SHINee celebrates 17-year legacy with new single, 3-day concert

From left are K-pop boy band SHINee members Minho, Taemin, Key and Onew. Courtesy of SM Entertainment

K-pop boy band SHINee is set to release a new single album titled "Poet | Artist" at midnight Sunday, marking the 17th anniversary of its debut, SM Entertainment announced Thursday.

The digital single includes two tracks — the eponymous title song and a B-side, "Starlight."

According to SM, the new title track was written and composed by late member Jonghyun, who died in 2017.

An electro-pop song, it features lyrics that "encourage embracing creativity in life," urging listeners to "live as poets and artists, not only through art but also through how they navigate the world."

The second track, "Starlight," is a medium-tempo dance track that likens the feeling of getting to know someone to being illuminated by starlight in darkness.

The band will also debut both songs live during its upcoming concert series, "SHINee WORLD VII 'E.S.S.A.Y,'" which will have a three day run, from Friday to Sunday, at the KSPO Dome in Songpa District, Seoul.

The concert will be a retrospective journey that traces SHINee's 17-year musical legacy. Alongside SHINee's biggest hits, the group will perform fan-favorite deep cuts, all backed by a live band.

The full single will be available on local streaming platforms starting Sunday, with the physical album release set for Monday.

SHINee debuted under SM in 2008 as a five-member group consisting of Minho, Onew, Key, Jonghyun and Taemin. The group quickly rose to prominence with a string of hits in the late 2000s and early 2010s, including "Replay" (2008), "Ring Ding Dong" (2009), "Lucifer" (2010) "Dream Girl" (2013) and "View" (2015).

While the group remains collectively signed to its original agency, members Taemin and Onew have signed individual contracts with separate agencies to pursue solo careers outside of SM.