Hit Producer Reacts to EXO "Tempo" 

Visit www.patreon.com/musicindustrycontact to pledge and join our community of "Golden Ears" where you can see AMAZING content that is not shared on RU-vid.

Fun fact: Baekhyun revealed that they were just playing around when they did that acapella part lmao. EXO is really something else.

I feel a different kind of proud when professionals praise exo. I learned so much from your video and picked up things that I never noticed before. Tempo was the song that got me hooked and led me to a deep dive. I never thought I would listen to kpop, but only exo made me curious enough to look into it. They really have a great team of producers behind them, but I feel like they could only get these kinds of hit songs because of the range and power of the exo members. SM has a great line up of artists and have produced great songs, heck they started the whole kpop craze, but there’s just something about exo that makes them special for me. I hope you get to do more videos on exo. Their discography is so vast and unique, they can do any genre, but they are mostly r&b centric. They also have subunits and members who produced solo albums that are distinctly unique from each other. It’s a trip to learn more about exo. You reacted to their more upbeat popish songs, so you might want to look into their darker songs like Monster or Obsession. They also more dance type of music like Lucky One. Their b side tracks are also amazing and their live performances are unbeatable. But I think it would be really interesting for you to react to the song that propelled them to the top as rookies, which is their song Growl. This lead to their increasing fame year after year and were eventually called kings of kpop. This is supposedly their hiatus era since members are slowly going to the military, but they released a masterpiece of an album as a gift to their fans. Sorry for the lecture length comment but I just get really excited when professionals react to exo. Thank you for reacting to exo!!

EXO is the most complete group in the industry, their entire discography is art. Thanks for the video, I hope you will react more to EXO in the future.

This is only your 2nd EXO song but you are already making EXO jokes! I love it! 🤣

There are 9 members in EXO. Yes, all of them can sing. Most of them can rap and beat box. All of them can dance. Most importantly, they have talented music producers, lyricists and they can play multiple instruments !! Power house of talents.

"These guys it sounds like they can do everything" Me: Yes!! Everything!

FYI = After EXO-TEMPO coming out... Many other agencies asked the producer to create song similiar or as amazing as TEMPO. BUT THE PRODUCER REJECTED IT. He said, no one can execute perfectly beside EXO's Members...

Oh and this song tempo is from exo's 5th album "don't mess up my tempo".

The first KPop use alcapella song, #legendEXO

15:25 "It seems like everyone in this group can sing really good, rap really good... And they can dance too" Welcome to the talent of SM! All their groups have rappers than can sing, and singers that can rap, lots of members can play an instrument, and they all dance amazingly!

He said A capella and I said, "huh! Wait for the real thing!"

If Tempo was performed live in BBMA or other American Music Awards for sure crowd will be amazed from performance not in the number of fans cheering for the artist. Other artists would be amazed. Choreo and vocals

EXO is a group worthy of collection in the history of kpop. They have the best vocal line, the best dancer KAI, almost everyone is visual, and the craziest concert design and live performance capabilities.

Now THIS is what I call a legit REACTION....appreciate your very insightful feedback 👏👏👏👍👍👍

"Eargasmic" another term I can flex about 😂😂

Producer: I'll repeat once again to check if he (Kai) actually playing the piano. Me: nervously watching* Producer: He look really playing it like a classical pianist. Me: YESSS sir.. you right.. his fingers can dance on that keys like a pianist.

Just wait until you get to know one of the members named Chanyeol. That man can play any instruments...

Tempo: 8 members participated and 1 member had a cameo since he's in China. For the DFTF, 7 members participated and 2 members are currently enlisted. You should watch Monster, all of them (9 members) are present.

Exo known for their RnB/soul type of music. Runs and riffs also from vocal aspect.

EXO's discography never disappoint

Agree with you, I also think Michael Jackson's and Jackson 5's music era really influence EXO's funky and groovy side of their discography a lot, all of the members are so good in vocals, hence they're called the group of vocal gods in Kpop, that's why it's possible for them to deliver the Jackson music elements in their music, and they deliver it soo nicely and perfect. And yes just like you said all these 9 guys, EXO is 9 btw it's just not all comebacks have 9 members bcs complicated stuffs but yeah they're 9 lol, these 9 guys are hella multitalented, all can dance, rap, sing flawlessly, play instruments like guitar piano drums, compose and write songs, they also can act and good at sports and games lmao and they're the only group in Kpop that has an acapella section in their songs, in EXO's case, it's Tempo. Thank you so much for your reaction!! We can learn a lot from your explanation, please explore EXO more because their discography is really the best in Kpop with a variety of genres, trust me you won't regret it.

