Boojie Questions of the Day! 🌟 These are some thought-provoking questions, so much respect to anyone who takes the time to answer! 🙌 Feel free to answer one or all-whatever suits you! 😊 Military Enlistment Impact: 🇰🇷 Taemin is the first time I'm hearing that ALL Korean men have to serve in the military including k-pop Idols. Do you think Taemin's (or any male K-pop idol's) military enlistment had a significant impact on his career momentum? 📉📈 Solo Music and Mainstream Appeal: 🎶 Do you think Taemin's solo music is too experimental for mainstream K-pop fans? 🤔 Becoming a Fan: 🌟 How did you become a fan of Taemin? 💖
Hi! For his military enlistment, I know he was super duper worried about that before he went in, which is understandable as he debuted in 2008 at 14 years old so he’s been an idol for more time than he hasn’t. Fortunately, him and SHINee have both stayed relevant and have recorded some of the highest sales of their career post-military!! I think this is very rare. I worry that some K-pop fans write him off as he’s a part of second gen but if they listened I think he’d be more popular than he is now! However, he’s definitely known and there’s a saying that if you’re not a Taemin fan, your favorite idol is a Taemin fan..Guilty and the associated dance went viral with pretty much someone from every group doing it at some point haha Becoming a fan: I became a SHINee fan before Taemin started a solo career and Taemin used to be my least favorite 😅( still loved all of them), that was because he was a bit quieter and he was still learning how to sing and develop his voice! When he started to show more of his unique style and that he could hold his own, he quickly became my favorite and has stayed my ult ever since.
I don't think Taemin's enlistment impacted his career momentum because he's had such a long career of being active (since he was 14 in 2008) and since the other Shinee members were all done with their enlistment when he enlisted.
I first saw Taemin as a judge/mentor in the Idol show "The Unit". There he cried because of a friend. That made me check him out. First I watched "Advice". I was intrigued. Then (I think) I watched "Criminal" and kept going. The third was "Want". It just blew me away, song and video.
17:10 fun fact- the female voice in Idea is BoA! A first generation idol responsible for spreading kpop to japan. She's also Taemin's company senior. To kinda explain how big BoA was- she literally had a collab stage with Brittney Spears in 2003.
TAEMIN is considered a role model for many and his stage presence and talent is amazing, it is worth getting to know his work and at the same time seeing him perform them live - it's definitely on a different leve he has been in the industry for 16 years and is known for his unique style, you actually noticed it right away, so I think you will definitely be delighted with his other songs His new album is scheduled to be released on the 19th, so you met him just in time to see your first combak
Taemin is a literal titan in the kpop industry! He originally debuted in 2008 as the youngest member of Shinee (who are widely regarded as the princes of kpop) and made his solo debut in 2014. He's also the first SM artist from a group to have a solo debut! (Which is pretty big considering SM is arguably the first kpop entertainment company and one of the Big 3) Taemin's known for his dancing, but he worked incredibly hard after.debut to improve his vocal skills and is now an excellent vocalist! He's also known for being very artistic in his work, actively taking part in conceptualizing his solo work. In fact, so many idol trainees see him as a role model that there's even an abbreviation for it- Taemin is a 2nd gen idol and idols from 3rd, 4th, and.5rh gen have all listed him as their role model. Personally, there really isn't a single artist or idol like him, and his stage presence is so strong.
Thanks for reacting to Taemin!! Fun fact: that is aespa’s karina pre-debut in want. He is very Michael Jackson-inspired, check out his debut, danger! It is very mj-ish. Taemin is really known for his artistry and it seems like you really understand his lyrics. Can’t wait for you to check out his live performances, other mvs and his comeback, eternal!!
i am so glad you discovered Taemin. he's an exceptional performer, often referred to as the "Idol of Idols". some context for the last song, Guilty. Taemin debuted in the kpop industry in a group at 15 years old. the imagery you are seeing + the chilling lyrics are Taemin's way of processing being sexualized so much as a child and having no control over what was happening to him, as he looks back on it now as an adult. i think his service in the military [another way of losing autonomy] dredged up a lot from his past he wanted to forget. it was months after his discharge before we saw him smile again. he is amazing both as a soloist and in his group, called SHINEe. if you want some recommendations i am happy to give them to you and if you have any questions, i am happy to answer them!!
