Maps of Music

She Is (2016)

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

This is the only studio album Jonghyun released during his lifetime, yet it reached number one on South Korea's Gaon Album Chart.

Place unknown

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Released on music sites on 24 May; promotions began with an appearance on Mnet's M Countdown on 26 May
Jonghyun chose to emphasise storytelling, adopting the persona of a sweet, witty and sly man who has fallen in love
Each song is told from the perspective of this character
Cited Prince, Jamiroquai and Maxwell as musical influences
Promotional fashion reflected Shinee's known trend: colourful outfits and skinny jeans, a 1990s-inspired look
Lead single 'She Is': electro-funk with future bass elements and a repetitive melody that is easy to sing along to
'White T-Shirt': uptempo track blending tropical house with urban pop, with a country-style piano melody
'Orbit': uses space imagery to portray a romantic relationship, with Jonghyun orbiting his lover like a celestial object
'Moon': dreamy yet sensual electro R&B inspired by a lucid dream
'Aurora': neo soul
'Dress Up': uptempo EDM with distorted vocals, synths and thumping electro-hip-hop beats
'Cocktail': R&B ballad comparing falling for a lover's charms to drinking a cocktail
'Red': urban R&B inspired by traffic lights
'Suit Up': downtempo R&B influenced by future bass, about the first night after marriage

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.

Music critics gave the album positive reviews
i-D's Taylor Glasby named it one of the best releases of the year, calling it a cohesive experience that is mature yet able to pack the dancefloor
IZM critic Jo Hae-ram noted that Jonghyun used his voice like an instrument to embody each song's character: a changed tone in 'She Is', deliberately slurred pronunciation in 'Orbit'
Jo called the album a masterpiece of contemporary R&B and said the 'idol' label can be removed from Jonghyun
Weiv's Mimyo said the organic blend of future bass and future R&B placed the album a step ahead of mainstream pop
The Hankyoreh's Kim Hak-seon praised the album's consistency and its collaborations with songwriters such as Deez
Kim placed the album in the context of idols writing their own music, calling Jonghyun the artist who best exemplified that trend

Billboard described each listen as vibrant and kaleidoscopic, part sunshine, part desire
Billboard named it one of the best K-pop albums of the 2010s

Gaon Album Chart: number 1 (chart dated 22–28 May 2016), top 10 for three weeks, top 100 for five weeks
Billboard World Albums: number 4 (week of 11 June 2016), the highest-ranking debut that week
Billboard Heatseekers Albums: number 20 (same week)
Gaon monthly chart, May 2016: number 8, 45,415 copies sold
Gaon monthly chart, June 2016: number 10, 10,574 copies sold
Total sales: 90,790 copies since release
Nominated for Album Bonsang at the 31st Golden Disc Awards

The only studio album released during Jonghyun's lifetime, and his debut as a full-length artist
Jonghyun's promotional look borrowed from Shinee's known trends: bright outfits and skinny jeans
'Moon' was inspired by a lucid dream, and 'Red' by traffic lights
'Suit Up' describes the first night after marriage
Jonghyun cited Prince, Jamiroquai and Maxwell as musical influences