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Author: just a kpop fan

Why do we listen to K-pop? Because of INFINITE!

As K-pop is one of the big pop-culture trends in the world today, and there are a lot of good albums we have in our library collection, I would like to share the artists and songs I have liked since I started listening to K-pop as a teenager! I hope you will enjoy this music genre and culture as much as I do!

This time, I would like to introduce you to INFINITE! INFINITE is a 6-member boy group formed by Woollim Entertainment in 2010. The original members include Sungkyu, Dongwoo, Woohyun, Hoya, Sungyeol, L, and Sungjing, but Hoya left the group in 2017. The name of the group represents the idea that “both the members and the group have an infinite possibility in music and other areas.” Their fanclub name is “Inspirit” and the official colour is Pearl Metal Gold (Hex code: #80643f).

INFINITE is well known for their perfectly synchronised choreography. When they came back with their second mini album, “Evolution”, the choreography of the title song, “BTD (Before the Dawn)” helped them receive a lot of public attention because despite its difficulty, the members still performed it with absolute precision.

But what really made INFINITE successful was their first full-length album, “Over the Top”, and the title song “Be Mine.” INFINITE won their first music show award with this song, and it’s now known as one of their masterpieces (it’s my favourite as well!). “Be Mine” has a catchy melody, neat choreography, and very sad lyrics that describe a man’s one-sided love; it became a popular song at the time. Since then, INFINITE has released many more popular songs, like “Paradise”, “Lately”, “Only Tears” and become one of the most popular boy groups in Korea. They have paused their group activity since 2018 because of their military service.

Today, all of the INFINITE members have finished their military service and are more focused on their individual careers as soloists. However, with the help of other members, group leader Sungkyu has launched an agency, Infinite Company, to help and manage the group’s related projects as the group members have left the Woollim Entertainment and are under different agencies now. It is very touching to see after around 5 years, INFINITE finally made their group comeback again this July, with their 7th mini album, “13egin” and received a great result.

via GIPHY

INFINITE albums we have at the library

Infinitize / Infinite

INFINITE’s third mini-album, “Infinitize” was released in 2012 following their successful debut in Japan. The title song, “The Chaser” was chosen by Billboard as the best K-pop song of that year.

My Personal Picks:

The Chaser
Feel so bad
Tears

New challenge / Infinite

INFINITE has come back with their fourth mini-album, “New Challenge” in 2013. The title song “Man in Love” has a delightful and happy vibe that is different from their previous title song. The 6th track, “60sec” is Sungkyu’s solo debut song, and the group specially covered it for their fans.

My Personal Picks:

Man in Love
Still I Miss You
60sec (INFINITE Ver.)

Be back / Infinite

“Be Back” is a repackaging of INFINITE’s second full-length album, “Season 2,” which was released in 2014. This album also contains members’ solo songs and sub-units’ songs.

My Personal Picks:

Last Romeo
Back
Alone (INFINITE H)
Memories
I Need U Back

That’s a wrap for my sharing about INFINITE! Tell us in the comments below if you’ve found your favourite INFINITE song on our list! 안녕히 가세요!

via GIPHY

Why do we listen to K-pop? Because of BTS!

As K-pop is one of the big pop-culture trends in the world today, and there are a lot of good albums we have in our library collection, I would like to share the artists and songs I have liked since I started listening to K-pop as a teenager! I hope you will enjoy this music genre and culture as much as I do!

This time, I am going to introduce you to the most popular Korean boy group in the world, 방탄소년단 (BangTan Sonyeondan, which means “Bulletproof Boy Scouts” literally) BTS! Formed by HYBE Entertainment, BTS debuted on 13th June 2013, and its members include Jin, SUGA, j-hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jung Kook. According to j-hope, the meaning of the group name is “to block out stereotypes, criticisms, and expectations that aim at adolescents like bullets, to preserve the values and ideals of today’s adolescents” (Source: Affinity). The group was rebranded in 2017, adding another meaning to the group’s name, which is “Beyond The Scene”, and new logos for the group and their fan club, A.R.M.Y (Adorable Representative M.C. for Youth). BTS does not have an official colour, but they have their specific official light stick, Army Bomb.

