EXO debut will forever be epic in the history of Kpop. No candy colored bubblegum themes, just pure solid vocal, visual, dance, and charisma. Stanning EXO is not for the weak, this group has gone through so so much in the industry. Nothing comes close to how excellent EXO is, their songs are timeless even the B sides!!!

@priyadarshaniabeyrathne5225

9 ай бұрын

And lyrics ...just straight spitting FACTS too... They saw today even in 2012 ...such an EPIC kpop DEBUT EVER.....and NOBODY does it's like EXO ... PERIODT !!

Aren't they just perfect? I mean having History and What Is Love as pre-debut songs was crazy. Mama is one of the hardest songs to do as a debut song. It was vocally and performance heavy, totally different from what other groups would have done. Im so glad SM took that risk. It was one of the best debuts ever. EXO remains untouched vocally

SM Entertainment had a producer named Yoo Young-jin, a singer and songwriter I was on SM from the 90s until recently, but when I listen to the songs of singers in SM, I can feel Yoo Young-jin's unique vocal style. And if you are in SM, it is customary to release R&B songs such as What is Love

Imagine that's how the world was introduced to EXO, crazy wild and cool.

Yep, you're right Free... What Is Love and History were pre-releases and MAMA was their official debut. "What is love" is just iconic lol Baekhyun and D.O were just 19 yrs old singing like that. It's wild BTW, both of your costumes look great!

EXO's "History" MV is supposed to be an introduction for EXO and it was meant to begin to establish their storyline and concept as a group. To understand their "History" MV, here is what you need to know: As aliens from Planet Exo, the members are about to be sent to Earth on a mission. "History" is thought to be about how EXO are still on Planet Exo and they are preparing to be sent to Earth. So that is why it has a very futuristic look and feel to it. There isn't a whole lot of story because it is a pre-debut MV so this was meant to just introduce the members and establish their concept. "History" is EXO's second pre-debut track. It was released in 2012 -- about 2 months after their first pre-debut song and MV "What is Love," and about 2 months before "Mama," which is EXO's official debut -- so this is more than 11 years ago. "History" is the introduction of the storyline and it explains what lead up to the events in "Mama." In the EXO-K version of "History" you only saw the EXO-K (Korean) members -- Kai, D.O, Suho, Sehun, Baekhyun and Chanyeol -- singing, and in the middle of the song you see them flash to the EXO-M (Chinese) members -- Lay, Kris, Chen, Luhan, Xiumin and Tao -- however, if you watch the EXO-M version you will see that the EXO-M members are the main characters in the story and they only show the EXO-K members briefly. This establishes how the two groups are separate and yet still are all part of one group as EXO. Both versions of their MVs may look the same on the surface, but the story is slightly different because it is being told from a different angle or different perspective in each version. Fun fact: If you compare the English translation of the Korean and Mandarin lyrics, you will see that the songs are slightly different. Because, as the intro to "Mama" points out, the two halves of EXO stand on the same ground and see different things and they stand on different grounds and see the same thing -- they are separate groups and yet they become one, etc. Hence, their songs and story are the same and yet different. The song is called "History" and in the lyrics they talk about making history. It's about failing at something and trying again to make it right. So, the theory is that in this part of the story EXO made some sort of unknown "big mistake" on their planet, so they have been sent to Earth to try and right their wrongs by trying to prevent the Red Force from causing a "big mistake" or prevent humanity from allowing a "big mistake" to happen on Earth. They are trying to prevent "History" from repeating itself. And they want to make "History" here on Earth. It establishes the whole reason why EXO are fighting against the Red Force and why they need to find the Tree of Life and restore peace. They can't let whatever happened on their planet happen again on Earth, etc. The part of the dance where they put their hands in their pockets and shake their pants, I interpret as the nervousness and uncertainty that they are feeling as they are about to embark on this new journey as they prepare to go to Earth and also as a representation of the nerves and excitement they are feeling as they are about to debut. As you can see, even the choreography is designed to tell the story. However, just so you know, we didn't fully understand that was what the MV and song was trying to tell us, until several years later, after we had more context to go on after we had several other MV stories and more information. But that is why we say, if you want to try and follow EXO's story you have to pay attention to everything and you have to remember as much detail as you can about everything you have ever seen and heard from EXO. Because although you might think you understand one piece of EXO's story, with every new release from EXO, we get a little more information, and, sometimes it helps to confirm what we thought to be true and sometimes it turns the whole theory on its head and makes us realize what was happening wasn't what we thought after all. What complicates this even more is the fact that almost nothing in their storyline is in chronological order, so we EXO-Ls 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. And I literally mean everything, from their teaser videos, to their MVs, to their song lyrics and live performances, concert VCRs (videos played in between sets at their concerts) and even some of their choreography, as well as their sub-unit and solo work. Everything EXO does is connected. And now that story has branched out even further to include all of SM Entertainment's groups and artists storylines. Everything that SM produces is all part of one giant story, like a giant graphic novel or mystery movie series, and it's all connected to the SM universe storyline, that all started with EXO in 2012. Each new MV or project is another chapter in the story, and it's up to us fans to figure out where it all fits in the larger storyline. To see their dancing better, if you haven't already, check out the dance practice for "History," the choreography is very unique. They have an EXO-K dance practice and an EXO-M dance practice. And it's one of their few choreographies where the two groups are not combined because they were completely separate groups in this MV.

