"Even though we can't communicate using the same language, we use music instead." —Jonghyun
Kim Jong-hyun (김종현), better known by his mononym, Jonghyun, was a South Korean idol singer, dancer, composer, lyricist, promotional model, radio host and author. He was the main vocalist of the group SHINee.
Biography[]
1990-2007: Early life[]
Kim Jong-hyun was born in Gwangjin District, Seoul, South Korea. He had one sister, two years older than him, named Kim So-dam. In his teen years, he was the bassist for a high school band.[1]
2007-2017: Becoming a trainee at SM, SHINee, and solo debut[]
In 2005, he signed up for SM Entertainment as a trainee, and trained for three years.[2] In 2007, he was featured in Zhang Liyin's song "Wrongly Given Love" (交錯的愛). In 2008, Jonghyun made his debut as a member of the boy group SHINee, and was given the role of the main vocalist.
In 2010, he became a member of a new ballad group, SM the Ballad, formed by himself, Jay of TRAX, Jino and Kyuhyun of Super Junior. They released their first mini album, S.M. The Ballad Vol. 1 – 너무 그리워 (Miss You), on November 29, 2010. After a change in the line-up, their second mini album, S.M. The Ballad Vol. 2 – Breath, was released on February 13, 2014. Jonghyun also began hosting the MBC radio show Blue Night.
Jonghyun released his debut solo mini album, BASE, in January 2015, including title tracks "Deja-Boo" and "Crazy (Guilty Pleasure)". In September 2015, he released the album The Collection "Story Op.1", which compiled songs he had previously written for Blue Night. He also published a novel, Skeleton Flower: Things That Have Been Released and Set Free. The following month, he held his first solo concert, THE AGIT: THE STORY by JONGHYUN.
In March 2016, Jonghyun released the digital single "Your Voice" as part of the SM STATION project. He released his first studio album, She Is, in May 2016. In December, he released another digital single, "Inspiration", and held the concert JONGHYUN - X - INSPIRATION. In April 2017, he released his second compilation album, The Collection "Story Op.2", and followed this with a series of concerts, titled THE AGIT: THE LETTER. His final concert, INSPIRED, was held in December 2017.
Death[]
According to police, Jonghyun was found unconscious in a rented officetel on December 18, 2017 at around 18:10 (KST). Jonghyun's sister, Kim Sodam, made an initial call to emergency responders at 16:42, telling them that she thought her brother was committing suicide. Kim received several text messages from her brother, such as "last goodbye". After Jonghyun's unconscious body was found, he was rushed to Konkuk University hospital, and given emergency CPR, but he failed to regain consciousness. Jonghyun was pronounced dead at the hospital at 18:32.
It was suspected that his death was suicide from inhaling either toxic fumes or smoke, as investigators found coal briquettes burnt on a frying pan when they arrived at Jonghyun's apartment. A letter written by Jonghyun, explaining his reason for suicide was released by his friend, with the permission of his family. The evidence surrounding his death remained circumstantial, as evidence related to the ruling of possible suicide heavily relied on text messages sent to his sister, alongside the letter released by his friend.
Jonghyun's body was visited by many people at the hospital, including his friends and family and over 500 fans. A three-day funeral was held, where his chief mourners were his fellow SHINee members, who also carried his casket, along with some of the members of Super Junior. His body was buried in a private resting place. Several Korean celebrities wrote farewell letters to Jonghyun too.
Jonghyun's final album, Poet｜Artist, was released posthumously in January 2018. His family established a charitable foundation in his memory to help struggling young artists.
Discography[]
Studio albums[]
- She Is (2016)
- Poet｜Artist (2018)
Mini albums[]
- Base (2015)
Compilation albums[]
- Story Op.1 (2015)
- Story Op.2 (2017)
Digital singles[]
- "Your Voice" (2016)
- "Inspiration" (2016)
Filmography[]
Film[]
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | I AM. | as himself |
| 2015 | SMTOWN The Stage | as himself |
Radio[]
| Year | Title | Channel | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-2017 | Blue Night Jonghyun | MBC FM4u | Main host |
Concert tours[]
Headlining[]
- THE AGIT: THE STORY by JONGHYUN (2015)
- JONGHYUN - X - INSPIRATION (2016)
- THE AGIT: THE LETTER (2017)
- INSPIRED (2017)
Pets[]
References[]
| Jonghyun | |
|---|---|
| Discography | |
| Mini albums | BASE |
| Studio albums | She Is • Poet｜Artist |
| Compilation albums | The Collection "Story Op.1" • The Collection "Story Op.2" |
| Singles | "Your Voice" • "Inspiration" |
| Events | |
| Concerts | THE AGIT: THE STORY by JONGHYUN • JONGHYUN - X - INSPIRATION • THE AGIT: THE LETTER • INSPIRED |