Minho surprised the group at Taemin’s solo artist showcase right after being discharged from his mandatory military service at the end of 2020.
In 2018, South Korea’s compulsory military service put Onew, Key, and Minho out of action, and the group’s mammoth activity was put on ice. Onew, Minho, Jonghyun, Key, and Taemin set the scene to come with their debut, R&B inflected “Replay”, kickstarting a legacy of critically-acclaimed albums, brand deals, reality shows, and two films about the group. When the group first debuted in 2008, the K-pop landscape was very different – more niche, but gaining international audiences and making leaps in production, largely in tandem and impacted by SHINee’s own rapid growth. K-pop’s princes reigned supreme across the guts of a decade – a tenure largely unheard of in an industry with sky-high expectations, and what were once beefy contracts that led to break-ups and burnout. In the frantic, frenetic world of K-pop, encased in drama or hurtling forward to find the next big thing, “SHINee’s back” is a blissful cocoon for faithful fans.
The phrase goes far beyond a playful tagline: for fans, it’s an anchor to hope. It lights up Twitter’s trending feed, it punctuates every fan forum imaginable. Since their early days, the group has prefaced all their activities – releases, sold-out arena shows, multiple reality shows – with these two words.
Almost as famous as K-pop group SHINee is the catchphrase “SHINee’s back”.
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