Singer-songwriter Shim Hyun-bo releases fifth studio album, ‘What We Called Love,’ after 11-year wait

Shim Hyun-bo surprise-released his fifth studio album, What We Called Love, on the 30th. The release marks his first full-length album in 11 years, since 2015’s Warm, and has drawn attention across the Korean music industry.

A nuanced account of love and loss across 10 polished tracks

The album features 10 tracks, led by the double title tracks Don’t Be So Kind and What We Called Love. Through music, it delicately portrays the moments when love begins, the breakup that follows, and the intense emotions and fragments of memory left behind when a relationship ends.

The album showcases Shim’s abilities as a singer-songwriter and features contributions from accomplished musicians across generations, including Kim Hyun-chul, Lee Han-chul, Jung Ji-chan and Lee Ji-hyung, adding to its musical richness. The work has been praised for moving beyond the boundaries between songwriting and composition to capture Shim’s distinctive musical identity in depth.

Shim first entered the music scene in 1992, winning the silver prize at the Yoo Jae Ha Music Concours. After a stint with the modern rock band Island in 1997, he established himself as a solo artist. He has since built a distinctive reputation as a lyricist, composer and producer, contributing to albums by some of Korea’s biggest artists, including Shin Seung-hun, Sung Si-kyung, Park Jung-hyun and Yoon Mi-rae.