The main music style of BTS is hip-hop. Members RM and SUGA were underground rappers before they joined, and had already released several self-written songs. Their song “Hip Hop Phile” was talking about how much they love hip-hop and shout out to those hip-hop artists who influenced them like Epik High, Nas, Eminem and much more. Since the release of the “School Trilogy Project,” BTS has broadened their music style by trying different genres, like pop rock (Spring Day), synth-pop (Dionysus) and tropical house (Save Me).

Since their debut, BTS members have written, composed and produced most of their songs, with rap line members, RM, SUGA, and j-hope participating the most in songwriting. Their creative works are well known for their poetic and literary lyrics (Author’s note: I really admire how literary their lyrics are! I will recommend: Butterfly, Serendipity, and DNA). On SUGA’s YouTube video, RM describes rap as “poetry with rhythm,” showing how the group conceives of their lyrics as contributing to the field of literature.

BTS has always tried to convey different messages to society through their songs, with each album embracing a different theme. The School Trilogy Project discusses teenage dreams (2 Cool 4 Skool), happiness (O! R U L8, 2!), and love (Skool Luv Affair). Meanwhile, in the Youth Series, BTS talk about their hopes for ‘youth’ — even with all the uncertainly and insecurity (The most beautiful moment in life pt.1), the youth who embrace the pain and bittersweetness of live and keep running (The most beautiful moment in life pt.2) are in the most beautiful moment of their lives (The most beautiful moment in life: Young Forever). They talk about love, social issues, mental health, and all the topics they believe they should share with the public.

BTS is truly a group that has brought K-pop into the next chapter, and to a whole new audience. They’ve broken many music industry records, including being the first K-pop group to hit the 1st place on the Billboard Hot 100, the first K-pop group nominated for a Grammy Award, and the first K-pop group to speak at the United Nations. Today, BTS is focusing on the members’ solo activities as they complete their military service, and is expected to reunite and come back as a group again around 2025. Jin and j-hope are doing their military service and released a single, The Astronaut, a debut solo album, Jack in the Box respectively before they proceeded with their conscription respectively. RM released his first full-length album, Indigo last December and is preparing his second solo album. SUGA just released his first full-length album under his stage name ‘August D’, D-Day in April and is doing his show on BTS’s YouTube channel. Jimin also released his first solo album, Face in March and has received a very good result. Jungkook is expecting to release his first solo album around July and V had filmed a variety show, Jinny’s Kitchen, that was on air in February.

via GIPHY

BTS albums we have at the library

Love yourself : answer / BTS (Musical group)

LOVE YOURSELF 結 ‘Answer’ is a repackaging of  BTS’s third full length album, LOVE YOURSELF 轉 ‘Tear’ that released in August 2018. This album also marked the end of their “Love Yourself” series. After taking about the brightness side of love (LOVE YOURSELF 承 ‘Her’) and the pains of love (LOVE YOURSELF 轉 ‘Tear’), this album concludes the message that “Loving yourself is where true love begins”.

My personal picks:

Euphoria
Serendipity
DNA
dimple
Trivia 承: Love
Fake Love
Trivia 轉: Seesaw
I’m Fine
Idol
Answer: Love Myself
Magic Shop
Best of Me
Mic Drop
Go Go


Proof / BTS (Musical group)

This album is BTS latest anthology album and their last album before they pause their group activity because of the military service. This album contains 48 songs, including 3 new songs, their lead singles since debut, members solo tracks, subunit songs and the demo version of their released songs.

