Obsession (Exo song)

"Obsession"
"Obsession"
Single by Exo
from the album Obsession
Language	Korean; Mandarin;
Released	November 27, 2019
Recorded	2019
Studio	SM LVYIN (Seoul)
Genre	K-pop; hip hop; R&B;
Length	3:23
Label	SM; Dreamus;
Composer(s)	Cristi "Stalone" Gallo; Asia'h Epperson; Adrian McKinnon; Dwayne Allen Abernathy, Jr.; Ryan S. Jhun; Yoo Young-jin;
Lyricist(s)	Kenzie; Arys Chien;
Producer(s)	Dem Jointz
Exo singles chronology
Music video
	"Obsession" on YouTube

"Obsession" is a song by South Korean–Chinese boy band Exo, released on November 27, 2019, as the lead single of their sixth studio album Obsession. The music video was released on the same date.

Background and composition

Produced by Dem Jointz, who also co-wrote with Cristi "Stalone" Gallo, Asia'h Epperson, Ryan S. Jhun, Adrian McKinnon, Arys Chien, Kenzie and Yoo Young-jin, "Obsession" is described as a hip-hop dance track featuring repeating spell-like vocal samples over a heavy beat, as well as an addictive R&B infused chorus. The lyrics convey a straightforward monologue of ones willingness to escape from the darkness of an awful obsession.^[1]

Music video

The music video was directed by labelmate Shindong.^[2]

On August 12, 2020, the music video surpassed 100 million views on YouTube, becoming their eleventh to do so.^[3]

Promotion

Exo promoted the album and song with teasers throughout November 2019, including a minute-long EXODEUX concept trailer, which showcases the member's "X-Exo" alter-ego's, as well as a music video teaser which was released 6 hours before the music video.^[4]^[5]

Accolades

Awards
Year	Organization	Award	Result	Ref.
2020	MTV Video Music Awards	Best K-pop	Nominated	^[6]
	Mnet Asian Music Awards	Best Dance Performance – Male Group	Nominated	^[7]

Year-end lists
Critic/Publication	List	Rank	Ref.
Billboard	The 25 Best K-pop Songs of 2019	1	^[8]
Dazed	The 20 best K-pop songs of 2019	13	^[9]
Refinery29	The 20 best K-pop songs of 2019	16	^[10]
BuzzFeed	Best K-pop Music Videos of 2019	2	^[11]

Music program awards
Program	Date	Ref.
Music Bank	December 6, 2019	^[12]
Music Bank	December 13, 2019	^[13]
Show! Music Core	December 7, 2019	^[14]
Show! Music Core	December 14, 2019	^[15]
Show Champion	December 11, 2019	^[16]

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.^[17]

Studio

SM LVYIN Studio – recording, digital editing
SM Blue Cup Studio – mixing
821 Sound – mastering

Personnel

SM Entertainment – executive producer
Lee Soo-man – producer
Lee Sung-soo – production director
Exo – vocals
- Baekhyun – background vocals
- Chen – background vocals
Kenzie – Korean lyrics, vocal directing
Arys Chien – Chinese lyrics
Dem Jointz – producer, composition, arrangement
Cristi "Stalone" Gallo – composition, background vocals
Asia'h Epperson – composition
Adrian McKinnon – composition
Ryan S. Jhun – composition
Yoo Young-jin – composition, music and sound supervisor
Lee Ji-hong – recording, digital editing, engineered for mix
Noh Min-ji – recording
Jung Eui-seok – mixing
Kwon Nam-woo – mastering

Charts

Weekly charts

Weekly chart performance for "Obsession"
Chart (2019)	Peak position
Japan (Japan Hot 100)^[18]	33
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)^[19]	21
Singapore (RIAS Regional)^[20]	5
South Korea (Gaon)^[21]	13
South Korea (K-pop Hot 100)^[22]	5
UK Indie Breakers (OCC)^[23]	17
US World Digital Songs (Billboard)^[24]	1

Monthly charts

Monthly chart performance for "Obsession"
Chart (2019)	Peak position
South Korea (Gaon)^[25]	26

Year-end charts

Year-end chart performance for "Obsession"
Chart (2020)	Position
South Korea (Gaon)^[26]	151