In order to understand what is happening in EXO's "What is Love" MV, as well as all of EXO's content, you have to know that it's all part of the group's concept, and every new piece that's introduced explains a little more of EXO's story. Each MV is like another chapter in SM Entertainment's SM Culture Universe storyline and it's all part of a larger story that also includes the majority of SM's other groups' and artists' storylines. It's like a giant graphic novel or mystery movie series. As far as I know, EXO aren't warlocks, wizards or sorcerers. LOL They aren't casting spells, they are searching for clues. Although "What is Love" is a love song, the MV really doesn't have a whole lot to do with the song. The storyline in the MV is all about EXO's origin story and it shows the members as they first arrived here on Earth. This was their very first pre-debut MV -- about 3 or 4 months before their debut with "Mama" -- so it is setting up EXO's storyline and it's showing the members. This was before most people really even knew who EXO were. In the EXO-K (Korean) version you only hear D.O. and Baekhyun singing. (But if you watch the EXO-M version, you will see Chen and Luhan as the singers.) However, in the MV you see all 12 members. The rest of the members aren't singing the song, but they are helping to tell a story. If you think D.O.'s and Baekhyun's version was amazing, just imagine what Chen's and Luhan's version is like. It has a slightly different feel because it has a sound and style that is designed to appeal more to a Chinese audience, but it's no less amazing. There's a reason why EXO has 3/4 main vocalists. As you may have noticed, you see an eclipse is happening. The eclipse is what controls EXO's powers and it's where they get their power and strength from. EXO are aliens so staring at an eclipse or the sun doesn't affect them in the same way. After all, they come from Planet Exo, which has two suns. LOL In the scenes where you see D.O and Baekhyun singing, that is thought to be showing clues to EXO's storyline, such as the light that is streaming through the holes in the walls is thought to be representing Baekhyun's superpower, which is the ability to control light, and the fact that the room they are in is kind of disheveled could be after D.O. used his power of force. You also see scenes such as Chanyeol (a member of EXO-K) looking at a drawing of a unicorn and comparing it to a hieroglyph of a unicorn on a piece of rock, which is thought to be something to do with the fact that he is searching for Lay (an EXO-M member). Lay's symbol is a unicorn, which represents his power of healing. I think the rocks are clues that may have been left on Earth or on Planet Exo from ancient times. (You will see these symbols all over the place in EXO content because, as we saw introduced in their "Mama" MVs, each member has a symbol that represents them. Their symbols are often used kind of like a call beacon. When one member is looking for another member, or they want to send a member a message, you will see a version of their symbol appear. It's a way to know who the message is coming from and it's designed to make everyone aware that it's something important that you need to pay attention to.) Think of the message on those rocks like Egyptian hieroglyphs. Therefore, I see it as EXO has to find the clues that someone has left from the past. Just like in real life history, often ancient civilizations have left us clues to tell their story in order to make sure whatever happened to them doesn't get repeated. Therefore, I think someone has left EXO clues, just in case sometime in the future the Red Force was able to gain power once again. Hence, why in EXO's next pre-debut song "History" they talk about not wanting to allow whatever happened previously to repeat itself. And because it is thought that the EXO members can travel between time periods and dimensions, this could also mean that the clues could have possibly been left for them by their future selves. The future EXO members have traveled back in time to leave a message for the present-day EXO members in order to help them figure out how to stop the Red Force and prevent whatever happened in the future from taking place, etc. (Which we have now seen is possible from the events that take place within EXO's new "Let Me In" MV storyline.) The clues I think are something they need in order to find the Tree of Life and to do whatever needs to be done in order to create peace in the world once again, and free humanity and EXO from the control of the Red Force. Which will allow the Tree of Life to be whole once again and be at peace, no longer being used as a potential weapon by the Red Force, etc. In reality, I think the Red Force could be thought of as a symbol of all the things society is dealing with in the world and all the bad things that need to be fixed, such as war, hate, destruction of the environment, greed for money, corruption, etc. I interpret SM's wide-reaching message within their SM Cultured Universe and EXO's storyline as the dream of world peace. Therefore, I'm not sure we will ever see an official end to EXO's storyline or the SM Culture Universe story because World Peace is such a lofty goal that will never be accomplished fully. So, in other words, EXO's story may be an open ended one that never gets solved. I think the whole point of SM creating the SM Culture Universe storyline is because it's supposed to be a social commentary on what real life society needs to learn and do in order to create a better world. Think of everything in the SM Universe, and EXO's storyline, as a metaphor for what is happening all around us every day and what we have gone through in the past and will go through in the future if we don't learn from our mistakes, etc. In the MV for "What Is Love," you see clips from some of EXO's pre-debut teaser videos. All the clips in the MV are special clips that were originally released one at a time on their own to introduce EXO to the world, before the group's official debut. Before EXO debuted, SM released 23 teaser videos over a 3-month period and the videos showcased the members and their talents, such as Kai's special dance clips and Tao's martial arts skills, as well as told a story about EXO who are on a quest to find each other and to find clues to locate the Tree of Life, etc. Kai was the member that was featured in the most teasers -- somewhere around 10 videos. The "What is Love" MV takes clips from those teaser videos and puts them together to make the MV. Months and years later, we have also discovered that the teasers also were teasers to EXO's discography of songs. At the time, when the teasers were released, we had no idea the significance of the songs that you hear in the teasers. But now, over the years, we have discovered that the majority of the songs that were featured in EXO's pre-debut teasers were also meant to be teasers to songs that would be released as some of the main tracks of EXO's albums. All the teasers are still on SM's KZread channel if you want to check them out. If you watch the teasers, you will see how planned out everything EXO is involved in actually is. Most of the songs that they released even years after debut were songs that were teased to in their pre-debut teaser videos. That just goes to show you why we say that everything EXO does comes back to their storyline. :D Absolutely everything has been planned out down to the most minute detail for years in advance and for years to come.

