All About The Brightest Group In K-Pop: SHINee
On May 5, 2008, SM Entertainment debuted a group that would shine the brightest light into each of their fans’ life—SHINee. Taking on the concept of a younger boyfriend, SHINee debuted with a cheerful, contemporary R&B song called "Replay (누난 너무 예뻐)." Immediately capturing the hearts of many fans, they earned many awards in their first year, including Best New Asian Artist, Rookie of the Month, Best Newcomer, Popularity and more!
Here’s what you need to know about this talented five-membered group:
SHINee is 5
As the leader of the group, Onew, or Lee Jinki, is humble and sincere. He has a strong love for fried chicken and telling dad jokes. Although he has an incredibly strong finger flick, he can be a little clumsy at times; thus, creating the term “Onew condition.” In addition to his powerful and distinct vocal ability, Onew has also starred in many shows such as Descendants of the Sun.
Although Jonghyun passed away in December 2017, Shawols still consider him a member of SHINee. The multi-talented Jonghyun was a singer, songwriter, producer, radio host, and author. Through his powerful words, he brought comfort to those struggling with mental health and supported the LGBT community. To continue his legacy and support young artists, Jonghyun’s family opened the Shiny Foundation with the profit made from his posthumous album, Poet | Artist.
Key, or Kim Kibum, is a man of many talents. Key’s ability to multitask will never cease to amaze me. Between filming variety shows, starring in movies, and releasing a solo album, it’s a wonder how he still has time to sleep. Out of all the members of SHINee, Key is the best cook. His special dish? Oil Pasta. Even label mate BoA approves of Key’s cooking.
Flaming Charisma Minho is known for his fierce competitiveness. Like Key, Minho is also an actor. He has starred in Medical Top Team, Hwarang: The Poet Warrior, and has even won awards for his work in To The Beautiful You.
SHINee’s maknae, Taemin, seems manly during his solo promotions, but when he is around his hyungs, he is a troublemaker. Following his passion for dancing, he quickly became known as one of the best dancers in the K-pop industry. When Taemin first debuted, he was very quiet and introverted. Now, he has broken out of his shell and can’t seem to stop roasting his friends and Shawols.
It’s A SHINee World
If you are a fan of SHINee, you are a part of SHINee World; however, members of SHINee World are called Shawols for short. In concerts, the fandom color (pearl aqua) is bright and distinct, similar to that of a beautifully bright blue sea.
The Plagiarism
When Taemin made his solo debut, he named his album Ace. Following Taemin’s solo debut, Jonghyun made his solo debut and named his album Base. Taemin pointed out the similarity between the two albums and jokingly said that Jonghyun had plagiarized the name. Jonghyun explained to Taemin that they are connected. To carry on the tradition, Onew and Key named their solo debut albums with words that rhyme with “ace” (Voice and Face, respectively).
Dogs of SHINee
In 2010, Jonghyun’s older sister, Sodam, gave him a sweet and gentle puppy as a gift. At a young age, the puppy peed on one of Minho’s shirts. To make it up to him, Jonghyun let Minho name the puppy. Thus, ByulRoo was named; however, many people call her “Roo” for short. The amount of comfort and joy that Roo brought Jonghyun inspired him to write “End of a Day.”
Key is a father to two dogs, Comme Des (brown) and Garçons (black). Compared to Roo, Key’s dogs have a lot more energy. Since so many fans enjoyed seeing updates on Comme Des and Garçons, he opened an Instagram specifically for them. From photos of them spending time outside to photos of them relaxing at home, fans get to see a little bit inside the life of Key.
Taemin also has two dogs, Adam (white) and Eve (brown). Since Taemin is not very active on social media, fans rarely see updates on Adam and Eve. In 2017, Taemin brought his dogs on the TAEMIN: Xtra cam ‘Taem-in Today’, and mentioned that they do not listen well to him. Sound familiar?
The best part of being a part of SHINee World is the trust and respect between SHINee and their fans. Not only do Shawols take care of SHINee but SHINee also takes care of Shawols. SHINee World is not just a fan base, it is a family.
Cover Image: SHINee (SM Entertainment)
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