All praise fancams! Venue security may hate those sneaky cameras, but fans adore them – and girl group EXID must surely love them too, after one propelled their single Up & Down up the charts last year, and the group firmly into the public eye. They’re back enjoying more chart success this week with Ah Yeah.
EXID are a five-member girl group under Yedang Entertainment. The girls are: Solji (leader), LE, Hani, Hyerin, and Junghwa (maknae).
EXID stands for ‘Exceed in Dream.’ The group lineup has changed a few times before and after their debut in February 2012. Originally, six members were scouted, mostly from JYP Entertainment’s trainees. SECRET’s Ji Eun and SISTAR’s Hyorin were part of the initial lineup, as were three of the group we now know as BESTie.
Whoz That Girl, the debut track, reached around 36 on the Gaon charts, and shortly afterward the EXID lineup changed dramatically. JYP trainees Junghwa and Hani, and underground rapper LE remained in the lineup, to be joined by vocalists Solji and Hyerin.
The girls got busy, releasing tracks from their debut EP Hippety Hop, and even formed a sub-unit called Dasoni, made up of Hani and Solji. However, Up & Down is the single that will probably always be their signature tune. It was first released in August, but failed to make much of a dent in the charts until a fancam of Hani was posted, and went viral. The tight shorts and sexy hip-swaying dance combo earned Hani millions of views – and new fanboys – in Korea. As sales of the song grew, music shows invited EXID on to promote the song in December, almost six months after its release. The dance has since become a cultural meme, with other K-pop stars and a whole host of variety show people giving it a go on national TV.
Riding the sexy wave, EXID’s recent comeback track Ah Yeah has another unique hip-swaying move, and over 6 million views on YouTube. Unsurprisingly it has been grabbing the top slot on music shows this week, and the girls have promised to release an ‘eye contact version’ of the dance practice as a thank you to the fans. No fancams are needed to promote this track, but a viral success story like EXID’s just goes to show, fancams play an important part in reaching new fans and building loyalty.
‘That’ Up & Down fancam of Hani
Ah Yeah – the hot comeback track
Up & Down – the official MV
Good Bye – from subunit Dasoni
Every Night – gas masks and booty shorts
Whoz That Girl – the debut track
Bonus:
BTS take on the ‘Up & Down’ challenge backstage
Gif Bonus: Infinite’s Sungjong doing ‘Up & Down’ on Super Idol Chart Show ep46
