SHINee (pronounced as ‘shine-ee’) is a four-member boy group formed by SM Entertainment in 2008. The K-pop boy group made their debut on May 25, 2008 on SBS’s Inkigayo with their promotional song “Replay”.
SHINee’s musical impact in South Korea has earned them numerous accolades and the title “Princes of K-pop”. Originally, SHINee consists of five members, Onew, Jonghyun, Key, Minho and Taemin. In December 2017, vocalist Jonghyun passed away.
The group has released five full-length albums since their debut. Their five full-length albums are in Korean language with one being a separate double-album release. They also released five mini-albums, four live albums and various singles.
SHINee have won many awards, held four concert tours and also starred in their own reality shows. The group are known as a fashion icon, having started the “SHINee Trend” and is popular for their highly synchronized and complicated dancing.
On June 22, 2011, SHINee made their Japanese debut by releasing a Japanese version of their single Replay followed by Juliette and Lucifer. They also won the title “The artist who managed to get in top 3 for 3 continuous releases since debut” for foreign artist category.
No one else have gained such an achievement before since the single ranking chart was established 45 years ago in January 1968. Following that debut, they released their first Japanese studio album, The First on December 7, 2011. The group’s second Japanese album, Boys Meet U was released on June 26, 2013 under EMI Records Japan after EMI Music Japan was officially absorbed into Universal Music Japan and has been renamed to “EMI Records Japan”.
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SHINee released its first Korean studio album The Shinee World in August 2008. The album won Newcomer Album of the Year at the 23rd Golden Disc Awards. They further consolidated their fame on the South Korean music scene with follow-up singles, Ring Ding Dong and Lucifer.
Ring Ding Dong topped several Korean music charts and became popular all over Asia. In 2010, Lucifer was nominated for the Best Dance Performance Award at the Mnet Asian Music Awards for its outstanding choreography.
SHINee released Sherlock in 2012 and it became the fifth most-sold album of the year with over 180,000 copies sold. SHINee appeared in the Forbes list of Korea Power Celebrity many times, once in 2014 and again in 2016.
The group signed with EMI Records Japan in mid-2011 to venture into the Japanese music scene. The highest number of sales for a Japanese debut single recorded by Oricon for a South Korean group at that time went to SHINee’s Japanese version of their single Replay which sold over 100,000 copies.
Following that, their first Japanese studio album The First, on December 7, 2011, both were certified Gold by RIAJ for selling over 100,000 copies. SHINee held their Japan Debut Premium Reception at Abbey Road Studios in London in 2011, making them the first Asian artists to perform there.
Two years later they released their second Japanese album Boys Meet U (2013), followed by I’m Your Boy (2014), D×D×D (2016), and Five (2017).
SHINee is known as one of the best live vocal groups in K-pop and is popular for their highly synchronized and complex dance routines. The group have won the Best Dance Performance Award at the Mnet Asian Music Awards three times in a row for their dance performances to “Sherlock (Clue + Note)“, “Dream Girl” and “View“. The group’s signature musical style is contemporary R&B, but the group is known for their experimental sound, incorporating various genres including funk rock, hip hop, and EDM.