SHINee “HARD” Music Video Reaction

SHINee is back 🎉Killing it ❤ Taemin rapping!

Their drip so HARD, and their music and voices too. Everyone's appreciation of Onew's voice makes me so happy too. God bless you all.

The whole reason why they chose "Hard" for their title track is because they wanted to show everyone that SHINee can do any genre, including hip-hop. They killed this. This will definitely be a contender for album of the year.

SHINee performed "Hard" and "Juice" at their SHINee World Concert VI (SWC6) in Seoul last week, so anyone who was lucky enough to attend one of the 3 days of the concert, or anyone who has watched the fancam footage, got an advance preview of the songs. Plus, if you happened to watch Taemin and his manager Nam Eui Soo on The Manager reality show this past weekend, we got to see SHINee in the dance studio practicing the choreography for "Hard." They have already been getting great reviews for the song and album, so I think the reception has been amazing.

One thing you need to know about SHINee is that if they release something that is more of a chill song with a happy bright theme like "The Feeling" first, that their follow up track almost always will be the complete opposite, such as you heard with "Hard." And vise versa. That's how they have been structured since debut. They never have the same style or sound in any of their songs, even on the same album, and yet when their album is put together it has a very cohesive SHINee feel to it.

The fact that it's nothing like anyone expects and different than anything out there, is exactly what makes "Hard" a SHINee song. As SM's experimental group, nothing SHINee will ever do is like anything they have ever done before, and it won't be like anything they ever do in the future, but it will somehow always have that SHINee feel. The ONLY think you can expect when it comes to SHINee is that it will be amazing and groundbreaking with vocals that are unmatched.

Notice how Key was singing through his clenched teeth in the last part of that song when they were all dressed in black. And he still sounded perfect while giving off the "Hard" vibes that the song required. Just one of the many unique elements of this song that only SHINee can pull off.

This is actually just SHINee going back to their roots. LOL As you may know, before debut SHINee was actually training to be a hip-hop group. However, as Key tells it, SHINee just doesn't have the swag to pull off hip-hop full time, so last minute SM decided to change up their style to the contemporary R&B style of "Replay" that they have now become known for. "Hard" just proves that in the end, SM wasn't wrong and SHINee has no problem in the world of hip-hop, but their destiny and calling was to be a group that never ties themselves down to just one style or genre. They were meant to show the world that they can be diverse and unique and never do the same thing twice.

With every release that SHINee has they are expected to flip the script and change things up in the Kpop industry. That's why when SHINee makes a comeback everyone pays attention because they are looking to SHINee to show them what the industry's next song style and dance trend will be. It is actually said that within 3 months of SHINee making a comeback that you will see that same sound and dance style being duplicated across the industry with every comeback to follow for both boy groups ad girl groups. When SHINee does something the industry takes note and follows suit.

I'm pretty sure that the whole "Hard" MV storyline is connected to SM's SM Culture Universe. The more I watch it, the more I see that seems to indicate that it's all connected.

I haven't had a whole lot of time to really analyze everything, but what I see right off the bat is, that when we first see Taemin, when he appears in the black sleeveless suit, he looks just like he did in his SuperM debut teasers.

I also think that it even could be connected to Taemin's "Advice" storyline. We see him with his hands painted blue in "Hard," similar to his black painted hands and body in "Advice," and in both scenes we see him standing in front of/playing a piano.

Some have pointed out that the scene with the silhouettes behind the screen reminds them of the scene in Taemin's "Criminal" MV, with the people behind a screen pushing their hands into it. However, in "Hard" Taemin is standing in front of the screen, rather than walking through the middle with the two sides reaching for him like in "Criminal". Although, I also think that scene could be connected to EXO's storyline, because we see in EXO's "Tempo" MV a scene where there are silhouettes behind a lighted white wall that looks very similar to this. In EXO's storyline, the people behind the wall are thought to be EXO's alter ego clones who were created by the Red Force or they could be the EXO members who are trapped behind the wall. We also see EXO fighting with their silhouette shadows in their live concert performance of their song "Wolf," which is also thought to be EXO battling X-EXO as they search for the Tree of Life.

