# Xiumin (시우민)
**Xiumin** (시우민; born 1990) is a South Korean singer and actor best known as a member of the boy band EXO, which he joined at its debut in April 2012, and as a solo artist whose EP *Brand New* (2022) and *Interview X* (2025) marked his independent label era with INB100[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/xiumin-mn0003562938) • [2](https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20250310002300315). His real name is Kim Min-seok (김민석)[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/xiumin-mn0003562938).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Real name | Kim Min-seok (김민석), born 1990 in Seoul, South Korea[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/xiumin-mn0003562938) |
| EXO debut | 8 April 2012 with the song "Mama"; positions included lead dancer, lead vocalist, and rapper[3](https://kpopwiki.org/all-about-xiumin-from-exo-aka-kim-min-seok-bio-military-age/) • [4](https://www.thbt.vn/ca-si-xiumin/) |
| Sub-unit | EXO-CBX, with Chen and Baekhyun, debuted October 2016 with the mini album *Hey MaMa!*[5](https://xiumin-official.jp/profile/) |
| Military service | Enlisted 7 May 2019, the first EXO member to enlist; his solo single "You" was released two days later[3](https://kpopwiki.org/all-about-xiumin-from-exo-aka-kim-min-seok-bio-military-age/) |
| First solo album | *Brand New*, released 26 September 2022, five tracks in a Y2K style, Top Ten in South Korea and Japan[6](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/k-pop/20220926/exos-xiumin-makes-solo-debut-with-brand-new) • [1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/xiumin-mn0003562938) |
| Second solo album | *Interview X*, released 10 March 2025 by INB100; first-week sales of 113,305 copies on the Hanteo chart[2](https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20250310002300315) • [7](https://www.hanteonews.com/ko/article/77098) |
| Agency | INB100 handles his solo activities, while EXO group activities remain with SM Entertainment[8](https://www.samsungpop.com/common.do?cmd=down&contentType=application%2Fpdf&fileName=2010%2F2024050316194841K_02_03.pdf&inlineYn=Y&saveKey=research.pdf) |
## Early life and training
Xiumin was born in Seoul in 1990, grew up in Guri, Gyeonggi Province, and studied music at Catholic Kwandong University[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/xiumin-mn0003562938). In 2008 he competed in [SM Entertainment](https://www.edgepedia.org/sm-entertainment)'s Everysing Contest, took second place, and became a company trainee[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/xiumin-mn0003562938). His training period ran from 2008 to his debut, close to four years, one of the longest among the EXO members[4](https://www.thbt.vn/ca-si-xiumin/).
## EXO and EXO-CBX
Xiumin debuted with EXO on 8 April 2012 with the song "Mama", from the group's debut album of the same name[3](https://kpopwiki.org/all-about-xiumin-from-exo-aka-kim-min-seok-bio-military-age/). His announced roles were lead dancer, lead vocalist, and rapper, and he was placed in the Chinese-market subunit EXO-M despite being Korean[4](https://www.thbt.vn/ca-si-xiumin/) • [1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/xiumin-mn0003562938). With EXO he reached the top of both the Gaon and Billboard World charts on albums including *XOXO* (2013), *Exodus* (2015), *Don't Mess Up My Tempo* (2018), and *Obsession* (2019)[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/xiumin-mn0003562938). He is the oldest member of the group[6](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/k-pop/20220926/exos-xiumin-makes-solo-debut-with-brand-new).
In October 2016 he formed the three-member subunit EXO-CBX with Chen and Baekhyun, which debuted with the mini album *Hey MaMa!* on 31 October[5](https://xiumin-official.jp/profile/). Outside group work he collaborated with NCT's Mark on the 2017 single "Young & Free"[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/xiumin-mn0003562938).
**Military service and the gap before solo debut.** As the oldest member, Xiumin was the first to enlist, on 7 May 2019; two days after enlistment SM Entertainment released his first solo track, "You", as a gift for fans[3](https://kpopwiki.org/all-about-xiumin-from-exo-aka-kim-min-seok-bio-military-age/). At a September 2022 press conference he explained the long gap before his solo debut: his own enlistment, followed by the other members' service, made group promotion difficult, so he decided to meet fans as a solo singer rather than wait[9](https://www.soompi.com/article/1546903wpp/exos-xiumin-talks-about-new-album-brand-new-the-pressures-of-debuting-solo-support-from-his-members-and-more).
