While McRae was creating the track list for the album with Ryan Tedder, he suggested that they write a song together with Spry in 30 minutes.

[6] The announcement post on Instagram was captioned with the lyric "kisses to my xx",[7] while she had previously teased the song in a TikTok video a few days prior.

[8] McRae performed "Exes" on the December 12, 2023, episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

[12] Inspired by artists such as Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, McRae wanted choreography to have a prominent role in the video.

[12][13] McRae revealed in an interview with W Magazine that during the video shoot, she had an allergic reaction because of the usage of hay stacks used in the background.