#2 'WHAT IS LOVE' - EXO 엑소 REACTION - ULTIMATE EXO RANKING

[@mochimochi82]

The second you heard D.O.’s opening line, “Girl, I can’t explain how I feel” you knew you were getting on board the EXO R&B Express!

[@judycasley108]

Much of the enjoyment in watching EXO is watching the reactors. No one ever disappoints!

[@dianezavitz2895]

What is love in Mandarin is sung by Chen and Luhan, fantastic either language.

[@beamiras7690]

Yey! EXO❤👑 Baekhyun and D.O. killed this pre-debut song. This showcase how good their vocals even back then.❤❤❤

[@ajpanun1213]

This was their 1st pre-debut showcasing their main vocals, (Baekhyun and D.O for EXO-K, Chen and Luhan for EXO-M. 2nd pre-debut is History, showcasing their vocals and dancing. Choosing a fave is difficult for their title tracks and impossible in their b-sides. Thanks for reacting to EXO.

[@yevgenyalekhinelargo1662]

This is the reason why EXO are the kings of vocals because they already showed their mastery in vocals even before debuting. And until now they're still great, yet even better and more powerful than ever

[@cambojoe]

I have 50 songs in my top ten list and even those change depending on my mood! And after you've seen live performances your whole list will shift. Impossible task.

[@AngelitoRage]

Yess!!

[@DewdewDC]

What is Love is a vocal flex to show off what the Main vocalists (Chen and Luhan sing this in Mandarin for EXO-M) could do before their less mainstream declaration that is their debut Mama.

[@deborahscott8162]

EXO has that effect 😂 That’s why I love them because of their R&B style of singing 👏🏿👏🏿❤️❤️ They are my/the Vocal Kings 👏🏿👏🏿🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@havok97818]

When D.O was promoting his album a few months ago, he had mentioned at one point that people were asking him if he would consider a sub unit with Baekhyun, and I think he said he would talk to Baekhyun about it. Could you imagine a whole album of this?

[@rhfeloh6631]

I love EXO 💘 I love D.O's unique voice and irreplaceable run ❤

[@byeolbit56]

This is their pre-debut and rookie day but you already feel impressed with their vocal

[@peloarruffato84]

I like both versions. Korean one, with Kyungsoo's smooth voice... And Chinese one, with Chen's high notes ❤

[@Italian67foreverexofan]

Don’t care what people say,they are kings❤❤❤❤❤EXO forever and thank you for your reaction ❤

[@sunnydaeexo]

Saw your soul ascend 😂😂 we've all been there. Still wishing you good luck on the ranking 🍀

[@kristenblack6026]

After more than two years being EXO-L, I still haven't nailed down a top 10 ranking yet but this song is for sure in there. I do rank it above Mama because Baekhyun is my ultimate bias and that happened in large part due to this song.

[@eleonorestuart4089]

2 of the best singers in kpop…the chinese version has the 3rd best singer..Chen! Love this early song!❤

[@vocallegendsexo9086]

it's also 1. MAMA then 2. What is Love for me now but based on your other rankings I have a feeling our similarities are going to change pretty soon😂 excited to see you lose your mind some more in later reactions hehe have a nice evening and night :3

[@halima-L-1485]

What is love is my first kpop song I listen in 2016 😢 since their pre debut EXO had that killing voice

[@Italian67foreverexofan]

History is also a pre debut song❤

[@terimeck]

I'll swap the order - I could listen to What is Love anytime and have to be in the mood for Mama. Both great, thanks for sharing your time with us.

[@k.p.684]

Good luck my friend. I’ve been struggling for the past 5 years. And the struggle continues as their last album is insanely good.

[@mochimochi82]

I already did my ranking on Patreon but my voice must be heard! 1. What is Love 2. Mama I think WiL is going to hang around there for a little while.

[@ren.the.rascal]

Thank you for appreciating and supporting EXO. This song is one of those hard ones, even other K artists find it difficult to cover because of the song's dynamics. Also, it brings us back to 2012 when the world has yet to be hit by Kpop hallyu wave. EXO is such a force, to think this was released as pre-debut!!!

[@christinenavarro7641]

You need to change it to the top 20, it's EXO after all 😊

[@fanytt2074]

Ahora entenderán porqué decimos EXO los reyes vocales del K-POP 😍🥰

[@Mariamtv92]

I loooove all your EXO reactions!!! You HAVE to listen to “GRAVITY” The synth they have there WILL BLOW YOU AWAY !!!!!!