My personal picks:

Born Singer
Boy in Luv
I NEED U (my all time favourite!!!)
RUN
Burning Up (Fire)
Blood Sweat & Tears
Spring Day
Boy With Luv
Life Goes On
Yet To Come
Moon
Friends
00:00


Books about BTS available at the library

BTS : rise of Bangtan / Stevens, Cara J.
“This unofficial biography tells the story of BTS and their global ARMY, which helped propel them to the top of the charts all over the world. Extensively researched, Rise of Bangtan explores the lives of RM, J-Hope, Suga, Jimin, V, Jin, and Jungkook, the story behind how they all got together, and their amazing rise to fame–from their start in East Asia to their dominance across the globe.” (Catalogue)

BTS : the ultimate fan book / Croft, Malcolm
“BTS: the ultimate fan book” is a spectacular celebration of the best and brightest K-Pop group from South Korea. Inside you’ll explore the songs, the moves and the fashions that have led the Bangtan Boys to worldwide success. Beautifully illustrated with photographs that highlight the band’s kaleidoscope of personalities and passions, this is a must-read for any fan who just can’t get enough BTS!” (Catalogue)

BTS : K-pop kings : the unauthorized fan guide / Brown, Helen
“BTS: Kings of K-Pop is the must-have commemorative celebration of BTS, the Korean boy band with a global army of fans.” (Catalogue)

BTS army handbook / Smith, Niki
“There are few who have made a mark on 2018 quite like BTS, the seven member Korean K-Pop group that is singlehandedly reviving the Age of the Boyband with their electric tracks, explosive dance routines and unnervingly perfect hair. BTS may have been catapulted to international acclaim this year, but there’s still a whole world of facts and stories from the six years it took for them to become the first K-Pop act to hit No. 1 on the Billboard charts. Become a fully-fledged ARMY and learn about the members, the songs, and all of the stages along their journey from pre-debut training to global stardom.” (Catalogue)

Larger than life : a history of boy bands from NKOTB to BTS / Sherman, Maria
“Larger Than Life is a history of boy bands in popular music, from the 1990s to 2010s.” (Catalogue)

That’s a wrap for my over-sharing about BTS 방탄소년단! Tell us in the comments below if you’ve found your favourite BTS song on our list! 안녕히 가세요!

via GIPHY

Why do we listen to K-pop? Because of Girls’ Generation!

As K-pop is one of the big pop-culture trends in the world today, and there are a lot of good albums we have in our library collection, I would like to share the artists and songs I have liked since I started listening to K-pop as a teenager! I hope you will enjoy this music genre and culture as much as I do!

This time, after two boy groups, I am going to introduce you to my favourite girl group, “지금은 소녀시대!앞으로도 소녀시대!영원히 소녀시대!”, the Girls’ Generation (or SNSD, GG)! Formed by SM Entertainment, Girls’ Generation debuted on 5th August 2007, with the song, “다시 만난 세계 Into the New World” from their eponymous first single. The original members include Taeyeon, Jessica, Sunny, Tiffany, Hyoyeon, Yuri, Sooyoung, Yoona, and Seohyun, making Girls’ Generation the biggest girl group in Korea at that time. Their fan club name is S♡NE (소원, sounds like “So one,” meaning Wish in Korean) and the official colour is Pastel Rose Pink (Hex code, #ff4980). The group was carefully planned, having practiced their single “Into the New World” for around a year before their debut.

Since their debut, Girls’ Generation have always challenged themselves to try different music genres and concepts. At first, as their average age was just 17.4 when they debuted, their image was sweet, cute, and high-energy, while the music genres they focused on were teen-pop and bubblegum-pop (“다시 만난 세계 Into the New World”, “소녀시대 Girls’ Generation”, “Kissing You”, and “Baby Baby”). Then, they changed their concept to a more mature image, and started trying dance-pop and electropop, as in “Gee”, “소원을 말해봐 (Genie)” and “Oh”. After “Oh”, the girls began to present darker and stronger concepts (Run Devil Run and Catch me if you can), incorporating other musical styles like hip-hop (I Got a Boy and You Think), retro style (훗 Hoot and Lion Heart) and much more. Among all these different concepts they have tried, the group members themselves choose “Genie” as the song that represents them the best, from the concept itself to the song and its choreography.

