Exo-mania in Dubai: who are they and why are they such a big deal?


Evelyn Lau
  • English
  • Arabic

They came, they saw, they sent their vocal army of fans into a frenzy.

Exo, a mega band from Korea, has been taking Dubai by storm, and left their mark on residents swept up by the hype.

Scores of K-pop fans woke up early to welcome the group at Dubai International Airport and the hashtag #WelcometoDubaiExo quickly emerged and ranked as a top trending topic. More than 350,000 tweets were posted from their fans around the world.

Later in the day, Exo hosted a short press conference where they popped out from the Burj Khalifa to watch their hit song Power choreographed to the Dubai Fountain.

The song's inclusion is the first K-pop song on the list of melodies. There will be other chances to see the show as Power plays at the Dubai Fountains as they've extended their showtimes until March 31. You can catch the performance on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday at 8.30pm and Thursday and Friday at 10.30pm.

In case you missed it or aren't in the UAE, part of the water performance has been uploaded to their official account.

While it’s clear their fans know who they are, but for the uninitiated here are some fast facts:

  • The group was founded in 2011 with 12 members

  • Even though the band's origin is from South Korea, they are mixed with South Korean and Chinese member

  • They've divided the original group into two subgroups Exo-K (Korean) and Exo-M (Chinese)

  • Three members from Exo-M have left (Luhan, Kris, and Tao) so the group is back to being known as Exo

  • Their debut album XOXO was the best-selling album in Korea in 2013

  • Their fans are known as Exo-Ls (short for Exo-Love)

  • The seven members to travel to Dubai were Suho, Xiumin, Baekhyun, Chen, Chanyeol, Kai and Sehun

Facts from the fans

Exo-Ls aren't afraid to share their knowledge of the band. Here's what we learned from them:

They aren't just singers:

They've set a world record:

Each member brings something special:

Why they're the best

Their humbleness is a big factor:

As is the feel good music they constantly produce:

Even if it means branching out to a different genre:

It is speculated that they will return to Dubai for a concert. With hits such as Universe, Growl, Call Me Baby, and Kokobop - there's plenty for new fans to listen to in time get on the bandwagon.

Company profile

Company: Rent Your Wardrobe 

Date started: May 2021 

Founder: Mamta Arora 

Based: Dubai 

Sector: Clothes rental subscription 

Stage: Bootstrapped, self-funded 

Abramovich London

A Kensington Palace Gardens house with 15 bedrooms is valued at more than £150 million.

A three-storey penthouse at Chelsea Waterfront bought for £22 million.

Steel company Evraz drops more than 10 per cent in trading after UK officials said it was potentially supplying the Russian military.

Sale of Chelsea Football Club is now impossible.