The high note from the bridge to the final chorus is in almost all SM title tracks! 🤣 Their frequent songwritters even joke about how they compete with eachother to see who can make the note higher and higher each new song!! 😆 Ps: I'm very interested in your experience collaborating with SM Entertainment! Like was it different working with a kpop label?

Exo is actually known for their talents.. they have the top dancers top vocalists top actors top rappers top musicians in one group and producer as well. !!! They are the most complete group in Kpop.

EXO is known for having the best vocalists in the kpop industry (Vocal Kings). All of them are very very talented (if at some point you want to know them better, Cesar Oh's guides are very good). I'll explain a little bit about the members, when they debuted they were 12, but 3 left. Currently there are 9 members, but they have to go to military service (obligatory in Korea, that's why in some MVs they are less), in Tempo there are the 9 members, in Don't Fight The Feeling they were 7 members.

All Exo songs are very complicated. Monster, loveshot, love me right, lucky one, growl,... No one can do it like Exo

Geez, EXO songs can't disappoint producer's ears! EXO have their own concept about music style and theme which are always unique and they truly can hit different genres! Hopefully you'll react EXO more and go check out to their live performances cause their vocals are even better on live stage! Miraculous!

If want to check more exo stuff i recommend you this: 1)Monster 2)MAMA (korean ver) 3)Call me baby 4)Overdose 5)Love shot 6)Kokobop 7)Baekhyun - Bambi (exo's main vocalist) 8)OBSESSION 9)Love me right 10)Growl

EXO is the MOST complete kpop group on the world!!! Love them!!!

thank you so much for the breakdown! 2 of the members (chanyeol and lay) are actually producers too. if you want to hear chanyeol’s work you can listen to EXO-SC’s albums which produced by him. and for lay just go to spotify he’s the producer for all his albums. but lay is more active as solo singer in china because he’s from there and rn there’s some political issues between korea and china that’s why he’s been inactive with exo activities since 2016 i believe. and Tempo (released 2018) is his first comeback to the group but only for this song not the whole album. and then he’s back again in don’t fight the feeling (2021) in all the b-sides too. chanyeol can also play guitar, bass, drum, piano lay can play guitar and piano. baekhyun (exo member) can play piano. they are all so talented but most importantly they all have great vocals. personally i think tempo production quality is unmatched and the best in whole exo’s discographies

A CAPELLA!!! No other KPOP can do that. KPOP VOCAL KINGS 🤴🏻🤴🏻🤴🏻🤴🏻🤴🏻🤴🏻🤴🏻🤴🏻🤴🏻

Wow!!! As an avid fan of RU-vid reactions, this one is one of my favorite. Firstly, it is very educational for you to be able to give us free lessons on dissecting the music just by watching your reaction. Secondly, thank you for reacting on EXO- to answer your question, they are original a 12 member group, but as of 2015 they are promoting as a 9member group. Thank you for all your efforts and using terms that will let everyone understand. And of course, thank youuu so much for appreciating EXO’s talent. Looking forward to more of your reactions.

Yesss finally! Thank you for this reaction, btw Michael Jackson's choreographer Tony Testa made a few choreographies for exo so i think they had inspired a lot from MJ

EXO has superior and terrefic vocal line and all of them can sing.

Maybe breakdown Exo's "Monster" or "Obssession" mvs, also hits. Yes, there are hidden meanings in all Exo music. There is a backstory and theories that I cannot fathom or want to decipher. But it is intricate and the story has been in play for 10 years. Exo has been singing since 2011. They are currently a 9 member group. They are not a rap heavy or fast dance heavy group like the younger generation kpop groups like Bts or Nct. They are a vocal group primarily based on r&b, but do all genres within their discography.💙🌺

I've been listening to Tempo since it came out but only noticing some of the things now that he has pointed it out. I fell in love with this song more.

