Who Were The Members of SHINee and Why Did They Break Up After 10 Years

Who Were The Members of SHINee and Why Did They Break Up After 10 Years

Korean pop is often referred to as one of the most influential music industries in the world due to its large number of upcoming music acts as compared to very few record companies that manage such a volume of talents. Competition is very rife in the industry, thus, charging musical acts to venture into other branches of entertainment such as modeling, dancing, and acting, to enable them to amass a larger fan base. Record companies, in a bid to project their acts to a much wider audience, try breaking into the Chinese and Japanese markets so as to help boost record sales in such countries. Become more acquainted with all the members of Korean sensation SHINee and many more juicy revelations.

Who Were the Members of SHINee?

Popular Korean boy band SHINee is made up of 5 people, they are:

Lee Jin Ki

Popularly known by his stage name Onew, he was born on December 14, 1989, in Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. Not much is known as regards his early educational background or qualifications, it is, however, a known fact that as a child, he was highly talented in singing and as such, nurtured his talents into a profession.

Who Were The Members of SHINee and Why Did They Break Up After 10 Years
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The year 2006 marked the start of Onew’s professional music career as he caught the attention of SM entertainment CEO Lee Soo-manat an SM Academy casting. The following day, he was signed by the record label, marking the start of great things to come for Onew. Fast forward to 2008 when SM entertainment wanted to float a new boy band, Onew was made the leader of the group (SHINee). Besides being a very talented singer, Onew also equals as an actor with several credits to his name, most notably, Descendants of the Sun and Pure Love.

Kim Ki-bum

Key as he is often referred to by fans was born on September 23, 1991, in Daegu, South Korea. Arguably the most educated in the group, he holds a post-graduate degree in the field of Culture and Education Contents Development from Woosuk University. Key’s foray into professional music began in 2006 after getting signed by SM entertainment following an impeccable performance at the SM national tour audition casting. In 2008, he became one of the members of SHINee, marking his rise to stardom.

Who Were The Members of SHINee and Why Did They Break Up After 10 Years
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Choi Min-ho

He was born on December 9, 1991, in Incheon, South Korea. A culture film major from Konkuk University, Min-ho was signed following his SM casting in 2006. He was eventually chosen in 2008 to join the members of SHINee. He eventually delved into acting in 2008 with him playing a role as himself on the TV series My Precious You. Min-ho has since starred in other high-profile TV shows, most notably The Most Beautiful Goodbye and The Battle of Jangsari.

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Lee Tae-min

Taemin is a South Korean singer, songwriter, and dancer who was born on July 18, 1993. His love for dancing started at a tender age after watching music videos of the late king of pop Michael Jackson. Thanks to pressure from his parents, he decided to audition for the SM weekend casting and was selected immediately. In 2008, he joined the members of the SHINee at the age of 14.

Who Were The Members of SHINee and Why Did They Break Up After 10 Years
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Kim Jong-hyun

He was born on April 8, 1980, in Seoul, South Korea, and held a Master’s degree in film and musical studies which he bagged from Myongji University. An embodiment of talents, he was signed by SM at the age of 15, after impressing scouts who watched him and his band in high school sing. On May 25, 2008, he debuted as one of the five members of SHINee.

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A vocal supporter of the LGBT community, Jong-hyun was widely loved and respected for not just his musical exploits but for his ability to speak on topical issues affecting the ordinary man. Sadly, Jonghyun took his own life by inhaling toxic gases on December 18, 2017, in an apartment which he rented for two days in Southeastern Seoul. It was later revealed that he took matters into his own hands following years of depression.

Why Did Members of SHINee Break Up After 10 Years?

Following the death of Jong-hyun in 2017 there has been a perception among most fans that the band has broken up, mostly because of the number of single projects each bandmate put out. It’s however important to know that prior to the death of Jong-hyun all the members of SHINee had already released several solo musical projects.

Another factor that most likely contributed to the assumption that the band is no longer in existence is their absence from the music scene in recent times, which is most likely as a result of compulsory military enlistment in South Korea, in which three out of four remaining bandmates are currently serving in the military and are expected to be discharged in 2020.

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