EXO’s year-end collaboration stages through 2023

Viewed as isolated broadcasts, EXO’s year-end collaborations can seem like decorative finales. Chronologically, they reveal a changing map of K-pop: agency families crossing paths, senior acts sharing space with newer groups, and choreography rebuilt around temporary lineups. This timeline of EXO’s collaborations with other K-pop groups at year-end stages follows televised joint stages rather than every studio feature or casual social-media performance.

The important pattern is adaptation. EXO’s “Dream” with Girls’ Generation and 2PM borrowed the drama-special format, while later stages placed group songs inside the faster spectacle of Mnet Asian Music Awards and MBC Gayo Daejeon. A song may return with different verses, transitions and dance formations, making the collaboration itself the new work.

For Australian viewers, Seoul’s evening ceremonies often arrive after midnight during daylight saving time in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. The local viewing habit is therefore a mix of late streaming, morning catch-up clips and fan discussions. ARIA chart visibility, specialist K-pop retailers and dance-school cover classes give these performances a commercial and community life beyond the original broadcast.

The first crossover: Dream and My My

At the 2013 MBC Drama Awards, EXO appeared with Girls’ Generation and 2PM for “Dream.” It was an early high-water mark because it joined three established acts inside a single year-end television special, with the song and formations carrying the audience from one verse to the next. The performance also captured EXO’s rapid move from newcomer status toward centre stage.

The following year brought a different kind of partnership. At the 2014 Mnet Asian Music Awards, EXO and A Pink shared “My My,” pairing a polished vocal showcase with a bright, synchronised set. For EXO-L, the appeal was not simply a surprise guest: it was how another girl group could reinterpret an EXO song without erasing the hosts’ identity.

Shinhwa changes the chemistry

In 2015, EXO joined Shinhwa for “1 to 1” at Mnet Asian Music Awards. The song belonged to Shinhwa, but the arrangement turned it into a conversation between generations: compact older-school grooves met EXO’s sharper formations and a large cast on stage. It also anticipated a broader trend in which veteran K-pop acts were treated as active collaborators rather than nostalgic references.

Shinhwa returned with EXO for “Press It” in 2016, replacing the earlier song with a more urgent performance. The repeated pairing gave the year-end stage a narrative arc and allowed the groups to sharpen the mood through tempo, movement and shared vocal moments. Background on the EXO members involved can be useful when tracking those exchanges; the EXO member profiles provide a practical reference.

The stage network widens

By 2018, EXO’s year-end calendar had room for several kinds of crossover. With SEVENTEEN at MBC Gayo Daejeon, EXO blended “Love Shot” and “A Love So Beautiful,” while a later Mnet Asian Music Awards appearance placed EXO beside A.C.E for “Call Me.” One pairing emphasised mass choreography; the other connected an established group with a newer name.

Year	Setting	Partner	Shared material	Distinctive feature
2013	MBC Drama Awards	Girls’ Generation and 2PM	“Dream”	Three-group year-end special
2014	Mnet Asian Music Awards	A Pink	“My My”	Vocal and formation exchange
2015	Mnet Asian Music Awards	Shinhwa	“1 to 1”	Veteran–rookie contrast
2016	Mnet Asian Music Awards	Shinhwa	“Press It”	Faster, more theatrical set
2018	MBC Gayo Daejeon	SEVENTEEN	“Love Shot” and “A Love So Beautiful”	Large joint choreography
2018	Mnet Asian Music Awards	A.C.E	“Call Me”	Newer group meets EXO
2019	MBC Gayo Daejeon	ITZY	“Love Shot”	EXO track recast with ITZY
2020	Mnet Asian Music Awards	SEVENTEEN	“Hit” and “Home”	Virtual-era collaboration
2021	Mnet Asian Music Awards	SuperM and SHINee	“One (Monster & Infinity)”	Four EXO members through SuperM
2023	Mnet Asian Music Awards	(G)I-DLE	“MTV” mash-up	“Monster” meets “I Want That”

The 2019 MBC Gayo Daejeon stage with ITZY carried EXO’s “Love Shot” into a sharper, faster context. ITZY’s precision and energy changed the song’s texture, while EXO’s established fan base gave the younger group a large shared audience. It was a useful example of a crossover working in both directions: the guest brought intensity, and the host supplied scale.

The timeline is selective rather than annual, as festival and broadcast schedules vary and some pairings were brief specials while others became recurring partnerships. Even so, the sequence shows EXO moving from relay-style variety stages to clearly staged musical exchanges built around performance chemistry.

Virtual and project-group milestones

The 2020 Mnet Asian Music Awards added a different kind of crossover. With global travel restricted and audiences watching from home, EXO joined SEVENTEEN for “Hit” and “Home.” The virtual production changed the visual language, yet the joint choreography preserved the sense of a shared physical stage. Sydney and Melbourne dance studios also kept the songs alive through online cover sessions and small local meet-ups.

In 2021, SuperM joined SHINee for “One (Monster & Infinity)” at the same awards. Because SuperM included Baekhyun, Chen, Kai and Taemin, the performance belongs in an EXO timeline with a qualification: it represented four members through a project group, not all nine under the EXO name. The stage also turned SHINee’s “Monster” into shared material, making the connection musical as well as sentimental.

Monster returns for the MTV moment

The next major full-group exchange arrived at the 2023 Mnet Asian Music Awards. EXO and (G)I-DLE performed the “MTV” mash-up, combining EXO’s “Monster” with (G)I-DLE’s “I Want That.” Both groups already had the tempo and confidence for a high-impact stage, but the shared verses and close formation work made the pairing feel unusually immediate.

It also showed how a collaboration can create a third version of familiar material. “Monster” had long belonged to EXO’s catalogue and performance history; “I Want That” carried (G)I-DLE’s own identity. Combining them turned two recognisable tracks into a year-end conversation about shared choreography, confidence and the pleasure of seeing artists dismantle the usual boundaries between separate schedules.

For Australian fans, the value of this moment is easy to revisit in edited clips and full broadcasts, even when a late-night start prevents live viewing. It also shows why crossovers endure: each partnership leaves a distinct performance memory rather than merely adding another name to a collaboration list.

Build a year-end collaboration watchlist

A useful watchlist follows the arc of the performances instead of treating them as one long guest reel. Start with the earliest special, compare the two Shinhwa stages, then watch how the format becomes more contemporary through SEVENTEEN, A.C.E, ITZY, SuperM and (G)I-DLE.

• Begin with “Dream” to see three-group staging at the 2013 year-end special.
• Pair Shinhwa’s 2015 “1 to 1” with 2016 “Press It” for contrast.
• Revisit 2018 through SEVENTEEN’s large ensemble and A.C.E’s “Call Me.”
• Study ITZY’s 2019 “Love Shot” for its tempo, formations and shared focus.
• Save the virtual 2020 SEVENTEEN stage and the 2021 SHINee–SuperM reunion.
• Finish with the 2023 “MTV” mash-up for a clear exchange between two catalogues.

Choose one of these stages and share the full performance with an EXO-L group in Australia, noting the moment that changes the arrangement most. Keep the event name, year and participating groups in the caption so newcomers can find the original broadcast, then watch the next December with a timeline rather than waiting for a single surprise guest.