SHINee (샤이니, Syaini, pronounced "shine-ee") is a South Korean boy band formed by SM Entertainment in 2008. The group currently consists of four members: Onew, Key, Minho and Taemin. Former member Jonghyun died in December 2017.
History[]
SHINee were introduced on May 19, 2008, as a contemporary band that would lead the trends in music, dance and fashion. They consisted of five teenagers aged between 14 and 18: Onew, Jonghyun, Key, Minho and Taemin. Their name was a combination of "shine" and the suffix "ee", meaning "one who receives light".[1] They made their debut on May 25 on SBS' music show, Inkigayo, with their single "Replay", from their first mini album Replay. They followed this with their first studio album, The SHINee World, in August 2008. The album's title track, "Love Like Oxygen", brought them their first music show win. On October 26, 2008, a repackage of their first album, titled Amigo, was released.[2] SHINee swept the rookie awards that year, becoming the first K-pop group to achieve a Rookie Grand Slam.
In 2009, SHINee released their second mini album, titled ROMEO.[3] The title track, "Juliette", was written by member Jonghyun. In October, they released their third mini album, 2009, Year of Us. Title track "Ring Ding Dong" became famous for its catchy hook, gaining a reputation as a "banned song" during exam season due to its ability to distract students from their studies.[4] SHINee released their second studio album, Lucifer, in July 2010, followed by its repackage, Hello, in October. At the end of the year, they embarked on their first tour, SHINee WORLD, where they announced that they had signed with EMI Music Japan for Japanese promotions.
In June 2011, SHINee made their Japanese debut with the release of their first Japanese single, "Replay -Kimi wa Boku no Everything-". It set a new sales record for the debut Japanese single of a Korean group. This was followed by Japanese remakes of "JULIETTE" and "LUCIFER". They also became the first Asian artists to perform at Abbey Road Studios and the first Korean artists to hold a concert in London. They ended the year with the release of their first Japanese studio album, The First.
SHINee released their fourth mini album, Sherlock, in March 2012. They began their first Japan tour, SHINee WORLD 2012, in April, and their second Asia tour, SHINee WORLD II, in July. They released their first original Japanese single, "Dazzling Girl", in October, followed by "1000nen, Zutto Soba ni Ite...". In 2013, they released their third studio album, The Misconceptions of Us, which was split into two parts, Dream Girl - The Misconceptions of You and Why So Serious? - The Misconceptions of Me. They also released their second Japanese studio album, Boys Meet U, as well as the singles "Fire", "Boys Meet U" and "3 2 1". In June, they embarked on their second Japan tour, SHINee WORLD 2013. They released their fifth mini album, Everybody, in November. The following month, they won Artist of the Year at the Melon Music Awards, their first daesang.
In March 2014, SHINee began their third tour, SHINee WORLD III, performing shows in Latin America for the first time. They released the Japanese single "Lucky Star" followed by their third Japanese album, I'm Your Boy. They commenced their third Japan tour, SHINee WORLD 2014, in September. The tour concluded with shows at Tokyo Dome in March 2015, their first time performing at the venue. In May 2015, they began their fourth tour, SHINee WORLD IV, and released their fourth studio album, Odd. The album's repackage, Married to the Music, was released in August. They also released the Japanese singles "Your Number" and "Sing Your Song".
In 2016, SHINee released their fourth Japanese album, D×D×D. They launched their fourth Japan tour, SHINee WORLD 2016, which brought their cumulative Japanese concert attendance to over 1 million and featured performances at Kyocera Dome for the first time. They began their fifth tour, SHINee WORLD V, which saw them perform in North America for the first time, and released their fifth studio album, 1 of 1, which was later repackaged as 1 and 1. They also released the Japanese singles "Kimi no Sei de" and "Winter Wonderland".
SHINee released their fifth Japanese album, FIVE, in February 2017, and held their fifth Japan tour, SHINee WORLD 2017. On December 18, 2017, Jonghyun died from suicide. SHINee decided to continue promoting as a group and held concerts in Japan in February 2018. They released the Japanese single "From Now On", which featured Jonghyun posthumously, and the compilation album SHINee THE BEST FROM NOW ON. To mark their 10th anniversary, they released their sixth studio album, The Story of Light, which was released in three parts (The Story of Light EP.1, The Story of Light EP.2 and The Story of Light EP.3). At the end of the year, Onew enlisted in the military as mandated by the government, with Key and Minho following shortly after.
