EXO #SUHO's exclusive LIVE album-unboxing on Twitter

SUHO, leader of the global Kpop group EXO (@weareoneEXO), visited Twitter Blueroom on March 26 to celebrate the release of his first solo EP titled ‘Self-Portrait’. Out of all the social networking services officially used by EXO, SUHO chose Twitter, a popular online platform for global Kpop fans, to introduce his EP personally for the first time and communicate with his fans. This was broadcast live for an hour from 6 p.m. (Korea standard time); and #EXOL (group of #EXO fans worldwide) from all over the world communicated with SUHO via live chat as well as Tweets with the hashtags #AskSUHO, #SUHO, #TwitterBlueroom, etc. Questions poured in the entire time and #AskSUHO became the No.1 trending hashtag on Twitter.

Prior to the broadcast, Twitter unveiled a special emoji created to congratulate SUHO on his first-ever solo promotion. The emoji was inspired by a self-portrait of SUHO, and it automatically pops up when a user enters the hashtags #SUHO,  #Self_Portrait,  #Lets_Love. So be sure to check out the one-of-a-kind self-portrait emoji of SUHO on Twitter. 

SUHO’s #TwitterBlueroom LIVE session kicked off with a sneak peek into his “Self-Portrait” album. SUHO began by saying, “I’ve always been with team EXO, so now that there is no one around me, it feels empty and awkward.” There were eight cushions near him, so some of the fans speculated that they symbolized the other members of EXO. SUHO expressed regrets about being unable to meet the fans in person due to the COVID-19 outbreak and heightened anticipation by revealing that he has a lot more diverse videos and events in store for them, as a way to make up for everything. 

During the first part of the #TwitterBlueroom LIVE session, SUHO unboxed his EP which was produced in two different versions called A and B. This was arguably the most awaited part of the program, as the EP was being unveiled for the first time to the world on Twitter. SUHO explained, “The album package itself is a work of art,” before going on to describe what is included in the package piece-by-piece. He even shared some behind-the-scenes stories about the album photographs. Startled by the way SUHO was revealing pretty much everything about the album package, one of the staff members from his agency had to stop him before he divulged all the information. Although disappointed, SUHO ended things on a humorous note, waving a photo card and making the viewers laugh.

Questions from fans began to flood in after SUHO’s elaborate description of his EP. One of the fans, for instance, asked, “Did you draw [the images on] the package yourself?” and in response, SUHO stated, “I took a look at the works by countless artists and collaborated with the artist whose works I liked the most.” 

The unboxing segment was followed by a Q&A session, which is the highlight of Twitter Blueroom Live. There were many questions regarding the EP such as “What was different about preparing for a solo record from your usual group activities?” and “What was your biggest source of inspiration during the album-making process?” He answered each question after giving it a careful thought. He showed his quirky side by asking, “Now where was I?” and the fans explained to him what they were talking about. 

All kinds of stories about the EP were shared through the Q&A session, after which SUHO promised his fans to meet them again soon. But the audience was in for a surprise.

After what seemed to be the last video was played, the live broadcast was resumed. SUHO mischievously said, “You thought it was over, right?” and walked into the BlueroomLive again to announce the winners of the #Self_Portrait_Challenge (#천하제일수호그림대회) which was held to commemorate the release of his EP. Five works in total were honored with awards. SUHO explained the reason behind each win such as the ties to the music video and encouraging people to wear masks before thanking his fans for their participation.

Addressing the drawing of SUHO wearing a mask, he explained, “I picked this one so that you’d all wear a mask,” and added, “Let’s put on masks to be considerate of one another and beat COVID-19” as a way to encourage his fans to stay strong. 

SUHO also introduced another drawing that he was impressed with, even though it didn’t win an award. It was a drawing of SUHO with a surprised look on his face. He said, “I didn’t give an award to this one, but it is pretty good in that the person who drew it seems to be poking fun at me.” He then jokingly said, “There are a lot of pictures of me that I look good.” 

After the BlueroomLive, SUHO expressed his love and affection toward his fans by Tweeting a video of himself answering the questions that he couldn’t answer during the live broadcast due to the time restriction. 

The Twitter BlueroomLive with SUHO was filled with various segments and tons of fun and laughter. It was a meaningful experience where many could finally laugh, despite the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.  

Twitter plans to continue hosting #TwitterBlueroom featuring Kpop stars to allow them to communicate with their fans worldwide. Visit #TwitterBlueroom to connect with your ultimate favorite Kpop idols and biases and have some fun!