SHINee’s Onew, Key, Jonghyun, Taemin, and Minho held their fourth solo concert “SHINee WORLD IV” in Seoul from Friday to Sunday, ahead of releasing their fourth studio album “Odd.” The concert doubled as a giant showcase for their upcoming album, with five of the 11 tracks revealed for the first time onstage.

(S.M. Entertainment)

A few hours before the last show of the three-day concert, the SHINee members took a moment to speak to the press at the Olympic Park Gymnastics Arena, decked out in their all-white military-style stage costumes.

“We’ve been waiting more than anyone else for an album with the name ‘SHINee’ on it,” said Jonghyun. This new album comes 19 months after their last album, around the 7th anniversary of their debut.

“We focused on connecting with our fans with this album,” said Onew. “We grew up with them, and we wanted a chance to truly be their friends and share our performances with them.”

In a way, “Odd” will be an ode to fans who stood by SHINee for all these years, with references and allusions to past albums and songs.

“For example, the song ‘Love Sick’ is about the story after ‘Replay,’ our debut song,” explained Jonghyun. “‘Replay’ was a confession song, and in ‘Love Sick’ the guy got the girl. They’ve been dating for a while, but he still feels lovesick every time he sees her. The choreography also includes a reinterpretation of choreography from ‘Replay.’”

The members said that longtime fans would be able to find connections in their new album with SHINee’s past work in terms of titles, lyrics and genre.

“We all debuted when we were very young, so maybe that’s why it feels like time just flew by,” said Minho. “We want to thank all our fans who have allowed us to hit seven years, and ask for their continued love and support.”

SHINee’s fourth studio album “Odd” will drop at midnight on May 18. The title track is a deep house track called “View,” with lyrics written by Jonghyun.

By Won Ho-jung (hjwon@heraldcorp.com)