Former Boyband Member Reacts To SHINee – “Hard”

I like Shinee, and I like one of the member’s (Taemin) solo stuff. This song of his ‘Advice’ is really good

https://youtu.be/sQg4VCB3bYw

There are so so many awesome groups ❤ I personally suggest New Jeans – Ditto or Cool with you!

I think you'd like EXO a lot, they have amazing vocals! I love "Call Me Baby" and "Mama" was so different and amazing

Four years before there was a group called EXO, five years prior to the existence of BTS, and six years before there was even a thought about NCT, there was SHINee. In fact, SHINee mentored both EXO and NCT prior to their own debuts, as they are brother groups under SM Entertainment.

SHINee are the OG legends of the 2nd. generation of Kpop and the trendsetters that have transformed Kpop into what it is today. Without them groups may have never transitioned from lip-synching live performances into actual live singing — which is a specialty of SHINee and what they have done, and are still doing since their debut performance in 2008. Without SHINee you would not see the insanely complex, synchronized choreographies that are commonplace today. SHINee introduced that. Without SHINee, there may be no dance practices to enjoy. Yes, this gets redundant but — SHINee did that. Those are just the top few of the many, many trends started by SHINee which have become staples of the Kpop industry.

As a veteran group of 15 years, they have A LOT of control over their work. Case in point: they hated the original melody of this song so they dismantled it and reworked it. SM wanted their b-side "Juice" to be the title song for this album. SHINee said no and chose "Hard". (You can hear them talk about this in their recent "SHINee 15th Anniversary Roadtrip" video.) Because of all of their success and influence within the industry, they set a golden standard called the "SHINee Standard" that all groups strive to attain. Therefore, many times, their live performance concepts – which SHINee is known for — are often borrowed, tweaked and used by other younger groups. I can think of four of SHINee's concepts used by BTS in their own performances, changed of course to fit their style. This is a testament to the level of the lasting influence of SHINee's career and efforts.

So, thank you for reacting to our five extremely talented, creative SHINee brothers and welcome to SHINee World (fandom name; SHAWOLs for short). Let me tell you about our guys!

SHINee is a powerhouse that debuted in 2008 with the most revered and greatest debut song in Kpop — "Replay". It is still covered by newer groups today. At debut, the five-member group were between the ages of 18 and 14 — Onew, Jonghyun (who we tragically lost in 2017), Key, Minho, and Taemin (maknae of the group). Now they are in their 30s and still making music together as more then just members. They are family; true brothers who have weathered the worst storms and stayed steadfast. The word "CAN'T" isn't in their vocabulary. All five of them can sing, rap, dance, and can cover each other's parts flawlessly. They are also all successful soloists, songwriters, producers, and composers. Key is the guy who designs all their outfits, as well as having an insanely versatile voice and the sassiest attitude. Minho writes most of their rap lyrics and has a velvety smooth deep tone, Onew is the leader with "THE VOICE" like warm honey that everyone goes gaga over, and Taemin is not only the dance king of Kpop, but also a seductive vocal tempter with angelic whispers, as well as awesome rock vocals with the most Avant Garde MVs in the industry. Jonghyun had the most powerful vocals in the entire Kpop world that shook people to their core and was a major contributor for SHINee, as well as other artists within Kpop, for songwriting, composing, and producing. In fact, he was the first SM artist to write/compose/produce his own solo work — opening the door for successive Kpop artists developing their own works.

Because SHINee's history and discography is so VAST (including EPs, mini-albums, OSTs, as well as full albums in Korean and Japanese) in terms of Kpop longevity, newer fans (babywols) and those not familiar often think SHINee are "copying" the sound of groups like NCT or some other 4th gen group, or that this is something new for them. What they don't realize is that SHINee were originally supposed to be a Hip-Hop group. However that changed early on due to SHINee's spectacular vocals and ability to sing anything SM threw at them — and for Onew, that also meant trying Opera. They were ultimately billed as a contemporary group which left them open to their love of experimentation and exploration of different genres. Thus, they have become masters at blending different genres together to create a completely new sound. Classical elements are often used as a bridge to marry them all together. However, some of their earliest songs were 90s Hip-Hop inspired: "Get Down" (2009); "Up & Down" (2010); "Alive" & "Trigger" (2015); and of course 2021's smash hit, "Don't Call Me", as their first-ever Hip-Hop based title track (mixed of course with classical elements and R&B). This something they wanted to do, as it harkens back to the 90s Hip-Hop sound which they emulated earlier in their career while also paying homage to their 1st. gen., predecessors.

