‘WHEE!’ Tops Charts in 14 Countries… Xiumin’s Comeback Week Music Show Appearances Canceled [★FOCUS]

EXO member Xiumin, who recently released a new song, faced setbacks as all scheduled music show appearances for his comeback week were canceled.

According to an exclusive report by Star News on the 13th, Xiumin will not be appearing on KBS 2TV’s music program Music Bank on the 14th. Typically, music show appearances are determined at the beginning of the week, considering factors such as stage concept and rehearsal schedules. However, even after Xiumin’s side lifted their boycott against KBS on the 9th, they reportedly received no response from the Music Bank production team. Xiumin’s team plans to request a FaceTime meeting (a discussion between the production team and the artist’s representatives) next week to push for an appearance on the show.

Xiumin was also not included in the lineup for Mnet’s M Countdown, which airs on the 13th, and is unlikely to appear on MBC’s Show! Music Core on the 15th.

Reports suggest that these broadcasters are hesitant due to Xiumin’s ongoing legal dispute with his former agency, SM Entertainment. As part of the EXO subunit CBX, Xiumin, along with Baekhyun and Chen, has been in a legal battle with SM Entertainment over settlement issues since June last year.

Additionally, Xiumin will not be performing on SBS’s Inkigayo on the 16th. This follows a broader conflict between SBS and artists from One Hundred Label, Xiumin’s current agency. Last September, EXO’s Baekhyun, also under One Hundred Label, was excluded from Inkigayo’s official comeback lineup announcement video, sparking tensions between the label and SBS. Despite raising concerns with SBS’s entertainment division, One Hundred Label reportedly received no satisfactory response. At that time, EXO’s Chanyeol, who remains under SM Entertainment, performed on Inkigayo, further fueling speculation about industry conflicts.

As a result, Xiumin’s comeback performances on major music shows (KBS, MBC, SBS, Mnet) have all been canceled.

Despite this, Xiumin’s solo mini-album Interview X, released on the 10th, has been met with strong global support. The album’s title track WHEE! topped iTunes Top Songs charts in 14 countries, including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Fiji, Honduras, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Oman, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, and the UAE.

WHEE! is a UK Garage-based dance song that blends synthesizers with Xiumin’s vocals, creating a trendy and sophisticated energy. Its music video has also been praised for its artistic visuals and unique storytelling. Additionally, Interview X ranked No.1 on iTunes Top Albums charts in seven countries, including Argentina, Fiji, Kazakhstan, Sri Lanka, Türkiye, UAE, and Oman.

Although K-pop fans worldwide are showing enthusiastic support, Xiumin’s performances on music programs remain unavailable. However, he will hold 2025 XIUMIN SPECIAL STAGE ‘WHEE!’, a free special event on March 15 at 3:30 PM at Yonsei University’s Baekyang Hall in Seoul, where he will perform his new song live for the first time.

Xiumin will also embark on an Asia fan concert tour starting in Seoul on March 22, visiting six cities. His acting career continues as well—he is set to play the lead role of Heo Gyun in the drama Heo’s Restaurant, which will be released on Netflix and Wavve starting March 24.

Written by Yoon Seong Yeol

Translated by Lee So Yun

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