Entertainment

AFTER TWO YEARS OF WAITING, EXO-Ls ARE GETTING THE MUCH-AWAITED COMEBACK ALBUM OF EXO IN JUNE

Out of nowhere, EXO teased fans all over the world on their 9th anniversary with a teaser video for a whole new comeback album following Obsession back in 2019.

PAULINE NACAR / 14 May 2021

It’s hard being a K-Pop fan when your idols are mandated to enlist in the military when they reach a certain age, and group promotions eventually take an indefinite pause. This is a reality that K-Pop fans know all too well, especially for boy groups with a lot of members, which therefore entails a lot of years to wait.

For EXO, having nine members across a pretty wide age range meant that it will probably take some time until fans can see the group as a whole again. It also opened up the schedule for more unit collaborations, solo promotions, and other endeavors, for the past two years. But, the long wait is slightly finally over as six active members shared a special nine-year anniversary gift to announce their group comeback, slated for release on June 7, 2021.

On May 11, the official announcement was finally made to confirm the new album and release date:

This will be the group’s first release since their 2019 album Obsession, and will be the first leg of promotions following Xiumin and D.O.’s discharge from the army. The two were joined by Chanyeol, Baekhyun, Kai, and Sehun in making the album, which was finalized before Chanyeol and Baekhyun’s enlistment in the military on March 29 and May 6, respectively. Both are expected to not participate in group promotions for the album package.

The special album entitled “DON’T STOP THE FEELING” opened pre-orders on May 11, right when the surprise teaser was posted on the group’s social media platforms. As expected from loyal fans EXO-L, the comeback trended immediately after the announcement, with fans hyping up a new era for EXO. After two years of waiting for group promotions, EXO-Ls are just ecstatic to consume all the new content with their favorite oppas, and to see most of them together after suffering from little to no public interactions in the past few years.

Fans are also fired up to give the band a successful comeback, with fan accounts leading promotion strategies, fundraising drives, and other plans to ensure this return will be a special one in EXO history.

 

With four members currently in the military, in addition of leader Suho and Chen, plus Lay doing solo promotions in China, EXO-Ls are counting down the days until they can see the group reunited as a nine-piece again. This special album will surely ease up the wait, especially in seeing two recently-discharged members on stage again after what felt like an eternity.

Watch the teaser video from EXO below: