How did Baekhyun find Exo? As the K-pop star enters military service, we trace his journey to fame – from high school ‘aegyo’ to being scouted by SM Entertainment

May 4 , 2021

The story behind K-pop star Baekhyun: how he went from a high school band to one of the most popular boy bands, Exo. Photo: SM Entertainment

Baekhyun was sporty at school and became proficient at the traditional Korean martial art of hapkido which he showed off on KBS’ Our Neighborhood Sports

Always outgoing and attractive, he had a high school rock band but was a K-pop trainee for only 11 months before debut – so suffered from stage fright at first

Baehyun, a leading K-pop star with boy band Exo beloved for his his vocal and dance skills, turns 29 on May 6. Fans will have mixed feelings about that date, as he has also decided to enlist in compulsory military service on his birthday – though a long-running health issue means he will work as a public service worker and not complete active duty. To bid him adieu from the spotlight, STYLE takes look back at Baekhyun’s road to fame and what makes him so special.

His name could have been Baekho, not Baekhyun

Exo’s Baekhyun in childhood. Photo: @baekhyunee_exo/Instagram

During an appearance on SM Super Idol League in 2019, Baekhyun revealed that his parents originally planned to call him “Baekho”. The “ho” means tiger and contrasts with his brother Baekbeom’s name, where the ending “beom” means “leopard” in Korean.

Exo’s Baekhyun and his brother Byun Baekbeom. Photo: @jingxiudou/Twitter

Baekhyun added that his parents (probably) wanted him and his brother to start life with strong, dominant names. Apparently, in contrast, Baekhyun means to live wisely and virtuously.

He was good at the traditional martial art hapkido

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