With SHINee, they have a discography spanning 15 years. What's great about them is that they are experimental, so with every comeback they experiment with a new genre. For example, their debut Replay is R&B, their song View is Deep House, 1 Of 1 is New Jack Swing. Their last comeback in 2021 Don't Call Me was also a bit of Hip Hop too. But I would recommend either Don't Call Me or Replay next.
They have been in the industry for 15 years and they always deliver something different and I never question their choices, I just trust them. SHINee back
With "Hard," SHINee is just doing what we have all come to expect from them -- showing us something that has never been seen or heard before and starting a new trend. Nothing you hear from them will ever be like anything you have ever seen or heard before. They raise the bar even higher with every comeback. And that's what makes them SHINee. :D With every new song release, SHINee are expected to come out with a style and sound that is brand new, not only for them, but in the industry as a whole. SHINee is pronounced like Shiny, as in shiny stars or shiny diamonds. Their name has a double ee to show just how brilliantly they SHINe(e) and their name means "the ones who receive light." What you just experienced is exactly what makes SHINee legends. And this is the reason why they are so highly respected, and why almost everyone in the industry who came after them cites them as one of their biggest influences and one of the reasons why they wanted to become a singer and dancer, etc. 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. Although, just to make sure you didn't forget that this was a SHINee song, they couldn't just do straight hip-hop. They had to create this hybride mashup of pop, rock and retro hip-hop, etc. to give this song that SHINee flavor. They killed this!! This will definitely be a contender for album of the year. And, switching up the beat and style of the song in the middle of the song is pretty much how the majority of SM Entertainment's songs are structured. It's kind of SM's signature style. You will hear that same thing happen in a a lot of the songs you listen to from SM. This song was wrote by Kenzie, who is an SM songwriter and producer that has wrote a large majority of SM songs. She even has her own studio at SM, that's how much she is involved in SM's sound. The fact that this song is nothing like anyone expects, and different than anything out there, is exactly what makes it a SHINee song. SHINee were designed to be SM Entertainment's experimental boy group, so everything they do is meant to be the first, and they are expected to create the trend. With every new song SHINee produces, it's supposed to be different than the last, so you will never hear the same style or sound from them. But it will somehow always have that SHINee feel. With "Hard" this is really just SHINee going back to their roots. Before debut, SHINee was actually training to be a hip-hop group. However, as Key tells it, they just didn'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 their debut song "Replay" that they have now become known for. "Hard" just proves that 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, 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. You just discovered why SHINee still hold one of the top spots after more than 15 years in the industry. If you are impressed now, just wait until you go through their entire discography of songs and MVs. So far, they have 14 full-length albums (8 Korean albums and 6 Japanese albums), several repackaged albums, a multitude of mini albums, numerous OSTS, they each have solo songs and albums and there are hundreds of live performances that will absolutely leave you speechless with their talent. And it only gets more and more impressive as you follow them through their career. They have accomplished a lot in the past 15+ years and they are one of the groups that made Kpop what it is today. However, if you want to see where SHINee truly shines, you have to see their live performances. When SHINee debuted in 2008, Onew (the leader and lead vocalist) was 18, Jonghyun (the main vocalist and a songwriter) had just turned 18, Minho (the main rapper and sub-vocalist) and Key (lead vocalist and sub-rapper) were 16 and Taemin (Main dancer and lead vocalist) was 14. However, now SHINee are known for the fact that there are no longer any fixed roles in their group. The main vocalists can rap, the rappers can fill in as main vocalists and they all are impressive dancers. SHINee are some of the most well respected artists in the industry. Onew (Pronounced Oh-New in English or On-New with a Korean accent, real name Lee JinKi) -- the one the amazing high notes and the colorful outfit -- is the leader of the group and he has one of the most unique voices in the industry. (Onew means, or sounds like, the Korean words for soft or gentle, so he was given his stage name because he has a very calm and gentle personality.) He is one of the most coveted male voices that all other singers dream of getting a chance to collaborate with. His vocals are unmatched. He even holds the record (40+ seconds) for the longest continuous note without changing tone or pitch. Key -- in the suit with the shorts -- is our fashionista of the group who is SHINee's stylist for a lot of their MVs and stage outfits. SHINee are known for setting trends and never being afraid to experiment, so Key is recognized for really paying attention to detail when it comes to fashion. He is an amazing singer and is a sub-rapper in the group. (Notice how Key was singing through his clenched teeth in the last part of the 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.) He is also considered SHINee's dance copy machine. He has a photographic memory when it comes to choreography, so he only needs to watch the dance once and he has it memorized. He is also SHINee's fluent English speaker, and he is almost as good as a native speaker. Minho -- in the red jacket -- is the main rapper and visual of the group, but his vocals are also some of the best in the industry. Minho sings just as much as he raps. He also writes most of his own raps in SHINee's songs. Minho is a top actor, and he has starred in numerous dramas and movies starting way back in 2011. When not promoting with SHINee, he is almost always on the set of his latest drama or movie. He is also known as a star athlete. He says these days he goes to the gym a couple of times a day to work out, just because he likes to work out, but he also is crazy about soccer, and he plays basketball, baseball and golf, and he is good at track and field events, etc., as well. And, not only does he enjoy playing all those sports, but he is usually the best athlete on the field, and he pretty much wins every time. Minho's nickname is "Flaming Charisma," and one reason is for his intense passion for sports and games and his need to always win. And Taemin -- the blond -- is considered one of THE BEST dancers in the industry (one of the top 2 best dancers