SHINee member-press event
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| ▲ SHINee's Key poses during a press conference to mark the release of his third solo full-length album, "Hunter," at a Seoul hotel on Aug. 11, 2025. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ SHINee's Key speaks during a press conference to mark the release of his third solo full-length album, "Hunter," at a Seoul hotel on Aug. 11, 2025. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ SHINee's Key poses during a press conference to mark the release of his third solo full-length album, "Hunter," at a Seoul hotel on Aug. 11, 2025. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
SHINee member-press event
SHINee's Key aims to chill summer nights with 'urban legend' concept album
By Shim Sun-ah
SEOUL, Aug. 11 (Yonhap) -- Key of K-pop boy group SHINee is returning as a soloist with a bold, concept-driven project.
For his third full-length solo album, "Hunter," the singer embraces an "urban legend" theme in which the protagonist confronts his "other self." It marks his first studio album since "Gasoline" in August 2022.
"I've gotten a lot of refreshing and healthy energy from the light, bright concepts other artists and rookies are doing," Key said during a press conference Monday at a Seoul hotel ahead of the album's release. "But it's summer now, and I wanted to look strange and do something twisted."
Leading the 10-track album is the title song "Hunter," a dance number built on grand bass, heavy kick sounds, rhythmic guitar riffs and layered synth pads. Its lyrics, Key said, explore "the obsessive me" and "the ecstasy I feel within the pain brought by the complex relationship with another person."
He said he also tried some brighter, milder songs after "Gasoline," because he felt like his fans had only been listening to very "combative" music.
"But that alone wasn't fulfilling. I thought I needed to make the kind of conceptual music I've always wanted to do," he recalled.
The music video for "Hunter" picks up from a previously released trailer, showing Key confronting his alter ego, "the Hunter."
Styled like a tense thriller, it follows the bizarre, unpredictable story of the Hunter attempting to replace Key's existence and Key fighting back to protect himself, according to SM Entertainment, the singer's agency.
Asked about a possible connection between the Netflix hit animation "KPop Demon Hunters" and his album "Hunter," Key laughed and said, "I had already filmed the music video for the new song before 'KPop Demon Hunters' came out. I really had no idea that movie was going to be released."
An animator for the film cited SHINee as one of the K-pop acts used as a reference for Saja Boys, the boy group featured in the story.
"I think they referenced SHINee's iconic image when we've done bright concepts -- the colorful outfits, the dancing, the sense of stability you get from having an odd number of members. I only noticed it later, and I felt very proud," he said.
"But unlike in the movie, we don't travel by private jet," he joked.
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