Biography
Jonghyun, widely recognized for his contributions to the South Korean K-pop ensemble Shinee, stepped forward as a solo singer and songwriter in 2015. Born Kim Jong-hyun in Seoul, South Korea, he performed vocals and bass in several bands throughout high school. S.M. Entertainment discovered him in 2005 through its yearly S.M. Casting System, an event that placed him in Shinee three years afterward. He entered the side project S.M. the Ballad in 2010 and appeared among the featured performers on the single “Let’s Go,” created to support that year’s G-20 Seoul Summit.
Base, his first solo EP, reached listeners in 2015 and included contributions from Zion T, WheeSung, and Younha. The release immediately claimed the top position on both the Billboard World Album chart and South Korea’s Gaon chart. Later that same year he issued the singles collection The Collection: Story Op.1. Also in 2015 he published the songwriting memoir Skeleton Flower: Things That Have Been Released and Set Free. His first proper studio album, She Is, followed in May 2016, again leading the Korean charts while reaching number four on the Billboard World chart.
Story Op.2 appeared the following year amid an extensive concert schedule. Jonghyun completed work on a subsequent album and played his final shows in the first days of December. One week afterward, on December 18, 2017, he died by apparent suicide at age 27. His second and last number-one album, Poet/Artist, came out in January 2018.
Base, his first solo EP, reached listeners in 2015 and included contributions from Zion T, WheeSung, and Younha. The release immediately claimed the top position on both the Billboard World Album chart and South Korea’s Gaon chart. Later that same year he issued the singles collection The Collection: Story Op.1. Also in 2015 he published the songwriting memoir Skeleton Flower: Things That Have Been Released and Set Free. His first proper studio album, She Is, followed in May 2016, again leading the Korean charts while reaching number four on the Billboard World chart.
Story Op.2 appeared the following year amid an extensive concert schedule. Jonghyun completed work on a subsequent album and played his final shows in the first days of December. One week afterward, on December 18, 2017, he died by apparent suicide at age 27. His second and last number-one album, Poet/Artist, came out in January 2018.
Albums