of all dancers in Kpop), and that's not just by fans, but by everyone in the industry, including his peers. Taemin's nickname is the Korean Michael Jackson. He is also one of the most popular male solo artists and he is a member of the Kpop supergroup SuperM. Taemin truly is art when it comes to his performances. Although Jonghyun wasn't in the MV -- because he passed more than 5 years ago -- in order to get to know SHINee, you have to get to know him as well. He is known as one of the best vocalist in Kpop whose voice was unmatched. He also was one of the most prolific songwriters and composers of his generation. Jonghyun wrote and composed almost 40% of SHINee's songs, plus he wrote all of his own solo songs and numerous songs for other artists. He was one of the only SM artists to be given complete artistic control over his work, including several of SHINee's song selections.He was extremely respected within the industry as a songwriter, composer and singer. He was one of the very first Idols to be known for this songwriting and composing skills. Once you get to know their voices you will always be able to pick them out of a crowd just by the sound of their voice. Most fans will tell you we know who is speaking or singing within 1 second even with our eyes closed, with them standing in a crowd of screaming fans. Each of their voices are that unique -- there is no one with a voice like any of theirs. That is why they are "The Princes of Kpop". SHINee are known for their live vocals and amazing dancing. They are known as CD-quality singers because they sound just as good live, if not better, than they do recorded. SHINee always sings live. The ONLY thing they are not good at is lip syncing, so they avoid it at all costs. Therefore, when you hear SHINee singing, 95% of the time it will be live. They have trained their entire career to build endurance and stamina in order to be able to sing live and continue to sound flawless while performing extremely complex choreography for more than 3 hours straight in concert. SHINee set the standard. It's literally referred to as the SHINee standard. It's the standard all other groups strive to reach.
All of them are also amazing soloists - I keep recommending Key to you, and he's a member of SHINee. Taemin is a literal industry standard for dance, Onew and Jonghyun are industry standards for vocals, and Minho is just a really fantastic soloist. They have a bajillion subgenres, and for a variety, I'd say literally start with their debut, Replay. It's ICONIC. Ring Ding Dong, Sherlock, Lucifer, View, Stranger, Excuse Me Miss (DO THE LIVE STAGE SHINeeWorld concert one for that), Everybody, Juliette, Love Like Oxygen, Don't Call Me, Atlantis, 1 of 1, Married to the Music, Odd Eye, and Woof Woof for the lolz. If you listen to their entire discography, it's going to take you a zillion years, because they have SO MANY songs.
Shinee has been around for 15 years! but, they have tried so many concepts that even if hip hop is not to your liking, you can still discover a jewel from them in completely different styles, they are trendsetters because of that reason. They are so good and are still relevant in a hard to survive music industry like Korean music industry for so long.And they are highly respected for many idols and critics, that they are considered a Brand and idols's idols for so many groups. Please, also if you can, check out their solo music, because all of them are soloists
Everything about this is seriously HARD-the beat, the vocals, the lyrics, the choreo, the fashion, the visuals, and the beats of Shawol’s hearts!!!!! The Princes are BACK for GOOD! I’m so proud of them. SHINee came back in true SHINee fashion-setting the Standard and breaking boundaries! SHINee’s BACK BACK BACK BACK BACK!!!!!!! SHINee debuted 25 May 2008 as an experimental, contemporary group and is comprised of the five most talented guys (the “Most Shining in the Universe”) in South Korea. They’re tasked (and are incredibly successful) with introducing new ideas ranging from concepts, music genres, fashion, and more to the industry. They set the trends and others follow in their footsteps. One such trend is known as the SHINee Standard-intense choreography whilst singing live, even since their debut. In fact, SHINee is one of the few K-pop groups who have won 1st place on music shows in 3 different decades: 2000s - “Love Like Oxygen”, 2010s - “Lucifer”, 2020s - “Don't Call Me”. The only thing SHINee is known to not be good at is lip syncing, so they typically don’t. They’re known for their incredible live vocals and have been lovingly nicknamed “CDNee” because their live vocals are even better than their recordings, despite their heavy/intricate choreo-it’s like they eat their CDs for breakfast. They trained by singing while taking long runs and kept that conditioning up-after all, their concerts last 3.5 hours or longer with insanely intense choreography and vocals. They give their all during their performances, but you’d never know they were so tired their managers have had to carry them afterwards. All five members are also accomplished soloists. In fact, SHINee is the ONLY group in which every member has hit #1 on Worldwide iTunes and appeared on the music shows MNet/M Countdown, Show! Music Core, and Inkigayo as solo artists. Between SHINee’s 15 years of music as a group and over eight years worth of solo discography, there is a LOT to discover…and that doesn’t even include the countless movies, musicals, TV shows, radio, and various other solo activities they have to offer. From business to sports, fashion to investments, cultural programs, philanthropy, social justice, human rights, academics, etc…our Shining men are truly incomparable. Something that is important to know in regards to SHINee…I mentioned they are a five member group, and that is true to this day. However, Jonghyun tragically lost his battle with depression and anxiety in December of 2017. He was always incredibly open regarding his struggles with mental health…which isn’t taken seriously in South Korea (though it is improving, from what I understand…in large part due to the tragic losses of Jonghyun, Sulli, Goo Hara, and other idols). Doctors pretty much told him to suck it up and try to be happy. His death was devastating, not only to SHINee and Shawol (fandom name, short for SHINee World), but for all of KPOP, Korea, and the world. He is still missed terribly and appears regularly on charts for popularity and listening counts. Jonghyun was regarded the best vocalist of KPOP and was the first SM artist to release a self-written album. He wrote tons of songs-not just for himself or even SHINee, but for other well-known artists, as well. The members of SHINee obviously took his loss very, very hard, but decided to continue as a group that will always remain five. To this day, they are very vocal about the fact Jonghyun is still with them and SHINee is FIVE; they even leave his spot open in choreography sometimes and keep his microphone backstage during performances.
