~ KIM JONGHYUN ~

Today is a very special day for Shawols around the world. Three years ago, on December 18^th, 2017, Kim Jong Hyun, our bowl of joy and happiness and the main vocalist of the Kpop group SHINee, left us for a life where he wouldn’t be in pain anymore. I want this presentation to act as a tribute to him, not for everyone to remember him as an idol who committed suicide. Jonghyun was so unique in every aspect, he had a unique personality, a unique sound, a unique voice, a unique smile… He was so genuinely happy whenever he was on stage, his fans made him happy, his bandmates and friends made him happy too… We will never know what was truly going on in his mind on that day but what we can do is remember him, remember the great artist he was, and cherish what he left behind him. This is why I decided to put out this presentation on his death anniversary, because I wanted to pay tribute to him, and because I want people to remember him.  

 

Kim Jong hyun, a.k.a Jonghyun from SHINee, was born in Seoul, South Korea on April 8th, 1990. He has an older sister named Kim Song Dam and went to Seoul Music Institute, Chungwoon University and Myonggi University before joining SM entertainment. He debuted with the Kpop group SHINee on May 25th, 2008 as the main vocalist and with the song “Replay” under the label SM entertainment. He also made his solo debut under the same label on January 12th, 2015 with his first mini album, “Base” with the title song “Crazy”. He was also the host of a popular radio show called “JongHyun’s Blue Night” but hosted his last episode on March 9th, 2017 due to his commitment as a SHINee member and singer/producer. I remember Minho (his bandmate) visiting him in the studio on his last day at the radio program and he was so moved, like literally. He was close friends with Yeri (from Red Velvet), Amber (from f(x)), and Taeyon (from SNSD), all being his labelmates (under SM entertainment).

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jonghyun also wrote a book titled “Diphylleia Grayi” and wrote a song from the same name (which is my favorite of his). Diphylleia Grayi is the scientific name of a flower called “Skeleton Flower” or “Glass Flower” because their white petals become transparent like glass at the touch of raindrops. 

Jonhyun is one of the Kpop idols with most songs copyrighted under his name. He wrote “Obsession” and “Juliette” by SHINee, “Gloomy Clock” by IU, “Red Candle” by Son Dambi, “No more” by Lim Kim, and “Breathe” by Lee Hi. He truly has a sensitivity to everything and usually looks at things from different perspectives. He wrote the lyrics for the song “Selene 6.23” in which he’s addressing SHINee’s international fans whom he can’t physically see and touch but still thinks about them and looking over them (and that’s what he’s doing right now, looking over all of us from some other place I’d like to call heaven).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finally, he was one of the most sensitive human being I've ever "met" in my life. He was often caught crying on stage and in interviews (this shouldn’t be a taboo seriously, just because he cries easily doesn’t mean he’s ‘weak’). I will always remember the part in SHINee world IV where they sang replay Jonghyun started crying at the end of the performance (you can watch it here). He was the most caring person towards his member and this really sensitive personality of his translated into his songs and his performances on stage. He also was a strong advocate of the LGBTQ+ community and fought for their rights as well as for social progress in a country that is, we tend to forget it, pretty conservative (although progress has been made for the past few years). 

Unfortunately, Jonghyun left us three years ago on December 18^th, 2017. He died from carbon monoxide poisoning, and the police concluded it was suicide. Before that, he had texted his sister with the following: “It’s been hard, let me go. Tell me I’ve worked hard. This is my farewell”. After reading these suicidal thoughts, she called the police around 4:42 pm KST saying that her younger brother had sent her suicidal text messages. 2 hours later, they arrive at a residential hotel in Seoul while he was having a cardiac arrest. He is immediately rushed to the hospital and is declared dead in the evening. His death was really tragic news in the industry, and the whole entertainment world was mourning him. I honestly don’t know how the SHINee members still managed to do their concert in February 2018 in Japan, but damn I cannot imagine how they felt standing on stage as well as the fans there.

