2013 single by Exo
"Growl " (Korean : 으르렁 RR : Eureureong Chinese :咆哮 ;pinyin :Páoxiào Exo , released on August 5, 2013, for the repackaged edition of their first studio albumXOXO Korean andChinese versions by their labelSM Entertainment . The song is known as Exo's breakthrough single, with over two million downloads in South Korea.
Release and promotion [ edit ] Composed byHyuk Shin , DK,Jordan Kyle , John Major and Jarah Gibson, "Growl" is described as adance-pop song withcontemporary R&B andfunk influences. After its release was announced, a video filming the group practicing the song's choreography was leaked online on July 27. Exo began performing the song on South Korean music TV shows on August 1 before it was officially released together with the album on August 5, 2013. They also performed the song on several Chinese TV shows.
The song was performed during the closing ceremony for the 2018 Winter Olympics inPyeongchang , along with their 2017 song "Power ".[ 2]
The Korean and Chinese music videos for "Growl" were released on August 1, 2013, four days ahead of the song itself. They exclusively feature Exo's performance of the song at a dimly lit warehouse and utilized theone shot style, appearing to have been filmed in a singletake . Another set of music videos for the song, filmed at a different location, were released on August 20, 2013. On May 29, 2019, the Korean music video surpassed 200 million views on YouTube, becoming their fourth music video to do so.[ 3]
"Growl" reached number 2 on South Korea'sGaon Digital Chart , as well as number 3 on theBillboard Korea K-Pop Hot 100 andWorld Digital Songs charts.[ 4] [ 5] [ 6] Billboard [ 7]
Describing it as "the crown jewel in EXO's fantastic 2013",Billboard picked "Growl" as the best K-pop song of 2013.[ 8] Melon Music Awards andKBS Song Festival . The song is Exo's best-selling single to date, having accumulated over two million downloads.
In July 2017, defectors from North Korea stated Exo has some popularity in North Korea, although people have to listen to them in secret and don't know what the members look like, and Growl in particular is used as a confession song amongst youth to confess to one's crush due to the lyrics.[ 9] [ 10]
"Growl" on critic lists Publication Year List Rank Ref. Billboard 2013 The 20 Best K-pop Songs of 2013 1 [ 11] 2018 The 100 Greatest Boy Band Songs of All Time 58 [ 12] 2019 The 100 Greatest K-pop Songs of the 2010s 50 [ 13] British GQ Best K-pop songs of the decade No order [ 14] Dazed 2013 Top 10 K-pop Songs of 2013 2 [ 15] The Dong-a Ilbo 2016 Best Male Idol Songs in the Past 20 Years 3 [ 16] The Forty-Five 2023 The 45 best K-pop songs of all-time(Rhian Daly) 29 [ 17] Melon 2021 Top 100 K-pop Songs of All Time 2 [ 18] Munhwa Ilbo 2019 10 best K-pop songs of the decade(Kim In-goo) No order [ 19] Rolling Stone 2023 100 Greatest Songs in the History of Korean Pop Music 34 [ 20] SBS PopAsia 2013 Top 100 Asian pop songs of 2013 1 [ 21]
Music program awards (14 total) Program Date Ref. Music Bank August 16, 2013 [ 30] August 23, 2013 [ 31] Inkigayo August 18, 2013 [ 32] August 25, 2013 [ 33] September 1, 2013 [ 34] Show Champion August 21, 2013 [ 35] August 28, 2013 September 4, 2013 [ 36] M Countdown August 22, 2013 [ 37] August 29, 2013 September 5, 2013 Show! Music Core August 24, 2013 [ 38] August 31, 2013 September 7, 2013
On November 10, 2025, SM Jazz Trio ofSM Classics , released a jazz cover of "Growl" for their debut studio album,Pink Note .[ 39]
Chart (2013) Position South Korea (Gaon)[ 40] 56 South Korea (K-pop Hot 100)[ 41] 19 US World Digital Songs (Billboard )[ 42] 14
Region Sales South Korea(digital) [ 43] 2,023,254
Credits and personnel [ edit ] Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[ 44]
Studio
SM Blue Cup Studio – recording, mixing In Grid Studio – recording Sound Pool Studios – recording Sonic Korea –mastering Personnel
SM Entertainment – executive producerKim Young-min – executive supervisor Lee Soo-man –producer Exo – vocalsSeo Ji-eum – Korean lyricsWang Yajun – Mandarin lyrics Hyuk Shin –composition ,arranger , vocal directingDK – composition Jordan Kyle – composition, arrangerJohn Major – composition, arranger Jarah Gibson – composition Kim Jin-hwan – vocal directing Jeong Eul-seok – recording, mixing Jeong Eun-kyung – recording Kim Ji-eun – recording Jeong Ho-jin – recording Lee Yoon-ji – bass Cheon Hoon – mastering Release history for "Growl" Region Date Format Label Various August 5, 2013
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Korean and Japanese Collaborations
