SHINee honors 17th anniversary with new single album POET | ARTIST

K-Pop legends SHINee will release a brand-new single to celebrate their 17th anniversary. Titled Poet | Artist, the single pays tribute to late member Jonghyun, who passed away in 2017. The track shares its name with Jonghyun’s 2018 posthumous studio album.

Written and composed by Jonghyun himself, Poet | Artist is reportedly an unreleased track pulled from his archives. According to Instagram K-Pop news outlet eyopkr, the song blends vocal riffs with reggae rhythms, snare accents, and an electro-pop sound.

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SHINee debuted under SM Entertainment in 2008 with members Onew, Key, Minho, Taemin, and Jonghyun. Dubbed the “Princes of K-Pop,” the group quickly made a name for themselves not just musically, but also as fashion icons, inspiring the widely referenced “SHINee Trend.”

By 2017, they had released five Japanese albums and wrapped up a national tour in Japan. That same year, tragedy struck when Jonghyun died by suicide on December 18. A private funeral was held on December 21. In 2018, SHINee released the Japanese single From Now On, which included Jonghyun’s posthumous vocals.

Following military enlistments from all four remaining members, SHINee made a successful comeback in 2021 with their seventh Korean studio album, Don’t Call Me. Taemin, the last member to complete his military service, was discharged in April 2023. The group held a 15th-anniversary fan meeting the following month and celebrated their 16th year with the SHINee World VI: Perfect Illumination concert.

Now in their 17th year, SHINee is set to hold a three-day concert series in Seoul titled SHINee World VII: E.S.S.A.Y from May 23–25. In addition to the live celebration, they will release Poet | Artist alongside the track Starlight on May 25 at 12:00 AM KST.

Source: Instagram