@@K-RossReacts you’re very welcome! One of the things I’m most proud of in regards to SHINee is our fandom, Shawol. In fact, SHINee World was one of the deciding factors in my decision to stan the group since I’d previously been off-put KPOP completely by toxic Twitter stans. Please never fear asking questions or getting the members mixed up-as long as you’re respectful, we’re more than happy to help! We love talking about our guys. 🥰
they always try new genre in every comeback, i recomend to you their first song called Replay in 2008, and my fav is Married to the music with unique genre too! thnkyou for reacting them:)
Check out their solo stuff. Advice for Taemin, Gasoline for Key, Chase for Minho, Dice for Onew, Shinin' for Jonghyun. For the whole group stuff, I'm partial to Don't call me and Married to the music.
I like Shinee so far but have only checked out about 12 songs, I absolutely love Taemin as a soloist, actually I checked him out before I knew he is a Shinee member. Songs I know and love so far are Juliette, Ring Ding Ding, Don’t call me, Atlantis to name a few For Taemin I started with Advice and Move before I decided I need to check out more. Think there is only a few songs more I have not checked out yet and than I will continue with Shinee 🫶 So much to check out, so little time 😎
SHINee! Nicknamed the Princes of Kpop. One of the first groups I got into back in the day. They have been around for like 15 years so there's a lot of music to recommend and they have a variety of styles of music not just hip hop. So for my recommendations ...their debut song "Replay" then there's Ring Ding Dong (a classic lol but not everyone's cup of tea honestly didn't like it when I first listened to it but now the song is memorialized in kpop history and can't help but sing along when I hear it), View, and Don't Call Me. I'd also recommend checking out everyone's solo but Taemin the youngest of the group has an incredible solo career and is very respected in the industry especially his dancing! Currently 4 Members: Onew (leader), Key, Minho, and Taemin. 5th member and lots of love to Jonghyun. Unfortunately the world lost a very talented and amazing artist at a young age to suicide 🖤🖤🖤.
@@K-RossReactsplease consider checking songs with Jonghyun as well at some point. Hopefully he's going to amaze you with his incredible interpretations and voice.
I see SHINee i click aggressively. These guys are unmatched! Check out this song w their live stages holding hand mics! They own up to their name CDNee
If you're interested, I think the storyline in SHINee's "Hard" MV can be interpreted in two ways. If you notice, the whole MV has a piano theme. For example, in the beginning when the scene becomes animated, it showed Taemin being pulled into the piano. And, if you look at the set with the brown walls, you will notice that it looks like the inside of a piano with the wooden hammers that create the sound when the keys are played on the walls behind them. And the lighted white screen is divided like the white keys of the piano with the people's silhouettes representing the black keys, etc. This could represent how music is what controls their lives and its what has trapped them in this world as artists. Which could be similar to the themes within Taemin's solo Never Gonna Dance Again album trilogy -- "2 Kids", "Criminal" and "Idea" -- and his epilogue "Advice." However, I'm also 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. As with all the groups under SM Entertainment, their storylines are all part of a larger concept kind of like a giant graphic novel or action movie series with a twist. SHINee's story, so far, primarily connects to EXO's and SuperM's storylines. Each group has their own individual storyline and concept, but when you put them all together there are threads of connections between the groups. You could sort of think of it like the Marvel franchise. Each of the Marvel characters has their own storyline, merchandise and fans, but the stories and concepts often overlap and connect. And with each new character that is introduced it expands on the whole Marvel universe. To understand how all of SM's groups are connected, you first need to be aware that it all began with EXO's origin story in 2012. EXO's concept is that they are aliens from Planet Exo, who have been sent to Earth on a mission to find and protect the Tree of Life from the Red Force, while also trying to fix all the things that are going wrong in the world, which are believed to be caused by the Red Force. The Red Force is thought to be here on Earth inflicting their evil agenda -- corrupting humanity and causing all the bad things that are happening in the world, such as war, hate and destruction of the environment, etc. And because EXO is trying to undo and prevent the Red Force from accomplishing their goals, the Red Force is also trying to take down EXO by capturing them, corrupting them and standing in their way, etc. With SHINee's "Hard" MV, I think when we first see Taemin in the black sleeveless suit, he looks very similar to what he looked like in his SuperM debut teasers, which could mean that this could be connected to SuperM's storyline. SuperM is the Kpop industry's very first supergroup, which debuted in October 2019, and their concept and storyline is centered around the fact that they are Avengers-like superheros, so SuperM is the group that pretty much connects all of SM's groups together. SuperM is made up of members of SM's other male Kpop groups, such as Taemin from SHINee, Baekhyun and Kai from EXO, Taeyong and Mark from NCT, Ten from WayV and Lucas who is a former member of WayV. This group's storyline is that they are coming together to help EXO battle the Red Force, which is the evil villian or group within EXO's storyline. As "The Avengers," SuperM is taking members from each of SM's groups and joining forces to take down the Red Force. And, just like how the movies "Avengers Identity War" and "Avengers Endgame" eventually had each of the Marvel Avengers members recruiting their whole crew to help in the fight, I think SM is setting it up so that all of its groups' members will eventually be brought into the conflict. I also think the story in "Hard" even could be connected to Taemin's "Advice" storyline. We see him with his hands painted blue in "Hard," similar to his black ink stained hands and body in "Advice," and in both scenes we see him standing in front of/playing a piano. (Technically, Pearl Aqua is SHINee's color. However, before LED lights were invented, creating a wider range of colors -- making way for SHINee's official Pearl Aqua color -- they used blue and green in things to do with SHINee. That's why we still see blue, green and aqua with most things SHINee related.) 