SHINee Celebrates 17th Anniversary with New Single 'Poet | Artist'
Photo by SHINEE New Single 'Poet | Artist'
South Korean boy group SHINee, under SM Entertainment, marked their 17th debut anniversary with the release of their new single album Poet | Artist on May 25, 2025, at midnight KST. The two-track single, featuring the title track "Starlight," was made available on various music streaming platforms, with a physical album release following on May 26, 2025. Pre-orders for the physical album began on May 19, 2025, as announced through SHINee’s official social media channels.
The single is a tribute to the late member Jonghyun, adopting the title of his posthumous album released in January 2018. The electro-pop title track "Starlight," with lyrics and composition credited to Jonghyun, captures the exhilarating moment of connection and showcases SHINee’s signature harmonious vocals and vibrant energy.
The release coincided with SHINee’s “SHINee WEEK” celebrations, which included streaming their first five solo concerts on their YouTube channel from May 18 to 22, 2025. The group also premiered both tracks from Poet | Artist during their seventh solo concert, “SHINee World VII [E.S.S.A.Y],” held at Seoul’s KSPO Dome from May 23 to 25, 2025.
The album features symbolic dolls representing the five original members—Onew, Key, Minho, Taemin, and Jonghyun—each designed with unique shapes and accented with colors from their early debut microphone designs, unified by SHINee’s official pearl aqua green fandom color. This release, SHINee’s first single album in Korea, reinforces their legacy as K-pop trendsetters, following their 2023 album HARD, which blended R&B, hip-hop, and electronica.
