No one can say SHINee and Toheart Singer Kim "Key" Kibum he didn't pay his dues.

In an appearance Tuesday on the South Korean cable talk show "Beatles Code 3D," Key and host Shindong of the group Super Junior recalled the former's original audition for his record label SM Entertainment.

"During the SM audition, they told me that everyone seemed like they came out of a factory," Key said. "But regardless of whether I was good or bad, I set myself apart from the others."

"We had to free dance," he added. "There were about 10 of us standing there.  No one was dancing except me.  I was 15 at the time."

Shindong, who was already signed to SM Entertainment at the time, admitted to not exactly giving Key a warm welcome.

"I thought, 'he's not even good-looking. How'd he make the cut?'" Shindong said.

"Shindong told me those words directly," Key said.

Key, who has been performing with SHINee since the band's debut in 2008, released his first album for his duo collaboration with Woohyun of the group Infinite, on March 9.

The six-song debut EP, appropriately titled "The 1st Mini Album" features a guest appearance from Jae Yoon of MC the Max.

Though they have been friends for more than three years, it wasn't until a photo shoot brought them together that the idea for Toheart came to fruition.

"We are close so we decided to shoot some photos together and it was there that Woohyun suggested to the CEO [of SM Entertainment, Kim Young Min] about the two of us possibly releasing an album," Key recalled in an interview for the March issue of the Korean edition of InStyle Magazine.

In an appearance last week on the radio program "Cultwo Show," Key elaborated on the photo shoot that launched his new band.

"Since I'm good friends with Woohyun, I told him we should do a photo shoot together, saying, 'let's just do a simple photo shoot,'" he said.

"However, people liked it and said, 'you might as well release an album together.'"