On The 15th Anniversary Of SHINee's Debut, Fans Reminisce About The Members' Adorable Rookie Visuals

Fifteen years ago today, on May 25, 2008, SHINee made their debut in the K-Pop industry and started off what would become one of the most successful boy group careers in history. Their debut song “Replay” is still considered one of the best ever released, and it’s an iconic hit to this day!

The members were very young — all between the ages of 14 and 18, with an average age of 16.4 — but even as teenagers, it was clear that each of them were immensely talented in their respective fields, whether it be singing, rapping, dancing, or a mixture of them.

SHINee during their rookie days | *SM Entertainment*

Now on the group’s fifteenth debut anniversary, fans are looking back fondly to SHINee’s rookie days and reminiscing about back before they were as huge as they are now. On an online forum, photos of each of the members during their debut days were shared and fawned over because of just how cute and endearing they were!

Onew was born on December 14, 1989, making him 18 at the time that SHINee debuted.

Even back in his early days, Onew had vocal abilities to be reckoned with, and they’ve only gotten better as he’s become more experienced in the industry.

Not to mention, his sweet, gentle smile has always made Shawols swoon!

Jonghyun was born on April 8, 1990, also making him 18 at the time that SHINee debuted.

Fans have joked that the type of visuals Jonghyun has made people think he would be a rapper, but when he opened his mouth and his angelic voice poured out, listeners were left awestruck!

That beautiful voice is still a gift for us today, though we miss Jonghyun dearly.

Key was born on September 23, 1991, making him 16 at the time that SHINee debuted.

He has always been an all-rounder, skilled in each of the three major fields of performing, and he’s only sharpened his abilities as time has passed.

Not to mention he has a fun, outgoing, contagious personality that makes it impossible not to love him!

Minho was born on December 9, 1991, also making him 16 at the time that SHINee debuted.

Though he was known more for his visuals than anything else right away, Minho quickly proved there was a reason he was put into a group with members as talented as the others in SHINee.

He’s only grown more handsome as time has passed, but that’s definitely still not all he has going for him with his skillful rapping abilities!

Finally, Taemin was born on July 18, 1993, making him just 14 at the time that SHINee debuted.

Even as a young teen, Taemin already held a lot of promise to become one of the greatest performers in K-Pop, and he has definitely become just that.

As one of the industry’s strongest performers with a fantastic solo discography to boot, we can’t wait to see what he has in store for us now that he’s finished his military enlistment!