Biography
Seoul native Shim Chang-min, recognized professionally as Changmin or Max Changmin, supplied the commanding lead vocals for TVXQ—known in Japan as Tohoshinki and originally in Korea as Dong Bang Shin Ki—an SM Entertainment quintet whose albums, notably the landmark Mirotic, ranked among the era’s defining K-pop releases. Once the act contracted to the Yunho-Changmin duo in 2010, the pair sustained their status among Asia’s top-selling pop acts, notching three straight Korean number-one albums, six consecutive Japanese chart-toppers, and multiple sales benchmarks. Launching a parallel solo path under the Max Changmin moniker in the early 2020s, he reached number two on the Korean charts with his first mini-album, Chocolate.
Raised in South Korea’s capital, Shim Chang-min first drew industry attention through an unexpected route: SM Entertainment scouts discovered him singing amid a school badminton match. At his mother’s encouragement he attended the label’s audition at age fourteen, where he impressed evaluators enough to earn Best Singer and Best Artist honors at the Sixth Annual Youth Contest and secure a contract that placed him in training under the single name Changmin.
SM soon grouped him with fellow trainees U-Know Yunho, Jaejoong, Yoochun, and Junsu to create TVXQ, the five-member act positioned to succeed the recently dissolved H.O.T. and the now-independent Shinhwa. Although their 2004 debut single “Hug” entered the MIAK chart at number 37, the track climbed after the group’s first Inkigayo win and ultimately peaked at number four. Their initial full-length release, Tri-Angle, demonstrated staying power, and the follow-up Rising Sun became the fourth-highest-selling Korean album of 2005, cementing TVXQ’s place among the nation’s leading acts. The late-2000s brought further accolades with two Golden Disk Award-winning Korean albums—“O”-Jung.Ban.Hap (2006) and Mirotic (2008)—alongside signature singles such as “Mirotic,” while four Japanese studio albums established parallel dominance in that market. Contract disputes involving SM, Avex, and the members ultimately prompted Jaejoong, Yoochun, and Junsu to depart, leaving Changmin and Yunho to continue as a duo from late 2010 onward.
The reconfigured TVXQ extended its commercial reign. Keep Your Head Down opened at number one on the Gaon chart, and its title track accumulated victories on seven music programs. Subsequent Korean albums—Catch Me (2012), Tense (2014), and New Chapter #1 (2018)—each debuted atop the domestic chart, preserving the duo’s prominence at home. In Japan, Tohoshinki achieved six straight Oricon number-one albums with Tone, Time, Tree, With, Tomorrow, and XV, while placing seven singles at number one and twelve at number two; the act also amassed more Top Ten singles than any other foreign artist in Japan, became the first Korean group invited to Kōhaku Uta Gassen, and set the attendance record for a foreign act’s Japanese tour.
After releasing the Japanese mini-album Close to You in 2015, Changmin completed mandatory military service and resumed solo activity with Chocolate, issued in 2020 under the Max Changmin name. The project, which explored pop and singer-songwriter styles through his expansive vocal range, debuted at number two on Gaon and number three on Oricon. A second Japanese mini-album, Human, followed in 2021 and also peaked at number two, succeeded the next year by the Korean mini-album Devil.
Raised in South Korea’s capital, Shim Chang-min first drew industry attention through an unexpected route: SM Entertainment scouts discovered him singing amid a school badminton match. At his mother’s encouragement he attended the label’s audition at age fourteen, where he impressed evaluators enough to earn Best Singer and Best Artist honors at the Sixth Annual Youth Contest and secure a contract that placed him in training under the single name Changmin.
SM soon grouped him with fellow trainees U-Know Yunho, Jaejoong, Yoochun, and Junsu to create TVXQ, the five-member act positioned to succeed the recently dissolved H.O.T. and the now-independent Shinhwa. Although their 2004 debut single “Hug” entered the MIAK chart at number 37, the track climbed after the group’s first Inkigayo win and ultimately peaked at number four. Their initial full-length release, Tri-Angle, demonstrated staying power, and the follow-up Rising Sun became the fourth-highest-selling Korean album of 2005, cementing TVXQ’s place among the nation’s leading acts. The late-2000s brought further accolades with two Golden Disk Award-winning Korean albums—“O”-Jung.Ban.Hap (2006) and Mirotic (2008)—alongside signature singles such as “Mirotic,” while four Japanese studio albums established parallel dominance in that market. Contract disputes involving SM, Avex, and the members ultimately prompted Jaejoong, Yoochun, and Junsu to depart, leaving Changmin and Yunho to continue as a duo from late 2010 onward.
The reconfigured TVXQ extended its commercial reign. Keep Your Head Down opened at number one on the Gaon chart, and its title track accumulated victories on seven music programs. Subsequent Korean albums—Catch Me (2012), Tense (2014), and New Chapter #1 (2018)—each debuted atop the domestic chart, preserving the duo’s prominence at home. In Japan, Tohoshinki achieved six straight Oricon number-one albums with Tone, Time, Tree, With, Tomorrow, and XV, while placing seven singles at number one and twelve at number two; the act also amassed more Top Ten singles than any other foreign artist in Japan, became the first Korean group invited to Kōhaku Uta Gassen, and set the attendance record for a foreign act’s Japanese tour.
After releasing the Japanese mini-album Close to You in 2015, Changmin completed mandatory military service and resumed solo activity with Chocolate, issued in 2020 under the Max Changmin name. The project, which explored pop and singer-songwriter styles through his expansive vocal range, debuted at number two on Gaon and number three on Oricon. A second Japanese mini-album, Human, followed in 2021 and also peaked at number two, succeeded the next year by the Korean mini-album Devil.
Albums