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 the storyline in that MV 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. The scene with Key standing with all the dancers in white sitting in a circle around him also seems to be an important part of the story, 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, as I said, blue with SHINee usually represents SHINee and their connection as a group. Minho standing on the edge of that rock formation looks similar to the scene with Girls' Generation's Taeyeon 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. Red usually represents something to do with the Red Force.) In the next animated scene, we see what looks like Minho in the red jacket fighting with the same piano key ropes that pulled Taemin into the piano in the beginning. To me, it looks like its trying to keep him trapped within the piano and under the control of the music. However, in the next scene we see the giant piano has been destroyed behind them, which could represent how music no longer controls them, but they now control the music. (As SHINee has said, in the beginning of their career they did whatever they were told to do, however, now that they've been in the industry for more than 15 years, they have learned how to be their own artists and it has afforded them the opportunity to now make their own decisions about their music and to participate in creating the songs and designing their albums, etc. They are now the ones in control.) In the last scene -- after the Hard8 album title, which I think you missed because you stopped the video too soon -- it reminds me of the same menacing red atmosphere as Minho's rap section in their "Don't Call Me" MV, where we see him in an all red room with 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 sense when more of the story is revealed as SM releases the next chapter, etc. But you should also know, that no one really knows for sure what is happening in any of the story. There are well known theories and storylines that are accepted within the fandom, which we think might explain what is happening in each MV. And there are theories about how each MV is connected and where each falls within their larger storyline, but nothing is set in stone. Fan theories are constantly evolving and changing with every introduction of a new piece of the puzzle. New things are revealed with every MV release, concert, event, or appearance, etc., which could either add to or change the storyline.
Welcome to SHINee! It looks like you got plenty of info on Shinees in the comments! If you delve into this 15yr old group, you will discover every genre LOL. But all impressive. I'm excited for you, truly. PS Wait till you see their live performances 🤟🤟
Subscribed for more SHINee video reactions. SHINee has just recently celebrated their 15th anniversary last May. Please react to their debut song called Replay released in 2008 or a more recent ones, Don't Call Me and Atlantis.
Although I don't really follow Shinee, Taemin is the goat. Such a good soloist. I know you'll get to him eventually so I won't gush over him too much here, but he's like the MJ of Kpop. He is known as the idol of idols and the prince of Kpop for a reason.
SHINee is super diverse. I would say a hip hop as a title track is not common for them. They are definitely associated with great vocals and more r&b, pop sound, but they love experimenting and always come up with something fresh. But regardless of the genre you can expect the highest quality music and performance. My favorite more recent songs are Atlantis (2021) and Good Evening (2018). From their older discography (when they were still a group of 5 active members) I love View, Married To The Music, Sherlock and 1 of 1. Also please react to Taemin (the youngest member). His solo discography is just insane! Criminal, Advice, IDEA, Want and Move are a must see MVs!
I like a lot of Shinee songs but I don't actually like this one. They change genres a lot like most SM groups do so you can't really say they have a specific sound, but I think this song sounds like it was written for NCT not Shinee. The music NCT does just isn't to my taste. It's a shame because I usually love anything written by Kenzie but the repetitive lyrics and empty sounding chorus just makes it sound boring to me.
With SHINee, they have a discography spanning 15 years. What's great about them is that they are experimental, so with every comeback they experiment with a new genre. For example, their debut Replay is R&B, their song View is Deep House, 1 Of 1 is New Jack Swing. Their last comeback in 2021 Don't Call Me was also a bit of Hip Hop too. But I would recommend either Don't Call Me or Replay next.
Oh wow! Nice 😄
SHINee is amazing. Their discography spans so many genres. Not only are they amazing as a group but also as soloists.
Wonderful! Looking forward to more ❤️
They have been in the industry for 15 years and they always deliver something different and I never question their choices, I just trust them.
SHINee back
With "Hard," SHINee is just doing what we have all come to expect from them -- showing us something that has never been seen or heard before and starting a new trend. Nothing you hear from them will ever be like anything you have ever seen or heard before. They raise the bar even higher with every comeback. And that's what makes them SHINee. :D With every new song release, SHINee are expected to come out with a style and sound that is brand new, not only for them, but in the industry as a whole.
