Male idol group EXO (Suho, Chanyeol, DIO, Kai, Sehun) delivered live vocals and led a huge singalong on the main stage of the MMA awards for the first time in eight years despite sound problems.
On the 20th at Gocheok Sky Dome, the 2025 Melon Music Awards (MMA, Melon, Wave) took place. EXO, despite having no album released in 2025, participated in the awards for the first time in eight years, showing unchanged good looks and love for fans on the red carpet, and on the main stage they presented a third-generation K-pop performance that evoked nostalgia.
However, there was an early stage that appeared to have sound problems, which sparked controversy online, and EXO's performance had not yet been officially posted, drawing complaints from fans. Nevertheless, videos uploaded by various internet users racked up massive view counts and still showcased EXO's hot popularity. In fact, EXO seemed to be calling back the "trend" and foreshadowing the year 2026.
The现场 reaction was even hotter. When "Growl," called the K-pop anthem, played, the intense cheers from the audience that pierced the broadcast sound were no coincidence. As the broadcast ended, the flood of on-site videos showed even more realistic reactions. In particular, when "Growl" began, the legendary cheering methods flowed out naturally, proving that back then there was hardly anyone who wasn't an EXO fan.
Also, EXO members originally debuted as 12 people across EXO-K and EXO-M and filled the stage with 12 members performing "Wolf and Beauty," "Growl," "Monster," "The Eve" and more, but this time the stage was done by just five members; nonetheless, fans and K-pop fans familiar with their performances did not feel the absence of the missing members.
Leader Suho filled the high vocal parts with his naturally clear tone honed through drama and musical work, making it hard to recall the original song, and Doh Kyung Soo's still-distinctive tone, long called SM's golden son, powerfully colored EXO's sound. Of course DIO's dance lines were seen anew, once again proving that he is a "hexagon idol." During the "Growl" highlight part, DIO looked out at the audience with sparkling eyes, seeming to greatly enjoy the moment of connecting with fans as an idol.
Tall and handsome Chanyeol did not lose his rap skills while improving his dance. Although he was one of three tall members over 180 cm, he filled the stage without standing out even while dancing with main dancers Kai and Sehun. In Sehun's case, while improving his vocals, he showed intense dancing in the part of the title track "Back it up" from the upcoming regular album 8, which he will release next month, handling sections that cross between rap and vocals.
Kai has been active as a solo artist since 2020 and released a solo album with Kai's unique color quite different from EXO albums. Despite having had only a short time to meet audiences due to the COVID-19 era, his vocals, which traverse high and low notes, and songs imbued with varied tones always made the stage vibrant, and he showcased a new color while performing at Waterbomb, newly establishing himself as "vocal" Kai. Of course, Kai's elegant, well-defined lines—the kind of dance that began the solo year-end stages for idols—remained sharp and beautiful.
Certainly, the fact that they endured for so long as EXO is moving for fans, and that they performed as EXO even after honing their skills despite circumstances will be precious memories for fans. Especially in the pre-released regular album 8 track "Back it up," they danced with everything they had as if they were newly debuted artists rather than 14-year idols, putting on a perfect stage and already making hearts beat with a song released for the first time, filling fans with pride.
It seemed like Chanyeol's acceptance speech when they won awards early in their debut, saying "EXO endures," had continued for 10 years. The single obvious reason proving this endurance is probably their faces. Each well-groomed and well-maintained face and physique carried stage costumes that might have looked heavy into their own form, turning even that into charm. Indeed, the flower of idols was their faces.
As if to prove this, once the EXO stage began, social media trending searches were flooded with EXO, and even after the stage ended, searches related to EXO filled the trending lists for a while. More striking was that EXO left without winning any awards, showing only one new album track and numerous hits before disappearing.
Internet users reacted with things like "I used to be an EXO fan too," "I joined the paid fan club like I was hypnotized," "Doh Kyung Soo uploaded photos?", "Those trying to grab back missing EXO-Ls," "It's not too late for me to become a fan now, right?", "K-pop's roots are here," and "Korea also has handsome male idols," among other responses.
Meanwhile, EXO will release their regular album 8 "REVERXE" next month. It is their first full-length album since "Exist," released about three years ago. Also, on the 14th, EXO met fans for the first time in a while with the "EXOBUS" fan meeting at Inspire Arena in Yeongjongdo, Incheon.
[Photo source] EXO channel
[OSEN]