What’s most important now is to pay tribute to him, to never forget how amazing an artist he was, and to cherish the work he left behind him. He was the 2^nd SHINee member to go solo and the albums he had put out, She Is, Base, Poet | Artist, are all as unique as him. Every album he put out, and every single song on them are a part of him. 

Here are some videos I suggest you watch if you want to get to know him, it’s never too late, or if you want to remember him and feel closer to him. Rest in peace angel, you worked well.

His breathtaking interpretation of the spanish song "Y si fuera Ella" (Hyeya in Korean) : click here

When Key updated the story on his instagram with the SHINee members recreating the snack commercial and Jonghyun fell out: click here.

SHINee world IV performance of "Excuse Me Miss" (watch out the chemistry between him and Taemin, it's adorable): click here.

SHINee world IV performance of "Woof Woof", that costume is iconic, and he didn't hold back with the moves lol: click here.

Finally, I came across a video on YouTube explaining really well why Jonghyun was a model and how he changed the Kpop industry, so I suggest you go and watch it here.

To anyone who's not okay, who's feeling lonely, who's struggling with life (especially during those hard times)  in every aspect, you are not alone. I just have one thing to say: It's okay to not be okay, but having suicidal thoughts is not the solution. Reach out to someone, someone you know or someone you don't know, but someone who will listen to you and won't judge you. You are not alone.

Take care everyone, and I'll see you all soon.

 

Love, Swan

Sources: Kprofiles, Kpopmap, Soompi, Youtube, Wikipedia. 

~ PENTAGON ~

Members from left to right: Wooseok, Shinwon, Hongseok, Kino, Hui, Yeo One, Yuto and Yanan. 

Who is PENTAGON?

Pentagon is a 9-membered boy group who debuted through the Mnet survival show “Pentagon Maker” on October 10, 2016 with the song “Gorilla” and is under the company CUBE entertainment, home to other groups like (G)-Idle, CLC and BtoB. They were initially 10 but E’Dawn (who is now a solo artist under the name of Dawn) left the company and the group on November 14, 2018.  Pentagon's fans are called "Universe". Their latest Korean comeback was on October 12, 2020 with their eleventh mini-album entitled "Love or Take" and its title track "Do or Not". Jinho is currently serving in the military, so he couldn't participate in the comeback at all. Hui did participate in the recordings and the MV but didn't appear during promotions because he enlisted in between. 

Here are their official social media accounts if you want to follow them closely: 

• Official Website: www.cubeent.co.kr/pentagon
• Twitter: @cube_ptg
• Twitter (Staff): @cube_ptg_staff
• Twitter (Japan): @CUBE_PTG_JAPAN
• Instagram: @cube_ptg 
• Facebook: PENTAGON
• YouTube: PENTAGON 펜타곤 
• YouTube (Japan): PENTAGONVEVO
• V Live: Pentagon
• Fan Cafe: cube-pentagon
• TikTok: @official_ptg

 

Stage Name: Hui

Birth Name: Lee Hoe Taek

Position: Leader, Main vocalist, Lead Dancer, Producer

Birthday: August 28, 1993

Nationality: Korean

Fun facts: If he was a girl, he’d date Yeo One. He and E’Dawn formed a subunit with their labelmate Hyuna called Triple H. He composed “Never” for Produce 101, Wanna One’s debut track “Energetic”, and “Boys” for produce X 101. He also helped compose and write the lyrics for BVNDIT’s “Dramatic”. Hui enlisted in the military on February 18, 2021. His ideal type is someone who tries their best at everything they do.

 

 

 

Stage Name: Jinho

Birth Name: Jo Jin Ho

Position: Main Vocalist

Birthday: April 17, 1992

Nationality: Korean

Fun facts: He was a former SM entertainment trainee. He made a cameo in the drama Age of youth 2 just like Shinwon, Kino, Yeo One, Yuto and Wooseok. He’d trade bodies with Hongseok because of his abs. He enlisted on May 11, 2020. His ideal type is someone girly, he likes girls with nice nails.