SHINee is pronounced like Shiny, as in shiny stars or shiny diamonds. Their name has a double ee to show just how brilliantly they SHINe(e) and their name means "the ones who receive light."
What you just experienced is exactly what makes SHINee legends. And this is the reason why they are so highly respected, and why almost everyone in the industry who came after them cites them as one of their biggest influences and one of the reasons why they wanted to become a singer and dancer, etc.
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. Although, just to make sure you didn't forget that this was a SHINee song, they couldn't just do straight hip-hop. They had to create this hybride mashup of pop, rock and retro hip-hop, etc. to give this song that SHINee flavor. They killed this!! This will definitely be a contender for album of the year.
And, switching up the beat and style of the song in the middle of the song is pretty much how the majority of SM Entertainment's songs are structured. It's kind of SM's signature style. You will hear that same thing happen in a a lot of the songs you listen to from SM. This song was wrote by Kenzie, who is an SM songwriter and producer that has wrote a large majority of SM songs. She even has her own studio at SM, that's how much she is involved in SM's sound.
The fact that this song is nothing like anyone expects, and different than anything out there, is exactly what makes it a SHINee song. SHINee were designed to be SM Entertainment's experimental boy group, so everything they do is meant to be the first, and they are expected to create the trend. With every new song SHINee produces, it's supposed to be different than the last, so you will never hear the same style or sound from them. But it will somehow always have that SHINee feel.
With "Hard" this is really just SHINee going back to their roots. Before debut, SHINee was actually training to be a hip-hop group. However, as Key tells it, they just didn'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 their debut song "Replay" that they have now become known for. "Hard" just proves that 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, 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.
You just discovered why SHINee still hold one of the top spots after more than 15 years in the industry. If you are impressed now, just wait until you go through their entire discography of songs and MVs. So far, they have 14 full-length albums (8 Korean albums and 6 Japanese albums), several repackaged albums, a multitude of mini albums, numerous OSTS, they each have solo songs and albums and there are hundreds of live performances that will absolutely leave you speechless with their talent. And it only gets more and more impressive as you follow them through their career. They have accomplished a lot in the past 15+ years and they are one of the groups that made Kpop what it is today. However, if you want to see where SHINee truly shines, you have to see their live performances.
When SHINee debuted in 2008, Onew (the leader and lead vocalist) was 18, Jonghyun (the main vocalist and a songwriter) had just turned 18, Minho (the main rapper and sub-vocalist) and Key (lead vocalist and sub-rapper) were 16 and Taemin (Main dancer and lead vocalist) was 14. However, now SHINee are known for the fact that there are no longer any fixed roles in their group. The main vocalists can rap, the rappers can fill in as main vocalists and they all are impressive dancers. SHINee are some of the most well respected artists in the industry.
Onew (Pronounced Oh-New in English or On-New with a Korean accent, real name Lee JinKi) -- the one the amazing high notes and the colorful outfit -- is the leader of the group and he has one of the most unique voices in the industry. (Onew means, or sounds like, the Korean words for soft or gentle, so he was given his stage name because he has a very calm and gentle personality.) He is one of the most coveted male voices that all other singers dream of getting a chance to collaborate with. His vocals are unmatched. He even holds the record (40+ seconds) for the longest continuous note without changing tone or pitch.
Key -- in the suit with the shorts -- is our fashionista of the group who is SHINee's stylist for a lot of their MVs and stage outfits. SHINee are known for setting trends and never being afraid to experiment, so Key is recognized for really paying attention to detail when it comes to fashion. He is an amazing singer and is a sub-rapper in the group. (Notice how Key was singing through his clenched teeth in the last part of the 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.) He is also considered SHINee's dance copy machine. He has a photographic memory when it comes to choreography, so he only needs to watch the dance once and he has it memorized. He is also SHINee's fluent English speaker, and he is almost as good as a native speaker.
Minho -- in the red jacket -- is the main rapper and visual of the group, but his vocals are also some of the best in the industry. Minho sings just as much as he raps. He also writes most of his own raps in SHINee's songs. Minho is a top actor, and he has starred in numerous dramas and movies starting way back in 2011. When not promoting with SHINee, he is almost always on the set of his latest drama or movie. He is also known as a star athlete. He says these days he goes to the gym a couple of times a day to work out, just because he likes to work out, but he also is crazy about soccer, and he plays basketball, baseball and golf, and he is good at track and field events, etc., as well. And, not only does he enjoy playing all those sports, but he is usually the best athlete on the field, and he pretty much wins every time. Minho's nickname is "Flaming Charisma," and one reason is for his intense passion for sports and games and his need to always win.
And Taemin -- the blond -- is considered one of THE BEST dancers in the industry (one of the top 2 best dancers of all dancers in Kpop), and that's not just by fans, but by everyone in the industry, including his peers. Taemin's nickname is the Korean Michael Jackson. He is also one of the most popular male solo artists and he is a member of the Kpop supergroup SuperM. Taemin truly is art when it comes to his performances.
Although Jonghyun wasn't in the MV -- because he passed more than 5 years ago -- in order to get to know SHINee, you have to get to know him as well. He is known as one of the best vocalist in Kpop whose voice was unmatched. He also was one of the most prolific songwriters and composers of his generation. Jonghyun wrote and composed almost 40% of SHINee's songs, plus he wrote all of his own solo songs and numerous songs for other artists. He was one of the only SM artists to be given complete artistic control over his work, including several of SHINee's song selections.He was extremely respected within the industry as a songwriter, composer and singer. He was one of the very first Idols to be known for this songwriting and composing skills.