Today, members of the Girls’ Generation are focusing on their solo activities. After their sixth full-length album, Holiday Night (from the two title songs, Holiday and All Night) which was released on their 10th anniversary, Tiffany, Sooyoung, and Seohyun decided to leave SM Entertainment, while remaining members of the group. Leader Taeyeon has a very successful solo singing career. She just released her third full-length album, “INVU” last year and is expected to release a new mini album this year (Author’s note: I will recommend 11:11, Wine, and Blue, however all of her songs are super good). Hyoyeon works as a singer and DJ. The other members are more focused on acting careers and have achieved good results respectively. The group had a full-group comeback last August for their 15th anniversary, and released their 7th full-length album, “Forever 1” (after five years, like finally!!!).

The Girls’ Generation means a lot to the whole of K-pop history. They have shown us, girls can be sweet and cute, but also strong and cool, encouraging us to be whoever we want, do anything we want. At the time of their debut, most of the popular idol groups were boy groups, and the girl groups tended not to survive long in the industry. The longevity of Girls’ Generation has attracted the public and forced them to pay more attention to “girl groups”.  They prove that girl groups can achieve the same results as boy groups — better, even. Moreover, their debut song, “Into the New World” has found renewed life in protest activities in Korea, because of its meaningful lyrics and the powerful message the girls have conveyed:

I love you, just like this. The longed-for end of wandering.
I leave behind this world’s unending sadness.
Walking the many and unknowable paths, I follow a dim light.
It’s something we’ll do together to the end, into the new world.

— Girls’ Generation, “Into the New World”

via GIPHY


Girls’ Generation albums we have at the library

Mr. Taxi / Girls’ Generation

Mr. Taxi is the repackaged edition album of Girls’ Generation’s third full-length album, “The Boys” which was released in 2011. “The Boys” has received a very good result in Korea and also internationally. The title song “Mr. Taxi” of this album is an electropop and R&B song, and the Korean version of their first original Japanese song.

My personal picks:
— Telepathy
— Say Yes
— Trick
— How Great is Your Love
— Sunflower


I got a boy / Girls’ Generation

Girls’ Generation released their fourth full-length album, “I Got a Boy” in 2013. The title song “I Got a Boy” is a hybrid genre song that includes bubblegum pop, electropop, electropop, and R&B, while the pre-release single “Dancing Queen” is a remake of Duffy’s “Mercy”, used to plan to release with “Gee” together. This album has received a very good result as well, and “I Got a Boy” has become one of their iconic title songs.

My personal picks:
— Baby Maybe
— 말해봐 (Talk Talk)
— Promise
— Express 999
유리아이 (Lost in Love)
— XYZ
— 낭만길 (Romantic St.)


2011 Girls’s Generation tour / Girls’ Generation

This is the live album of their second concert tour, the 2011 Girls’ Generation Tour. They performed some of their Japanese singles on this tour, and each member had a solo stage.

My personal picks:
— Let It Rain
— Lady Marmalade
— Devil’s Cry


Girls’ Generation – TTS is the first subunit of this group, made up of vocal members Taeyeon, Tiffany and Seohyun. This subunit has a different music style compared to the Girls’ Generation. Their performance I like the most is their cover of Destiny’s Child’s “Cater 2 U” which shows how powerful their vocals are.

Twinkle / Girls’ Generation

Twinkle is their first mini album which was released in 2012, with the title song “Twinkle”. Twinkle is a medium-pop dance song. This album contains most dance-pop songs and some pop songs.