Onew was discharged from the military in July 2020, followed by Key and Minho several months later. In February 2021, SHINee returned with their seventh studio album, Don't Call Me, after a two and a half year hiatus. It was later repackaged as Atlantis. Taemin enlisted in the military in May, and SHINee released a Japanese mini album titled SUPERSTAR in June, recorded prior to Taemin's enlistment.
Taemin was discharged from military service in April 2023. In May, SHINee celebrated their 15th anniversary. They marked the occasion through various promotions and activities, including a fan meeting, a pop-up store, and a documentary concert film. On June 1, 2023, it was announced via the group's social media accounts that their eighth full-length album HARD would be released on June 26. The music video for the track "The Feeling" was pre-released on June 10. They launched their sixth tour, SHINee WORLD VI: PERFECT ILLUMINATION, on June 23.
Members[]
| Stage name | Birth name | Birthday | Position | Years active |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Onew (온유) | Lee Jin-ki (이진기) | December 14, 1989 | Leader, Lead Vocalist | 2008-present |
| Jonghyun (종현) | Kim Jong-hyun (김종현) | April 8, 1990 | Main Vocalist | 2008–2017 |
| Key (키) | Kim Ki-bum (김기범) | September 23, 1991 | Lead Rapper, Lead Dancer, Vocalist | 2008-present |
| Minho (민호) | Choi Min-ho (최민호) | December 9, 1991 | Main Rapper, Vocalist, Visual | 2008-present |
| Taemin (태민) | Lee Tae-min (이태민) | July 18, 1993 | Main Dancer, Vocalist, Maknae | 2008-present |
Note: SHINee's official positions have not changed since debut. Nowadays, SHINee are generally considered to not have fixed vocal positions, with Jonghyun stating in 2016: "SHINee members have no lead or main vocals. We’re all vocals."
Discography[]
Korean[]Studio albums[]
Mini albums[]
Digital singles[]
Promotional singles[]
Remix singles[]
Live albums[]
|
Japanese[]Studio albums[]
Best albums[]
Mini albums[]
Digital mini albums[]
Singles[]
Digital singles[]
|
Filmography[]
Films[]
- I Am (2012)
- SMTOWN: The Stage (2015)
- MY SHINee WORLD (2023)
Reality shows[]
- SHINee's YunHaNam (2008)
- SHINee's Hello Baby (2010)
- World Date with SHINee (2012)
- SHINee's Wonderful Day (2013)
- SHINee's Back (2018)
- SHINee Inc. (2021)
- SHINee's 15m (2023)
- SHINee-ing (2023)
- SHINee no Hako (2024)
Tours[]
Headlining[]
Asia & world tours[]
- SHINee THE 1ST CONCERT "SHINee WORLD" (2010–2011)
- SHINee CONCERT "SHINee WORLD II" (2012)
- SHINee CONCERT "SHINee WORLD III" (2014)
- SHINee CONCERT "SHINee WORLD IV" (2015)
- SHINee CONCERT "SHINee WORLD V" (2016–2017)
- SHINee WORLD VI: PERFECT ILLUMINATION (2023–2024)
Japan tours[]
- THE FIRST JAPAN ARENA TOUR "SHINee WORLD 2012" (2012)
- JAPAN ARENA TOUR SHINee WORLD 2013 ~Boys Meet U~ (2013)
- SHINee WORLD 2014 ~ I'm Your Boy ~ (2014)
- SHINee WORLD 2016 ~ D×D×D ~ (2016)
- SHINee WORLD 2017 ~ FIVE ~ (2017)
- SHINee WORLD THE BEST 2018 ~ FROM NOW ON ~ (2018)
Fanmeetings[]
- SHINee World J Presents ~SHINee Special Fan Event~ (2018)
- 2023 SHINee Fanmeeting 'Everyday is SHINee Day' : Piece of Shine (2023)
Online concerts[]
- Beyond LIVE – SHINee : SHINee World (2021)
Online fanmeetings[]
- SHINEE World J Presents 〜 Bistro de SHINee 〜 (2021)