SM, the agency of R&B. EXO, R&B Kings. Now, can you please breakdown EXO's CALL ME BABY? 🤭

The song is called "Tempo" and the album is named Don't Mess Up My Tempo, so as I am sure you are aware, the tempo keeps speeding up and slowing down. I think the change in tempo is also supposed to mirror the uncertainty and unsteadiness that EXO are feeling within the storyline in the MV. However, if you read the lyrics, you see that the song is talking to a girl and they are telling her, "Don't mess up my tempo." And yes, part of the tempo in the song is created by the squeak of what is thought to be bed springs. However, as with everything EXO does, there are duel meanings depending on how deeply you want to interpret the song and MV. On the surface the song and MV is meant to be enjoyed by the casual watcher and listener like you would any song on the radio, but if you want to delve in deeper and explore EXO's storyline, then there is so much more going on. As an SM Entertainment group, it shouldn't be a surprise that EXO are amazing vocalists. That is just what SM is known for. You can't be an SM artist without having amazing vocals and dance skills. That's just a fact about the type of people SM selects to become part of its company. All of SM's artists were first chosen for their vocal and/or dance skills, and even the rappers get intense training as vocalists. None of SM's rappers became a trainee because of their rap skills, all of the company's rappers learned to rap, or really became good at it, only after joining the company. That is why SM is known as the vocal powerhouse of the industry because they put a huge emphasis on showcasing outstanding vocal talent. And EXO is a perfect example of that. There are 9 members in "Tempo" and there were 7 members in "Don't Fight the Feeling." (2 of the members were in the military during this most recent comeback, so that is why there were only 7.) So each new MV or project from EXO tells another part of the story, and over the years we fans have started to create a timeline and idea of what we think each part of the story is telling us. The aesthetic of the "Tempo" MV is centered around the color red because the setting is supposed to be depicting the members under the Red Forces' control. Without going into too much detail -- there is so much going on in EXO's "Tempo" MV that it's hard to grasp it all -- what fan theories think is happening in "Tempo" is it is showing the members of EXO all trapped in separate dimensions. Each of those rooms, could possibly be a different dimension and that is why you see the glitches and why you hear Xiumin and Baekhyun with that computerized voice, because they aren't all in the same place at the same time so their voices are being distorted as they try to connect between dimensions, etc. They could also still be trapped in different rooms within the maze, like what we saw them in their "Overdose" MV. For several of EXO's MVs we believe they are still trapped within the maze and they are continuously trying to find their way out. The maze seems to affect their connection to their powers and it clouds their minds and dulls their senses, so not only are they fighting the Red Force and X-EXO, but they are also struggling to break free from the fog the Red Force has them in. That's why you see some of the members just lazily sitting around and kind of blankly staring off into space at times. Baekhyun is the one that is singled out in the MV and he is the one standing above everything looking down, so this is one example of where we think that maybe he is the only one who has avoided the Red Force's control and he is observing everything that is going on from the outside. You see Chanyeol being interrogated by Chen with the inkblot test and that is thought to be the members trying to figure out who are the real EXO members and who are the evil X-EXO members created by the Red Force -- or who are the real members and who are the clones. At this point everyone is suspicious of each other and no one can be trusted. As you may have noticed, halfway through the MV Chanyeol's eyes and hair change color, so some think that this is either showing two different versions of Chanyeol who appear in two different time periods or dimensions, or one is Chanyeol the EXO member and one is Chanyeol the X-EXO clone. In the very last scene, that is Baekhyun with that cube. I am not sure what that means, but I am sure it's foreshadowing something to come in the future with EXO's storyline. You also see EXO's Chinese member Lay in this MV, but you won't see or hear him sing or dance in this MV because you watched the Korean version and at this time the Chinese government only gave him permission to appear in the Korean version of "Tempo", but he wasn't allowed to participate in the song. If you want to hear Lay sing you will have to watch the Mandarin version of the "Tempo" MV. Lay has a few lines in the Mandarin version, but he was not allowed to work with the other members, so all his parts were recorded separately and they had to be inserted into the song and MV. He had to get special permission even to take part in this comeback, and this was the closest we have gotten to seeing him back with the group since all these political issues between Korea and China started almost 5 years ago now. And up until their new MV for "Don't Fight the Feeling", this is the only time you will see him in an EXO MV and song since 2016. However, the tension between Korea and China has started to let up and the Chinese government, has recently rescinded their ban on Korea and China working together, so as you have seen, Lay has finally been able to work with EXO again. It's kind of mind blowing the amount of planning and manipulation SM Entertainment has been doing over the years to connect all the dots and to continue the story. It gets even crazier when you realize how even the most minute of details were crafted to be a hidden message or detail within that storyline. Nothing in this MV is random or done just because, even the smallest of detail has been planned out to either connect to something to do with EXO's storyline from past MVs or it will become a key part to help explain something in one of their future MVs.

