EXO is indeed OT9! In the recent preview of Youku's survival show, "We Are Young 2020," EXO's Lay, or Zhang Yixing, delighted EXO-Ls and Xingmis/Xbacks (individual fandom name for Lay) as he mentioned his EXO members, Kai and Suho, when he looked back at his trainee days.
In the show's Episode 6 preview, the Chinese member of K-pop icon EXO, Lay, conveyed his thoughts and feelings after the interviewers asked him about the trainees in the show who have low self-esteem due to lack of screentime. According to the trainees, due to this factor, they are worried that viewers won't see their strengths.
However, mentor Lay opposed this view and talked about his trainee days when he also thought that he was not good enough. But he decided to use this as an opportunity to fill up himself instead, discovering his strength while learning other strengths.
"There should be a healthy competition," he said. He expressed that instead of feeling down, join a member who you think has the strongest point, dance with them more as well as learn from them.
He then mentioned his fellow main dancer in EXO, Kai, in which he admitted who he danced along with often, building a healthy competition between them. Lay also reminisced that their leader, Suho, along with Kai and him would often eat and practice together, just having fun.
"During that time, I actually grew well fast, and after that, I told myself to learn seriously again and attend classes, where I met good teachers," he shared.
Along with the interview, Lay also revealed that days before, he was staying in touch with his members through chats, talking about dancing, and brought up his Youku's "Street Dance of China 3," wherein he's also one of the mentors.
He thought that if given a chance, it would be nice if they could have fun together, mentioning Kai again as a good dancer.
Meanwhile, Lay affirmed that there is definitely a different kind of growth when a person has a companion by his or her side. Just like his experience with EXO Kai, he discovered his strength by learning from him through a healthy rivalry.
EXO, initially composed of 12 members, comprising of Suho, Baekhyun, D.O, Xiumin, Chanyeol, Chen, Sehun, Lay, and Kai (former members: Tao, Luhan, and Kris), debuted in 2012 under SM Entertainment.
Currently, three members Suho, Xiumin, and D.O are enlisted in the military, while the remaining members as of now are promoting as solo artists and/or as a sub-unit, while Lay is currently promoting and is focused on his solo career in China.
The latest release of the group was with their studio album, "Obsession," dropped last November 2019. Baekhyun dropped his sophomore album "Delight" in May of 2020, along with the title track "Candy," which made him the first million-seller soloist in 20 years. Leader Suho made his successful debut as a soloist in March with "Self-Portrait."
Sub-unit Sehun and Chanyeol, EXO-SC, also released their first regular album "1 Billion Views" on July 13, while Lay just unveiled the second part of his 4th solo album, "Lit," on July 21. Kai is expected to debut as a solo artist this year.
