP titled universe and the group started 2018 with a bang performing at the closing ceremony of the 28 18 Winter Olympics and pyeongchao and EXO actually received a commemorative medal honoring the group for their contribution to the global spread of Korean culture look at the premier ambassadors we love that for them and it wouldn't be until the end of the year that EXO would return with a new song releasing the album don't mess up my Tempo with the title track Tempo in November 2018.

and again Tempo was a huge commercial success and with all their sales they actually surpassed 10 million in South Korea alone which again was unprecedented at the time so yeah it's kind of crazy how big they are they're sometimes referenced as the nation's boy group sometimes it's big bang sometimes it's BTS Generations but they're up there you know they're up there for sure yeah um and yeah I love Tempo it is again very cool they started getting very cool by now um but again kind of experimental like the structure is a little odd I especially love that acapella section um it's so so cool very unique and it lasts quite a long time um before those final choruses and the vocalists really shine in this one beautiful beautiful harmonies um I will say I don't love the vocodered part

oh really interesting especially because they lip sync over it and it's really unnecessary I mean you have to sing to get that vote quarter you know you have to sing it to get the filter put on but they don't need your lip sync over when they perform it I wish they would just let them vocally like actually do it no just have it play in the back yeah but too many of the parts I'm being rude unless human have it so far the other ones too but I'm David I think stylistically because the song was kind of like Funk almost like George Clinton and Parliament kind of in that little funky kind of area that's why I made a little bit of sense uh things like that just reminded me of like older like black music sounds and so I looked at the when I heard the song I'm like look at this break it song it was a bunch of black writers but yeah I just felt something in my spirit when I heard this song because it felt like Boys to Men Motown Philly uh at the end [Music] so I was like boy these harmonies are giving me church I played for my church piano's friend he goes oh this is he started playing on me like this and this is church um but yeah um this album was actually really fun uh the song itself is good I think this is like you said because it was so experimental instrumentally not crazy again compared to what we hear now but Top Line wise again is one of those things where it's just like they were willing to actually switch up what was happening vocally that there was more wraps than there were saying and then the singing came in you were just like wow am I getting am I ascending to Heaven um songs like sign and with you and bad dream on the album were good and the album had a really good collection of their best sounds like I it really holds up in terms of like how modern it is like I listen to it I don't think oh my God this is 2010 isn't it like with with the history album I go oh my God this is a sign of the times um this album doesn't do that yeah this is actually I think my favorite EXO album as a whole I think every song is quality big shout out to Ooh La La which they were that's the one they promoted that's the beat side track on the all the music shows and I love the choreo I love 24 7. so yeah really really solid project for sure um and we want to note that though he did not promote with the group lay did participate in the recording and briefly appear in the music video and we mean very briefly we're talking two seconds in the Korean one and maybe maybe eight seconds in the Mandarin one um but lay had actually become a massive massive star in China and though he was busy and this definitely contributed to his inability to promote with EXO we should note that China had instilled a whole U ban in 2017 meaning that Korean entertainment including k-dramas and K-pop were banned in China so this prevented many K-pop groups from touring and doing other activities in China and though this has been partially lifted since then it is actually still in effect as of the start of 2023 which is interesting um but lay was especially affected because he had become a public Ambassador and it was actually a bit risky for him to promote heavily under a Korean label with the Korean group because it just caused extra tension that was kind of unnecessary I've seen a lot of people talk about on the internet and they're like but what about Jackson from Got7 like what about like these Chinese members from this group and it's lay first off was actually bigger than all these people um that's how big he is in China and SM already kind of was a little touchy right with some of the China relations that they had dealt with previously um so yeah it just wasn't worth the risk unfortunately so yeah I mean he was busy of course doing his own thing but even if he wanted to go back he probably wasn't allowed to yeah you go back don't come back yeah um but yeah so in December 2018 the group released a repackage album with the title track love shot [Music]

