Voting Station

Shinhwa

Please vote to return to collections.

Vocalists

The Resume

    (March 24, 1998- )
    Name is the Korean word for 'myth or legend'
    South Korean electro-pop singing group
    Longest-running boy band in K-Pop music history
    Eric Mun (February 16, 1979 - )
    Lee Min-woo (July 28, 1979 - )
    Kim Dong-wan (Nov. 21, 1979 - )
    Shin Hye-sung (Nov. 27, 1979 - )
    Jun Jin (August 19, 1980 - )
    Andy Lee (January 21, 1981 - )
    Formed and debuted under SM Entertainment (1998-2003), later moved to Good Entertainment (May, 2003-2008)
    Sold in excess of 5 million records worldwide, among the highest album sales throughout Asia
    Recorded hits 'Once in a Lifetime,' 'Sharing Forever,' 'Pretty,' 'Sniper,' 'Perfect Man,' 'Wild Eyes,' 'Yo!' 'Venus,' 'T.O.P' (Twinkling of Paradise), 'Alright,' 'I Pray 4 U,' 'This Love,' 'Just One Night,' and 'Your Wedding'
    Albums include 'Resolver' (1998), 'T.O.P.' (1999), 'Only One' (2000), 'Hey, Come On!' (2001), 'Perfect Man' (2002), 'Wedding' (2002), 'Winter Story' (2003), 'Brand New' (2004), 'Winter Story' (2003), 'Brand New' (2004), 'Winter Story: 2004-2005' (2004), 'State of the Art' (2006), 'Volume 9' (2008), 'The Return' (2012), 'The Classic' (2013), and 'We' (2015)
    Hosted an MNet/Good Entertainment/Coca-Cola-sponsored reality TV show, 'Let's Cokeplay Battle Shinhwa,' in 2005
    Formed Shinhwa Company, later renamed ShinCom, to pursue their own recording interests (July 1, 2011)
    Produced and hosted the popular reality TV competition/variety show, 'Shinhwa Broadcast' (2012 - 2014)

Why they might be annoying:

    They overly utilize the color Orange in their merchandising.
    Eric Mun and Andy Lee had started out as background rappers.
    They engaged in a 'farting battle' during the third episode of 'Shinhwa Broadcast.'
    They have reinvented themselves more times than Aretha, Juicy J and Joan Crawford combined.
    They originated as South Korea's answer to the Backstreet Boys and NSync.
    Although, at the time, K-Pop fans accused them of being a knock-off of a popular late 90's Seoul-based boy band, H.O.T.
    They almost disbanded after being involved in a water accident related to the filming of 'Eusha! Eusha!' (which was continually evoked as a reminder of the incident).
    North Koreans have been sent to the Gulag for up to six months just for getting caught humming their music.
    Their fans went nuts when the Taiwanese boy band, Energy, covered 'Hey, Come On!' even though the rights had been sold to the group making it perfectly legal. 'Shinhwa Changjos' remained pissed that anyone would dare cover one of the band's songs (Jul. 4, 2002).
    While they have never officially 'broken up,' Andy was temporarily banned from the group's promotional tours (and was also edited out of their 'Broadcast series episodes) after being convicted of illegal soccer gambling in 2013.

Why they might not be annoying:

    Unlike their American counterparts, they have aged gracefully.
    They are versatile; delving variously into the genres of Jazz, New Age, R&B, Rap, Hip Hop, Heavy Metal, Punk Rock, Soul, Love Ballads, and Korean Folk music.
    They are one of the rare musical groups to have all of its members branch out into solo activities, with the group still intact.
    They hold the world record for the only 'boy band' to stay together for a decade and not lose members (or to add another one along the way).
    A star was unofficially named in their honor, in 2005, to commemorate the launching of the Korean Universal Star Council's website (which matched the date of the band's own 1998 debut).
    They won 17 music awards under SM before leaving the label in 2003.
    Although, since their debut, they have collectively won well over 100 major music awards, both in Korea and abroad.
    When their 5-year contract with 'SM Entertainment' ended, the execs were only interested in signing on with a fraction of the band, but they rejected it (the lead singer and most popular of the group, Eric, insisted on the group staying together as a whole).
    When they switched over to Good Entertainment, SM denied them permission to use the name 'Shinhwa' under a different label. The dispute was taken to court, and the suit determined they had the right to use the name, in 2003.
    They were voted the Best Korean Vocalist in back-to-back 2006-2007 Arirang International Broadcasting polls (open only to foreign listeners overseas), blowing their competition out of the water.
    They unofficially 'broke up' in 2008, not out of any animosity towards one another but due to the mandatory military service they were obligated to perform as South Korean citizens.
    Their 2012 'Return' album, released after a four-year hiatus, sold more than 80,000 copies - in K-Pop a pretty solid number competing against younger, newer acts.
    They possess a self-deprecating sense of humor and aren't afraid to mock themselves (doing an SNL Korea sketch parodying their status as ancient relics in the K-Pop industry).
    A major factor in their strategy in doing so well involves not regarding up-and-coming musical talent as a threat, but encouraging them (though their hit 'Broadcast' show, they have mentored innumerable up-and-coming K-Pop vocalists).

Credit: BoyWiththeGreenHair


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 8 Votes: 75.00% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 10 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 6 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 8 Votes: 37.50% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 4 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 9 Votes: 44.44% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 4 Votes: 75.00% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 5 Votes: 40.0% Annoying