 

Stage Name: Hongseok

Birth Name: Yang Hong Seok

Position: Main Vocalist

Birthday: April 17, 1994

Nationality: Korean

Fun facts: He can speak Korean, Chinese, and English. He is a former YG entertainment trainee and was a contestant on MIX&MATCH, the show that made iKON. He likes Iron Man and Working out. His ideal type is someone with similar preferences and someone he can eat with.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stage Name: Shinwon

Birth Name: Ko Shin Won

Position: Sub Vocalist

Birthday: December 11, 1995

Nationality: Korean

Fun facts: He’s McDonald’s no.1 fan. He’s a fashionista. He’s a fan of Jimin (BTS). Shinwon's ideal type is someone cute with a round face.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stage Name: Yeo One

Birth Name: Yeo Chang Gu

Position: Lead Vocalist

Birthday: March 27, 1996

Nationality: Korean

Fun facts: He’s good at acting and watches dramas a lot. His favorite drama is “That winter the wind blows” and his favorite movie is “About Time”. His role model is Cho Inseong. He played a supporting role in the web drama “Spark” (2016) and did a cameo in the drama “Age of Youth 2”. His ideal type is someone with a positive mindset.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stage Name: Yanan

Birth Name: Yan An

Position: Sub vocalist, visual

Birthday: October 25, 1996

Nationality: Chinese

Fun facts: He became a CUBE trainee through an audition that was held in China. He can speak Chinese and Korean. He’s a big fan of Little Mix. His favorite song is “Runaway” by Pentagon since it’s his music style. He’s friends with Seventeen’s Jun. He was a contestant of a Chinese show called “The Collaboration” alongside Seventeen’s Jun and The8 and Samuel. On August 22, 2018 Cube announced that Yanan will go on hiatus due to his health. He resumed his activities as a member of Pentagon in September 2020. His ideal type is someone with a bright and kind personality.

 

 

 

Stage Name: Yuto

Birth Name: Adachi Yuto

Position: Lead Rapper, Lead Dancer, Sub Vocalist

Birthday: January 23, 1998

Nationality: Japanese

Fun facts: He can speak Japanese and Korean. He’s called “Takoyaki Prince” by the Pentagon members. He’s friends with ONF’s Yuto. They’re both japanese and former JYP trainees. He’s also friends with NCT’s Yuta. He practiced baseball for 6 years and soccer for 2 years. He’s afraid of the dark and can’t eat spicy food. He likes black clothes and watching anime. His ideal type is someone with short hair, honest and a bright personality.

 

 

 

 

 

Stage Name: Kino

Birth Name: Kang Hyung Gu

Position: Main Dancer, Sub Vocalist, Sub Rapper, Face of the group

Birthday: January 27, 1998

Nationality: Korean

Fun facts: He can speak Korean, Japanese and English. He’s a dance machine and is good at imitating moves. He’s friends with GOT7’s Yugyeom, UNIQ’s Seungyoun and Seventeen’s Vernon. He’s part of the group M.O.L.A (Make our lives Awesome) which consists of him, 15&’s Jimin, UNIQ’s Seungyoun and Nathan for the song “Chillin”. His ideal type is someone with an upbeat personality.

 

 

 

 

 

Stage Name: Wooseok

Birth Name: Jung Woo Seok

Position: Main Rapper, Sub Vocalist, Maknae

Birthday: January 31, 1998

Nationality: Korean

Fun facts: He likes anime and dislikes cucumbers. He’s close with Wanna One’s Kuanlin (who’s also under CUBE entertainment). He gets angry when taken for granted. He contrinuted in writing the lyrics for “Never” for produce 101 with hui and E’Dawn and the lyrics for Wanna One’s debut single “Energetic” with Hui. In March 11, 2019 he debuted in the unit Wooseok x Kuanlin, along with Wanna One’s ex-member Kuanlin. His ideal type is someone positive with a pretty smile, someone who smiles often.