[Applause] oh boy this one's delicious that's all I'll say about that how do you feel about this one yeah I think the choreo is amazing uh it's among the group's best for sure but the song on its own is actually not one of my favorites um but it's made to be performed I think I was reading about it and I think even the writers were saying like they meant for it to be performed when they were writing it but it's funny watching all the performances because I will say some of the members do the Sexy Thing a lot better than it was terrible don't watch Tanya do it it's so funny he's a Keebler Elf he's a sweet sweet man but him being sexy I just don't get sexy yeah it was just funny it's just some of them can't and also just like physically some of them just body roll better than others you know yeah when you've got Kai there it's kind of hard to match him but it's just kind of funny because they all do it kind of differently yeah oh my God but big shout out to that performance I think it's at one of the end of year things where Kai does his big solo at the beginning with the rose yeah it has like 30 million views on YouTube it's such a good performance um so yeah I love watching them do this one but yeah not my favorite I'm crying you know what I like the song like Sonic Sonic I do I think it kind of just slots in with a lot of like chilled out like you know with your man songs that I would just play in the back like I have a man but my point is it's one of those songs that I would play if I did have a man like nothing crazy that they had to distract you too much is you get what it's saying you know

hypnotizing and yeah you're right the choreography does aided aided so very well um but yeah you know I thought the Eve was sexy but this one it's really good moving on to their next single uh the majority of 2019 was devoted to various solo and unit activity like cbx love them let us know if you want us to leave a review I review a review of other album or talk about them we will um it was revealed right after that Kai was dating black pink member Jenny I remember that exposure in 2019 that was fun dispatch was working hard like the devil works hard but SM Works harder and then dispatch Works harder than SN um the relationship only lasted a few months after the news broke though um and then in addition Schumann and Dio began their mandatory military enlistments and the remaining group members announced a new album for November 2019 with the title track obsession [Music]

[Music] I love Obsession actually um it took me a while though I remember the first time I heard it I was like I'm not sure about this one I think I was just thrown off like by the vocal samples and the Really intense Whomping bass line that runs through it it just was a little much I think but the Melodies are really pretty actually like once you kind of break the song Down um I kind of understand it a little more and it actually has a really interesting balance to it and I actually do appreciate all the vocal samples now yeah what do you think this was like the precursor to don't call me I remember when we first heard don't call me we're like what heck this literally sounds like don't call me a little bit yeah I'm not gonna hold you though the way I reacted it don't call me it's not the way I reacted to this one I heard this and I was like yeah really yeah I freaking love the song when I first heard it what really did it for me was the um was the Whomping base um because I do like a lot of alternative pop artists and they do use sounds like this and then like I just like darker things and I like the way this one sounded um and in this era we got introduced to a pseudo subunit x e XO like I don't know what the X stands for but the X it was delicious they're just dark and delicious and um like they were like villains that would burn the world for one woman that's what the whole concept was like they got introduced as like their regular EXO members and then the X yes EXL you know um Obsession was it for me I'm like yeah and the album is really really good this is among one of my favorite yeah EXO albums as well again working with some interesting International producers and and incorporating some interesting sounds like Yaya samples SWV which we love yeah um and groove is so cool baby you are has a beautiful Melody to it and really interesting production yeah solid solid album yes indeed so at the start of 2020 Chen announced he was engaged and having a baby and this caused a huge controversy with a select group of fans a very select group of fans demanding that he leave the group for betraying them but despite the huge reaction and even protests outside the company's headquarters SM and the group confirmed their support and that Chen would remain in the group um luckily that blew over because people there are bigger issues in the world that and sungmin of suju kind of like left a little bit after his situation that was so I was hoping that he wouldn't leave too I was kind of worried about that but I love Chen so I'm very glad he was able to stay and that everyone kind of backed him so yes ten and suho follow with their military enlistments in 2020 so the remaining active members focused on their solo and unit activities however with the ninth anniversary looming and the return of Schumann and Dio from the military the group had a window to record a new album and release the special album don't fight the feeling in June 2021