[@Karinaiswatching]

I’m so pray for u😂 Sorry I’m just happy to see ur reaction on them😂😂😂😂😂

[@kai-pop57]

Vocal kings for a reason. And as rookies too

[@EXOsNoona]

Vocal kings from the very beginning ❤

[@ako8357]

Vocal kings, R&B kings - this is an actual Teddy Riley joint, baby making music from the baby main vocals lol Don't forget to check out the Luhan and Chen version! Like Mama, it's the same song just in Chinese but as someone thoroughly whipped for Chen, it's a must ^^

[@tinameriales1344]

Hi! This was EXO's pre-debut song. It's a refined R&B song showcasing Baekhyun's & DO's vocals. The MV has nothing to do with the song, it seemed like SME was just telling the public what EXO was capable of. I don't have a list or ranking of EXO songs as I don't want to stress myself🙃. Funny to see you strain over Mama & What is Love!😊 Love your reaction though. I have not heard even at least 2 of EXO songs that sound the same. Nada! Thank you for liking EXO.❤ Looking forward to your next reaction. 👍

[@CitizenDK1]

Good luck with your ranking. It becomes difficult because they sing in so many genres. Maybe you should divide them into R&B/Slow, Pop/disco and maybe Rock/Hiphop.

[@silviaexo-l9559]

In EXO-M version you have Chen and Luhan, another flavor!, amazing as well. Thanks for the reaction!

[@yellowjkts]

I agree with you, for what is love I need to be in the mood, but I can listen to mama every day all day❤ Because you bias is Chen, I suggest to check EXO-M versions of all old albums. What is love with Chen and Luhan vocals is just perfection 😊

[@mckeypark5142]

Expect more difficulties ranking EXO song is not easy good luck

[@ggigie]

Good luck on the EXO song ranking. I still struggle on picking my top 20 EXO tracks! I just gave up 😅😅😅 One thing's for sure. Their discography is simply insane!

[@justdanae1213]

Loved your reaction 🌹Great to see you literally sufferring while hearing their shockinly amazing voices in this beautiful song 😅

[@CheG1224]

As I have said on the last vid.. good luck with the ranking.. it is really TOUGH. Fighting! 😊 D.O. has yet to release an rnb album. But Baekhyun has Bambi. Hope you react to it when you focus on solo EXO staff. Its awesome.

[@luzledo]

I'm not a ballad fan but I love all of Exo's songs, you can't miss their bsides are even better than the main songs and if we're talking about ballads you have to listen to the album Universe...

[@Ochibichana]

Was hoping you'd do the Exo-M version as well. For me What is Love goes above Mama. I always love hearing D.O and Baekhyun's vocals. For a lot of groups I prefer their faster songs but for Exo a lot of their slower ones are at the top of my list.

[@Kit10121]

What is love was a pre-debut song meant to showcase the vocals of the main vocalists, which is why you'll only hear Kyungsoo and Baekhyun in the EXO-K version and Jongdae and Luhan in the EXO-M version. Both are amazing, although I love the K-version more because of the grittiness in Kyungsoo's voice (and I say that as a Chen bias). I'm honestly gonna say that neither What is Love and Mama are in my top 10 ranking, which means you're still in for a hell of a ride 🤭. Wishing you all the luck and thank your for sharing your journey with us!

[@HlaKayThi-vf7sp]

အကြိမ်တစ်ရာနားထောင်လည်းဘယ်တော့မှရိုးမသွားတဲ့သီချင်းလေး❤❤❤❤❤

[@krisshell4773]

Now you have to do EXO-M to hear Chen and LuHan...just as good, but done differently.

[@M-de-Vale]

The way I’m such a delulu EXO-L that I always imagine if I ever meet D.O. in real life I will have a mental breakdown and won’t know what to say and will inevitably just mumble, “Girl, I can’t explain what I feel.”