 

 

 

Stage Name: E'Dawn (former member)

Birth Name: Kim Hyo-jong

Position: Main Dancer, Lead Rapper, Sub Vocalist

Birthday: June 1, 1994

Nationality: Korean

Fun facts: He is from Hwasun, South Korea. He has a high tone when he raps.  He was a street dancer before he signed with Cube, he also attended a dance academy. He took part in HyunA’s ‘Roll Deep’ performance stages (replacing BtoB’s Ilhoon). E’Dawn and Hui formed a subunit with their labelmate Hyuna, called Triple H. On August 3rd 2018, it was confirmed that E’Dawn and Hyuna have been dating since May 2016. On August 22, 2018 Cube announced on Pentagon’s official social media that E’Dawn will be taking an indefinite hiatus for unspecified reasons. On September 13, 2018 Cube officially announced that E’Dawn and Hyuna have been kicked out from the label. On November 14, 2018 Cube Entertainment confirmed that E’Dawn has left Pentagon and Cube. E’Dawn joined PSY‘s new label, P NATION on January 25th, 2019. He debuted as a soloist under the stage name Dawn, on November 5, 2019.

How I discovered them:

I don’t remember it in details but I know for a fact that the first song I listened to was Gorilla. And oh my god this song is so underrated. It’s not perfect but it’s an amazing debut song! And the choreography is fantastic. I knew about their song Shine but didn’t know it was from them until I came across gorilla and YouTube started recommending me their songs. My bias is Kino with Hongseok and Yeo One fighting for the bias wrecker title lol. But what really made me love the members so much is when they participated in MNET’s “Road to Kingdom”. It’s still bitter that they didn’t win (I’m not saying The Boyz didn’t deserve the title) considering the amount of effort they put in everything they do, especially Hui. He spent countless hours arranging and composing songs in the studio. Kino spent countless hours to create amazing choreographies and the group spent countless hours practicing to make everything perfect. And although this show allowed them to have more exposure, they are still one of the most underrated groups out there. They have proven themselves so many times especially during their last comebacks with Dr. Bebe and Daisy. Now let’s dive deeper into their discography!

About their discography:

Pentagon debuted with the song “Gorilla” which was the title track for their debut album “Pentagon”. This album is a great debut album in my opinion as the songs are not too generic but not too experimental and I think it’s a safe move to do when debuting a new group. If the songs are too generic people won’t pay attention and if it’s too experimental the risk that people don’t like the album is really high.

On September 6, 2017 they release their EP “Demo_01” with the title track “Like this” which one of my favorite songs of theirs. I love the vocals in it and the “nostalgic” atmosphere if you can call it like this. And only 2 months later, they released another EP “Demo_02” with the title track “Runaway” on November 22, 2017. Until here we still are in a pop register with some b-sides taking more or less different directions.

Comes April 2, 2018 when Pentagon releases their EP “Positive” with "Shine" as the title track. I think we all agree that Shine was a boost for Pentagon (although not strong enough for them to have their first win) maybe due to the very popular dance? I honestly don’t know what made this song so popular but it was definitely a turning point in their career.

Then, with the release of their “Thumbs Up!” EP on September 10, 2018, they take another turn by doing a very cute concept with the title track “Naughty Boy”. This might not be their best song but I’m a true fan of the dance. They really are so natural acting cute, even if they don’t want to be cute lol. This comeback doesn’t include Yanan because he went on hiatus a month prior to that.

They make a comeback on March 27, 2019 with their EP “Genie:us” and the title track “Sha La La”. This is the first comeback after E’Dawn’s departure from the group and Yanan is still on hiatus, so only 8 members participated in the promotions. And although it’s not a new register for pentagon, the song still seems somehow different. I think this is where they started having more high-quality music videos.

