Key wanted to 'quit SHINee' and music career after Jonghyun's death; singer opens up on coping mechanism

SHINee's Key considered quitting K-pop after Jonghyun's passing, which left him with overwhelming heartbreak. Read to know what made him change his mind.

By Peuli Bakshi

Updated on Feb 13, 2025 | 07:56 PM IST | 16.6K

SHINee's Key: courtesy of Key's Instagram, Jonghyun: courtesy of Jonghyun's Instagram

Trigger Warning: This article contains mention of death.

It has been over eight years since the heartbreaking demise of SHINee's vocalist, Jonghyun, and the members of the group still keep him in their hearts. Recently, Kim Ki Bum, better known by his stage name Key, opened up about being extremely grief-stricken after a fellow member's death on the latest episode of TVING’s variety show, You Quiz on the Block, released on February 12. Jonghyun passed away on December 18, 2017, at the age of 27.

Key revealed wanting to give up on his lifelong dream – his career as a K-pop idol after receiving the sad news. He was "really shaken back then" and contemplated "quitting everything" and living a reckless life. The SHINee member further said, "I was completely broken" after the group that debuted as five suddenly turned to four. However, there was one particular instance that stopped him from making the big decision. It was their Tokyo Dome show as part of their SHINee World the Best 2018 tour.

The concert was the group's means of facing the devastating incident together. They needed each other's support back and a way of putting their feelings out there, as per Key. He said, "We felt that if we didn’t have a moment to honor him (Jonghyun) as a group, it would be too difficult to move forward." He emotionally mentioned, "That was how we wanted to send him off - his brilliant yet short youth."

He also talked of missing Jonghyun even more during the deceased teammate's birthday, SHINee's anniversary, and when they are to record new songs. He said, "When we get new songs that he can’t record with us, I often think he would have done such a great job with this." Indicating their close-knit bond, Key revealed, "He appears in my dreams a lot when I practice."