Whoa! Thank you for sharing this context-it adds so much depth to understanding 'Guilty.' Taemin’s journey and the way he channels his experiences into his art is truly powerful. I’d love to hear your recommendations and learn more about SHINee and his solo work. Which other songs or performances of his do you think best reflect his growth as an artist? I appreciate your insight ❤
TAEMIN is very legendary and considered the IDOL of idols. He broke many stereotypes and paved his own path. When starting out his voice was not developed and so he barely had any lines. But, that did not stop him. He worked very hard in his craft to get where he is. He is successful as a 2nd generation idol with SHINee and as soloist. I will tell you that one thing all kpop fandoms can agree on is that TAEMIN is one of theeee BEST … it’s unanimous. No argument, no fan wars to be had. It’s fact 😊 😎 Iconic songs, fabulous performances, striking visuals. He has it all. He is king of dark concepts and will always hypnotize everyone with every damn comeback 😝 please make sure to check out is B-sides and Japanese songs as well along with his title tracks, they are also chefs kiss. Here are some of my recommendations starting with his earliest releases Danger , Ace, Pretty boy, Press your number, Drip drop, soldier , Sexuality , One by one, Guess who, Rise, crazy for you, Heart stop, Thirsty, Day and night, Artistic groove, Shadow, Never forever, Clockwork, Black rose, Strings , 2kids, Heaven, Impressionable, The rizzness etc… Japanese songs Sayonara Hitori, Tiger, Flame of love, Door, Do it baby, Eclipse, Mars, Into the rhythm, Under my skin, Holy water, Slave, Famous , Exclusive etc… Also check out his concert. TAEMIN the 1st stage Nippon Budokan live performance
The look and feel for "Move" is very specific, it's supposed to be androgynous and gender neutral. Early in his career when Taemin was growing up in SHINee he was known for his feminine look. The industry thought it was novel and cute to play up his feminine features. Being recognized for his delicate image, ended up giving him a real complex about the fact that people never saw him as a masculine man. It took him a long time to accept that he was known for his looks and to come to terms with the fact that everyone thought of him as a "pretty boy," etc. So, at this point in his career as a 24-year-old (He is 31 now) he was trying to make a statement about how he has now come to terms with just being himself and not caring what people think. Dancing is art and movement has no gender. "Move" is his title track on his 2nd Korean solo album, which was released in 2017. He debuted as a solo artist in 2014. There are 3 versions of his "Move" MV. Version #1 is the regular MV version, which you watched. Version #2 is his solo performance version that just highlights his dancing. Version #3 is the duo version, which focuses on the choreographer and him dancing together. Fun fact: The blue color you see throughout this MV is supposed to represent the cool, chill vibe of this song, but pearl aqua also is SHINee's fan color, so you will see aqua/blue/green shades with most everything to do with SHINee as a way to represent their connection as a group and their connection to their fans, etc. And just so you know, those background vocals aren't Taemin's. They actually chose to leave the songwriters' vocals in the song from when they recorded the guide track. I have seen interviews with Adien Lewis, one of the original songwriters and he was shocked to hear his voice still in the song. Usually when a Kpop company gets a song from a songwriter, especially a foreign songwriting team, they will translate it into Korean and record all the vocals using the artists' vocals or other Korean artists, etc. Therefore, it's very rare that a songwriter would have their original vocals in a Kpop song, however, this was one of the few times where SM didn't rerecord or change everything. If you're interested, here is a short clip of an interview with Adien Lewis talking about "Move", ruclips.net/video/hTxbaiWyrmA/видео.html. "Move" features all female dancers because the whole point of the song and dance is supposed to be about crossing gender boundaries and how just because you are male doesn't mean your dance has to be hyper masculine. Taemin uses what is traditionally considered more feminine dance moves to show how you can merge both feminine and masculine styles together to create something that can't be singled out as one gender or the other. This dance allowed a more mainstream audience to start to embrace