Biography
Key, a multifaceted South Korean vocalist, emcee, and performer, shapes his output around pop, dance, and R&B textures. He first rose to visibility in the 2000s through membership in the chart-dominating boy band Shinee, then stepped forward as a solo artist with the 2018 album Face, which received a repackaged edition titled I Wanna Be the next year. After releasing a Japanese EP and completing compulsory military duty in South Korea, he reentered the scene in 2021 via the Korean mini-album Bad Love, the opening chapter of a planned “retro trilogy” rooted in 1980s horror and fantasy imagery. The trilogy closed with the 2022 sophomore album Gasoline and its 2023 expanded reissue Killer, both of which entered the South Korean Top Ten.
Born Kim Ki-Bum in Daegu, South Korea, in 1991, Key grew up focused on sports and competed in water skiing. He passed an audition for S.M. Entertainment in 2006, trained there for several years, and debuted as part of Shinee alongside Lee “Onew” Jinki, Kim Jonghyun, Choi Minho, and Lee Taemin. Their first album, 2008’s Shinee World, reached number one in South Korea and opened the door to further successes such as 2010’s Lucifer, 2015’s Odd, and 2018’s The Story of Light.
Outside the group, Key appeared as a featured vocalist on Girl’s Generation’s “Boys & Girls” in 2010, EXO’s “Two Moons” in 2012, and a 2018 remix of Years & Years’ “If You’re Over Me.” He also took roles in musical theater productions and television dramas while pursuing formal studies, earning a degree in Film and Musical from Myongji University and completing postgraduate coursework in “Culture and Education Contents Development” at Woosuk University.
Key launched his solo career in 2018 with the full-length Face, which contained “Forever Yours” and “One of Those Nights,” climbed to number five in South Korea, and reached number nine on the Billboard World Albums chart. The same year brought the Japanese EP Hologram, featuring its title track and a Japanese-language version of “One of Those Nights.” A repackaged edition arrived in November 2019 under the name I Wanna Be and added the title song featuring (G)I-DLE’s So-yeon. After its release, Key began his mandatory military service.
Discharged from the army in late 2020, he rejoined the cast of the variety program DoReMi Market and returned to music with the 2021 single “Hate That…” featuring Taeyeon, which appeared on the September EP Bad Love. Conceived with 1980s horror and fantasy films in mind, Bad Love initiated the “retro trilogy.” Gasoline followed in August 2022 as the second installment; powered by its title track, the album topped South Korea’s Circle Album Chart. The trilogy concluded with 2023’s Killer, an expanded reissue of Gasoline. Later that September, Key issued his second EP, Good & Great, whose tracks span house, dance-pop, and R&B.
Born Kim Ki-Bum in Daegu, South Korea, in 1991, Key grew up focused on sports and competed in water skiing. He passed an audition for S.M. Entertainment in 2006, trained there for several years, and debuted as part of Shinee alongside Lee “Onew” Jinki, Kim Jonghyun, Choi Minho, and Lee Taemin. Their first album, 2008’s Shinee World, reached number one in South Korea and opened the door to further successes such as 2010’s Lucifer, 2015’s Odd, and 2018’s The Story of Light.
Outside the group, Key appeared as a featured vocalist on Girl’s Generation’s “Boys & Girls” in 2010, EXO’s “Two Moons” in 2012, and a 2018 remix of Years & Years’ “If You’re Over Me.” He also took roles in musical theater productions and television dramas while pursuing formal studies, earning a degree in Film and Musical from Myongji University and completing postgraduate coursework in “Culture and Education Contents Development” at Woosuk University.
Key launched his solo career in 2018 with the full-length Face, which contained “Forever Yours” and “One of Those Nights,” climbed to number five in South Korea, and reached number nine on the Billboard World Albums chart. The same year brought the Japanese EP Hologram, featuring its title track and a Japanese-language version of “One of Those Nights.” A repackaged edition arrived in November 2019 under the name I Wanna Be and added the title song featuring (G)I-DLE’s So-yeon. After its release, Key began his mandatory military service.
Discharged from the army in late 2020, he rejoined the cast of the variety program DoReMi Market and returned to music with the 2021 single “Hate That…” featuring Taeyeon, which appeared on the September EP Bad Love. Conceived with 1980s horror and fantasy films in mind, Bad Love initiated the “retro trilogy.” Gasoline followed in August 2022 as the second installment; powered by its title track, the album topped South Korea’s Circle Album Chart. The trilogy concluded with 2023’s Killer, an expanded reissue of Gasoline. Later that September, Key issued his second EP, Good & Great, whose tracks span house, dance-pop, and R&B.
Albums
Singles
