K-pop boy band Exo's comeback album date announced

It has been almost four years since the band released an album together

With Exo's official comeback confirmed, is a Dubai gig on the cards? Photo: The Dubai Fountain

Exo’s official comeback has been confirmed.

The K-pop boy band will release their seventh studio album on July 10, their agency SM Entertainment says. The group last released an album, Obsession, in November 2019.

Seven members of Exo – Xiumin, Suho, Baekhyun, Chen, Chanyeol, Do, and Sehun – were seen together at Gimpo Airport in Seoul on Thursday, sparking speculation that a reunion was happening soon. It was later confirmed by SM that they were filming a group reality series.

Member Kai was missing and is undertaking his mandatory military service. Although he won’t be part of the band’s promotional activities because of it, SM has also confirmed that he will be featured on the album.

After news of the announcement, fans took to Twitter with the hashtags #ExoisComing and #ExoisBack trending with many sharing their excitement. “The Kings are coming back everyone,” wrote a fan on Twitter.

“We've been waiting for this comeback for a long time. Finally the time has come. I'm so happy and excited. Please let's give them what they deserve,” wrote another.

Although that isn’t to say that things have been smooth sailing. SM Entertainment and Chen, Baekhyun, and Xiumin are currently involved in a legal battle with the three members looking to terminate their contracts with the agency.

However, both sides have stated that they want Exo to continue, meaning the legal dispute is not expected to disrupt the band’s promotional activities.

Who are Exo?

Exo is a South Korean boy band that was founded in 2011 with 12 members. However, over the years, a members have departed and the group now has nine artists.

Their debut album XOXO was the bestselling album in Korea in 2013. In January 2018, seven members of the group travelled to Dubai to see their song Power added to the Dubai Fountain’s list of melodies, becoming the first K-pop group to get the honour.

The members who made the trip to the emirate were Suho, Xiumin, Baekhyun, Chen, Chanyeol, Kai and Sehun.

Exo returned later that year to take part in SM Town Live in April 2018, when they performed along with a number of K-pop acts such as BoA, Super Junior, SHINee and Red Velvet.

Since 2020, the members have embarked on solo activities and projects because of mandatory military service.