Princes of K-pop: Get to know SHINee and their shining world

SHINee is a contemporary RnB boy group founded by SM Entertainment that debuted on May 25, 2008. Their name is derived from the coined word “shine,” meaning light, and the suffix ee, which meant “the one who receives light.”

Before the group's debut, SM Entertainment's goal for SHINee is to be trendsetters in music, fashion, and dance, with five members, namely: Onew, Jonghyun, Key, Minho, and Taemin.

Kim Ki-bum, better known by his stage name Key, is not only a singer and an actor, but he's also a fashion designer, television presenter, and (probably) the sassiest member of SHINee. Key is not afraid to make fun of his members and is known for his devilish laugh.

Key is also considered one of the best-dressed men in his country, thanks to his peculiar style to the point that he's even compared to G-Dragon. There was even a time where news reporters would gather around him to see what designer items he is currently donning. According to Key, “The important thing is not to be bound by style, but one's attitude when it comes to fashion.”

Flaming charisma Choi Min-ho, or Minho, is known for his unparalleled competitiveness in sports, especially soccer. Minho used this to his advantage when he was asked to participate in the Idol Star Athletics Championships, where he won Most Valuable Player in 2011 thanks to his three gold medals.

Have we mentioned that he's also good looking? In 2017, he even upstaged Melania Trump after two South Korean girls had burst into screaming when they saw the sight of Minho in front of the US First Lady.

This list would not be complete without vocalist and songwriter Kim Jong-hyun, responsible for writing some of the group's most successful songs, including their fourth Korean single, “Juliette.”

Aside from his impact on the music industry, Jonghyun is also not afraid to stand up to the oppressed. In 2013, he supported the LGBTQ+ community when he reached out to a bisexual and transgender college student in Korea who spotlighted the discrimination based on sexuality. He even wrote on his Twitter account, “being different doesn't mean it's wrong.”

On May 22, 2008, SHINee released their Extended Play (EP) “Replay,” and its debut song “Noona Neomu Yeppeo (Replay)," a contemporary, sophisticated RnB track. The debut single turned into a hit, especially with the adult female demographic because of the line “Nuna (older sister), you're so pretty.”

In 2009, SHINee gained wide attention after releasing their single “Ring Ding Dong” from their third Extended Play, “2009, Year of Us.” The track “Ring Ding Dong” is an afro-electro song which describes a situation of unconsciously falling in love with someone. The catchy phrase is a cartoon-like expression for a bell ringing in someone's head at the very moment of falling in love.

SHINee is known for their peerless choreography that can be attributed to working with only the world's top choreographers, including Rino Nakasone, Tony Testa, Misha Gabriel, and Ian Eastwood. In fact, their choreography for “Sherlock,” “Dream Girl,” and “View” were awarded the Best Dance Performance Award at the Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMA) in 2012, 2013, and 2015, respectively.

In the span of their 12-year career in the K-pop industry, SHINee is considered as one of the best live vocal groups thanks to their multi-talented members. In fact, Kim Joo-hyun of Beff Report emphasized the harmony between Onew and Jonghyun, saying that the two voices compliment each other when brought together.

Despite being a contemporary RnB group, SHINee is also known for their more experimental sound and various genres with every release. Their single “Everybody” proved that as the track found a delicious balance of EDM and K-pop.

SHINee fans know that the members have their own emoticon that represents them. Here's a breakdown of each of the members' emoticon: Onew: ^▽^, Jonghyun: ㅎㅅㅎ, Key: `ㅂ´, Minho: ㅍ_ㅍ, and Taemin 6v6. Which one is your favorite?

Before their debut in 2011 in Japan, SM Entertainment exposed the boys to the Japanese market through their Asian tours and releasing Japanese versions of their albums.

As a result, in 2015, SHINee performed at the Tokyo Dome, where they accumulated over 700,000 fans singing to their tracks.

Like the vocalists that they all are, SHINee members Onew, Key, Minho, and Jonghyun also released solo songs. Onew released his first mini album titled “Voice” in 2018 with the lead single “Blue.” The same year, Key produced his first album “Face” with the lead track “One of Those Nights.” Meanwhile, Minho dropped his first solo in March 2019 with the song “I'm Home.” Prior to his passing, Jonghyun worked on his music with his second solo album “Story Op.2.”

Aside from music, these multi-talented group also ventured into acting. Most especially member Minho who starred alongside Park Seo-joon in the drama “Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth” in 2016.

SHINee members are very fluent in many languages, including Japanese, English, and Chinese. Though, out of all the members, it is Key who is good at speaking and learning foreign languages thanks to his brief stint abroad.

During their trainee days, maknae Taemin would often stand close to Onew so he could learn how to sing. They said that they would often go to the rooftop together so Onew could give vocal lessons to Taemin -- only learning from the best

SHINee started their military hiatus after leader Onew applied for his mandatory military service in December 2018. The following year, both Key and Minho also enlisted, leaving maknae Taemin to pursue his solo career and debut as a member of SuperM.

SHINee wouldn't be where they are if it wasn't for their unwavering fans called Shawols, a portmanteau of the words SHINee and World, and is represented by the fandom color of pearl aqua.

SHINee members also have their individual fandoms. The group MVPs are for Onew, derived from one of his lines in “Replay,” Blingers are for Jonghyun, Flamers are for Minho, Lockets are for Key, and Taemints are for Taemin.

During the SMTOWN "Culture Humanity" concert on January 1, 2021, it was officially announced that SHINee will be making a comeback this year. The group will be dropping major spoilers about their upcoming album via a special broadcast titled 'The Ringtone: SHINee is back' on January 31 on their YouTube and V Live channels.

Raising more anticipation for their comeback, SHINee revealed the B-side track for their upcoming studio album titled “Marry You,” a romantic pop ballad that talks about the singer's intention to marry the love of his life.

The following day, it was confirmed that SHINee's upcoming title track would be “Don't Call Me” and is slated to be released on February 22.

Three years after the release of 'Sunny Side,' SHINee made their Japan comeback in 2021 via 'SUPERSTAR.' It also coincided with their 10th debut anniversary in the said country. The serotonin-inducing music video was released on June 29, while the physical album was available for purchase on July 28.

SHINee members are sometimes referred to as pilot show kings, as they are usually the guests of a new show's first episode. In an appearance in Weekly Idol, Jonghyun shared, "In SM, SHINee is in charge of opening ways for artists to programs. SHINee comes first to programs that need inspections.”