Maps of Music

EXODUS (2015)

Where the lyrics of EXODUS take you, and where it was really made.

Twenty physical editions were issued, one per member in each language, and when the spines were lined up they formed the group's new logo.

Place unknown

Do you know where this album was recorded, or where its cover was shot? Tell us and we will add it to the map.

Press conference held before release with all members except Lay
Lay was in China on a new film project and later apologized by video call
Suho said he had never focused on sales before the release
Suho called the album a new beginning for EXO after the lawsuits filed by former members Luhan and Kris
The group aimed to present a brighter and fresher image
Teddy Riley wrote notable compositions on the album
Jonghyun of SHINee wrote the lyrics for Playboy

Formed by SM Entertainment in 2011, debuted in 2012 as a South Korean-Chinese boy band based in Seoul.
Debuted with twelve members split into Exo-K and Exo-M, performing in Korean and Mandarin respectively.
Kris, Luhan, and Tao left the group individually amid legal disputes with SM Entertainment in 2014 and 2015.
Exo has performed exclusively as one group since the 2014 EP Overdose, though its music continues to use multiple languages.

The group currently consists of nine members: Xiumin, Suho, Lay, Baekhyun, Chen, Chanyeol, D.O., Kai, and Sehun.
Chen, Baekhyun, and Xiumin formed the sub-unit Exo-CBX in 2016; Sehun and Chanyeol formed Exo-SC in 2019.

The first studio album XOXO (2013) sold over one million copies, making Exo the first Korean act to do so in twelve years.
Exist (2023) is their best selling album in South Korea, with over 2 million copies sold.
Exo won five consecutive Album of the Year awards at the MAMA Awards and two consecutive Artist of the Year awards at the Melon Music Awards.
Don't Mess Up My Tempo (2018) became their highest-charting album on the US Billboard 200, debuting at number 23.

Praise for the album's music production
Production credits included composers such as Teddy Riley and Jonghyun of SHINee

Pre-orders totaled 502,440 copies, per SM Entertainment: 321,200 Korean and 181,240 Chinese
Korean version: number 1 on the Gaon Album Chart for four consecutive weeks
Chinese version: number 2 on the Gaon Album Chart
Both versions held the top two Gaon places until the third week after release
Japan Oricon Albums Chart: Korean version number 4, Chinese version number 7
Combined version sold more than 6,000 copies in the United States
Debuted at number 95 on the Billboard 200 in its first week
Reached number 1 on US World Albums on 18 April 2015
Stayed in the US World Albums top 10 for six consecutive weeks

Lay missed the press conference because he was in China on a film project and apologized later by video call.
Call Me Baby earned eighteen music show wins, breaking the group's previous record of fourteen set by Growl.
The Pathcode campaign used individual teasers set in different cities around the world, with puzzles tied to the group's concept.
The group's first award on Inkigayo came from a broadcast on 5 April 2015.