Shinee Noona: 2019

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Missing Shinee

Artistic rendering of the boys at SMTown Museum

One by one, they all went into mandatory military service. First Onew, then Key and finally Minho. I loved the fan service they provided before they disappeared. Key's album Face was a masterpiece and you could tell a lot of thought and work went into it. The songs were all uniquely Key's style from Daft Punk-esque to indie. I still play "Imagine" continuously and "This Life" has to be the most perfect end song to an album ever. Onew also put out an album "Voice" which I thought was less successful and felt a bit more rushed. Onew's voice is incredible but none of the songs were stand-out. Also, the songs were mostly ballads but it would have been good to have more variety on the album - some upbeat jazz number or even trot to spice up the proceedings. Even Minho got in the act with a song release called "Home".

The obligatory photos of them shaving their heads and seeing each other off for military service were adorable. This leaves Taemin to hold the fort and he's been busy with the "Want" mini-album in Korea and "Famous" mini-album in Japan. Taemin has his own style of sultry electronic music but although I like some of his tracks ("Artistic Groove" and "Mystery Lover" come to mind), it's not my favorite genre.

What I miss is Shinee's signature colorful sound. Their exciting trend-setting music which melds all their voices together, their elegant performances and easy camaraderie and banter on variety during a comeback. And it goes without saying that I miss Jonghyun. Knowing that we will not see him grow old (like the rest of us) leaves a pang in my heart.

Jinki will be discharged July 20 next year. Followed by Kibum on October 7 and finally Minho on November 15. If Taemin has to enlist by mid-2021, then it looks like the earliest we will have a Shinee comeback will be early 2021. That's more than a year away!!

Hopefully, the time will pass quickly. Before that time comes, what to do?

Saturday, June 1, 2019

SMTown Museum Visit

It took me a little while but in May 2019, I finally got the chance to visit the SMTown Museum in Seoul which has a dedicated floor in the SMTown building in Coex Mall. Specifically, I wanted to see the Shinee section which I enjoyed immensely.

Firstly, we got some cake pops and drinks at the SMTown Cafe. The cake pops were beautiful but a little dry.

Photogenic cake pops

Shinee drinks

Upon paying the entrance fee, you get to choose your security card and lanyard by selecting an idol. I had a hard time choosing between my biases Key and Onew but I eventually went for Key. The trials of being a Shawol!

I pored over the Shinee discography wall , taking in the candid photos from their music videos and the handwritten lyrics for Selene 6:23 and Odd Eye. I spent lots of time here, relishing all the details. I loved the photos - many of which I have not seen before.

Lyrics for "Odd Eye"

The Shinee corridor was resplendent with the colors of the "Odd" album so it felt like entering an underwater dreamscape. There was then an angled entrance to the "Married to the Music" room. I loved the styling in the MtoM music video so I wished this was a little more extravagant - perhaps made to look like the actual house where they were having the party. Also, the set-up of the virtual photo with Shinee was a little awkward - you had to stand between 2 window panes and it was odd to figure out how to stand next to Shinee. Later on, as I walked through the TVXQ section, the virtual photo where you sit in-between Yunho and Changmin on a sofa was much more natural.

At the end of the exhibit, you finish in the shop where you can look at your virtual photo. Unfortunately, all of my shots looked terrible so I didn't end up paying for any. I was planning to spend on Shinee souvenirs at SMTown but for some reason, a lot of the Shinee goods were out of stock. Why is that!? For example, there was bracelets for every other SM group except the Shinee version was sold out...It felt like a whole tour group of Shawols had raided the store ahead of my visit!