Sales

Sales for "Obsession"
Region	Sales
Japan^[27]	5,099
United States^[28]	2,000

References

^ "'왕의 귀환' 엑소, 27일 정규 6집 발매 "타이틀곡 'Obsession'"". Naver (in Korean). November 11, 2019. Archived from the original on June 10, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
^ Park, Seo-hyun (December 5, 2019). ""엑소 작업 완료"‥신동, 다이어트로 미모 대박난 아이돌 감독" [EXO work completed"..Prodigy, idol director who hit the beauty jackpot with diet]. K-Pop Herald (in Korean). Archived from the original on January 22, 2025. Retrieved January 22, 2025.
^ "톱스타뉴스 "1억뷰 넘어서 10억뷰까지"…엑소(EXO) 'Obsession' 뮤직비디오, 역대 11번째로 1억뷰 돌파". topstarnews. August 13, 2020. Archived from the original on September 29, 2020. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
^ ""K-POP KING" EXO, The 6th Album "OBSESSION" Comeback Countdown!". SM Entertainment. Archived from the original on December 12, 2019. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
^ Herman, Tamar (November 7, 2019). "EXO Prepare to Fight in Captivating Concept Trailer Video For 'Obsession' Album: Watch". Billboard. Archived from the original on August 5, 2021. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
^ Hosken, Patrick (July 30, 2020). "Your 2020 VMA Nominations Are Here: Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande, Billie Eilish, And The Weeknd Lead The Pack". Archived from the original on January 1, 2021. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
^ "2020 MAMA Nominees". mama.mwave.me. Archived from the original on November 1, 2020. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
^ "The 25 Best K-pop Songs of 2019: Critics' Picks". Billboard. December 29, 2019. Archived from the original on December 31, 2019. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
^ "The 20 best K-pop songs of 2019". Dazed. December 6, 2019. Archived from the original on December 15, 2019. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
^ Morin, Natalie (December 19, 2019). "The Best K-Pop Songs Of 2019". Refinery29. Archived from the original on January 7, 2020. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
^ "Best K-pop Music Videos of 2019". BuzzFeed. January 1, 2020. Archived from the original on January 2, 2020. Retrieved January 1, 2020.
^ "'뮤직뱅크' 엑소, '옵세션' 컴백과 동시 1위…"연말 책임지겠다" [종합]". mydaily.co.kr (in Korean). Archived from the original on January 20, 2020. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
^ "'뮤직뱅크' 엑소, '옵세션' 방송 출연없이 1위..박진영김재환스트레이키즈 컴백(종합)". Chosun (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 14, 2019. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
^ "엑소, '음악중심' 1위.."엑소엘 사랑한다"". 10asia (in Korean). Archived from the original on November 1, 2020. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
^ "'음악중심' 엑소 'Obsession', 2주 연속 1위 …박진영·스키즈 컴백 [종합]". xportsnews (in Korean). Archived from the original on November 5, 2020. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
^ "엑소, 2019년 마지막 '쇼챔피언'서 1위…세정·리미트리스 컴백 [종합]". xportsnews (in Korean). Archived from the original on October 30, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
^ Exo (2019). Obsession (photobook). South Korea: SM Entertainment; Dreamus. Credits.
^ "Billboard Japan Hot 100 2019/12/9". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Archived from the original on July 11, 2012. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
^ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. December 9, 2019. Archived from the original on February 7, 2020. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
^ "Singapore Top 30 Regional Streaming Chart Week 49". Recording Industry Association (Singapore). Archived from the original (PDF) on December 10, 2019. Retrieved December 16, 2019.
^ "Digital Chart – Week 48 of 2019". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Archived from the original on November 25, 2016. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
^ "Billboard Kpop Hot 100". Billboard. December 7, 2019. Archived from the original on January 2, 2020. Retrieved January 3, 2020.
^ "Official Independent Singles Breakers Chart Top 20". officialcharts.com. Archived from the original on November 5, 2022. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
^ "Exo Chart History: World Digital Song Sales". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 13, 2018. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
^ "Gaon Digital Chart - December 2019". Gaon Music Chart. Archived from the original on February 17, 2021. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
^ "2020년 Digital Chart". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Archived from the original on January 1, 2021. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
^
Cumulative sales for "Obsession":
- "2019/12/9 付け Billboard Japan Hot 100". Billboard. December 9, 2019. Archived from the original on July 11, 2012. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
- "2019/12/16 付け Billboard Japan Hot 100". Billboard. December 16, 2019. Archived from the original on June 10, 2020. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
- "2020/01/27 付け Billboard Japan Hot 100". Billboard. December 16, 2019. Archived from the original on June 8, 2020. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
^ "EXO's 'Obsession' Leads K-Pop Group to Fourth Billboard 200 Entry, No. 1 on World Digital Song Sales Chart". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 13, 2019. Retrieved August 19, 2020.

[1] "'왕의 귀환' 엑소, 27일 정규 6집 발매 "타이틀곡 'Obsession'"". Naver (in Korean). November 11, 2019. Archived from the original on June 10, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2019.

[2] Park, Seo-hyun (December 5, 2019). ""엑소 작업 완료"‥신동, 다이어트로 미모 대박난 아이돌 감독" [EXO work completed"..Prodigy, idol director who hit the beauty jackpot with diet]. K-Pop Herald (in Korean). Archived from the original on January 22, 2025. Retrieved January 22, 2025.

[3] "톱스타뉴스 "1억뷰 넘어서 10억뷰까지"…엑소(EXO) 'Obsession' 뮤직비디오, 역대 11번째로 1억뷰 돌파". topstarnews. August 13, 2020. Archived from the original on September 29, 2020. Retrieved August 13, 2020.

[4] ""K-POP KING" EXO, The 6th Album "OBSESSION" Comeback Countdown!". SM Entertainment. Archived from the original on December 12, 2019. Retrieved December 1, 2019.