My personal picks:
Baby Steps
— Library
안녕 (Good-Bye, Hello)
— 처음이었죠 (Love Sick)



Holler : the 2nd mini album / Girls’ Generation

Girls’ Generation – TTS released their second mini album “Holler” in 2014, with the title song “Holler”. “내가 네게 Whisper” was released three days earlier as a promotional single. Member Seohyun had written the lyrics for the song “Only U”.

My personal picks:
아드레날린 (Adrenaline)
내가 네게 (Whisper)
— Stay
Only U
— Eyes


That’s a wrap for my over-sharing about Girls’ Generation! Tell us in the comments below if you’ve found your favourite Girls’ Generation song on our list! 안녕히 가세요!

via GIPHY

Why do we listen to K-pop? Because of Super Junior!

As K-pop is one of the big pop-culture trends in the world today, and there are a lot of good albums we have in our library collection, I would like to share the artists and songs I have liked since I started listening to K-pop as a teenager! I hope you will enjoy this music genre and culture as much as I do!

After SHINee, I am excited to introduce my all-time favourite boy group, and also the reason I have started listening to K-pop, 우리는 슈퍼주니어 에요, Super Junior! Super Junior is a boy group formed by SM Entertainment and debuted on 5 November 2006, with the title song “Twins (Knock Out)” from their first mini album, Super Junior 05. They were the largest boy group in Korea when they first debuted with a total of 12 members: Leeteuk, Heechul, Han Geng, Yesung, Kangin, Shindong, Sungmin, Eunhyuk, Siwon, Donghae, Ryeowook and Kibum. When Kyuhyun joined the group six months later, the suffix “05” was taken out and Super Junior 05 became Super Junior as we know them today. After Han Geng, Kibum and Kangin left the group in 2011, 2015, and 2019 respectively, there are now ten members in Super Junior, although Sungmin no longer joins group activities. Their fan club name is E.L.F. which means Ever Lasting Friends, and their official colour is Sapphire Blue (Hex code, #0F52BA).

Super Junior gained a lot of popularity following their debut as all the members worked hard to join different shows to promote the group. But what brought Super Junior international success was their third full-length album, 쏘리 쏘리 Sorry, Sorry. With catchy lyrics and melodies, and smooth and clean choreography, the title song “쏘리 쏘리 Sorry, Sorry” was a real hit in South Korea and also in other countries around the world. After the success of “쏘리 쏘리 Sorry, Sorry”, Super Junior maintained their frequency of releasing an album every year, becoming one of the most iconic K-pop groups in the world today.

Super Junior’s title songs are more focused on dance pop like “Mamacita(아야야)”, “Black Suit”, and “House Party”, with media outlets praising them for creating their own genre, “SJ Funky.” Aside from dance-pop, they have also experimented with other music genres like ballad, R&B, Latin and much more. As with SHINee, I like their ballad and R&B songs the most, and I recommend “너라고 It’s You” from the repackaged version of Sorry, Sorry, “사랑이 멎지 않게 Raining Spell for Love” from Mamacita, “같이 걸읅까 More Days with You” from The Renaissance, and Lovely Day – Rearranged Studio Version from their concert, Super Show 4.

Super Junior is also the first Korean group which started doing sub-unit activities. There are five subgroups, which are Super Junior-K.R.Y., Super Junior-T, Super Junior-M, Super Junior-H, and Super Junior-D&E, formed in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2008, and 2011 respectively. Each group consists of different members who perform in different music genres.

  • Super Junior-K.R.Y. focus on ballad-style songs, as this group is formed by the main vocal members, Kyuhyun, Ryeowook, and Yesung (When We Were Us).
  • Super Junior-T focuses on Trot music, the oldest form of Korean pop music (첫눈에 반했습니다 Love at First Sight).
  • Super Junior-M is a group that releases songs in Mandarin (Break Down).
  • The main music genre of Super Junior-H is bubblegum pop — the H stands for Happy! (요리왕 Cooking? Cooking!).
  • Super Junior-D&E was formed by members Eunhyuk and Donghae to do the music they like and enjoy, including hip-hop.