[Music] and although the pandemi blocked Lei from joining the group physically he was CG eyed in like a Marvel character and also recorded vocals for the whole project yes so what do you think of don't fight the feeling boy go straight to the video that Green Screen Video goodness I don't know what's going on but uh yeah goodness uh but back to the song I remember listening to the song and I heard kuanga for like a second I'm like they were never calling you they're on a whole other planet they're exoplanet well actually I was going oh oh cause yeah if you if you're if you're not if you're new here or if you're not new here you haven't watched our any SM videos or anything like that I've learned to appreciate a little bit more um after the last episode recently but I just can't and I hate that they got thrown in there um the rollout for this album though this special album it felt worse than what they did for SNSD for the 10th anniversary at least they got to perform it live um and I get there was a lot going on but day at least record like a like you guys saw the special stage yeah yeah we all did it for Obsession pandemic was still gone at this point okay I get that but well also also I think if I'm not mistaken didn't bet him then kind of go to the military yes he did he did so but again it's one of those things where it's like we can make all these people this is happening this is happening but you guys plan everything else in advance you couldn't just like grab them for one day oh again not my business but I just felt like the way they did it was just a little bit like sucky and Bitcoin does not necessarily have to be there for y'all to do it I mean okay at least at least we got something um I wrote down my notes so I said at least we got a video in the middle of a panini I'll take it so I I do agree I'll take it um the album did have Paradise so I did enjoy that now the promo was lackluster but the album wasn't so that's good yeah I'm more grateful than you are I'm glad that we got something because I don't think they were actually planning anything from the interviews it sounds like do and human were just like no we have to do this like now before you guys go yeah um and they were very much a part of that so I feel like it wasn't even in the plans and it probably was put together very hastily um and I of course as a lay Stan was very excited that he was back yeah I thought the CGI was a little distracting but I appreciated that they at least tried to put him with the group um and and he did learn the choreography as well unlike in Tempo where he didn't um but yeah you know the song don't fight the feeling is just okay it's a bit of faceless again they probably didn't have much time time to Source songs so this probably was just kind of like the best of what they could find so I appreciate it for what it was there's a reason they called it a special album and not an actual album right um and the rest of the tracks as you mentioned are actually pretty good um Paradise was actually co-written by Brandon and Edwin from pretty much so we love a boy band crossover um so yeah um again I'm happy they did it are they among the best of EXO's material no you know yeah oh but do you like it more than power because power I didn't

um I do like it more than power yeah same and as of this recording in February 2023 this is the latest release from Exo we do have some updates since then Tanya and big can enlisted in the military in 2021 and have since been released thank goodness and Leia announced his departure from SM Entertainment following the end of his contract but confirmed he was still a member of XL of course they're brothers and EXO made their first live performance in the Years at the SM Entertainment Winter live stream concert and also tee the new album since there aren't any members currently in the military and SM Entertainment has since confirmed these plans and the group has announced a fan meeting in April 2023 and there's a lot more activities to come which is exciting yes so that's where we're at we're caught up already yeah um so yeah what's what are some of your overall thoughts of XO what do you hope is next for them again I want to stick by what I said about don't fight the feeling considering how how things are going I feel like they're kind of getting at that like well hit the old dusted Trail I feel it from them you know I do like they've been training since they were kids even with Essen for about 20 years all right um and even now looking at what they do and like watching some of their videos like when they get together you can tell they still love each other and they're really good friends and they enjoy each other's company but I don't think they want to work with each other in terms of like like label SJ or like a shinhua making their own company I think they all do want to try to see what else is out there um I mean Dio he legit is like listen I had to take my head for this role if you put me in the video you don't he's like he's at that point right now you know what I'm saying like if I grow my hair back I might like they all pursuing their own things and they seem like happy without each other but happy together and I feel like either way they'll be fine but I get the feeling that we're on our last like album and repackage I'm getting that pill yeah I think okay so yes in the short term I'm just very excited to see what they have planned for the rest of the year um I'm hoping they've been sourcing songs for a while so I'm expecting extremely high quality for this album that's coming um I love that we have all eight hopefully nine of them um doing this and we have this little window before Cayenne say who need to go to the military um but yes contracts are up soon I foresee SNSD type situation where some of the members do leave SM but for anniversaries and stuff they can all come back together because I agree um you had sent me like the love shots um choreography practice that they had done for the Winter concert a few months ago yeah and um yeah you could kind of tell like they're like an old group of friends and it's like this is fun to do every once in a while you know but do they want to do it all the time I don't think so yeah I don't think so but you know I will support them every time they come back together and a lot of their solo careers are really awesome as well um so I'm looking forward to just see what they have planned and yeah they will always remain one of my favorite K-pop groups I think as usual with our pop 101s we do have some discography highlights you'd like to talk about before we give our recommendations we do have some from our Patron producer Emily and her choice is damage from the domus of my Tempo album

