It was formed in 1998 and as of 2022 is composed of vocalist Masha Mysmane, guitarist Wolve, bassist Simone Matteo Tiraboschi, and drummer Mark Campailla.

They have played with a number of bands while on tour, including Otep, Rammstein, HIM, Ill Niño, Die Ärzte, P!NK, In Extremo, Paradise Lost, and Guano Apes.

[1] Mysmane chose the name Exilia due to its Latin meaning "to release energy" because she felt its "power, the immediacy, the fact that it was 'female' and important" was at the core of the music she wanted the band to create.

[3][5] The following year, they released the EP "Underdog" and appeared at several festivals, including Taubertal,[6][1][4][7] Forestglade, and MTV's Campus Invasion.

[3][8] Exilia filmed its first music video in Cologne, Germany[9] in April 2004[citation needed] for the song "Stop Playing God".

[4] The same month, a limited edition EP of their next album, Unleashed, was released and featured the lead singer of In Extremo on the track "I Guess You Know".

[10][4] Exilia appeared at the Summer Breeze Open Air in Germany in August 2006 and shortly after announced that their European tour was to be postponed to spring 2007 due to Mysmane breaking her leg.

[17][18] The album features a number of protest songs, including "No Colours" (anti-nationalism) and "Kill Me" (about the violation of human rights).