Maps of Music

Base (2015)

Where the lyrics of Base take you, and where it was really made.

Base was the debut of Jonghyun as a solo artist, and it became the first solo number one on a Billboard chart for a Shinee member.

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Base is the debut and only EP of South Korean singer-songwriter Jonghyun, a member of Shinee
Released 12 January 2015 by SM Entertainment; distributed by KT Music
Seven tracks in total; Beautiful Tonight is a bonus track and Fortune Cookie is exclusive to the CD version
Jonghyun wrote the lyrics to every song and composed five of them himself
Collaborators include Zion.T, Younha, Wheesung and Iron
Commercially successful, debuting at number one on the Gaon Album Chart

Jonghyun was the second Shinee member to debut as a soloist, following Taemin
The title Base was chosen for its similarity to Taemin's solo debut Ace (2014)
Jonghyun said he wanted to maintain continuity with the other Shinee members
He also played bass in his high school band
The same rhyme scheme was later adopted by the remaining Shinee members: Key with Face (2018), Onew with Voice (2018), Minho with Chase (2022)
Describing the EP at a showcase, Jonghyun said he wanted to make an album of songs he liked and to work with musicians who inspired him
He said he chose collaborators who could express each song best

The EP was written over several years, with the oldest song dating to about four years before release and the newest to about one year before
It was recorded while Jonghyun was touring Japan with Shinee
Beautiful Tonight was composed as early as 2012, inspired by the view of the moon on a walk home from work
Déjà-Boo was co-produced by Zion.T, who also features on the track; Jonghyun wanted a hip hop feel
Hallelujah was co-written with Wheesung, the first person Jonghyun contacted for the EP
For Love Belt, Jonghyun chose Younha after hearing her feature on the Epik High song We Fight Ourselves
Iron was featured on Crazy (Guilty Pleasure) at the company's suggestion after Jonghyun chose to include rap in the song

1	데자-부 (Déjà-Boo)	3:31
2	Crazy (Guilty Pleasure)	3:43
3	할렐루야 (Hallelujah)	3:20
4	Love Belt	3:33
5	NEON	3:32
6	일인극 (MONO-Drama)	4:16
7	시간이 늦었어 (Beautiful Tonight) / 포춘쿠키 (Fortune Cookie)	6:36

Kim Jong-hyun, known mononymously as Jonghyun, was a South Korean singer-songwriter, record producer, radio host, and author under SM Entertainment.
He was scouted by SM Entertainment at age 15 after playing in a school song festival with his band.
He debuted as part of the five-member boy group Shinee on May 25, 2008.

He was the vocalist of Shinee for nine years, releasing twelve albums with the group in Korean and Japanese.
He also took part in SM the Ballad, which released two EP albums.

He began his solo career in January 2015 with the EP Base, which peaked at number one on the Billboard World Albums Chart and the Gaon Album Chart.
His debut studio album She Is was released on May 24, 2016.
He hosted the MBC radio program Blue Night from February 2014 until March 2017.
He was regarded as one of the best vocalists in South Korea and praised for his artistic control over his music.
He died by suicide on December 18, 2017, aged 27.
His posthumous album Poet | Artist was released on January 23, 2018, with profits going to his mother and a charity foundation.

Debuted at number one on South Korea's Gaon Album Chart
Debuted at number two on Billboard's World Albums chart and rose to number one the following week
Released 12 January 2015 alongside the lead single Crazy (Guilty Pleasure)
Promoted with the singles Déjà-Boo and Crazy (Guilty Pleasure)
The music video for Crazy (Guilty Pleasure) was the most watched K-pop video in America and in the world for January 2015
The music video for Déjà-Boo ranked sixth on both of those lists
It was the first number one for a K-pop artist in 2015
It was the first solo number one for a Shinee member on a Billboard chart

The title Base was chosen for its similarity to Taemin's solo debut Ace (2014)
Jonghyun played bass in his high school band, and the title scheme was later followed by Key, Onew and Minho
Fortune Cookie is exclusive to the CD version, and its title refers to a post-credits scene in a film
Track 7 is a bonus track and track 8 is a hidden track on the Discogs release, which came with a photobook and one randomly selected photocard
At the SM Town Coex Artium showcase on 8 January 2015, Jonghyun performed to introduce the album