she says it's a great r b pop song that you can both sing and dance the hell out of yes good one for sure we also had our friend and journalist Jeff Benjamin contribute his favorite as well um he wanted to recommend El Dorado from The Exodus album

everybody

and he said if it isn't already this should be an official theme song for EXO and their long-running lore such a thematic and epic kind of track only they could pull off successfully and exodus was a huge career moment for them and he explained that in a somewhat controversial review of the album that Jeff wrote for billboard um he had always felt that the B-side should have been stood up better compared to how amazing the singles like call me baby and love me right were and El Dorado is on par with those songs and he believes is one of EXO's best ever yeah I I think I agree with that when it comes to a concept song that one delivers when it's like a regular I love you baby it's like okay I guess when there's a concept pierced there's some great performances at El Dorado as well yeah yeah totally um what are some of your picks for well one pick we get one pick each unfortunately I'm so sorry can I tell you it took me a long time to figure out I change I don't know if you've been online

I've since shouted out a lot of those songs through this episode um I kept at it going back and adding them in when I when I changed it but I ended up going with Gravity from don't mess up my tempo

[Music] you know I love a dance pop r b crossover moment and this is just the perfect example of it there's an interesting Melancholy and yearning for it you know we love the crying on the dance floor and Vibe and this is very much of that the vocals are top-notch the production is very glossy very Sleek I love the word sleek for EXO apparently um and yeah it definitely up there is one of my favorites how about you I like artificial love from the exact album yourself

well maybe like it I heard it but I saw the performances of it with the cane but beside the grind I just like the song I know I'm very energetic uh as a person but a lot of the songs that I end up picking are like garage tracks are like feature Bassy and like sounds like a fashion show and this song kind of has that feel um it's very cool I do enjoy when an artist can do like Bare Bones yeah you know and still deliver and that kind of is a testament to the group just saying it's a really cool production that one they're definitely different from their title tracks this one yeah all right so those are our picks and now class is dismissed

all right so what do you think of XO please let us know what artist you'd like to hear us do a pop 101 class about you can also comment below or message us at CCTV pops on social media hope to see you there of course be sure to leave a comment on what your song picks are as well don't forget that let us know if you love XO2 what power would you want and what's your favorite B-side that's what we want to hear yes wow you can also join us at patreon for exclusive content and you'll get extra priority so if you want to get a feature in these episodes let us know how will not be drawn don't forget to like subscribe and turn on notifications for our Channel and if you're enjoying the show give us a rating and review on your favorite podcast platform until next time that's currents that's Shan and we are signing off from CCTV the non-stop pop show [Music]

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On April 19th, Webster Hall was filled with “FLO Lifers” eagerly awaiting the UK girl group FLO who are currently embarking on their “FLO Live” tour. Formed 2019, FLO consists of Jorja Douglas, Renee Downer, & Stella Quaresma. The group’s style distinctly derives from R&B and Hip-Hop from the 1990’s and early 2000s. For a more in-depth analysis FLO’s sound and trajectory watch here (https://youtu.be/i18hpBoW4EU)/ <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/i18hpBoW4EU" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Before FLO took the stage, Samaria, an Oakland R&B singer, opened the show. Samaria started with a simple backdrop featuring her name, keys, and drums. The audience seemed familiar with her music and if they were not, they were supportive and living in the moment. Samaria interacted with the audience well and related to them on the basis of terrible ex's and a journey through a toxic relationship. Samaria’s songs had interesting cadences, but what was  missing for us was backing vocals on the track to delineate verses from choruses. After doing some research we found that the “Out of the Way” singer has a sound also inspired by 00s R&B, with a some tracks tracks full of fun guitar licks and drum patterns reminiscent of Timbaland, but none of those instruments were present in her performance. Her backline consisted of a keyboardist and a drummer. Although Samaria sounded good, at times the keyboard’s volume was overpowering.  She worked the stage, nonetheless and  good job. 7.5 out of 10 ! ()SCORE

