Thai boy group Millenium Boy (MB), known as the “EXO cover group,” came under attack from the popular K-pop group’s fans for its excessive imitation.
(Facebook)
EXO fans accused the “knock-off” group of getting out of hand, illegally stealing the K-pop sensation’s name only to boost its profile.
After debuting in 2012, MB rose to fame in Thailand as a cover group of EXO, composed of 12 fanboys. A cover group is made of members who do not sing, but only dance to their favorite singers’ music.
The group started to broaden its fanbase by copying everything by EXO. It used EXO’s logo, album design, signature and even the group’s selfie poses without permission, which was viewed by EXO’s fans as unlawful.
(Facebook)
Calling themselves EXO-T, the Thai group effectively gave the impression that they were one of the boy band’s subunits. EXO has two subgroups, EXO-M and EXO-K, which target Chinese and Korean fans, respectively.
MB successfully held fan meetings and solo concerts, even without an album release, a sign of the group’s remarkable popularity.
The embattled Thai group, however, has said that it is no more than just an EXO cover group.
On MB’s Facebook page, a slew of seemingly Korean fans posted hostile comments toward the group. Most of them slammed MB, with some using swear words, for copying EXO too much and called on the group to stop its activities.
SM Entertainment, EXO’s Korean label, is reportedly keeping a close tab on MB’s activities.
By Ock Hyun-ju (
laeticia.ock@heraldcorp.com)