SHINee’s Key Explores Glitz, Glamor and Heartbreak in ‘Bad Love’

Owning his ‘King of Retro’ title, South Korean veteran singer-songwriter and SHINee member Key channels his love for Eighties pop and cosmic spaces in his latest solo single, “Bad Love.”

Making a powerful statement after his March 2019 studio album Face, Key brings forward a riveting mix of powerful synth dance-pop and vocal variations on his latest EP, Bad Love. Written by Adrian Mckinnon and Kenzie, the lead single narrates the tale of a romantic connection gone wrong, pushing a person to the brink of destruction; “Don’t need that kind of love / called love / (Run away further, it’s bad love).”

Packaged in a gripping cinematic storyline, the music video stars Key as the star of a film. Trying to escape the lingering nightmares of his relationship, Key makes his way through talk show segments, dress and on-set rehearsals only for the crushing truth to dawn upon him towards the end. Mirroring the album’s overarching concept, the music video features a short segment showing Key exploring the cosmic realm in a spaceship, shooting down unknown objects.

Complementing the song’s genre, the music video comes packaged with several short choreographed clips, embellished with bright pulsating lights and disco balls. Key concludes the video by displaying his stellar showmanship with a gripping vocal performance and suave choreography.

Participating in the EP’s overall look and feel, Key took part in penning down lyrics for “Saturday Night” and “Eighteen (End Of My World)” on Bad Love. While the former is written from the perspective of navigating through a break-up during the pandemic, “Eighteen (End Of My World)” is a heartfelt letter to his 18-year old self. The six track EP also contains the pre-released track “Hate That…” featuring Girls Generation’s Taeyeon which dropped on 30th August.