As mentioned earlier, If there is one word that can describe EXO, it is:

 Resilient
/rɪˈzɪlɪənt/ (𝘈𝘥𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦)
-Able to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions.
-Synonyms: Strong, Tough, Irrepressible

And you wouldn't dare to argue with that after you finish with this little series.

So, first of all we're going to start with their history (not their song lol). EXO's formation and debut.

Fun fact:  Did you know EXO was temporarily named M1 and was supposed to have 7 members only? It was revealed through a photo of a dance studio leaked online in 2011! Thank god they passed that one.

Just to keep things short I'm going to go over this once and for all: There managing company is SM Entertainment, better known as SMTOWN, a pink logo-ed, sinophobic music agency, which has received equal amounts of love and hate throughout their 24 year life. You can't help but admire them because they gave birth to amazing artists ( SNSD, SHINee... blah blah) but at the same time their insensitive treatment, lack of promotion of certain idols and other issues have earned them a considerable amount of antis as well.

But being an SM stan myself, I believe their best aspect (aside from blessing us with great music and huge fan service) is the immense amount of support they show for Idols when it comes to dating. I know some of you might disagree but they are at least better than other agencies. Trust me, you'd come across several artists who are forced to break up because of their respective agencies or instances where they would be against it (HyunA/ E'Dawn) but SM is usually pretty cool with it.

Well, enough about SM for today.

EXO: FORMATION

In Jan 2011, Lee Sooman (SM's founder) announced to debut a boy group in April/March 2011. However, later in May 2011 while addressing a seminar at Stanford University, he explained his strategy to break the group in two sub groups, M1 and M2 (ew) and have them promote in South Korea and China. The debut was delayed to next year due to member changes and other planning.

12 Members and two sub units!

Okay, some of you may be smirking and huffing because 12 members does not seem a handful. We get it because having a lot of members is like a normal happening in K-Pop. Hello, SEVENTEEN! Hello, NCT! Hello, Wanna One!

Back then, not many groups had boasted this great  number of members except for Super Junior back in 2005--- a whopping seven years later EXO happened!

There were said to be aliens each gifted with a super power, which they displayed in music videos (e.g Lucky One and Power). Hats off to EXO, because no matter how cringe-worthy it was, this concept stuck quite well. Those powers were obviously managed by computer graphics so you can say these 'super powers' belonged to editor sitting behind the computer.

Teasers, Teasers and Teasers featuring Kai

23 teasers, can you believe it?!

SM built anticipation — too much anticipation that everyone waiting for EXO were about to pull their hair every time a new teaser came out. It became an inside joke in the K-Pop community (1674893723rd teaser featuring Kai).

https://youtu.be/2i3WBA9z0Eo

So 23 teasers released for introducing a dozen guys (from Dec 2011- Feb 2012) were definitely not a common practice. At that time, South Korea was in the middle of a music drought. The public was bored and wanted new music to jam.The era of Korean music seemed over, with g.o.d.'s album being the last to sell a million copies — 12 years ago, in 2001.  A legend, a trend setter, record breaker was needed badly. People had high expectations because...it was SM after all and SM Does Not settle for anything less than perfection. 

EXO: MAMA

The Legendary Careless, Careless, Shoot Anonymous!?

Admit it, you tried to memorize the opening lines of EXO's 'Mama' didn't you?

Or shall we say the most iconic introduction in K-Pop music?

After the stunning introduction, the members got us going like "woooahhhhh!" with their hoods up, heads down and that "Careless, careless, Shoot anonymous; Heartless, mindless, No one who care about me."

To me, it was like a secret meeting of Voldemort's Death Eaters — in the coolest way.

Mama?Just let me be your lover! Wait...no. . This Mama is totally different, and still pretty damned AWESOME! 

Most people reckon it was referred to Mother Nature. I've heard it in several Korean historical dramas to address the Queen, and considering that EXO are mythological forces of nature, they're probably talking to mother nature.

The cartoon at the beginning of the video was SO SO SO top notch. Even though the English was difficult to follow, the graphics were just, WOW. Also the special effects were incredible and not cheesy at all. That fire bird was amazing! Although the lyrics, (especially for a debut song) were quiet sad and painful as they talked about serious issues ( and the netizens pointed as much), but EXO outdid themselves.

WHAT IS LOVE (Exo is)

Here's a fact: EXO's vocal line is one of the best vocal lines in K-Pop. Chen, Baekhyun, and D.O deliver jaw-dropping high notes neatly. SM Entertainment knew that and made sure the rest of the world will know it too.
'What is love' is an unrivaled example, making us lose our minds with perfect harmony of smooth vocals.

HOW ABOUT THAT 'HISTORY' DANCE MOVE?

We remember "History" as that song which got us putting our hands inside our pockets in a futile attempt to replicate EXO's steps ;) Chanyeol captured hearts as he rapped,
'Yeah, EXO-M, EXO-K – the future we are about to start – history.'

They promised for better times in the lyrics, 'I'm filled with errors but as I learn, I can get stronger. Everyone together goes toward our future.'

As promised, both sub-groups released MAMA in Korean and Chinese version on the same date (8th March 2012), different locations. Moreover, it ranked Top 10 on a couple of charts. In November 2012, EXO won Best New Asian Artist at MAMA (Not EXO's song lol, it stands for: Mnet Asian music Awards). EXO-M took home Newcomer Award at Top Chinese Music Awards 2013.

Well there you go: Debut done, awards snatched, excellent results, right? You must have been thinking: Wow, what a glorious start! EXO had their success and fame served in a plate, no struggle, no nothing. Well darling, nothing was rainbows and sunshine for EXO even in the first place -_-

MAMA: A FLOP

Ever since the very beginning, EXO was deemed as 'not good enough'. And no joking, who would want to keep track of twelve guys, wearing weird outfits with chunks of metal hanging and tracks about matters too burdensome for young minds. Hell, they even looked dull and stale! The music beat was too queer and didn't give off the typical 'aegyo' aura, most Korean songs used to radiate.

When EXO debuted, it didn't seem like anything would change. Presented with title track "MAMA," a baroque pop song with Gregorian chanting, and a six-minute music video that went a bit too into detail on the intricate mythology surrounding EXO's concept, the South Korean public was skeptical at best, repulsed at worst.

S.M. Entertainment's newest boy group had, for all intents and purposes, been a flop. 

Disappointment heightened. Their members were dismissed as plain and untalented, their music strange and unfamiliar. The poor boys' ill fate was beyond doubt and EXO experienced disapproval. It was clear that SM's recent experiment backfired and their boy group fell flat. They were titled as SM's Biggest Mistake.
For an entire year, S.M kept them under wraps, only to return in 2013 with the biggest hit South Korea had seen in 12 years: GROWL.