@judycasley108

9 ай бұрын

Great analysis!! Thank you.

I dont care who is the no.1 kpop bg for now, cuz EXO IS THE STANDARD IN STAGE VOCAL TERMS.

In order to really see the full story you actually have to also watch the EXO-M version of "Mama." The whole point of both the EXO-K (Korean) and EXO-M (Mandarin Chinese) versions of their songs and each MV is to introduce you to EXO's concept and storyline. If you only watch EXO-K, you only see half the story. "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. 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. Because in the EXO-K version the whole story focuses on the K members, but in the M version it will show you the M members and explain their powers and each of their roles in the story. 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. Exo, as in exoskeleton, means "outer," so as a member of EXO they are outside the ordinary. The group's 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. SM Entertainment has all of EXO's release dates and concepts planned out for years in advance, and some of their MVs are even specifically released on days when we have had an eclipse or other planetary phenomenon. 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. As you can see, if you want to understand EXO's story, 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. 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 members. For example, you see Kai using his power of teleportation as he searches for the M members. And, 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 -- which is explained more in their individual Pathcode teaser videos as part of their "Call Me Baby" comeback promotions -- 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 in their MVs and other content, which could be interpreted as them being in different dimensions or time periods or different moments in history. 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. Chanyeol (EXO-K) with the power of fire is Kris' (EXO-M) counterpart because he has 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 is connected to 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 is connected to Lay (M) with the power of healing; and Kai (K) with teleportation is linked to Luhan (M) with the power of telekinesis, etc. That's how they maintain their bond even as members of separate groups. 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. During that screamo part, 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. (All of the words on Kai's face and body are in English, so, if you pause that section and really look, you will see there is a whole story even in his body paint, etc. ) And although it looks like Kai is the one that does the really high note at that moment, the voice you are hearing is actually Baekhyun. Each member in EXO-K also has a partner in EXO-M that fills the same role in their respective group. For example, Baekhyun is the main vocalist in EXO-K and Chen is the main vocalist in EXO-M; D.O. 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.) In order to understand the story even more, you should also look up the English translation of the lyrics. The majority of the gregorian 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)." If you pay attention to what the whole song is about, 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. In this song 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 these 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. Everything EXO does and everything you see from them, including Baekhyun's and Kai's parts in SM Entertainment's supergroup SuperM, all has something to do with the concept and story that began with "Mama," and each new installment of something from the members expands a little further on EXO's story. It's all been designed to connect to EXO's storyline.

