SHINee key He’s spent nearly two decades honing his art, and he doesn’t want to leave any room for misunderstanding: His achievements have been earned through his own blood, sweat, and tears. While casual fans know the K-pop industry is a well-oiled machine, Key wants observers to understand that artists are still responsible for their own work.
“I don’t want them to think I’m some little puppet of the industry,” the 34-year-old singer EXCLUSIVELY said US Weekly. “I’m my own producer. I’m an artist. I’m following my own path and I know what I’m doing.”
After debuting with quintet SHINee in 2008, the “Hunter” singer released his first solo project in 2018 and has continued to evolve both within the band and as a solo artist. It’s clear he’s at the top of his league and, with his first solo world tour Guilan Island: The Uncanny Valleyhe took his fans along for the ride.
Like his fans, known as Shawols, he wondered why it took nearly 20 years to finally embark on a solo tour, but the timing felt right. “I think it’s [the] Coming here at the right time, I can see my fans’ faces, like, ‘We’ve been waiting for you, like, [a] Thousands of years! So, I try to enjoy every second,” the singer said.
He was particularly awed by the increasing diversity of the audience and admitted he was particularly surprised by the number of men attending the show. “I asked them a lot of questions in Los Angeles and Oakland,” he told us us With a smile. “Like, ‘Why are you here? Who brought you here? Your girlfriend, your wife, or your sister, who is it?'”
Fans online love his on-stage banter, and countless videos of him humorously interrogating audience members have gone viral over the past few weeks. Another aspect of his performance that surprised him was the amount of effort fans put into the costumes. He likened the experience to Comic-Con and said he saw fans wearing elaborate makeup, manicures and costumes similar to his original character BOK-SILLee. “They were very serious about it,” he added, describing the whole incident as “very funny.”
These lavish costumes mirror Key’s own performance costumes, which he was entirely involved in designing. While the singer is known for keeping up with the latest styles, the inspiration behind his outfits isn’t necessarily influenced by what’s trending on TikTok.
“As a person, Key is very trend-conscious and he likes to wear trendy clothes,” he shared, noting that his personal creative vision still comes first. “As an artist, I don’t force myself to be ‘popular’.”
He naturally became the primary architect of his musicianship, but that happened over time.
SHINee Key’s “Keyland: Uncanny Valley” concert in Seoul.
Image source: SM Entertainment“When we debuted, we were perfectly produced by producers because that’s how K-pop works. But since then, I’ve educated myself,” Key said. He hopes fans of K-pop, old and new, recognize artists’ involvement in their craft, saying it’s a common misconception that most people still don’t have a hand in the creation. “[Idols] Can compose lyrics, can compose lyrics, each has his or her own character and talent. I hope people see that too. “
Key exudes confidence, and his records reflect that sentiment. His latest project, hunterreleased in August, which he has previously said is his best-produced album to date. Although he has always been confident, he noted on his 2021 EP, bad lovewas crucial in helping him build his confidence as a soloist. “I was very proud of it and I thought, ‘Fuck the results,'” he said with a laugh. “I felt something new… I had to do something [that] Make me proud of myself. “
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His confidence has slowly grown over time, but he admits it’s still a work in progress. “It’s not because my mom always said, ‘You’re the most beautiful kid in the world.'” It never worked like that! ” He quipped that he wasn’t naive enough to let his parents’ words influence him — his confidence was ultimately something he had to discover within himself.
When he was first starting out, it certainly helped that he had some industry pioneers to look up to. He cited soloists and record labels python as his main role model. “She was the first one to become popular as a K-pop artist in Japan…and after that, TVXQ followed her path,” he explained, recalling their performance at the Tokyo Dome.
Performing solo in a 55,000-seat stadium is usually a hallmark of success for many K-pop groups, and in 2015 Key finally got the chance to take the stage with the rest of SHINee. [thinking]‘Wow, I’m standing here.’ I had this feeling,” he recalled.
The singer also thanked the bands who followed in his footsteps and helped bring K-pop to the global stage. Citing the success of artists like BTS and NCT and Korean Demon Hunterhe said it’s still hard to believe that K-pop has such a large international audience. “These days, I still can’t believe this is happening,” he told us. “It’s like living in a dream.”
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Key’s influence extends beyond K-pop, and while on tour, he had the opportunity to butt heads with one of his idols, Cynthia Erivo. “She was an angel,” he marveled, still in disbelief as he recalled their interaction. After Erivo, 38, offered him some advice, the singer found himself starstruck — the same feeling his own fans felt when they met him.
While Key has long been a superstar, he still wants to achieve more goals, goals that have sustained him throughout his nearly two decades of active idol career.
“I can’t stop because there are so many things I want to do,” he said usadding that ten years ago he wouldn’t have believed he could still perform. “I can’t imagine doing the same thing at my age,” he quipped. Still, he said, he still felt 18.
Key is unique in that he still believes, even in the age of artificial intelligence, that he’s not going anywhere because the human connection that live music provides “will never go away.” For him, old school is the way to go. “Human beings on stage, what they present is irreplaceable [by] Robots or artificial intelligence. “
He already has a hard time understanding K-pop’s current popularity, which makes any notion of transcending current success impossible. When asked what his hopes were for the future of the genre, he wasn’t sure how to get bigger, laughing and asking: “Isn’t that enough?”
It makes sense that someone who began his career when K-pop was just breaking out of South Korea’s borders would still be in awe of its current global success. He’s immensely proud of K-pop’s emerging artists, who have appeared on U.S. television shows, topped international charts and sold out stadiums around the world. “even [though] I wasn’t there and I’m proud of them,” he said ussaid his colleagues were further along than he thought.
The future of K-pop is still promising, if, as Key puts it, “[people] It’s okay to accept that this isn’t a genre – it’s a culture. “In the past, different markets needed to be reached in different ways, but now that domestic and international audiences have begun to merge, he imagines a future where everyone can enjoy everything K-pop has to offer. “I hope that day comes. “
as part of US Weeklybrand us As part of our mixtape series, we asked Key to share some of his favorite songs over the years. Keep scrolling to see which songs he chose to be part of the soundtrack of his life:
The song reminds him of his childhood
“When You Wish Upon a Star” pinocchio. pinocchio is my first disney [movie]. I’m still listening to this song. Even now…when I listen to this song, I’m taken straight back to 5 years old.
Songs that remind you of your favorite places
“Both Sides Now” comes from Joni Mitchell. Not my favorite place, [but] Like it or not, I get to spend a lot of time on airplanes. [This song] Let me really relax while my heart is pounding.
Songs to make everyone dance
“Thriller” by michael jackson. I miss him. Who can say no to MJ, you know?
The song he sang in the car
“Wake Me Up When September Ends” by Green Day. September 23rd is both my birthday and the anniversary of my grandmother’s death, so it’s an exciting day for me. This song has become my way of finding peace when I need to face these feelings. This is my go-to for comfort and reflection.
The song he wishes he had written
‘Pop’ by ‘NSync! I don’t know why, but it was such a strong memory. I watched it on MTV, Xiaoji. I was shocked.
