“It's finally here!”: EXO comeback date report mentions Kai’s participation, fans ecstatic as agency confirms July date

EXO’s fandom went into celebration mode on June 9, 2023, as SM Entertainment confirmed the dates of the much-awaited full group comeback. The Don’t Fight the Feeling singers will make their full group comeback with their seventh full album on July 10, 2023. The news arrived on the heels of seven members, Xiumin, Suho, Baekhyun, Chen, Chanyeol, D.O., and Sehun, being spotted at the Gimpo Airport a day ago traveling to film a new reality series.

The news was first reported by JoyNews24, a South Korean outlet that revealed the comeback details. Along with the album release date, the report also mentioned that Kai, who is currently serving in the military, also participated in the album. Although SM Entertainment did not confirm Kai’s participation, the report instilled hope in the fandom.

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Agency confirms EXO’s group comeback, including release date, reveals Kai’s participation in the album

A full-group comeback of the third-generation K-pop superstars EXO was seen as a monumental moment. Nearly four years ago, in 2019, was the last album in which all the group members participated. Since then, the singers have been enlisting in compulsory military training.

The Don’t Fight The Feeling singers teased fans about the full group comeback since the start of the year. However, the group has faced multiple ups and downs since then. These include Kai’s sudden enlistment, which destroyed fans’ expectations of seeing all members together during promotions, and Xiumin, Baekhyun, and Chen’s lawsuit against SM Entertainment.

However, on June 9, JoyNews24 reported that EXO would be making its comeback on July 10, 2023. It added that Kai was also expected to lend his voice to the full group album.

SM Entertainment responded to the report by confirming the release date and mentioning that it would be the group’s seventh full album. The agency stated, as per translation via Soompi:

“As it is an album everyone has put their all into, promotions related to the album will proceed as planned. We will release more details soon.”

The news left the EXO fandom thrilled. They were ecstatic to have a final comeback date ready. Fans commented on things such as “the return of the kings” and “please make way for the king.” Check out how they reacted to the news below:

Some fans also joked about the competition that other K-pop groups, who will be making their comebacks or debuts next month, will face. In particular, fans talked about the debut of Boys Planet group ZEROBASEONE, who will be debuting on July 10, the same day as EXO’s comeback.

Other K-pop groups confirmed to make their comebacks in July are NewJeans, TXT (aka TOMORROW X TOGETHER), and MISAMO, the Japanese subunit of TWICE. BTS' Jung Kook is also reported to make his solo debut in the same month.

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In recent news, the agency also confirmed that EXO will be filming a new reality series. They were spotted traveling to the filming location via Gimpo Airport on June 8, 2023.