Portrait of Jonghyun

Birthday profile

Jonghyun

Kim Jong-hyun, South Korean singer (died 2017)

Born
April 8, 1990
Died
December 18, 2017
Zodiac sign
Aries
Birth year
1990

About Jonghyun

Kim Jong-hyun (Korean: 김종현; April 8, 1990 – December 18, 2017), known mononymously as Jonghyun, was a South Korean singer-songwriter, record producer, radio host, and author under the SM Entertainment label. He was the vocalist of the South Korean boy band Shinee for nine years, releasing twelve albums with the group in both Korean and Japanese. He also participated in SM Entertainment's project group, SM the Ballad, for the release of two EP albums. Jonghyun was also a solo artist, beginning in January 2015 with the release of his first EP album, Base. It peaked at number one on both the Billboard World Albums Chart and the Gaon Album Chart. On September 17 the same year, Jonghyun released a compilation album, Story Op.1. His debut studio album, She Is, was released on May 24, 2016, followed by his second compilation album, Story Op.2, on April 24, 2017. Jonghyun began his first solo concert tour, The Story by Jonghyun, on October 2, 2015. This was followed by three further concert tours in later years. He was regarded as one of the best vocalists in South Korea. He also received praise for his artistic control and involvement in the creation of his music. Jonghyun remained musically active as the vocalist of Shinee and as a solo artist until his death on December 18, 2017, when he died by suicide. His final album, Poet | Artist, was released posthumously on January 23, 2018. It was announced, prior to the release, that all profits from the album would be given to Jonghyun's mother and be used to start a charity foundation. In September 2018, the Shiny Foundation was established by Jonghyun's family to help struggling young artists. Jonghyun was one of twenty idols from various South Korean groups that recorded the song "Let's Go", which promoted the 2010 G20 Seoul summit.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

Jonghyun timeline

  1. Kim Jong-hyun (Korean: 김종현; April 8, 1990 – December 18, 2017), known mononymously as Jonghyun, was a South Korean singer-songwriter, record producer, radio host, and author under the SM Entertainment label.
  2. Jonghyun was one of twenty idols from various South Korean groups that recorded the song "Let's Go", which promoted the 2010 G20 Seoul summit.
  3. Jonghyun was also a solo artist, beginning in January 2015 with the release of his first EP album, Base.
  4. Jonghyun began his first solo concert tour, The Story by Jonghyun, on October 2, 2015.

The world when Jonghyun was born

Jonghyun was born in 1990. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1990

  • #1 song"Hold On" – Wilson Phillips
  • Top movieDances with Wolves
  • Top TV showRoseanne
  • Best-selling bookJurassic Park – Michael Crichton

Headlines and milestones

  • Major sports momentBuster Douglas knocks out Mike Tyson in biggest upset ever
  • Top headlineNelson Mandela freed after 27 years
  • Technology milestoneHubble Space Telescope launched
  • Defining fadNinja Turtles mania
  • Notable inventionWorld Wide Web goes public
  • World population5.28 billion

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderGeorge H.W. Bush
  • Sports championCincinnati Reds (World Series)
  • Also wonDetroit Pistons (NBA)
  • U.S. population249.6M

1990 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Jonghyun's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure19902026
Gas$1.16$3.45/gal
Average home$95,500$435,000
Average income$35,353$67,500
Minimum wage$3.80$7.25/hr (federal)
Movie ticket$4.23$11.95
Postage stamp$0.25$0.73
Population249.6M341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, MusicBrainz, Wikidata. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.