The heavy metal screaming moment was Kai!

EXO is the standard. Periodt. Nobody, but nobody is doing like them. These boys had been amazing since their pre-debut days, the very first K-Pop group to debut with a concept and backstory! If you happen to read the English translation of their debut track MAMA, the lyrics and message still rings true to this very day.

The What Is Love music video basically combines all the previous debut teasers that the members filmed. EXO's debut took 100 days of releasing multiple video and photo teasers, as well as the What Is Love and History music videos.

Wait, EXO are the start of 3rd Gen

For me EXO is Legendary i mean who Debuts like that❤️‍🔥

EXO is the ONLY K-pop group that didn't debut with a cutesy song they debuted with a kind of dark and creepy song

@rachellb5757

9 ай бұрын

Many idols have debuted with non cutsey songs...... but EXOs is still unique with the operatic and metal inspired style and yeah dark and a little creepy. Love it 😊

@rhens8088

9 ай бұрын

Only is not only a stretch, its completely false.

@mckeypark5142

9 ай бұрын

@@rhens8088 huh?

@Kalakeiko

5 ай бұрын

​@mckeypark5142 They mean that it's not true at all that EXO is the only group that didn't debut with a "cutesy" song and I agree with them.

Mama is just the most iconic debut debut song ever ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤. I was Kai doing the hard rock part!

Yeah the guy with face painting was Kai, they were all with face painting but you can only notice if you pause and look closer 😅

If you see this. Jekyll is definitely a super dark vibe. You may be able to find a performance of that but I don’t know.

#EXO 🔥🔥🔥❤️❤️❤️

They are so good ever since! Vocal kings🥰👑❤️

I recommend you watch after this their live performances of the 3 songs. Thanks for your reaction ❤

26:01 you should definitely check out Exo-M versions especially Mama cause Exo-M version shows full story of Exo's lore. Not to mention Exo-M has Chen and Luhan's vocals + better SP and dancing.

I still laugh at the mama mv but i love the song 😂

EXO literally ate up the whole industry vocally pre-debute lmao … there is no such a thing these days … what is love has one of the hardest melody to sing from what I heared in the music industry and as a non-debuted group ? SM is really A** for doing the boys dirty and with no promotion cause u could never find a group like them these days…

MAMA isn't some people's cup of rum but I personally love MAMA... it made me tear up when I first heard it lmao Idk what it is about that song but it made me emotional. Like you two, I was just blown away. It still gives me goosebumps ngl lol

Love your reaction. ❤ Yes, it was Kai with the face paint and the screams. And yes, we love ECO. If you would like to hear a song that has a bit of HALLOWEEN vibes, I would suggest Forestella Bad Romance. Forestella is a South Korean group of 4 members. 🔥 They can also sing in Spanish. Forestella - Despacito.❤‍🔥

😊wow all I can say

YES, to getting a little bit more into the lore

Nice costume girls ❤ Our EXO is Legend ❤ Thanks for the Ur reaction girl ❤

👍💖💖💖

Reaction Kai Film please

Tell me what is love and History were pre debut and Mama was the actual debut release.

"MAMA" EXO-M MV is different, better are the parts missing from EXO-K's MV