Their mvs are amazing but their live stages are on another level

I dunno a thing about editing and producing music or MVs but this breakdown is just so interesting. Made me appreciate the people behind this song.

You see the difference between this to DFTF this is how they are. DFTF is the gift to EXO-Ls they are busy in solo career but how they come they gift their fans like that we are bless we really are we have EXO.

MJ is SM's biggest influence to their music I'd say especially with they boy groups. Im soooo excited for you to deep dive with exo and nct 🙏

LOL 15:26 KAI is the best male dancer in whole kpop (Was selected by one hundred idols for many times)，He is actually an singer，actor, dancer, rapper, top-level performer，global ambassador of GUCCI and Bobbi Brown, but he doesn't know how to play the piano hahahahaha. If you want, you can listen to his solo album : MV and half a year ago, it is 🔥

EXO has a very interesting discography, sometimes borderline wierd (like thier GOING CRAZY track)... in a veeery good way. Maybe try to react to thier debut songs Mama and Wolf.

You can never find a group like EXO. I tried but I failed.

Can I say how much I appreciate you for doing EXO videos? Absolutely love their music.

TEMPO IS THE BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY OF KPOP

This man deserves more hype!

The Fact : Tempo has a crazy, complex musical arrangement. It takes a beautiful vocal to complete this music. They added a capella to this song specifically for EXO. These music producers get a lot of requests from many agencies to produce songs like Tempo but they refuse, because Tempo is craziest.

All i can say is that if you give a chance to get to know them more, i bet you will say "how these multitalented individuals are in one group?" its just that they are amazing

You're right about how they do their mv. Every mv, concert vcr are related to each other.

You'll have to really research to understand the theory revolving EXO and SM world.That's gonna make your brain go on overdrive. 😁

"Everyone in this group can sing really good and can rap really good and can dance well " ------->>> it's true ☺️👏🏻👏🏻

When he suddenly didn’t focus with the music/vocals during the acapella bridge. 😅

EXO IS EXO

Looking forward to more informative reactions from you. Check out “mmmh” by Exo kai, “lit” by exo lay, “bambi” by baekhyun,and for a group reaction I hope it’ll be “kokobop” Fact is that EXO is consist with multitalented members. The members are not only good but mostly on top in the field of business, music, acting, modeling, etc. that’s why people are always thrilled for a group comeback from them because aside from being so versatile and bringing something new the synergy of each members is really interesting because all of them are individually successful in different field. Each has a reputation as their own not only because they’re an IDOL and from EXO. The top theater actors, Top actors, best producers, song writers, models, business men, and Koreas 3 of the greatest vocalist since 3rd generation and Kpop’s one of the all time best dancers. Plus EXO doesn’t stop developing their music after it’s release, in their live performance a lot of changes happens vocally, instrumentally, visually, etc no wonder they hold the worlds 2nd and 1st fastest sold out concert ticket of all time 0.7 and 0.2 seconds.

EXO - CALL ME BABY reaction for more MJ vibes!!! EXO workes with Teddy Riley!! When I hear an EXO song for the first time I might not notice all of this but the more I listened to the song back then, I had already noticed literally everything you said and I'm just a consumer, not a producer. But it only happened that I payed attention to production since I found out about EXO! And wow I'm amazed how you pick up the melodies of the vocals and even of the instrumental so quickly. I watched other producer reactions and even they never had the melodies & flows right when they tried imitating it!

EXO king of vocal in kpop... With visual, vocal, dancing, rap and storyline...

SM has the most experimental music in the K-pop industry especially Thier girl group Red Velvet.