Back to the cute concept with their “Sum(me:r)” EP and the title track “Humph!”. We’ll have to give them credits for making fun of their own height differences. The MV is really cute, I couldn't help but smile. 

Where Pentagon really did step up their game in terms of song production, music video and performance is when they released their first studio album “Universe: The Black Hall” on February 12, 2020 with “Dr.Bebe” as the title track. Mind blowing. The vocals in this song are… *chef’s kiss* and the acting is really on point. AND THEY STILL DIDN’T GET THEIR FIRST WIN WITH THAT?! *INHALES*. This was their last comeback with Jinho before he enlisted in the military.

A small parenthesis: I don’t know if this counts as a comeback but they did release a performance video for the new song they performed on Road to Kingdom’s finale called “Basquiat”. I’ll recommend you to watch the show’s performance as they clearly were more determined and went all out on the facial expressions. Click here to watch it.

Now, the holy grail, the apotheosis, the song that finally got them their first win, drum roll please… DAISY! Seriously, when I heard the news, I got so emotional and cried with Kino. Although “Daisy” still falls under the pop register, it’s perfect in every way. The sceneries are stunning, the members are all immersed in the song, the vocals are heavenly and the lyrics are pretty deep. And Yanan is finally back! The album has great b-sides too with “Paradise” being my favourite one.

  

Finally, Pentagon released their most recent Korean comeback on October 12, 2020 with their eleventh mini-album and its title track "Do or Not". The group promoted as 7 members since Hui joined Jinho in the military, but he still participated in the album recording (so we can still hear his voice in the tracks and see him in the MV). If the whistling sound didn't get stuck in your head, you're not human.

Random/Fun facts:

In pentagon you’re either part of the tall line (from 1m… to 1m…) or the short line (from 1m… to 1m…). And their song “Humph!” is a great way to see how the members make fun of this themselves. Watch the official MV here.

They participated in MNET’s road to kingdom, a prequel to “KINGDOM”, a competition among boy groups (including the winner of Road To Kingdom) and ended up in 3^rd place behind ONF and The Boyz. You can watch all the performances of the show on YouTube. 

Hui participated in a show called "Breakers" and performed a song called "Navigation". I think this performance shows how good a performer he is. Watch the full performance here.

You can watch their last "Mafia Dance" with their song "Daisy" here. If you don't know what Mafia Dance is, basically they chose 2 or 3 mafias (depending on the number of members) who have to eliminate the citizens one by one. The members will be dancing to their own song with headphones on, but the mafias will have to dance with another song playing in their headphones. At the end of each round, the citizens have to vote for who they think the mafias are, and the mafias have to kill a citizen after each round. 

That's it guys, I hope you'll check out Pentagon after reading this because they really deserve a lot more. Take care and I'll see you all soon!

Love, Swan

 

 

Sources: Youtube, Kprofiles, Wikipedia. All the pictures in this article are taken from Kprofiles. 

~ SHINee ~ 

Members from left to right: Onew, Taemin, Key, and Minho. 

Who is SHINee?

Shinee is a five-membered boy group who debuted on May 25^th, 2008 under SM entertainment with their song “Replay”. They are known for their unique style and their incredible discography. They also have iconic dances like Lucifer, Everybody and Ring Ding Dong. As of today, each member have made their solo debut. Their fans are called "Shawols". Their most recent comeback was with the title track "Atlantis" of their repackage album of their "don't call me" album, the first one they released since Onew, Key and Minho came back from the military, and the last one before Taemin's enlistment. 