[@Karinaiswatching]

I’m so laughing out loud rn😂😂😂😂😂

[@elsaaprilia9340]

Next reaction EXO Chen Baekhyun - Really I didn't Know🙏🙏🙏

[@johanaveliz4261]

Both are amazing ❤❤❤ this is my favorite song ever 😊

[@iamonce.7.4ever]

One of my favorites

[@ChanyeolsHaneul]

In the beginning and here and then they have this songs that are like mini subunits where only some members sing. Here is Baekhyun and D.O ( in the Chinese version is Chen and ex member Luhan). Then is Angel where only Suho, Baekhyun and D O siings there, and Two moons were rap line sing: Chanyeol, Sehun and Kai ( ft. KEY FROM shinee) for mama album In another album they have songs like for example Baby don't cry, where the Korean version is by D O, Baekhyun, Suho and Chanyeol. In lotto, exact repackage album there's the song "She is dreaming" ( written by Chen) where vocal line ( Chen, D O, Baekhyun and Suho) + Chanyeol sing only. I think these type of song works good for them cause it gave some members time to rest during concerts. 😊

[@anmkcenzie]

Pardon my french but f**k yeah to that intro!

[@elifcakmak3331]

MVs are very important, especially for learning the storyline. They are also very rich in terms of pre-shooting work and production value. However… when it comes to “listen to” any Exo song, it's highly recommended to experience it live. just saying…

[@yenmayasarisimaibang237]

Nice.. ❤

[@bettywang610]

Ross pls don't leave out the exo-m versions!! Those are often where you can hear Chen in the early days! You don't need to rank the exo-m versions as the song is the exact same, but I would love for you to react to it anyway! You gotta for Chen's vocals man!

[@Soondingie]

Ross thanks for this reaction!!! I love your passion for music! Can I aks to react to What is love Chinese Version? There is its own MV

[@milkoolon]

Какой жн Кенсу был худющий, смотреть больно😢

[@DewdewDC]

Good luck ranking EXO. Are you allowing yourself joint levels? If you are you might be able to stretch their whole discography into first, second, third. Then there could be 1,2 3 for chill moments, 1, 2, 3 for work outs... oh dear. Here's hoping you remain sane.

[@AngelitoRage]

and you know wht...their live performance is almost no different compared to the MV 😂

[@krynnalexia]

so is this ranking every exo song or just every exo mv song? Yes the song is only sung by Baekhyun and D.O. Both the exo k and exo m versions were released as pre-debuts to promote and showcase exo's main vocals. I look forward to History MV...it is the second pre-debut, which was meant to showcase their performance talent

[@milindawilson9175]