## Solo career
**Brand New (2022).** Xiumin's first solo mini album, *Brand New*, was released on 26 September 2022, ten years after his EXO debut[6](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/k-pop/20220926/exos-xiumin-makes-solo-debut-with-brand-new). The five-track EP, which includes the title track, "How We Do", "Feedback", "Love Letter", and "Serenity", reinterprets the sentiment of 1990s and early 2000s music in his own style, a Y2K approach he chose because that period was when he listened to songs the most[6](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/k-pop/20220926/exos-xiumin-makes-solo-debut-with-brand-new). The title piece is an old-school dance song with an addictive hook[6](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/k-pop/20220926/exos-xiumin-makes-solo-debut-with-brand-new). "How We Do" reunites him with Mark, five years after "Young & Free"[9](https://www.soompi.com/article/1546903wpp/exos-xiumin-talks-about-new-album-brand-new-the-pressures-of-debuting-solo-support-from-his-members-and-more). The EP reached the Top Ten in both South Korea and Japan[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/xiumin-mn0003562938). He described the album with the keyword "gift", offered to EXO's fan club, and framed his solo identity in colors: EXO is silver, EXO-CBX is red, blue, and green, and Xiumin's solo image is orange[9](https://www.soompi.com/article/1546903wpp/exos-xiumin-talks-about-new-album-brand-new-the-pressures-of-debuting-solo-support-from-his-members-and-more).
**Interview X (2025).** His second solo mini album, *Interview X*, was released on 10 March 2025 under INB100, roughly two and a half years after *Brand New*[2](https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20250310002300315) • [10](https://www.mk.co.kr/news/musics/11260017). It contains six tracks, including lead single "WHEE!", a [UK garage](https://www.edgepedia.org/uk-garage)-inspired dance track blending synthesizers with his vocals, alongside "Can't Help Myself", "Make You Lala", "Switch Off", "Lost Paradise", and "Love is U"[2](https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20250310002300315) • [10](https://www.mk.co.kr/news/musics/11260017). Chen wrote the lyrics for "Love is U"[10](https://www.mk.co.kr/news/musics/11260017). In its first week of release the album sold 113,305 copies on the Hanteo chart, opening at 50,996 copies on the first day[7](https://www.hanteonews.com/ko/article/77098). By the afternoon of 11 March, "WHEE!" had reached No. 1 on iTunes Top Songs charts in at least 14 regions and *Interview X* No. 1 on iTunes Top Albums charts in at least seven regions[11](https://www.soompi.com/article/1729243wpp/exos-xiumin-tops-itunes-charts-around-the-world-with-whee). The album title means discovering the hidden aspects of Xiumin, and he prepared it over about a year as his first solo release with the new company[2](https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20250310002300315) • [12](https://ent.sbs.co.kr/news/article.do?article_id=E10010299106).
**Tours and later releases.** From 22 March 2025 he held his first solo overseas tour, the fan concert *X Times ( )*, across six Asian cities starting in Seoul, with stops including Tokyo, Osaka, Bangkok, Manila, and Taipei[12](https://ent.sbs.co.kr/news/article.do?article_id=E10010299106) • [13](https://www.allkpop.com/article/2025/05/interview-exos-xiumin-reflects-on-his-album-interview-x-shares-aspirations-i-want-to-be-remembered-as-a-passionate-artist), followed by an encore concert in September 2025[14](https://weverse.io/xiumin/notice/29360?hl=ja). The digital single "Overdrop" followed on 20 October 2025 and "Memory Balloon" on 15 December 2025[5](https://xiumin-official.jp/profile/).
## Acting and television
Alongside music, Xiumin has worked as an actor. His screen credits include the 2015 web drama *Falling for Challenge*, the 2016 film *Seondal: The Man Who Sells the River*, and regular appearances on the MBC reality show *It's Dangerous Beyond the Blankets*[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/xiumin-mn0003562938). He played Shin Tae-ho in the 2023 drama *CEO-dol Mart*, whose soundtrack contributed the track "Daisy"[5](https://xiumin-official.jp/profile/) • [11](https://www.soompi.com/article/1729243wpp/exos-xiumin-tops-itunes-charts-around-the-world-with-whee). In 2025 he took his first historical drama role as [Heo Gyun](https://www.edgepedia.org/heo-gyun) in *Heo Sikdang*, a change of register he said required deliberate practice of the period speech style[12](https://ent.sbs.co.kr/news/article.do?article_id=E10010299106).
