EXID

History

In May 2011, producer Shinsadong Tiger and AB Entertainment scouted several trainees from JYP Entertainment to form a new girl group. Trainee Yuji was the first to join the JYP girl group but failed to debut; she contacted Hani, Haeryung, and Jeonghwa to audition for AB, and all three were accepted. Shinsadong Tiger discovered Elly, an underground rapper and songwriter, as a fifth member, and Dami, already an AB trainee, became the sixth. Originally named 'WT' for 'Who's That,' the group changed their name to EXID months before debut.

In December 2011, Elly was featured in Huh Gak's single 'Whenever You Play That Song,' which appeared on Korean music charts. EXID's debut was delayed from January to February 2012 after Elly sustained a leg injury during rehearsals. On February 3, AB Entertainment announced EXID would debut with the single 'Whoz That Girl,' and video teasers of solo performances were released online. The single was released on February 16, 2012, from the digital single album Holla, and the group debuted on M Countdown, later performing on Music Core and Inkigayo.

'Whoz That Girl' peaked at number 36 on the Gaon Singles Chart and sold 840,000 digital copies. In April 2012, AB Entertainment announced the departure of Yuji, Dami, and Haeryung—Yuji and Dami to focus on studies, Haeryung to pursue acting—and their replacement by Solji, a former member of vocal duo 2NB, and Hyelin, originally considered for EXID's lineup. With the new members, EXID returned in August 2012 with the second single 'I Feel Good' from their first EP Hippity Hop, which debuted at number 13 on the Gaon Albums Chart and sold 1,500 copies.

The digital single 'Every Night' was released in October, debuting at number 43 on the Gaon Singles Chart and selling 105,000 digital copies.

Did You Know?

• EXID won their first number-one win on M Countdown on January 8, 2015.
• The group has won four various awards and 22 music program awards since debuting.