K-Pop Blog > Artists > Member Profile > SHINee > Key

STAGE NAME:	Key (키)
REAL NAME:	Kim Kibum
KOREAN:	김기범
BIRTHDAY:	September 23, 1991
HEIGHT:	175 cm (5´9“)
BLOOD GROUP:	B
MBTI TYPE:	ENTJ
ZODIAC SIGN:	♎ Libra
CHINESE ZODIAC SIGN:	Goat

Key Per.
9,7M
Follower

SHINee
5,7M
Follower

SHINee JP
966K
Follower

SHINee
2,4M
Follower

SHINee JP
336K
Follower

SHINee
1,8M
Follower

SHINee
2,5M
Follower

BIOGRAPHY

Key (키) was born on September 23, 1993 in Daegu, South Korea. He was raised by his grandmother because his parents were both working. His mother was also ill after giving birth. In October 2014, Key announced on his personal Instagram account that his grandmother passed away on his birthday, September 23.

He applied to SM Entertainment several times and was accepted as a trainee in 2005. He studied film and musicals at Myongji University. He then attended Woosuk University, where he studied culture and educational content development. He even gave special seminars at middle schools.

On May 25, 2008, Key debuted as a member of the five-member boy group SHINee. The debut single “Replay” from the album of the same name was a big hit and is still considered by fans to be one of the best debut songs in K-pop. The other four members of SHINee are Onew, Jonghyun, Minho and Taemin.

SHINEE

The five-member boy group SHINee debuted on May 25, 2008 with the mini album "Replay" and the title song of the same name. In June, the boy group won their first Rookie Award, just one month after their debut! Thanks to their success and influence, SHINee were given the title "Princes of K-Pop" very early on, under which they are still known today. With the studio album "The First", Onew, Jonghyun and Co. also launched a very successful career in Japan.

SHINee are known for not following trends, but creating them. This applies not only to music, but also to fashion. Many would even say that the group is ahead of the trends. SHINee is one of the few second-generation groups that has remained relevant and is still very popular more than 15 years after its debut.

In December 2017, SHINee had to cope with a tragic loss when lead singer Jonghyun took his own life. The remaining four members stuck together and were back on stage together in 2018. The members repeatedly emphasize that SHINee is still a group of five and regularly show this on social media or in their choreography. Among other things, they often leave a space in photos or their dances that is clearly intended for Jonghyun.

• In 2009, SHINee became the first K-pop group ever to win the so-called "Rookie Grand Slam". This means that they were awarded the Rookie Award at all major Korean award shows.
• The members of SHINee are known for their great live vocals. Fans often joke that they are so good because they have swallowed their CDs and therefore affectionately call the group "CDnee".
• SHINee have released over 30 albums in Korea and Japan and have regularly topped the charts.
• SHINee’s Hit “View” aus dem 2015 studio album "Odd" gilt als der erste Vorstoß von K-Pop in das Deep House Genre. “View” ist einer der Lieblingssongs von den SHINee Mitgliedern. Den Text hat Jonghyun geschrieben.
• SHINee is also very popular among idols. One of their biggest fans is Hoshi from Seventeen.
• Der letzte SHINee Song mit Jonghyun namens “Lock You Down” erschien im Juni 2018 auf dem mini album "The Story of Light EP.3" als Special Track.

Find out more about the history of SHINee here!

Key is the all-rounder of SHINee.

He is not only a talented singer, but also a rapper, dancer, actor, entertainer and fashion icon. Key launched his solo career in 2018. He also founded a unit called “Toheart” with Woohyun from Infinite in 2014.

TOHEART

The unit “Toheart” consists of Key and Woohyun from the boy group Infinite. It quickly attracted attention as it was a collaboration between different entertainment companies: SM Entertainment & Woollim Entertainment. The duo was formed because Key and Woohyun are close friends. Originally they were only thinking of photo shoots and similar projects, but on March 10th they released a joint mini album entitled “Delicious”. The project was so well received that Toheart even won the “Popularity Award” at the 29th Golden Disk Awards!

Toheart never officially disbanded, but has not presented any further projects since the album.

SOLO CAREER

10 years after the debut of SHINee, Key was finally ready for his solo debut! In October 2019, he performed a brand new song called “Chemicals” at the Seoul Fashion Week. On November 6, a music video for the pre-release single “Forever Yours” featuring Key's close friend Soyou (Sistar) was also released. This was finally followed by the release of the debut album “Face” on November 26th. It contains 10 songs, including “Chemicals”, “Forever Yours” and the title track “One of Those Nights”. The album reached number 5 in the Gaon Album Chart (Today's Circle Chart) and was the prelude to a successful solo career.