[5] Herman, Tamar (November 7, 2019). "EXO Prepare to Fight in Captivating Concept Trailer Video For 'Obsession' Album: Watch". Billboard. Archived from the original on August 5, 2021. Retrieved September 19, 2021.

[6] Hosken, Patrick (July 30, 2020). "Your 2020 VMA Nominations Are Here: Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande, Billie Eilish, And The Weeknd Lead The Pack". Archived from the original on January 1, 2021. Retrieved August 17, 2020.

[7] "2020 MAMA Nominees". mama.mwave.me. Archived from the original on November 1, 2020. Retrieved October 29, 2020.

[:0-8] "The 25 Best K-pop Songs of 2019: Critics' Picks". Billboard. December 29, 2019. Archived from the original on December 31, 2019. Retrieved December 30, 2019.

[9] "The 20 best K-pop songs of 2019". Dazed. December 6, 2019. Archived from the original on December 15, 2019. Retrieved December 6, 2019.

[10] Morin, Natalie (December 19, 2019). "The Best K-Pop Songs Of 2019". Refinery29. Archived from the original on January 7, 2020. Retrieved September 19, 2021.

[11] "Best K-pop Music Videos of 2019". BuzzFeed. January 1, 2020. Archived from the original on January 2, 2020. Retrieved January 1, 2020.

[12] "'뮤직뱅크' 엑소, '옵세션' 컴백과 동시 1위…"연말 책임지겠다" [종합]". mydaily.co.kr (in Korean). Archived from the original on January 20, 2020. Retrieved December 6, 2019.

[13] "'뮤직뱅크' 엑소, '옵세션' 방송 출연없이 1위..박진영김재환스트레이키즈 컴백(종합)". Chosun (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 14, 2019. Retrieved December 14, 2019.

[14] "엑소, '음악중심' 1위.."엑소엘 사랑한다"". 10asia (in Korean). Archived from the original on November 1, 2020. Retrieved December 7, 2019.

[15] "'음악중심' 엑소 'Obsession', 2주 연속 1위 …박진영·스키즈 컴백 [종합]". xportsnews (in Korean). Archived from the original on November 5, 2020. Retrieved December 14, 2019.

[16] "엑소, 2019년 마지막 '쇼챔피언'서 1위…세정·리미트리스 컴백 [종합]". xportsnews (in Korean). Archived from the original on October 30, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2019.

[17] Exo (2019). Obsession (photobook). South Korea: SM Entertainment; Dreamus. Credits.

[18] "Billboard Japan Hot 100 2019/12/9". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Archived from the original on July 11, 2012. Retrieved December 4, 2019.

[19] "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. December 9, 2019. Archived from the original on February 7, 2020. Retrieved December 7, 2019.

[20] "Singapore Top 30 Regional Streaming Chart Week 49". Recording Industry Association (Singapore). Archived from the original (PDF) on December 10, 2019. Retrieved December 16, 2019.

[21] "Digital Chart – Week 48 of 2019". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Archived from the original on November 25, 2016. Retrieved December 5, 2019.

[22] "Billboard Kpop Hot 100". Billboard. December 7, 2019. Archived from the original on January 2, 2020. Retrieved January 3, 2020.

[23] "Official Independent Singles Breakers Chart Top 20". officialcharts.com. Archived from the original on November 5, 2022. Retrieved September 26, 2020.

[24] "Exo Chart History: World Digital Song Sales". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 13, 2018. Retrieved December 10, 2019.

[25] "Gaon Digital Chart - December 2019". Gaon Music Chart. Archived from the original on February 17, 2021. Retrieved January 10, 2020.

[26] "2020년 Digital Chart". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Archived from the original on January 1, 2021. Retrieved January 7, 2021.

[27] Cumulative sales for "Obsession":
"2019/12/9 付け Billboard Japan Hot 100". Billboard. December 9, 2019. Archived from the original on July 11, 2012. Retrieved August 19, 2020.

"2019/12/16 付け Billboard Japan Hot 100". Billboard. December 16, 2019. Archived from the original on June 10, 2020. Retrieved August 19, 2020.

"2020/01/27 付け Billboard Japan Hot 100". Billboard. December 16, 2019. Archived from the original on June 8, 2020. Retrieved August 19, 2020.

[28] "2019/12/9 付け Billboard Japan Hot 100". Billboard. December 9, 2019. Archived from the original on July 11, 2012. Retrieved August 19, 2020.

[29] "2019/12/16 付け Billboard Japan Hot 100". Billboard. December 16, 2019. Archived from the original on June 10, 2020. Retrieved August 19, 2020.

[30] "2020/01/27 付け Billboard Japan Hot 100". Billboard. December 16, 2019. Archived from the original on June 8, 2020. Retrieved August 19, 2020.

[28] "EXO's 'Obsession' Leads K-Pop Group to Fourth Billboard 200 Entry, No. 1 on World Digital Song Sales Chart". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 13, 2019. Retrieved August 19, 2020.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]

[18]

[19]

[20]

[21]

[22]

[23]

[24]

[25]

[26]

[27]

[28]