SHINee’s Minho Makes a Bold and Thrilling Comeback with ‘Heartbreak’

Entangled in a riveting time-traveling plotline, SHINee’s Minho makes a powerful comeback with his digital single “Heartbreak.”

Serving as an early Christmas present for his fans, the single accentuates Minho’s vocal range, reiterating his ability to execute demanding projects with finesse. At its core, “Heartbreak” is a pop record wrapped in interesting sonic fusions of percussion and synth bass sounds, creating a melody that effectively communicates the emotional intensity of the track. 

As the title suggests, “Heartbreak” explores the emotional turmoil caused by one’s lover. Its raw, intense and unfiltered lyrical approach elucidates how one’s changing emotional landscape impacts the relationship; “Your feelings go high and low easily/ My heart goes high and low easily/ What’s left between us is deep and dark/ Telling you who are not replying/ You’re just here for the heartbreak.” The song proceeds to explore the nuances of an ill-fated relationship, sharing the woes of those who’re often caught at the edge of the knife. 

Just before the track wraps up, Minho’s breathy, earworming vocalization engulfs the scene, instantly marking it as one of his remarkable vocal performances. 

While the song encompasses pain and heartbreak, the music video tells a different tale. With a vague recall to The Matrix franchise, the video follows a high-stake interaction between Minho from 2021 and a future version from 2049. In the present, the artist is glued to his multi-screen system decoding codes, while in the future, he is seen cruising on the highways of Seoul in his Mustang, aloof and lost in a tornado of his thoughts. 

There seems to be some sort of communication between the two versions right at the beginning of the video, setting a series of suspenseful events in motion. As the video takes its final lap, Minho from 2049 travels through a portal to an abandoned land. With nothing but a telephone booth in sight, he steps in and receives a call from 2021 Minho who commands him to burn the car. Adhering to the order, he sets his Mustang ablaze before nonchalantly walking away from the scene.

2021 has been an eventful year for the multifaceted artist. Alongside SHINee members KEY, Taemin and ONEW, the quartet made their highly anticipated return this year with their seventh album, Don’t Call Me. The group followed their February 2021 release with a repackaged version in April titled Atlantis, right before the group’s vocalist, Taemin left for his mandatory military duties. Aside from group activities, the members have been actively releasing solo works such as Key’s first EP, Bad Love, “Way”— ONEW’s collaborative single with Punch and his role in the musical Midnight Sun.