Once you get to know their voices you will always be able to pick them out of a crowd just by the sound of their voice. Most fans will tell you we know who is speaking or singing within 1 second even with our eyes closed, with them standing in a crowd of screaming fans. Each of their voices are that unique -- there is no one with a voice like any of theirs. That is why they are "The Princes of Kpop".
SHINee are known for their live vocals and amazing dancing. They are known as CD-quality singers because they sound just as good live, if not better, than they do recorded. SHINee always sings live. The ONLY thing they are not good at is lip syncing, so they avoid it at all costs. Therefore, when you hear SHINee singing, 95% of the time it will be live. They have trained their entire career to build endurance and stamina in order to be able to sing live and continue to sound flawless while performing extremely complex choreography for more than 3 hours straight in concert. SHINee set the standard. It's literally referred to as the SHINee standard. It's the standard all other groups strive to reach.
All of them are also amazing soloists - I keep recommending Key to you, and he's a member of SHINee. Taemin is a literal industry standard for dance, Onew and Jonghyun are industry standards for vocals, and Minho is just a really fantastic soloist. They have a bajillion subgenres, and for a variety, I'd say literally start with their debut, Replay. It's ICONIC. Ring Ding Dong, Sherlock, Lucifer, View, Stranger, Excuse Me Miss (DO THE LIVE STAGE SHINeeWorld concert one for that), Everybody, Juliette, Love Like Oxygen, Don't Call Me, Atlantis, 1 of 1, Married to the Music, Odd Eye, and Woof Woof for the lolz. If you listen to their entire discography, it's going to take you a zillion years, because they have SO MANY songs.
Oooo nice! Will have to check some of these out! 🙌
Shinee has been around for 15 years! but, they have tried so many concepts that even if hip hop is not to your liking, you can still discover a jewel from them in completely different styles, they are trendsetters because of that reason. They are so good and are still relevant in a hard to survive music industry like Korean music industry for so long.And they are highly respected for many idols and critics, that they are considered a Brand and idols's idols for so many groups.
Please, also if you can, check out their solo music, because all of them are soloists
Oh wow! Super helpful comment, thank you! 😄
Everything about this is seriously HARD-the beat, the vocals, the lyrics, the choreo, the fashion, the visuals, and the beats of Shawol’s hearts!!!!! The Princes are BACK for GOOD! I’m so proud of them. SHINee came back in true SHINee fashion-setting the Standard and breaking boundaries! SHINee’s BACK BACK BACK BACK BACK!!!!!!!
SHINee debuted 25 May 2008 as an experimental, contemporary group and is comprised of the five most talented guys (the “Most Shining in the Universe”) in South Korea. They’re tasked (and are incredibly successful) with introducing new ideas ranging from concepts, music genres, fashion, and more to the industry. They set the trends and others follow in their footsteps. One such trend is known as the SHINee Standard-intense choreography whilst singing live, even since their debut. In fact, SHINee is one of the few K-pop groups who have won 1st place on music shows in 3 different decades: 2000s - “Love Like Oxygen”, 2010s - “Lucifer”, 2020s - “Don't Call Me”. The only thing SHINee is known to not be good at is lip syncing, so they typically don’t. They’re known for their incredible live vocals and have been lovingly nicknamed “CDNee” because their live vocals are even better than their recordings, despite their heavy/intricate choreo-it’s like they eat their CDs for breakfast. They trained by singing while taking long runs and kept that conditioning up-after all, their concerts last 3.5 hours or longer with insanely intense choreography and vocals. They give their all during their performances, but you’d never know they were so tired their managers have had to carry them afterwards.
All five members are also accomplished soloists. In fact, SHINee is the ONLY group in which every member has hit #1 on Worldwide iTunes and appeared on the music shows MNet/M Countdown, Show! Music Core, and Inkigayo as solo artists. Between SHINee’s 15 years of music as a group and over eight years worth of solo discography, there is a LOT to discover…and that doesn’t even include the countless movies, musicals, TV shows, radio, and various other solo activities they have to offer. From business to sports, fashion to investments, cultural programs, philanthropy, social justice, human rights, academics, etc…our Shining men are truly incomparable.
Something that is important to know in regards to SHINee…I mentioned they are a five member group, and that is true to this day. However, Jonghyun tragically lost his battle with depression and anxiety in December of 2017. He was always incredibly open regarding his struggles with mental health…which isn’t taken seriously in South Korea (though it is improving, from what I understand…in large part due to the tragic losses of Jonghyun, Sulli, Goo Hara, and other idols). Doctors pretty much told him to suck it up and try to be happy. His death was devastating, not only to SHINee and Shawol (fandom name, short for SHINee World), but for all of KPOP, Korea, and the world. He is still missed terribly and appears regularly on charts for popularity and listening counts.
Jonghyun was regarded the best vocalist of KPOP and was the first SM artist to release a self-written album. He wrote tons of songs-not just for himself or even SHINee, but for other well-known artists, as well. The members of SHINee obviously took his loss very, very hard, but decided to continue as a group that will always remain five. To this day, they are very vocal about the fact Jonghyun is still with them and SHINee is FIVE; they even leave his spot open in choreography sometimes and keep his microphone backstage during performances.