## INB100 era
Xiumin's solo activities are managed by INB100, an independent label, while EXO group activities remain under SM Entertainment[8](https://www.samsungpop.com/common.do?cmd=down&contentType=application%2Fpdf&fileName=2010%2F2024050316194841K_02_03.pdf&inlineYn=Y&saveKey=research.pdf). Fellow EXO members Baekhyun and Chen run their individual activities under the same label[8](https://www.samsungpop.com/common.do?cmd=down&contentType=application%2Fpdf&fileName=2010%2F2024050316194841K_02_03.pdf&inlineYn=Y&saveKey=research.pdf). *Interview X* was his first solo album released through the new company, and it coincided with renewed EXO-CBX appearances, including a unit stage at the unit's February 2025 fan meeting in Japan[12](https://ent.sbs.co.kr/news/article.do?article_id=E10010299106).
## References
1. [Xiumin Biography, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/xiumin-mn0003562938)
2. [EXO's Xiumin drops 2nd solo EP, Yonhap News Agency (10 March 2025)](https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20250310002300315)
3. [All About Xiumin from EXO: aka Kim Min-seok Bio, Military, Age, Kpop Wiki](https://kpopwiki.org/all-about-xiumin-from-exo-aka-kim-min-seok-bio-military-age/)
4. [Hồ Sơ Ca Sĩ Xiumin (EXO), Thbt.vn](https://www.thbt.vn/ca-si-xiumin/)
5. [プロフィール｜XIUMIN JAPAN OFFICIAL FANCLUB](https://xiumin-official.jp/profile/)
6. [EXO's Xiumin makes solo debut with 'Brand New', The Korea Times (26 September 2022)](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/k-pop/20220926/exos-xiumin-makes-solo-debut-with-brand-new)
7. [시우민, 'Interview X'로 초동 11만 장 돌파! (Hanteo Chart, 17 March 2025)](https://www.hanteonews.com/ko/article/77098)
8. [Samsung Securities COMPANY UPDATE (2024), SM artist agency arrangements](https://www.samsungpop.com/common.do?cmd=down&contentType=application%2Fpdf&fileName=2010%2F2024050316194841K_02_03.pdf&inlineYn=Y&saveKey=research.pdf)
9. [EXO's Xiumin Talks About New Album "Brand New," The Pressures Of Debuting Solo, Support From His Members, And More, Soompi (26 September 2022)](https://www.soompi.com/article/1546903wpp/exos-xiumin-talks-about-new-album-brand-new-the-pressures-of-debuting-solo-support-from-his-members-and-more)
10. ['컴백' 시우민 "팬분들이 보고 싶어 하는 것들 다 하고 싶어" [일문일답], 매일경제 스타투데이 (10 March 2025)](https://www.mk.co.kr/news/musics/11260017)
11. [EXO's Xiumin Tops iTunes Charts Around The World With "WHEE!", Soompi (11 March 2025)](https://www.soompi.com/article/1729243wpp/exos-xiumin-tops-itunes-charts-around-the-world-with-whee)
12. [시우민, 감각적 화보 공개..."과거로 돌아가도 아이돌 될 것", SBS연예뉴스 (19 March 2025)](https://ent.sbs.co.kr/news/article.do?article_id=E10010299106)
13. [EXO's XIUMIN reflects on his album 'Interview X,' allkpop (May 2025)](https://www.allkpop.com/article/2025/05/interview-exos-xiumin-reflects-on-his-album-interview-x-shares-aspirations-i-want-to-be-remembered-as-a-passionate-artist)
14. [XIUMIN FAN CONCERT < X Times ( ) > ENCORE 오픈 안내, Weverse notice (2025)](https://weverse.io/xiumin/notice/29360?hl=ja)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Music scenes › East and Southeast Asian pop scenes › K-pop and the Korean popular music scene › Artists, groups, and people: K-pop and the Korean popular music scene › Third-generation idol groups › Surnames T to Z*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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