Lay became the sixth member of EXO and was formally presented to the public on January 17, 2012, debuting as the fourth Chinese member of the EXO-M subunit. Following the release of the singles "What Is Love" and "History" in 2012, he and the other eleven members celebrated their pre-debut showcase at the Seoul Olympic Stadium on March 31, and a second showcase and press conference in Beijing at the Great Hall of the Beijing University of Business and International Economics. The group officially debuted on April 8, 2012 with their song titled "Mama", and EXO-M's first performance in China was at the 12th Yinyue Fengyun Bang Awards.