If you want to closely follow this group, here are there official social media accounts:

• Instagram: @shinee
• Instagram (Japan): @shinee_jp_official
• Facebook: shinee
• Youtube: SHINee Channel
• Official Website: shinee.smtown
• Twitter: SHINee
• Twitter (Japan): @shinetter
• V Live: SHINee

 

Stage Name: Onew

Birth Name: Lee Jinki

Position: Leader, Main Vocalist

Birthday: December 14, 1989

Twitter: @skehehdanfdldi

Instagram: @dlstmxkakwldrl

Fun facts: Onew made his solo debut on December 5, 2018 with his 1^st mini album “VOICE”. He admits having a weak stamina. Onew enlisted on December 10, 2018. He was discharged on July 20, 2020. His ideal type is a girl with a cute aura. As for hairstyle he prefers short hair.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stage Name: Jonghyun

Birth Name: Kim Jong Hyun

Position: Main Vocalist

Birthday: April 8, 1990

Twitter: @realjonghyun90

Instagram: @jonghyun.948

Fun facts: His nickname is Bling Bling Jonghyun. He is the shortest in the group. Jonghyun is the most sensitive among the members and cries easily. Key started calling Jonghyun “Jjong” a long time ago, and now a lot of fans call him that too. He was close friends with Taeyeon (SNSD), Anber (f(x)) and Yeri (Red Velvet). He was the host of a popular radio show called “JongHun’s Blue Night” but left the show on March 9, 2017 due to his commitment as a SHINee member. He is one of the Kpop idols with the most songs copyrighted under his name. He wrote a book titled Diphylleia grayi (and wrote a song of the same name). Jonghyun passed away on December 18, 2017 from carbon poisoning which the police concluded as suicide. His ideal type is a cute girl with lots of charm. He likes when girls show their cute side and flirt a lot.

 

Stage Name: Key

Birth Name: Kim Ki Bum 

Position: Lead Rapper, Lead Dancer, Sub Vocalist

Birthday: September 23, 1991

Instagram: @bumkeyk

Fun facts: He has 2 dogs. They are called Commes Des and Garçon (in reference to the Japanese fashion brand comme des garçons). He made his solo debut on November 6, 2018 with the pre-release single “Forever Yours”. He is very, VERY shameful and hates aegyo. He enlisted on March 4, 2019. He was discharged on October 7, 2020. His ideal type: “It changes often, but lately the type I like is a mysterious woman who, after getting to know her better, is actually well-read and knowledgeable”.

 

Stage Name: Minho

Birth Name: Choi Min Ho

Position: Main Rapper, Sub Vocalist, Visual

Birthday: December 9, 1991

Instagram: @choiminho_1209

Fun facts: His nicknames are Flaming Charisma Minho and Frog Prince Minho. He released his first solo song with SM station called "From Home" on March 28, 2019. He acted in Girl’s Generation’s “Gee” MV. He acted in several dramas such as “To the beautiful you” (2012), “Hwarang” (206-2017), and “The most Beautiful Goodbye” (2017). He enlisted on April 15, 2019 at the Marine Corps training center in North Gyeongsang Province. He’ll be discharged on November 15^th, 2020. His ideal type: “I like it when a girl pushes her hair out of her face by tucking her hair over her ear while she’s working hard on something. It’s the little things like this that I like.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stage name: Taemin

Birth Name: Lee Taemin

Position: Main Dancer, Sub-Vocalist, Maknae

Birthday : July 18, 1993

Instagram : @lm__Itm

Fun facts: He is considered the best dancer out of the group and one of the best in the whole industry. He is known as “magic hand Taemin” because whatever he touches, he either loses or breaks. He is afraid of bugs (like, really afraid) Taemin was the first member in the group to release a solo album called “ACE” with the title track “Danger”. His other albums are “Press It -The first album” (2016), “Move – The second album” (2017), “Want – The second mini album” (2018), and “Never Gonna Dance Again: Act 1 – The third album” (2020). He was a mentor on the show “The Unit”. He is also a member of SuperM, a group composed of members coming from several boy groups under SM entertainment (EXO, NCT, SHINee). He enlisted in the military on May 31, 2021. His ideal type: “I like someone that is consistent and true. I don’t like it when they hide their true selves and later reveal the true them.”