Oh wow thank you for this wealth of information! Super helpful! 😄❤️
@@K-RossReacts you’re very welcome! One of the things I’m most proud of in regards to SHINee is our fandom, Shawol. In fact, SHINee World was one of the deciding factors in my decision to stan the group since I’d previously been off-put KPOP completely by toxic Twitter stans. Please never fear asking questions or getting the members mixed up-as long as you’re respectful, we’re more than happy to help! We love talking about our guys. 🥰
SHINee are phenomenally talented. Thanks for your reaction.
My pleasure! Will be checking them again soon! 😄
they always try new genre in every comeback, i recomend to you their first song called Replay in 2008, and my fav is Married to the music with unique genre too! thnkyou for reacting them:)
Oh nice! Thanks so much! 😄
Check out their solo stuff. Advice for Taemin, Gasoline for Key, Chase for Minho, Dice for Onew, Shinin' for Jonghyun.
For the whole group stuff, I'm partial to Don't call me and Married to the music.
Wow Nice 👍 I don't know this group but this song is really cool 🔥
They're Kpop OG's. Shinee has been around longer than BTS.
@@hope2dust Oh ok thx 👍
A bug ARMY-WOL here... Nothing can make me more happy that you checking out both my favourite groups❤
🙌
I like Shinee so far but have only checked out about 12 songs, I absolutely love Taemin as a soloist, actually I checked him out before I knew he is a Shinee member.
Songs I know and love so far are Juliette, Ring Ding Ding, Don’t call me, Atlantis to name a few
For Taemin I started with Advice and Move before I decided I need to check out more. Think there is only a few songs more I have not checked out yet and than I will continue with Shinee 🫶 So much to check out, so little time 😎
So true! Can’t wait to check out more 🤟❤️
SHINee! Nicknamed the Princes of Kpop. One of the first groups I got into back in the day. They have been around for like 15 years so there's a lot of music to recommend and they have a variety of styles of music not just hip hop. So for my recommendations ...their debut song "Replay" then there's Ring Ding Dong (a classic lol but not everyone's cup of tea honestly didn't like it when I first listened to it but now the song is memorialized in kpop history and can't help but sing along when I hear it), View, and Don't Call Me.
I'd also recommend checking out everyone's solo but Taemin the youngest of the group has an incredible solo career and is very respected in the industry especially his dancing!
Currently 4 Members: Onew (leader), Key, Minho, and Taemin.
5th member and lots of love to Jonghyun. Unfortunately the world lost a very talented and amazing artist at a young age to suicide 🖤🖤🖤.
Oh no, so tragic 😔
Will def check out more from them!
@@K-RossReactsplease consider checking songs with Jonghyun as well at some point. Hopefully he's going to amaze you with his incredible interpretations and voice.
When I checked them out after I listened to Taemin I heard Ring Ding Dong and it actually scared me. I jumped in my seat when the song started.😂
I see SHINee i click aggressively. These guys are unmatched! Check out this song w their live stages holding hand mics! They own up to their name CDNee
Super talented!
If you're interested, I think the storyline in SHINee's "Hard" MV can be interpreted in two ways. If you notice, the whole MV has a piano theme. For example, in the beginning when the scene becomes animated, it showed Taemin being pulled into the piano. And, if you look at the set with the brown walls, you will notice that it looks like the inside of a piano with the wooden hammers that create the sound when the keys are played on the walls behind them. And the lighted white screen is divided like the white keys of the piano with the people's silhouettes representing the black keys, etc.
This could represent how music is what controls their lives and its what has trapped them in this world as artists. Which could be similar to the themes within Taemin's solo Never Gonna Dance Again album trilogy -- "2 Kids", "Criminal" and "Idea" -- and his epilogue "Advice."
However, I'm also 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.
As with all the groups under SM Entertainment, their storylines are all part of a larger concept kind of like a giant graphic novel or action movie series with a twist. SHINee's story, so far, primarily connects to EXO's and SuperM's storylines. Each group has their own individual storyline and concept, but when you put them all together there are threads of connections between the groups. You could sort of think of it like the Marvel franchise. Each of the Marvel characters has their own storyline, merchandise and fans, but the stories and concepts often overlap and connect. And with each new character that is introduced it expands on the whole Marvel universe.
To understand how all of SM's groups are connected, you first need to be aware that it all began with EXO's origin story in 2012. EXO's concept is that they are aliens from Planet Exo, who have been sent to Earth on a mission to find and protect the Tree of Life from the Red Force, while also trying to fix all the things that are going wrong in the world, which are believed to be caused by the Red Force. The Red Force is thought to be here on Earth inflicting their evil agenda -- corrupting humanity and causing all the bad things that are happening in the world, such as war, hate and destruction of the environment, etc. And because EXO is trying to undo and prevent the Red Force from accomplishing their goals, the Red Force is also trying to take down EXO by capturing them, corrupting them and standing in their way, etc.
With SHINee's "Hard" MV, I think when we first see Taemin in the black sleeveless suit, he looks very similar to what he looked like in his SuperM debut teasers, which could mean that this could be connected to SuperM's storyline.
