21 K-Pop Groups to Know (and Love)

10. Shinee

Before we get any further, say “shiny” for Shinee. That done, meet this five-member boy band from SM Entertainment, which has been on the K-pop scene since 2008.

Shinee specializes in dance-type tracks, with the group’s profile page categorizing all of its albums thus. However, it’s incorporated all sorts of sounds into its releases. Sometimes, like with the above song, “1 of 1,” the members take influences from the 80’s and 90’s, especially genres like new jack swing. This includes the outfits they wear.

Speaking of outfits, Shinee has earned lots of notice for its style, including by American critic Jon Caramanica, who also notes the group’s willingness to take risks with its music. Recently, two members, Taemin and Jonghyun, have also released solo albums, including Press It for Taemin and She Is for Jonghyun. Jonghyun himself has penned some of Shinee’s tracks, including last year’s “View”, and worked on his own albums as well.

For more from Shinee, listen to songs like “Lucifer“, which shows off the group’s affinity for cool lines of choreography; “Ring Ding Dong“, which manages to make the titular words sound slightly cooler than they do when you say them; and “View“, which drops a fine bass and has a pretty easy-to-replicate dance move.