EXO chosen by Billboard among artists to watch for in 2014

South Korean boy group EXO has been chosen as one of the rising artists worth noticing in 2014 by the U.S. Billboard magazine.

   EXO is the only Asian group mentioned in the magazine's article, "14 Artists to Watch in 2014," which was posted on its website on Monday (U.S. Eastern time).

   The list also includes British soul musician John Newman, U.S. pop duo Holychild and U.S. R&B singer Banks.

   "EXO looks positioned to be K-pop's next crossover phenom with an American fan base brewing for the 12-member boy band. The video for southern hip-hop-inspired 'Growl' was 2013's third most viewed K-pop music video in the U.S., after the internationally recognized PSY and Girls' Generation," Billboard said.

   "They also snagged the fifth and ninth biggest-selling K-pop tracks in America last year for 'Growl' and dubstep-inspired 'Wolf,' respectively," it added.

   Last month, EXO's first full-length album titled "XOXO (Kisses & Hugs) and its repackaged version have sold more than 1 million copies in total, becoming the first million seller in 12 years in the South Korean pop music industry.  (Yonhap News)