Aside from the subgroup activities, members of Super Junior also do a lot of solo activities, including musicals, solo albums, TV programmes, acting and much more. Super Junior is one of the longest-running K-pop groups (the oldest after Sechskies and Shinhwa) and they just celebrated their 17th anniversary last November! They also released their 11th full-length album, “The Road” last year with three title songs, which are “Callin”, “Mango”, and “Celebrate”. As a card-carrying E.L.F., I am very proud and looking forward to see what they will bring to us in the future!

via GIPHY

Super Junior albums we have at the library:

Mr. Simple / Super Junior

Mr. Simple is Super Junior’s fifth full-length album which was released in 2011. The title song “Mr. Simple” became one of their most popular songs and the album won several awards after release. This album contains various music genres like synthpop, electropop, R&B, and ballad. Members Donghae and Eunhyuk also wrote the lyrics for some tracks.

My personal picks:
— Walkin’
— Storm
— Memories
— Sunflower
— Y
— My Love, My Kiss, My Heart

A-cha / Super Junior

A-cha is the repackaged edition album of “Mr. Simple” that features four new songs and a new title song “A-cha.”

My personal picks:
— Superman
— Oops!!
— A Day
— Andante

Spy / Super Junior

Super Junior released their 6th full-length album, “Sexy, Free and Single” in 2012 and this album also become a hit in Korea. “Spy” is the repackaged version with 4 new songs and the new title song, “Spy”. “Spy” has the most complicated choreography and the members refused to perform it in the shows or concerts anymore (so E.L.F.s are always teasing them to perform it!)

My personal picks:
— From U
— Only U
— Haru
— Gulliver
— Someday
— Bittersweet
— Daydream
— A ‘Good’bye

The beat goes on / Donghae & Eunhyuk

This is the first mini album of the subunit, Super Junior-D&E which was released in 2015. With the title song “Growing Pains” written by the member Donghae, this mini album received a good result overall. This subunit is still active now compared to other subunits which have stopped working because of a range of reasons. Super Junior-D&E announces that they will release a new mini album this year and have a new concert tour after that.

My personal picks:
— Growing Pains
— 1+1=Love
— Love that I Need
— Sweater & Jeans
— Mother
— Still You

That’s a wrap for my over-sharing about Super Junior! Tell us in the comments below if you’ve found your favourite Super Junior song on our list! 안녕히 가세요!


via GIPHY

Why do we listen to K-pop? Because of SHINee!

As K-pop is one of the big pop-culture trends in the world today, and there are a lot of good albums we have in our library collection, I would like to share the artists and songs I have liked since I started listening to K-pop as a teenager! I hope you will enjoy this music genre and culture as much as I do!

The first K-pop artist I would like to introduce to you is 빛나는샤이니: SHINee! SHINee is a Korean boy group formed by SM Entertainment and debuted on 22 May 2008. The original group members included Onew, Jonghyun, Key, Minho, and Taemin. All the members had been trainees for around two to three years and received a lot of training in singing, dancing, and RAP before their debut. Their fan club is named 샤이니 월드 (SHINee World), with fans calling themselves Shawols or S.W. Their official colour is Pearlescent Aquamarine (Hex code #79e5cb, for anyone who wants to theme their Tumblr dash appropriately!).

SHINee debuted with the title song “Replay (누난 너무 예뻐)” from their first mini album “Replay.” They have gained a lot of attention since gaining the title of ‘Rookie Grand Slam’ following their debut. Defined as a “Contemporary group,” SHINee’s main music style is contemporary R&B, but they also have challenged musical boundaries by incorporating various music genres like Hip-Hop, EDM, and Deep House into their style. I personally like their pop ballad songs the most (my top three: Jo Jo from 2009, Year of Us, Don’t Let Me Go from 1 Of 1, and Symptoms from Everybody). Moreover, they always received a lot of compliments for their live performances because of their powerful vocals, exceptional choreography, and perfect synchronisation.