 

 

How I discovered them:

I remember coming across their music video for “RING DING DONG” with one of my relatives and mocking the lyrics (cola fantastic and elastic…) and their style (I still believe that Taemin’s haircut during that era is unforgiveable). Little did I know that they were one of the most iconic group of the second generation of Kpop. It wasn’t until I came across their Shinee World IV concert video that I realized how big they were (GO WATCH THAT VIDEO your jaw will immediately drop). Unfortunately, the sad news of Jonghyun passing away came only a couple of days after I discovered them. The day before I was laughing and smiling with them, and suddenly the day after I felt so much pain, anger and sadness. It was really a rollercoaster of emotions. And I felt so angry at the whole industry because I was really new to the Kpop world at the time so I didn’t know about mental health being taboo and all. So yes, maybe the attachment I felt at the beginning was sympathy because anyone would feel sad if someone passed away, but it quickly turned into genuine admiration and a really strong bond. I seriously cannot describe how I feel towards this group. Recently Taemin has expressed feeling anxious because of the pandemic and because of not being able to meet with his fans. How can I explain the urgent need to hug him and tell him that everything will be okay? Also, even if Jonghyun is not here with us anymore, he left so many pieces of ART behind him. It is so satisfying and heartwarming to see people remembering him as the great artist who did such and such things instead of remembering him as the idol who committed suicide.

So, if I had to tell you the reasons why I love this group so much is: Versatility, Talent, Professionalism and Authenticity. Versatility because, as you will see it in the next section of this article, their discography covers many genres. Professionalism because they always work so hard for everything to be perfect. Authenticity because they put so much of theirselves in everything they do. Minho and Key wrote all their rap parts in their album “Story of Light” and Jonghyun took part in writing the lyrics for a lot of SHINee songs (I’m thinking about Selene 6.23 in particular). Finally, I don’t think I will have to explain the word “Talent”, you’ll have to see for yourself.

About their discography:

SHINee has, in total, 9 Korean studio albums, 5 Japanese studio albums, 4 Live albums, and 5 extended plays. They also have singles and soundtracks.

Shinee debuted with their single “Replay” (“Noona neomu yeppeo” is the Korean title) with a very late 2000s vibe. I was never and still am not a fan of the sound of that time (aside from some exceptions), so this song is definitely not. But the song that made them known to the public eye was definitely Lucifer. Still, this is not my type of sound as it has this electronic vibe from the late 00s, but the beat is too catchy for my brain to handle.

What was their first major change in term of register for me was Sherlock (2012). Sherlock is what you can call a very unique sound. Even the cover of the album is very unique. It has this retro old vibe to it with the hands piled up and the style used in the MV. And Minho’s iconic line “Shinee’s back” made this song even more iconic.

Then, in 2013, they released their album “Dream Girl – The Misconceptions of You” that went more in the pop direction with the title track of the same name. “Why so serious? – The Misconceptions of Me” (2013) is the continuity of the previous album and went more in the rock direction with the title track of the same name. “The misconceptions of us” englobed the two previous mini albums.

Their 5^th EP “Everybody” marks another turning point in their career for me as this album is very experimental in terms of sound (especially for the songs “one minute back” and “symptoms”) and because of Everybody’s iconic choreography (one of the hardest in Kpop in my opinion).

In 2015, they release their studio album called Odd with the title track “View”. View is more of a pop song, and I have to admit that the stylists did a good job during this era. The outfits were more streetwear (which made them look cute seriously) and the hairstyles were amazing (almost made me forget about Taemin’s extra-large bowl cut lol). And the repackage of this album that came out during the same year has my favorite song of theirs in it called “Married to the Music”. The intro can make you think of “Another one bites the dust” by Queen, but then it is still unique. And I love the title of this song because music is a huge part of my life and I love to say that I am married to it. The music video for it is a bit weird but the song is amazing.