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CVI-FMictlA" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>

https://www.instagram.com/samaria/?hl=en

samaria.lnk.to/shadyhills

Okland R&B Singer, Samaria as the opening act for FLO's tour "FLO Live." Samaria on stage singing with her band.Oakland R&B singer, Samaria performing on stage at Webster Hall as the opening act for FLO (Jorja, Renee and Stella) for their sold out "FLO Live" tour.

Next up was the much-anticipated FLO, and the girls opened with "Not My Job." They were all dressed in black with cute cutouts, and their outfits were shimmery (I love sparkle!) which was a welcome change from their wardrobe at the MOBO awards. Their faces were beat (we love a “natural glam”),

their vocals were tight, and their choreography was utilized well to highlight grooves. The chemistry between the girls was undeniable, and their vocal blend was seamless— absolutely chill-inducing. Jorja's thick vocal tone took the songs to a soulful place, and Stella's airy delivery allowed her to float at the top of the group's harmonies. Renee's smooth, warm alto voice added a coolness to their sound and gained a lot more stability in live singing. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention FLO’s band! The band consisted of some past schoolmates, which added another layer of charm to the whole set!

The absolute highlight of the show was "Losing You” In this live arrangement, the girls emoted and connected with the audience on a deeper level. Chris loved harmonized adlibs, brand new bridge and extra outdo including a guitar solo.  As a special treat, FLO performed a cover of Jamelia's version of "Superstar" by Christine Militon.  Even though a majority of the NYC crowd had no clue who Jamelia was and didn't know the song, the girls did teach the chorus before singing the song, so some fans were able to follow along. Chris and I certainly knew the song and even received compliments on synchronized impromptu choreography.

Speaking of choreo…

The girls' choreography was something we were curious to see, and they did not disappoint. They danced well, and they were given grooves as opposed to sharp movements that really complemented each member's personal style. In terms of technique, they aren’t K-pop idols so we weren’t expecting crazy formations and “point dances,” but you can tell they put in the work to provide another layer of entrainment to the experience. There was even some chair-ography for their performance of "Change," a new track about a lover's inability to "do the work" necessary to improve the condition of the relationship.

The girls did perform their latest single, "Fly Girl" ft Missy Elliot, and although Missy Elliot was present in the audience, she did not join the performance.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/flolikethis?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@flolikethis</a> big up to Flo out here in the states on the road working hard! Keep doing yall thizzzzle!!!🔥 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Flygirl?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Flygirl</a>💇🏾‍♀️💃🏾💅🏾 <a href="https://t.co/Qtgr2f2KBl">pic.twitter.com/Qtgr2f2KBl</a></p>&mdash; Missy Elliott (@MissyElliott) <a href="https://twitter.com/MissyElliott/status/1649101483621728272?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 20, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Fans (the FLO Lifers) were absolutely living their best lives! They knew all the words to FLO’s songs—the BGV's and the ad-libs. It was a room full of genuine love and screams! FLO closed the night with their debut single, "Cardboard Box," and this performance featured a heavenly bridge section.

Overall, the show was good, and for this to be the group's first headlining tour, we were impressed with the girls’ improvement from performances like the MOBO Awards, where nerves played a noticeable factor. FLO is worth the hype for sure, and we cannot wait to see the new era of girl groups being led by FLO. For their NYC debut, we rate them a 9 out of 10! FLO Lifers left Webster Hall with unforgettable memories and high expectations for FLO's future performances.