The SM Entertainment Group That Stood Out From The Rest With Their “Rushed” Debut

When it comes to debuts, SM Entertainment often makes grand ones. EXO, for instance, had 23 teasers released over the span of three months in 2012.

On the flipside, the boy group that debuted before them hardly had any promotions.

SHINee is one of their original boy groups, debuting in 2008 with the song “Replay.” Though their formation took several years, their announcement to the public was quick.

SM Entertainment announced the existence of SHINee on May 19, 2008. They released the teaser images of the group on this same day as well.

Unlike with their other groups such as Red Velvet, EXO, and Girls’ Generation, the company did not slowly introduce the members one by one. They revealed all five—Minho, Onew, Jonghyun, Taemin, and Key—at the same time.

Moreover, the music video was released on May 22, just three days after the teaser images dropped.

In comparison, Red Velvet’s “Happiness” was released around one month since the member teasers were revealed while EXO’s debut music video for “MAMA” was released three months after their first teaser featuring Kai.

Netizens commented that SHINee’s debut made it seem like the company just “hoped for the best” with how short the releases were.

Regardless, SHINee’s “Replay” was a massive success. A panel of 35 music critics and industry experts from MelOn and the Seoul Shinmun even named one of the top 100 K-pop songs of all time.