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Key of SHINee Never Thought He'd Still Be a K-Pop Star at 30

His parents wanted him to study medicine. Instead, he studied dance. Kim Ki Bum's technicolor dream of pop stardom came true when he joined the group SHINee in 2008. A rapturous 12 years later: His fan base is the size of a small nation, he's starred in handbag ads, served in the South Korean army, and finally has a moment to reflect data-on it all.

Key, of iconic K-pop group SHINee, is kicking things off by bringing us through his entire history as a K-pop star. Known for his adventurous taste in beauty and style (lest we forget his spray-painted buzz cut), the captivating performer sat down with Allure's digital beauty editor Devon Abelman (via Zoom, of course) to share his thoughts data-on his milestone birthday in his own words ahead of SHINee's first comeback in almost three years.

 

Depending data-on where you are, I'm already 30. Technically, I turn 30 data-on September 23, but in Korea, I'm actually already 301. When I was younger, I thought I would be someone's husband or a father by now. Thirty years old seemed so grown-up. My parents got married when they were 28. I'm already late. I can't even imagine that now.

 

I didn't think I'd still be a singer at 30, actually. When I looked at other artists I noticed by 30 most of their careers would start to dwindle. I didn't think I would still be doing this so actively. But, you know, I still feel like I’m 18 years old. Nothing has changed.

 

When I was younger, I was a quiet, observant type, always busy watching other people's manners, actions, what they're saying. Usually, when I'm in a setting with people I'm not familiar with, I take in my surroundings, making note of everything. But inside of my heart, I had this personality fighting to get out. There was a fire.

 

My mother is a nurse and my father was a financial investment advisor. They always wanted me to study a lot and become a doctor, but hell, no. I secretly studied dance in school, and, of course, loved to sing. At 15, I started auditioning for SM2 behind my parents' back. After my SM audition, I sat my parents down and told them I want to be an Idol. (I didn’t actually get it, though.) My parents were really shocked. They'd never seen that side of me before. "You're such a shy kid," they said. "You can't be a star." They couldn't believe what I was saying. I felt like my parents were rebelling against me.

 

After that, my parents didn't sleep for three days, staying up all night, talking about me. But I slept well. Eventually, they realized that even if they said no, I would still want to be a K-pop star.

 

Every weekend, I took a two hour train ride to Seoul, trained, and went back to Daegu3, my hometown. I envied the trainees who lived in Seoul. They could come to the company every single day. I was desperate for every lesson and rehearsal. I cried a lot on the train. I never got to rest on weekends. And still, I wanted to practice more. There was this uncertainty of [my] future. I had to make sure this went well so I could debut4. But I was so sure I could. I could imagine myself onstage. I really believed in the power of visualization and manifestation. I even do so now when I pick songs. If I can't visualize it, I usually won't want to do it. I have to see the song in order for me to make it real.

 

When I debuted [with SHINee5 in 2008], it was nothing like I imagined. There are the stage performances, plus TV interviews, variety shows, preparing for the next album, and, of course, all the practice.

 

At that time, when you debuted, each person had their own character, their own role they had to play along with. I was shy, quiet Key. In the beginning, I couldn't get used to that. It was the exact opposite of how I felt.

I don't know if this is the right word, but SM made us. We didn't create [SHINee]. We were a produced group. We had a set image and songs that went along with it. It wasn't until 2015, seven years after my debut, that our staff asked for our opinions. I think that was the epiphany moment, like, Okay, I need to make these decisions. I realized I wasn't sure what to choose.

 

The Odd album, [which was released in May 2015], was memorable. The other members and I picked "View" as the single, as well as the whole concept, and the costumes were based on my ideas — a vintage, old-school [aesthetic] that might be new to our audience. Other groups mostly wore uniforms. So our look for "View" was shocking6. I think a lot of people might not have liked it because our outfits were a bit too forward for the times, but I don't regret it. Going onstage with those outfits for the first time, I recall thinking, This is SHINee. We're back

I decided to express everything — my music, my identity — [through my look]. Beauty and fashion became tools for me to emphasize certain things about myself.

 

I was brought up in a very conservative, traditional household. My parents wouldn't even let me pierce my ears. After I debuted, I started to notice that whatever we were wearing, our fans — especially female fans — would buy similar things and wear them themselves. That was a symbolic moment for me, seeing no need for boundaries.

 

I would look at what 2NE1 was wearing during a performance and be like, Oh, that looks really cool. I would wear that. For me, there's no boundary between femininity and masculinity, and I try to be even more natural in my own reactions to people expressing themselves. I modeled for Jill Stuart Accessory Korea. In the photo, I was holding a bag. I didn't want anyone to think, Oh, I wish my boyfriend would buy me the bag he's holding. I wanted to look so natural that anyone could say, "I love how that bag looks. I want to buy it." I'm wishing for a day when seeing women only wearing men's clothing, just this person doing this and this person doing that, is completely natural and no one will bat an eye.

In March 2019, I took a break from SHINee to enlist in the military8. I was discharged last year, in October. And I've noticed I'm not asking others for their opinions or advice. I'm trying to make my own decisions. I'm not afraid of failure anymore. The more important thing is to be confident and not ashamed of anything I do. I’m not scared of losing things — money, fame, or whatnot. I want to be true to myself. I have a shy side, but I also have this louder, extroverted side, too. I'm learning how to embrace everything — these two sides of myself — as my whole identity.