Thx for the reaction i will highly suggest *EXO "Monster"* *EXO ""Obsession* *EXO "Kokobop"* *EXO "Love shot"* ........... merciiii

Exo is all around group.They all can sing, most of doing rap well, two member a lot of play enstrumans very well and others play piano, guitar.They all can dance.most of them songwriter for their own solo song.And three member producer.Espcially Lay.He is doing everything.Andmost of them also actor.Especially d.o, Sehun and musical actor suho.Exo have solo song too.And a lot of people say they best for they way but they are in same group , this is awosome.And i think this too😂 a listen member solo song soo much but Exo is sooo good for harmonizing and they voice is sooo good together.Bc All they are have own color.

"This guys, it seems like they can do anything!" Yes sir! Once again, enjoyed your reaction, I'm learning a lot in depth regarding musicality coz I usually focus on the vocals. Thank you!

I can clearly see that you are intrigued by them just like us.

Hi Adam, thank you again for another fascinating breakdown for "Tempo" from EXO, one of my favorite groups in K-Pop. Listening to your thought processes while watching & listening to a new song for the first time is really enlightening and fun. I was always thinking about all those little homages to Berry Gordy's Motown Sound (The Jackson 5, Temptations, The Supremes), prevalent in the discography of many groups under SM Entertainment - you already made the connection after reacting to only two songs. Reacttothek's Umu had a fascinating interview with Michelle Cho (International K-Pop A&R) a while ago about the role of A&R and the unique elements in K-Pop (playing with sections, lots of layers and variations, orchestrating all those different voices in multi-member groups). I have no idea if it is the management, the artists, the A&R, or the producers who will make the final decisions, but somewhere along the creative process, SM artists always got that little Motown touch in the works. Even when Aespa's Winter was singing "Show me the way to Kosmo, Yeah" in the middle part of "Next Level". I'm looking forward to more production breakdowns from you for YG and JYP artists as well. Again: Edutainment on the highest (next) level!

The whole group is 9 members In the last video 2 members were missing bc they are in military(every Korean has to go) in the last comebacks their number is diff bc members come and go to the military In Tempo there are all 9 members

My god, now I want to see you listening and analyzing all their music

Exo king of kpop forever

They are 9 members, but in Don't Fight The Feeling MV, there are only 7 members because the last 2 members are currently serving in the military. The 2 members were able to participate in the MV before they enlisted last March and May. The main vocalists can rap, and the rappers can sing. They can play instrument too, and also a producer, song-writer, actor, model, dancer. They are too talented that's why it suits to then their whole concept, and band name. 😅

Woa, now I'm curious about your reaction to EXO - Monster!

yes, all members can sing, can rap & dance! u can add the acting & modeling 🥰 only EXO

Yayyy finally! Thank u so much for react one of the best EXO’s song! This song have an iconic acapella line. And I really wanna know ‘how’ the song goes by producer’s view. Thank u so much!

We can all agree that EXO Tempo is a cultural asset

If you like that "Jackson" feeling" homage check out Baekhyun's (EXO member) recent solo "Bambi"

EXO is a fulfilled group, I'm telling u! They had really good vocal, rapper, dancer & visual..

*EXO* (and SM artists in general) are well-known for being vocal powerhouses in K-pop industry. This is the reason why a lot of producers and composers loves working with them because they basically can do everything! 💯 I hope to see you wrote more songs for EXO and for other SM artists as well in the future. 🙏🏻 I'm learning a lot from you. Thank you so much.❤ Active artists/groups in SM: BoA TVXQ Super Junior Girls' Generation SHINee EXO Red Velvet NCT (NCT 127, NCT Dream, WayV) SuperM Aespa

EXO always experimenting with diff soundss

I have a thought that behind a succes group and their great hit songs, there are many great producers and teams. They have their own style and their best. But I believe for exo, they make it greater, even the greatest and execute it very well, that's why i still proud whenever i hear a professional praise them. i'd love to hear it anytime. Different person different taste. I'm okay if someone is not agree with me. I wanna thank them who've been working hard behind, together with, for exo too. Exo themselves are already great, but those people complete them and make it perfect✨ Thank you for breaking down exo songs, i'd love to see another kpop song's break down here especially from SM

Awesome!! Hope you will react to EXO's Paradise next! Yup, all 9 are vocalists including the rappers, they can rap, they can do any genre, even rock, they play many music instruments and they can dance. That's why they're legendary. Also known as the vocal kings of kpop!

