Before the Story 1

About EXO

 Exo-K and Exo-M's prologue single "What Is Love" was released on January 30, 2012 through iTunes and various online retailers in mainland China and South Korea.[17] The single peaked at number 88 on South Korea's Gaon Single Chart. On March 9, the group released their second prologue single "History",[18] which was written and produced by Thomas Troelsen and Remee. The single peaked at number 68 on the Gaon Single Chart and number six on China's Sina Music Chart.[19]

A concert for the group was held in Seoul's Olympic Stadium on March 31.[20] Approximately 3,000 fans from 8,000 applicants were selected to attend.[21] A second concert was held in the Great Hall of the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing on April 1.[22]

Exo-K and Exo-M released their debut single, "Mama" on April 8[23] followed by an EP, Mama, on April 9. On April 8, Exo-K made their debut performance on South Korea's music program The Music Trend, while Exo-M made their debut in China's Top Chinese Music Awards on the same day.[24][25] A day after release, "Mama" reached number one on various Chinese online retailers and music charts.[26] Exo-M's album reached number two on China's Sina Album Chart, number five on South Korea's Gaon Album Chart, and number twelve on the Billboard World Albums Chart.[27] Exo-K's album peaked at number one on the Gaon Album Chart[28] and at number eight on the Billboard World Albums Chart.[27] Exo-M's "Mama" music video reached number one on Chinese streaming websites, while Exo-K's version reached to number seven on YouTube's Global Chart.[4] In late April 2012, Exo-M performed as a guest act for Super Junior's Super Show 4 concert tour in Jakarta, Indonesia.

In November 2012, Exo won Best New Asian Artist Group at the 2012 Mnet Asian Music Awards. Exo-K received three nominations at the 27th Golden Disk Awards, winning the Newcomer Award. Exo-M received the Most Popular Group award at the 2013 Top Chinese Music Awards.[29]