Moving on to a more retro concept with their 5^th Korean studio album called “1 of 1” with the title track of the same name. THIS is what I call retro. The style, the music, the vibe, everything was retro. They appropriated this concept so well, and Jonghyun had previously released this song “Crazy” that I would put in the same register. The repackage of this album called “1 and 1” released in the same year has also another of my favorite song of theirs called “Tell me what to do” which is also the title track. It is a very soothing track that makes me feel relaxed (Jonghyun’s vocals are so heavenly in that song).

In 2018, they released their trilogy “The Story of light”. The first part has “Good Evening” as the title track. Good evening is a great song, but the B-side “All day all night” takes the crown for me (the birds in the intro are so cute). The second part has “I want you” as the title track and is more of a tropical pop track which made me like it more than Good evening. And finally, the third and last part that has “Our Page” as the title track. “Our page” is the song that made me cry the most in my whole life. The MV shows the members who are trying to go on with their lives after the passing of their dear friend but it seems like time stopped four our shining boys as the days go by. Also, there’s a set in the MV where they are standing with a fifth mic in the middle, this really made me cry like a baby.

Finally, on February 22, 2021, SHINee made their grand return as four members with their song "don't call me" and the album of the same name that included 9 tracks. This album was the first one to be released after Onew, Key and Minho got discharged from the military, and was going to be the last one before Taemin enlists in his turn. "Don't call me" is very different from their usual sound, but is coherent with the experimental style they've been going for since their debut. They always try new things which makes their charm. They also released a repackaged album with the title track "Atlantis" and two new Korean tracks in addition to all the nine tracks that were present in their previous album. There's definitely a before and after the "Story of light" era. I don't want to think of it as a sad thing but more as a positive thing because our boys are finding the strength to move forward and to look towards the future, not towards the past. 

I am not really familiar with their Japanese releases, but there is one song that will never get out of my head and especially the performance of their “From Now On” 2018 concert: Diamond Sky. If you’re ready to cry, you can watch the performance here.

I won’t talk about their individual discographies in details, but generally speaking Key has more of pop and dance tracks, Onew more of classical and vocal-driven tracks, Jonghyun more of jazzy, blues and R&B tracks, and Taemin has a mixture of Pop, Alternative and dance tracks. Minho only has one solo song called “I’m Home”, which is an "SM station" track.  

Random Facts: 

Shinee shot a commercial in 2009 for a certain Korean snack, and they had to recreate it on Weekly Idol for their 10^thanniversary. You can watch the original here and the remastered version here.  

For their 10-year anniversary, the SHINee members shot a reality show called “Shinee’s back” where we can see the members preparing for their comeback (photoshoots, dance practices) but also living their everyday lives (going to the gym, grocery shopping, cooking at home). Watch the first episode here. Big ups to Onew who tried break dancing in episode 2! Even the dance instructor gave up lol. Minho scolded Taemin because he was touching everything in the SM museum in episode 1. And while Key was cooking dinner, the other three members played around, poor Kibum…

Some iconic moments:

Everybody’s 2x speed dance on weekly idol (with key’s personal touch lol) : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qbxqetha20Y

Key’s Instagram update when they were in their waiting room and Jonghyun tried to recreate the snack commercial and fell off: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ff-XAmZFQPM 

Jonghyun’s 2x8 counts long high note in stranger during their Shinee world IV concert (2015) : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXKRiAHzvi0

Excuse me miss Shinee World IV concert: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSORaqTQykk 

Jonghyun’s stage of “Hyeya” (Korean version of the song “Y si fuera ella”): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDb02isPFc0 

Key doing aegyo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8agDZP8HSRA

Replay stage from the “From Now On” concert (2018) where the fans had yellow banners writing “Forever Shinee” with a 5 instead of an S: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xcur_weV1a8

I’m going to stop here, but I do recommend you to search for funny compilations on YouTube since they are a 12-year-old group and have tons of iconic moments.

That’s it! Feel free to comment down below if you already knew about Shinee and if you didn’t, I hope this article will motivate you to check them out. Take care, and I’ll see you very soon!

 

Love, Swan

 

Sources: YouTube, Wikipedia, Kprofiles