Well-produced. That's the word. The song is another level. I love the way u did the breakdown of the song bcos i hv listened to TEMPO more than thousand time since i found it last year but there still a lot of beautiful things i missed. N i m impress when one-time listener can notice those. U r absolutely genius n kind of expert. Thank you for the reaction. All of EXO songs are so good n such a ear-catcher. They will stay in our mind for a long time from the first listen. They remind me about 90's boyband. N the song called "LUCKY ONE" really catch Micheal Jackson' vibes with a few new music flavour into it. Also the song MONSTER, GROWL, CALL ME BABY etc. For ballad song, UNIVERSE is so good. I cant really tell u which one to react first but Im looking forward to other EXO reaction frm u. Thank u again.

Thank you for reacting to EXO's songs! They have one of the best discography in K-pop 💯👌🏻

Woooaahh, I'm learning a lot from you,and I really appreciate exo vocals. ..they are too good &thank you

EXO are one of the biggest kpop groups They are 9 members and debuted in 2012.They considered vocal kings of kpop bc they have some of the best vocalists and dancers in the industry Their music is mostly RnB but as u see they do other genres too

Being a fan of EXO never fails to impress and entertain me 😭💓

Welcome to EXO, where they can do everything. 😊😊😊

Thanks for reacting to EXO, please check out their songs Miracles in December and Love Shot

MORE EXO PLEASE. OVERDOSE NEXT BY EXO

*EXO's 'Tempo' is one of the tracks from their 5th Album "DON'T MESS UP MY TEMPO"*

Can you react to more EXO songs? IT WILL NEVER DISAPPOINT. P.s YOU'RE A GREAT MUSIC PRODUCER. THANK YOU FOR SHARING YOUR KNOWLEDGE!!

Yes EXO the best always they are kings of vocals and everything

*Thanks for checking out EXO's 'Tempo'*

TEMPO BEST SONG EVER

More EXO’s please

I’m so happy you react to every exo’s title song🖤 please also do react to “GROWL”, “WOLF”, “CALL ME BABY”, “LOVE ME RIGHT”, “LOTTO”, “POWER”, “KOKOBOP”, “OVERDOSE”, and especially “MAMA”🔥

EXO concept is that they alien from EXO planet, u might want to react to their earliest mv MAMA or HISTORY back at 2012 where they first debut. Each member from this group is super crazy talented. thts why they are the only kpop group for me. Other group are good too but EXO somehow put me deeper in the rabbit hole :DDD

Loved your break down of the two EXO songs. Reactions like this always help me notice things I never focused on. You are right about the videos. They have tons of little details that may be important in future releases. Especially with EXO that has their own worldview created even before their debut in 2012. They are now a 9 member group, but because of mandatory military service and political issues between China and South Korea they have been promoting in different numbers. For example in Tempo there were 8 members singing (in the Chinese version there are 9 members singing) and the choreography is done by 8 members. In Don't Fight The Feeling there are 7 members. Funny thing is, the Chinese member wasn't on set with them so they had to CGI him to the group dance at the end + his parts were done separately. The guys have been really influenced by Michael Jackson and have worked with Teddy Riley and Tony Testa in the past.

You're right. EXO can do everything because of their vocals... also, they have good harmonization. Please check, 'drop that'... Thanks

It's a different kind of proud whenever I watch producers react to EXO. I also learned so much from this. Thank you so much.

After watching ur previous reaction of exo, I was not only focusing of the melody of their songs but also d harmonisation and d instruments they used as well. Hehe

Thank you for your reaction for our king EXO, I hope you will continue for EXO

Exo is a strong vocal group, they currently have 2 main rappers (Chanyeol and Sehun), 3 main vocalists(baekhyun, chen and D. O), 3 lead vocalists (xiumin, suho and Lay) and 3 main dancers (lay, Kai and Sehun). Exo has 9 members but in DONT FIGHT THE FEELING 2021 has 7 members because 2 (suho and Chen) are in the military. TEMPO 2018 had all of them, OBSESSION 2019 had 6 members because at that time (D. O and Xiumin were in the military and Lay was in China). And to make it even more complicated they debut back in 2012 with 12 members. 3 Chinese members left for different reasons throughout different eras but thus group really struggled and came a long way and still is able to deliver every single time :)