Today, the members of SHINee are focusing on their solo activities while waiting for the youngest member, Taemin, to complete his military service in early March 2023. Leader Onew is doing his solo concert in Japan and has been cast in several musicals, and Key is doing a lot of variety shows and has released his second full-length album “Gasoline” last August, while Minho has finally released his first solo mini album “Chase” with his new drama “The Fabulous” premiering on Netflix last December! Although member Jonghyun passed away in 2017, he was always one of SHINee’s most talented members, and his songs still have the power to heal us now (End of a Day).

We are lucky enough to have some of SHINee’s albums in our CD collection (editor’s note — do the kids still listen to CDs these days? Anyway, they’re free to borrow this year!), so check out some of my favourite picks below!

via GIPHY


SHINee albums we have at the library:

Sherlock / SHINee

Sherlock is SHINee’s fourth mini album which was released in 2012. The title song “Sherlock (Clue + Note)” is a “hybrid remix” of two songs, which are both from the same album: the second track “Clue,” and the third track “Note.” World-famous choreographer Tony Testa has done the choreography work for the title song and “Sherlock” has become one of SHINee’s masterpieces (Sherlock, Everybody, and View are always mentioned when we talk about SHINee’s outstanding and unique performances).

My personal picks:
–The Reason
–Honesty


Dream girl : the misconceptions of you ; Why so serious : the misconceptions of me / SHINee

In January 2013, SHINee announced that they were coming back with their third full-length album. The first chapter “Dream Girl – The misconceptions of You” was released in February with the title song “Dream Girl” and chapter two “Why So Serious – The misconceptions of Me” was released in April with the title song “Why So Serious”. Chapter 1 contains more happy and delightful songs, while Chapter 2 has more dark and gloomy songs. The complete album, The Misconceptions of Us, was released in June with an additional two new songs.

My personal picks:
Chapter 1 “Dream Girl – The misconceptions of You”
–Spoiler
–Girls, Girls, Girls
–Aside

Chapter 2 “Why So Serious – The misconceptions of Me”
–Excuse Me Miss
–Sleepless Night

The misconceptions of Us
–Selene 6.23
–Better Off


Odd / Shinee

Odd is SHINee’s fourth full-length album released in 2015 with the deep house genre title song “View.” The lyrics are written by member Jonghyun and describe how love intensifies people’s senses. It has received a lot of good reviews because of Jonghyun’s beautiful and sophisticated writing.

My personal picks:
–Love Sick
–View
–Farewell My Love
–An Ode To You
–An Encore


Ace : the first mini album / Taemin

Ace is SHINee’s member Taemin’s first solo mini album which was released in 2014. He is also the first member of SHINee who starts a solo career. With the title song “괴도 (Danger)”, Taemin has proved that he is not only good at dancing (he is the lead dancer in SHINee and well known as one of the best dancers in Korea) but also good at singing as well. Ace had received many good reviews in overall and Taemin has continued his solo career along with the group activities since then.

My personal picks:
–Ace
–Pretty Boy


Base : the first mini album / Jonghyun

My favourite member, Jonghyun released his first solo mini album, Base, in 2015. He was the second member after Taemin to start his own solo career. As the lead vocalist in SHINee, Jonghyun had always been praised for his singing skills, as well as his songwriting skills since his debut. He wrote all the lyrics for this album (not only this album but also all his solo albums that had been released after Base) and cooperated with other composers to write the music. This album explores various genres, including R&B, ballad, and soul.

My personal picks:
–Déjà-Boo
–Hallelujah
–Mono-Drama


That’s a wrap for my over-sharing about SHINee! Tell us in the comments below if you’ve found your favourite SHINee song on our list!

via GIPHY