Ever since SHINee came out with "Don't Call Me," I think that storyline was supposed to be SM bringing SHINee into the SM Culture Universe. In their "Don't Call Me" MV it looks as though the SHINee members go through some sort of wormhole as they are teleported somewhere and we see them all posing in their black outfits like they are getting ready for battle. This looks very similar to the scene in SuperM's debut "Jopping" MV when the SuperM members are coming together at the beginning of "Jopping." Therefore, because Taemin is a member of SuperM, I think SHINee is supposed to be getting ready to join SuperM in the fight against the Red Force.

In "Hard" we also see Taemin standing on a grate as he crouches down and looks through it at the "people" in white trapped below, similar to his scene in SuperM's "Jopping" MV.

I also see the scene with Key standing with all the dancers in white sitting around him as an important part of the story as well, however I'm not sure what it all means yet. We see Key remove the mask of one of the guys and we discover the guy has a glowing blue earpiece, which seems to be suggesting that they are being controlled by outside forces. However, because they are all just sitting there without moving, it seems to indicate that they are currently "shut-down". Either these people are androids or robots, like in EXO's "Lucky One" MV, or they are people who are under mind control. Although, I don't think they are being controlled by the Red Force necessarily because we don't see any trace of red anywhere in that scene. Instead, the color we see is blue, which usually within EXO's storyline means that it represents something to do with EXO, who are the good guys. Plus, blue with SHINee MVs usually represents SHINee and their connection as a group.

Minho standing on the edge of that rock formation looks similar to the scene with Key standing on the rock in the middle of the ocean in Key's solo "Hate That …" MV, and it also looks a lot like the scene in SHINee's "Don't Call Me" MV, with Key standing on the submerged phone booth. It all has the same feeling. (Notice how they also are all wearing red in all of those scenes.)

In the last scene at the end it reminds me of the same menacing red atmosphere as Minho's rap section in "Don't Call Me", where we see him in the all red room with the chairs hovering above him. Therefore, I think the gloved hand is Minho's hand because it looks like the same gloves that Minho is wearing in the scene right before that where they are dressed in black. Although I don't know what that means yet, I am sure it is something to connect the storyline to something within one of SM's MVs in the future or will make more scenes when more of the story is revealed as SM releases the next chapter, etc.

SHINee are magnificent, are extraordinary forever

SHINee is back HARD. I absolutely love this song ❤

I love it and it’s not my preferred genre or feel but every SHINee song sounds like SHINee and lets me experience a new facet of them 💎

SHINee just shows that veterans can still bring it! Now are they taking it to the streets or the skreets? 'Cause they were on that line, ya'll.

i have a prediction that this will end up on the banned songs during testing. i'm having hardcore flashbacks to my youth with this vibe.

SHINee!!! 😍😍😍😍😍

I really enjoyed and loved this comeback. The styling the vibe and the visuals were amazing! Just my opinion Hard sounds more like an NCT127 track but they still killed it.

Fun fact: Kenzie has been in the producing game with SM Entertainment since waaaay back! Throughout the years her producing has only gotten better. She has collaborated with Dem Jointz on other songs, but Kenzie has pretty much been (secretly) the heart of Kpop since at least 2nd Gen! Mad props to her! Dem Jointz produced "Juice" on the album! This whole shit is fire!

I'm burning.. It's fire🔥🔥💎💎💎💎💎

Felicidades shinne. Buenísima canción.

They always show a different version of themselves with this unique essence and what I love, they evolve with their music.

I love rap and melody and the bridge is divine.

The only person I hear in this song is jonghyung

どこにいても車の中でもずーっと聴いてます。かっこいいし、歌がみんな上手、❤❤🎉🎉🎉🎉

Shinee is the only kpop groupe who really try different style and type of music, they really are so versatile. But in every single style they always keep their Shinee touch, you can still feel it's Shinee. Maybe cause of their vocals who're so special, they've such a particular & Unique tone of voice, that no other kpop groupe have, who make the Shinee signature. 😊