Maps of Music

Reverxe (2026)

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

Reverxe was made by six members after SM excluded Exo-CBX, but its promotion went ahead as a five-member group.

Key places

Recorded at SM Aube, Seoul (2026)

Recording site Big Hit Studios, Seoul — The recording credits list SM Aube in Seoul as the studio. The location is given only at city level, so the dot marks central Seoul rather than the studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: Private company studio, not open to visitors.

Album story

Overview

• Reverxe: eighth studio album by South Korean-Chinese boy band Exo
• Released 19 January 2026 by SM Entertainment
• Nine tracks, including the lead single "Crown"
• Reached number one on the Circle Album Chart
• The group's eighth album to sell over one million copies
• Title track "Crown" is a hard dance song with Atlanta trap drumming, heavy metal guitar and EDM synthesizers
• Supporting tracks range from R&B pop ("Moonlight Shadows") to pop-rock ("Flatline")

Background

• Follows seventh studio album Exist, released July 2023
• After Exist, members focused on solo projects and on military service for Kai and Sehun
• SM and members Chen, Baekhyun and Xiumin (Exo-CBX) were in a long-running legal dispute over revenue sharing and settlement data
• Several of the trio's court claims were dismissed; the Fair Trade Commission found no wrongdoing by the agency
• SM cited a "destruction of trust" from the litigation and excluded Exo-CBX from the project
• The album features Suho, Chanyeol, D.O., Kai, Sehun and Lay, Lay's first major group release since 2018
• A teaser with the text "December 2025" was released in September 2025
• A cinematic trailer on 8 December 2025 revealed the album title
• Fan meeting "Exo'verse" was held on 14 December 2025 at the Inspire Arena
• The winter-themed b-side "I'm Home" was announced four days later
• Album details were announced on 15 December 2025; this is the first full-length release in 30 months since Exist
• "Crown" was revealed as the title track on 5 January 2026

Recording

• Recording credits list SM Aube (Seoul) as the recording location

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• 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.

Members

• 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.

Career

• 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.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Forbes and NME listed Reverxe among the most anticipated albums of 2026 before its release
• NME's Crystal Bell described Exo as album-oriented artists and wrote that the record solidified their artistic identity while exploring new possibilities
• Tmrw Magazine's Hasan Beyaz called the lead single "Crown" a declaration of the group's maturity that connects their legacy and longevity to a new chapter
• Clash's Robin Murray called the release a "comeback blockbuster", pointing to both the music and the members' personal stories shared at the promotional showcase

Records

• Debuted at number one on the Hanteo Daily Album Chart with 265,934 copies sold
• Number one on the Hanteo Weekly Physical Album Chart in its first week (19–25 January 2026) with 907,976 copies, 1.16 million points
• First-week sales were 41.89% lower than Exist's 1.56 million copies
• Passed one million copies by 26 February 2026, according to SM Entertainment
• Number one on the iTunes Top Albums chart in 48 regions, including the United States, Japan and Brazil
• Top of the QQ Music digital album sales chart in China; certified triple platinum for sales revenue above three million yuan
• Number one on the Recochoku daily album ranking in Japan

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The title Reverxe is a stylized variation of the word "reverse", meant to signal a continuation of the group's debut concept
• The group played the 2013 song "The First Snow" at the 14 December 2025 fan meeting, alongside a first preview of a new track from the album
• The Hyundai Seoul hosted the pop-up store "Reverxe the World" from 20 to 27 January 2026
• Together with QQ Music, a China pop-up series ran across 13 cities and drew over 600,000 visitors in a month
• The group made its first Melon Music Awards appearance in eight years in 2025 and premiered "Back It Up" there

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Maps of Ages ↗ (mapsofages.com)

Privacy · Contact