Although "What is Love" is a love song, the MV really doesn't have a whole lot to do with the song. The storyline in the MV is all about EXO's origin story and it shows the members as they first arrived here on Earth. (The song was mostly meant to showcase EXO's vocal talent and get people to pay attention to the group, etc. However, there are parts of the lyrics that could be loosely interpreted as EXO speaking to humanity.) This was their very first pre-debut MV -- about 3 or 4 months before their debut with "Mama" -- so it is setting up EXO's storyline and it's showing the members. This was before most people really even knew who EXO were. In the EXO-K (Korean) version you only hear D.O. and Baekhyun singing. (But if you watch the EXO-M version, you will see Chen and Luhan as the singers.) However, in the MV you see all 12 members. The rest of the members aren't singing the song, but they are helping to tell a story. If you think D.O.'s and Baekhyun's version was amazing, just imagine what Chen's and Luhan's version is like. It has a slightly different feel because it has a sound and style that is designed to appeal more to a Chinese audience, but it's no less amazing. There's a reason why EXO has 3/4 main vocalists. As you may have noticed, you see an eclipse is happening. The eclipse is what controls EXO's powers and it's where they get their power and strength from. EXO are aliens so staring at an eclipse or the sun doesn't affect them in the same way. After all, they come from Planet Exo, which has two suns. LOL In the scenes where you see D.O and Baekhyun singing, that is thought to be showing clues to EXO's storyline, such as the light that is streaming through the holes in the walls is thought to be representing Baekhyun's superpower, which is the ability to control light, and the fact that the room they are in is kind of disheveled could be after D.O. used his power of force. You also see scenes such as Chanyeol (a member of EXO-K) looking at a drawing of a unicorn and comparing it to a hieroglyph of a unicorn on a piece of rock, which is thought to be something to do with the fact that he is searching for Lay (an EXO-M member). Lay's symbol is a unicorn, which represents his power of healing. I think the rocks are clues that may have been left on Earth or on Planet Exo from ancient times.(You will see these symbols all over the place in EXO content because, as we saw introduced in their "Mama" MVs, each member has a symbol that represents them. Their symbols are often used kind of like a call beacon. When one member is looking for another member, or they want to send a member a message, you will see a version of their symbol appear. It's a way to know who the message is coming from and it's designed to make everyone aware that it's something important that you need to pay attention to.) Think of the message on those rocks like Egyptian hieroglyphs. (In one of EXO's concert VCRs -- videos that are played during their concerts -- we see that SM connects EXO's storyline to ancient Egypt, and they show us that EXO was actually mentioned in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs. Therefore, the EXO members either traveled back in time or they have been on Earth many times throughout history. As you may know, there are real life theories that the Egyptian pyramids were created by aliens, which is an example of how SM connected EXO's story to real things.) In the "What Is Love" storyline I think EXO are looking for clues that someone has left from the past. Just like in real life history, often ancient civilizations have left us clues to tell their story in order to make sure whatever happened to them doesn't get repeated. Therefore, I think someone has left EXO clues, just in case sometime in the future the Red Force was able to gain power once again. Hence, why in EXO's next pre-debut song "History" they talk about not wanting to allow whatever happened previously to repeat itself. And because it is thought that the EXO members can travel between time periods and dimensions, this could also mean that the clues could have possibly been left for them by their future selves. The future EXO members have traveled back in time to leave a message for the present-day EXO members in order to help them figure out how to stop the Red Force and prevent whatever happened in the future from taking place, etc. (Which we have now seen is possible from the events that take place within EXO's new "Let Me In" MV storyline, which was just released a few months ago. Yet another example of how you have to take what you know from the very beginning, and connect it to their most recent piece of the story.) The clues I think are something they need in order to find the Tree of Life and to do whatever needs to be done in order to create peace in the world once again, and free humanity and EXO from the control of the Red Force. Which will allow the Tree of Life to be whole once again and be at peace, no longer being used as a potential weapon by the Red Force, etc. In reality, I think the Red Force could be thought of as a symbol of all the things society is dealing with in the world and all the bad things that need to be fixed, such as war, hate, destruction of the environment, greed for money, corruption, etc. I interpret SM's wide-reaching message within their SM Cultured Universe and EXO's storyline as the dream of world peace. Therefore, I'm not sure we will ever see an official end to EXO's storyline or the SM Culture Universe story because World Peace is such a lofty goal that will never be accomplished fully. So, in other words, EXO's story may be an open ended one that never gets solved. I think the whole point of SM creating the SM Culture Universe storyline is because it's supposed to be a social commentary on what real life society needs to learn and do in order to create a better world. Think of everything in the SM Universe, and EXO's storyline, as a metaphor for what is happening all around us every day and what we have gone through in the past and will go through in the future if we don't learn from our mistakes, etc. In the MV for "What Is Love," you see clips from some of EXO's pre-debut teaser videos. All the clips in the MV are special clips that were originally released one at a time on their own to introduce EXO to the world, before the group's official debut. Before EXO debuted, SM released 23 teaser videos over a 3-month period and the videos showcased the members and their talents, such as Kai's special dance clips and Tao's martial arts skills, as well as told a story about EXO who are on a quest to find each other and to find clues to locate the Tree of Life, etc. Kai was the member that was featured in the most teasers -- somewhere around 10 videos. The "What is Love" MV takes clips from those teaser videos and puts them together to make the MV. Months and years later, we have also discovered that the teasers also were teasers to EXO's discography of songs. At the time, when the teasers were released, we had no idea the significance of the songs that you hear in the teasers. But now, over the years, we have discovered that the majority of the songs that were featured in EXO's pre-debut teasers were also meant to be teasers to songs that would be released as some of the main tracks of EXO's albums. All the teasers are still on SM's KZbin channel if you want to check them out. If you watch the teasers, you will see how planned out everything EXO is involved in actually is. Most of the songs that they released even years after debut were songs that were teased to in their pre-debut teaser videos. That just goes to show you why we say that everything EXO does comes back to their storyline. :D Absolutely everything has been planned out down to the most minute detail for years in advance and for years to come.

[@chenbaekxi620]

Waiting for WHAT IS LOVE chinese version please

[@zanajablan3439]

You have to listen to EXO - M version