Fans had to wait a long time for Key's solo debut, but from then on things continued in rapid succession. Even before 2018 ended, the singer presented his first Japanese mini album “Hologram”, including the title track of the same name. On March 4, 2019, Key celebrated his first comeback as a solo artist in Korea with the repackage album “I Wanna Be”. On the same day, he began his military service and fulfilled his duties as a member of the military band.

Key was officially discharged on October 7, 2020, but he returned home on September 24. He actually only had one day off, but like many other soldiers, he did not have to return afterwards due to the global coronavirus pandemic.

After his military service, Key first worked on a new SHINee album. “Atlantis” was released on April 12, 2021. He then returned to his solo career and released his first mini album "Bad Love" in September. The album has a retro space travel theme and is an expression of Key's unique style. The title track “Bad Love” also earned Key his first Music Show trophy!

Auch in den nächsten Jahren eroberte Key regelmäßig die Charts. In 2022 erschien das Studio Album “Gasoline”, gefolgt von dem Repackage Album “Killer” (2023), dem Mini Album “Good & Great” (2023) und dem japanischen Single Album “Tongue Tied” (2024).

Key ist nicht nur als Idol, sondern auch als Musical Sänger und Schauspieler aktiv. In 2012 gab er sein Musical Debüt als “Frank Abagnale Jr.” in der koreanischen Produktion von dem Broadway Musical “Catch Me If You Can”. Darauf folgten viele weitere Hauptrollen wie “Clyde” (Bonnie & Clyde), “D'Artagnan“ (The Musketeers) und “Zorro” (Zorro). In 2015 spielte Key außerdem in “School Oz” mit, einem Hologramm Musical von SM Entertainment.

Key can also look back on several projects as an actor. In 2016, he made his acting debut in the drama “Drinking Solo”. He played a student who has been studying for an exam for three years. In 2017, Key played a hacker named “Gong Kyungsu” in the series “The Guardians”. He was awarded “Best New Actor” at the Grimae Awards for his performance.

In Korea, Key is also known primarily as an entertainer. He can be seen regularly in entertainment shows and has been a permanent member of the popular variety show “DoReMi Market” and the reality show “I Live Alone” for several years now. His popularity is also reflected in the awards Key has won throughout his career. Among other things, he was named “Best Male Idol Entertainer” several years in a row.

And as if all that wasn't enough, Key is also a talented designer. He has often created stage outfits for himself and SHINee and was even appointed as fashion director by SM Entertainment.

DISCOGRAPHY

SONGWRITING CREDITS

Key made his songwriting debut back in 2009 with the song “Get Down” from SHINee's album “2009, Year of Us”. He wrote the lyrics together with his bandmate Minho and other songwriters. Key was also involved in the lyrics for SHINee songs several times afterwards. In addition, he has written several songs for his solo albums.

FILMOGRAPHY/ VIDEOGRAPHY

Key is not only a singer, but also a celebrated entertainer and actor who has already received several awards for his performances.

ILLUSTRATION

Key is known for his unique looks and has designed several stage outfits for himself and SHINee. With his fashion sense, it's no wonder that Key is regularly featured on the cover of fashion magazines. In August 2021, for example, he graced the cover of marie claire magazine and in January 2024 he was featured on the cover of DAZED.

FUN FACTS

• Key hat zwei Hunde: Comme Des & Garçons. Sie sind nach dem japanischen Modelabel “Comme des Garçons” benannt.
• He is very good at cooking.
• His fans call themselves “Lockets” or “Lil' Freaks”.
• Key regularly donates money to good causes. Already in 2012, he and his fans donated rice to “World Vision” to help malnourished children and elderly people.
• He is known for being very sassy and makes his colleagues, fans and viewers laugh a lot.
• Key only needs to see a choreography a few times to be able to copy it. In variety shows, he often impresses with covers of girl group choreographys.
• His nicknames include “Almighty Key” and “Key Umma”. “Umma” means ‘mother’. Key is often referred to as the mother of SHINee because he nags so much.

OUR FAVORITE PERFORMANCE

Key is one of the most versatile idols in the K-pop scene and rightly bears the title “Almighty Key”. His numerous talents and diverse activities have earned him a broad fan base across all ages. Whether as a singer, dancer, actor or presenter, Key inspires people of all ages and proves time and time again why he is one of the most outstanding artists of his generation.

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