SHINee member Key one day asked himself a question: What if I uploaded myself, turned it into an AI program and had an argument with my AI version? How scary would it be if that AI version of me was better than the real me?

“I imagined what it would be like in the future, but a dystopian one, and put myself in that situation,” Key told reporters in a press conference held Monday at the Fairmont Ambassador Seoul hotel in western Seoul, prior to the release of his new album “Pleasure Shop” at 6 p.m. the same day.


“That was when I was told the idea of ‘Pleasure Shop’ and it just hit me instantly,” he continued. “It’s a shop that lures people into thinking that they can buy joy. And I thought, what if the owner has no emotions of their own — me but with no emotions? That’s how the cyborg concept came about.”

“Pleasure Shop” comes a year after Key's previous album, “Good & Great,” was released last September as the singer’s second solo EP. The release date of “Pleasure Shop” also marks the birthday of Key, who was born on Sept. 23, 1991. The whole album is filled with six tracks, all in the house EDM genre, with title track “Please Shop,” followed by “Overthink,” “Golden,” “I Know,” “Going Up” and “Novacaine.”

Rather than the cheer-up-and-smile vibe delivered through “Good & Great,” “Pleasure Shop” takes a cynical turn toward skepticism, not only about human emotions but also toward technology. The ironic use of technology to create the music video and other parts of the project is also part of the whole package, according to Key.

“I always try to choose the songs with things like the concept, the visual and marketing strategy in mind,” Key said. “I myself like animations, music and films. I try to look at the marketing from the consumer’s perspective. My goal is to make it the most fun experience for everyone from start to finish. Everyone is spending their money and time on me and I believe it’s my job to make sure it’s worth their every penny.”

As part of using AI in the process, Key even suggested that the cover of the album should be made with an AI-generated image — which didn’t happen. Still, the idea of digital media and technology was incorporated in the music video in ways that will give a fun yet eerie twist to the viewers.

“Some of the graphics in the music video are actually created by AI,” he said. “I believe that the tech development brings goodness, as long as it’s not used wrongly. I do hope that it doesn’t beat humans, though, because I’ve listened to AI cover songs. I heard my voice singing someone else’s song that I never sang, which was really interesting but scary. I do believe that there should be regulations in this respect.”


Having debuted in 2008 as member of one of K-pop's biggest boy bands SHINee, Key now has 16 full years under his belt in K-pop, and he's also someone that is always considered hip and cool in both music and fashion. The secret to all this: keeping in mind that this is a job.

“Of course I want to keep up with the times and always stay active, regardless of how many years it’s been for me,” he said. “I’m grateful that it shows in my music and that it shows in my work. Everyone works so hard here so I always try to find something that only I can do and will look good on me.”

“I’ll always try to be an artist, a celebrity who you see on the news only with good news,” he said.

BY YOON SO-YEON [yoon.soyeon@joongang.co.kr]