As with much of their MVs, everything has meaning. SHINee here is referencing their past MVs, individual solo work, as well as a smattering of SuperM — because of 1) Taemin and 2) SM Universe (Kwangya) as indicated by the foreshadowing and funky tone at the end of the MV. However, I also think this MV represents a very bold statement from SHINee that is synonymous with Taemin's equally bold rhetoric from his 2021 song/MV, "Advice" (which you may really enjoy). Therefore, the most prominent symbolism I see in this MV is harkening back to "Advice" (the central figure being the Piano, Taemin's painted hands, and the generally aggressive rhetoric) but there are others as well: Again, with the piano, we see it is initially represented in a "Circle" (Onew's latest title track) which also symbolizes eternity. The blue water gushing from the piano and the waves crashing into Onew are reminiscent of 2021's "Atlantis". Taemin's 2020 "Criminal" with the figures in white pressing against a screen in the background of Taemin's rap and the reference to "criminal" in the chorus. The pristine black & white aesthetic of the beginning of the MV as it is in the middle of Taemin's "Criminal". The brothers being dragged down into the piano itself, as Taemin was in the "underground hellish pit of lava in "Criminal". Key's "Hate That" video is represented by Minho standing on the same rocky outcropping where Key and Taeyeon were perched in the same lighting and scenery. The animation is the same style as Onew's collab with Punch for their MV, "Way". Minho absorbing all the light and turning into a flame reflects his early SHINee nickname of "flaming charisma" due to his fiery passion and extreme competitiveness. We also have Key referencing an astra (star) in the lyrics. This could be a reference to Jonghyun, as he is also referred to as a "Diamond" in the sky, and the brothers will often point or look up toward their brother in the sky when singing, as was the case in their 15th anniversary pre-release, "The Feeling".

I think the overall message simplified is that SHINee is bigger than anyone's limited, individual imagination — as Taemin represented clearly with his oversized body in a very small room within his head in "Advice". Don't try to box them into one genre, one sound, and one identity (ironically/coincidentally the title of a b-side song on this album and also the title of one of Taemin's solo songs). Don't try to confine their creativity to your own ideal/expectations. They don't and have never conformed to such ideas, as the company realized years ago beginning in 2015, as they began relinquishing some of their control over the creative process to SHINee. SHINee doesn't care whether their music is fitting into the industry trends or standards. Who could EVER forget "Internet War", "Born to SHINe" and Taemin's "Move" which broke the cultural gender segregation in Kpop choreos. These are just to name a few. SHINee transformed the Kpop landscape from the moment they first hit the stage in 2008. They have no fear. The music doesn't dictate to them; they can't be held captive by the restrictions of what's trendy at the time or appropriate — they dictate the music. Now that they have all completed their military service requirements, they are going back to their roots to start their second act.

All we have to do is sit back and enjoy the ride!

SHINee has a giaganticly amazing discography, I wouldn't even know where to begin in recommending tracks by them. As a MJ fan, you should definitely check out a few by Taemin (he's the blonde guy in this SHINee vid). His songs Danger, Criminal, and Advice are my favs!

PLEASE NEXT JUICE BY SHINee

Just an interesting BTS Shinee crossover for you, BTS Jimin and Shinee Taemin are really good friends and have done a dance performance together in 2016. Jimin did a dance challenge with Taemin recently to Hard……

Also try Jungkook of BTS his new solo song Seven, Jimin like crazy and Jin Astronout

SHINee is the different level forever. THE LEGEND
TAEMIN is THE KING of kings
Next, JUICE performance video, pls

Check out Shinee's debut song, Replay. I'm pretty sure it will transport you back to boy band early 2000's music.

Subbed for SHINee

Try more SHINee. They are awesome.

If you wanna keep reacting to Shinee I'd suggest like Quasimodo live is a great one