EXID recently made a fierce comeback for their tenth anniversary, and it's hard to believe that it's already been a full ten years with these ladies! Though they technically separated and went their own ways back in 2019, they reunited for a special album, and of course -- as usual, it was a fire release.

So let's take a trip down memory lane and let's see the legacy that these ladies left in the k-pop industry. We can't forget the legacy they left with their hit track "Up & Down," which gained unexpected popularity after a fancam went viral! The time before "Up & Down" wasn't the easiest road for these ladies, so let's go ahead and check out the history of this wonderful girl group!

2012 - Debut with "Whoz That Girl"

EXID was produced by the famous songwriter Shinsadong Tiger, so it was without a doubt that their debut was highly anticipated. The group's name stood for "Exceed In Dreaming," and the public was expecting something big from these ladies. They made their debut on February 2012 with their single "Whoz That Girl" as a six-member group.

Not the current five-member line-up, the group consisted of Hani, Junghwa, LE, Haeryung, Dami, and Yuji. The group saw mediocre success with this song on the charts, but fans still remember this debut song to be a legendary song because of the catchy beat. This time was also an era when many groups were debuting, so despite the mediocre success, it signaled a bright future for the group; however, an article surfaced in late April that members Haeryung, Dami & Yuji would be leaving the group. The departures were confirmed, and these three ladies later debuted with BESTIE. 

Hyerin & Solji then joined the group, which would complete the current line-up of EXID. In August 2012, they released their first mini album as a five-member group with the title track "I Feel Good," and they continued promotions with another single, "Every Night," but the success they saw from their debut album did not follow through and the promotions ended shortly after.

2013 - Unit Promotions with DASONI

2013 was a pretty quiet year for EXID, as full-group promotions were pretty much non-existent for EXID. This was weird to see as rookie groups often have multiple comebacks in a year to gather recognition, but the only promotion the group opted for was a vocal duo sub-unit group called DASONI, consisting of Hani & Solji. Though the songs were great, EXID simply did not have the attention they needed to call it a success. 

2014 - More DASONI & Finally...Comeback & ...Breakthrough!

The first half of 2014 continued to stay quiet for the ladies as DASONI promoted for a short while with another single, but at this point, fans were worried about the group's future. After nearly two years of no promotions, EXID finally made a return in August of 2014 with "Up & Down."

Many fans know this song to be the mega-hit of EXID; however, that wasn't always the case. Because of the two-year hiatus, EXID's comeback was rather unrecognized, and the promotions ended for this song without even charting. This was actually a very dangerous time for EXID as they were now facing the possibility of disbandment due to the group's lack of success. HOWEVER...

This legendary fancam of Hani started surfacing on YouTube in October of 2014, and this was the beginning of EXID's success. The video quickly grabbed the attention of many, and just like a miracle, "Up & Down," began starting to receive attention as well. In less than two months, the song was in the top 10 on the music charts, and despite the end of promotions, the group was invited to perform on music shows again. 

2015 - First #1, AH YEAH & HOT PINK

The ladies were enjoying this miracle throughout 2015 as well, and they suddenly became the hottest girl group all in a matter of a few months. They earned their first #1 on M! Countdown on January 8th, 2015, signaling a bright future for these ladies. The hard work truly paid off!

The ladies took advantage of the momentum and made a comeback in April with the song "AH YEAH." The fame continued with this promotion, earning various #1's on music shows, giving them bragging rights as a top-tier girl group. EXID was definitely at the center of attention in 2015.

EXID continued their hot girl crush concept and made their second comeback of 2015 with their song "HOT PINK." Of course, this song exploded on the charts as well, and people were vibing with EXID's unique girl-crush concept, and of course -- fancams were explosive here as usual.

2016 - First Full Length Album "L.I.E"

EXID made their return in 2016 with their first full-length album in June 2016 with a refreshing track, "L.I.E." They were able to sweep the charts once again, and this was their fourth consecutive song with a #1 on a music show, showing their power as a belatedly blossomed girl group!

2017 - Night Rather Than Day & DDD

Into their fifth year of promotions, EXID made a comeback in 2017, showing a rather more mature side of them. However, the main vocalist Solji ended up not participating in this promotion due to health issues. Though it was sad we couldn't see her, we were able to see more of Hyelin as the main vocalist, and she absolutely killed it! The song itself was successful, but it didn't live up to the hype of the previous four releases, and they weren't able to earn a win on any of the three major music shows.

The ladies took it one step further in their sexy concept by returning with "DDD" in November 2017. Solji also didn't participate in the promotion of this album, but the addicting hook and melody really made this song a bop! 

2018 - Lady & I Love You

EXID continued their legacy with "Lady" in April 2018, continuing promotions without Solji. The song was not as successful domestically on the Korean charts, but it did peak at #9 on the Billboard World Digital Song Sales chart, showing the group's global popularity.

After a long absence, Solji finally made her return in November 2018 for the first time since L.I.E, and fans were able to finally see her back on the stage. Despite the short promotions of this album, fans were still very happy to finally be able to see Solji back on stage and see the group as a whole.

2019 - Contract Renewal / ME&YOU

When 2019 rolled around, EXID was already seven-year veterans, which also meant it was time for the unavoidable contract renewal. After consideration, Hani & Junghwa decided to depart the company, and the group would release their last single, "ME&YOU." Fans thought that this was the last time seeing the group promote as a whole; however...

2022 - 10 years with EXID & FIRE

EXID decided to reunite as a full group in 2022 to celebrate the group's tenth anniversary. The single was recently released, and it was especially meaningful as it was a huge milestone they were celebrating, but it also gave reassurance to fans that the group did not disband. It was so nice to see the group as a whole, and of course - the track was FIRE! Thank you for ten years with EXID, and we're excited to see what EXID will bring into the future.

What are your thoughts on EXID's journey? Did you know about all these tidbits? What are your thoughts on their latest track? Make sure to let us know in the comments below!