SuperM is the Kpop industry's very first supergroup, which debuted in October 2019, and their concept and storyline is centered around the fact that they are Avengers-like superheros, so SuperM is the group that pretty much connects all of SM's groups together. SuperM is made up of members of SM's other male Kpop groups, such as Taemin from SHINee, Baekhyun and Kai from EXO, Taeyong and Mark from NCT, Ten from WayV and Lucas who is a former member of WayV. This group's storyline is that they are coming together to help EXO battle the Red Force, which is the evil villian or group within EXO's storyline.
As "The Avengers," SuperM is taking members from each of SM's groups and joining forces to take down the Red Force. And, just like how the movies "Avengers Identity War" and "Avengers Endgame" eventually had each of the Marvel Avengers members recruiting their whole crew to help in the fight, I think SM is setting it up so that all of its groups' members will eventually be brought into the conflict.
I also think the story in "Hard" even could be connected to Taemin's "Advice" storyline. We see him with his hands painted blue in "Hard," similar to his black ink stained hands and body in "Advice," and in both scenes we see him standing in front of/playing a piano. (Technically, Pearl Aqua is SHINee's color. However, before LED lights were invented, creating a wider range of colors -- making way for SHINee's official Pearl Aqua color -- they used blue and green in things to do with SHINee. That's why we still see blue, green and aqua with most things SHINee related.)
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 the storyline in that MV 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.
The scene with Key standing with all the dancers in white sitting in a circle around him also seems to be an important part of the story, 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, as I said, blue with SHINee usually represents SHINee and their connection as a group.
Minho standing on the edge of that rock formation looks similar to the scene with Girls' Generation's Taeyeon 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. Red usually represents something to do with the Red Force.)
In the next animated scene, we see what looks like Minho in the red jacket fighting with the same piano key ropes that pulled Taemin into the piano in the beginning. To me, it looks like its trying to keep him trapped within the piano and under the control of the music. However, in the next scene we see the giant piano has been destroyed behind them, which could represent how music no longer controls them, but they now control the music. (As SHINee has said, in the beginning of their career they did whatever they were told to do, however, now that they've been in the industry for more than 15 years, they have learned how to be their own artists and it has afforded them the opportunity to now make their own decisions about their music and to participate in creating the songs and designing their albums, etc. They are now the ones in control.)
In the last scene -- after the Hard8 album title, which I think you missed because you stopped the video too soon -- it reminds me of the same menacing red atmosphere as Minho's rap section in their "Don't Call Me" MV, where we see him in an all red room with 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 sense when more of the story is revealed as SM releases the next chapter, etc.
But you should also know, that no one really knows for sure what is happening in any of the story. There are well known theories and storylines that are accepted within the fandom, which we think might explain what is happening in each MV. And there are theories about how each MV is connected and where each falls within their larger storyline, but nothing is set in stone. Fan theories are constantly evolving and changing with every introduction of a new piece of the puzzle. New things are revealed with every MV release, concert, event, or appearance, etc., which could either add to or change the storyline.
Welcome to SHINee! It looks like you got plenty of info on Shinees in the comments! If you delve into this 15yr old group, you will discover every genre LOL. But all impressive. I'm excited for you, truly. PS Wait till you see their live performances 🤟🤟
Ooo nice! Looking forward to more! 🙌
Subscribed for more SHINee video reactions. SHINee has just recently celebrated their 15th anniversary last May. Please react to their debut song called Replay released in 2008 or a more recent ones, Don't Call Me and Atlantis.
Thanks! Can’t wait to check out more of them. 😄
Seen shinee and hit the subs for the reaction ❤thank you
Ahhh thank you so much and welcome! 😄
Welcome to SHINee World!
Thank you! ❤️
Key(my bias) one of the best soloists in k-pop. He have many hq synth/retro songs. You need check him Ross❤️
Oh brill! I’ll have to! 😄❤️
Bad love
Another life
Killer
Yellow tape
Bound
... ❤️
Although I don't really follow Shinee, Taemin is the goat. Such a good soloist. I know you'll get to him eventually so I won't gush over him too much here, but he's like the MJ of Kpop. He is known as the idol of idols and the prince of Kpop for a reason.
Oh wow! Sounds awesome! 😄
SHINee is the different level
SHINee is THE LEGEND
TAEMIN is THE KING of kings
Hard to put SHINee in a particular genre . They never replicate themselves.. Hope you'll find out about it in the SHINee journey
Another reaction from them coming tonight! 😄
SHINee is super diverse. I would say a hip hop as a title track is not common for them. They are definitely associated with great vocals and more r&b, pop sound, but they love experimenting and always come up with something fresh. But regardless of the genre you can expect the highest quality music and performance. My favorite more recent songs are Atlantis (2021) and Good Evening (2018). From their older discography (when they were still a group of 5 active members) I love View, Married To The Music, Sherlock and 1 of 1.
Also please react to Taemin (the youngest member). His solo discography is just insane! Criminal, Advice, IDEA, Want and Move are a must see MVs!
Thanks so much! Can’t wait for more! 💯
I like a lot of Shinee songs but I don't actually like this one. They change genres a lot like most SM groups do so you can't really say they have a specific sound, but I think this song sounds like it was written for NCT not Shinee. The music NCT does just isn't to my taste. It's a shame because I usually love anything written by Kenzie but the repetitive lyrics and empty sounding chorus just makes it sound boring to me.