less traditional gender roles within Kpop. "Move" is one of Taemin's most famous choreographies and it has become the dance he is most recognized for.This dance has inspired what is known as the "Move disease," and it is said that the dance is so catchy that you can't help but try to imitate it. There are literally hundreds of videos online of people attempting cover dances to this song. (It is on the level of Beyonce's "Single Ladies" dance and some of the most famous TiK Tok dance challenges.) However, no matter how good of a dancer they are, it is quickly apparent that there is just something about the way Taemin moves that can't be duplicated. Taemin is Taemin and there is no one else like him. The dance is never as sharp or precise as the way Taemin does it. That is why he is hands down considered one of the top two BEST dancers in the industry. Taemin's "Move" choreography is actually considered by professional dancers to be one of the most difficult dances to pull off because of the amount of control you have to have and the intricate movements. They say that if Taemin's dances look easy then that means they are extremely difficult and if they look difficult then they are almost impossible to pull off unless you are Taemin. There's a reason why EVERYONE looks up to him, even world-famous dancers. As Taemin has said numerous times in interviews and on variety shows, the key point in "Move's" choreography is literally supposed to be to stare into the camera like you are trying to seduce the person who is watching. So, you are right, that is exactly what Taemin is doing. The female dancer who is the featured dancer dancing with Taemin in the MV wasn't just any dancer, she is the choreographer who choreographed "Move". Her name is Sugawara Koharu and she is a Japanese choreographer who has choreographed dances for several Kpop groups, as well as American artists. She has worked with Taemin a lot over the years and she is the one that also choreographed Taemin's dance for his songs "Want," "Flame of Love" and "Sayonara Hitori" and helped choreograph Taemin and her performance on the competition program Hit the Stage -- "Devil" performance, etc., and she was one of 3 or 4 choreographers who helped choreograph Taemin's "Criminal." Taemin and Sugawara are really good friends. She was also the choreographer for SHINee's song "Good Evening," among others. She loves working with Taemin because they are a lot alike, and that is one of the reasons why she has been featured in several of Taemin's projects. Plus, Taemin and all the members of SHINee, are also one of the most famous artists in Japan and they all speak fluent Japanese, so they have no problem communicating through dance or language. :D You should now check out a live performance, as well as his dance practice video, so you can really see why this song is so iconic and discover how it literally changed the Kpop industry. Taemin's choreography is very much influenced by him. Although he has input in almost everything he does, he has choreographers that come up with the choreography for most of his dances and he then infuses it with his own ideas and style and makes it uniquely his. The way Taemin dances is just the way he moves. His movements are effortless. If you watch Taemin dance a lot, you will see that no matter who choreographs the dance, it will always be very Taemin-like. Many choreographers who have worked with him over the years have said that, with Taemin you can't help but allow him to move in whatever way his body takes him. Taemin is art in every sense of the word. :D Taemin's style of dance can't be defined. As he has said, he has worked his entire career to create a style of dance that is unlike anything in the Kpop industry. And I would argue that that now extends to the entire industry of dance. Taemin started out as a self-taught popper and locker without any dance training, and, even then, as a trainee it was clear his skills as a dancer went far beyond the average dancer. Over the years he has infused those popping and locking skills into his now more contemporary style of dance. But, when it comes to dancing, he can do it all and there is no one better at it than him. Taemin has had a solo career for almost 10 years and he has been a member of SHINee for more than 16 years. He has at least 12 solo albums and SHINee currently has 14 full length albums, plus dozens of mini albums, singles, repackaged albums, etc. And he is also a member of SuperM, which debuted in 2019. So, you won't run out of Taemin content to watch for a very long time. ;p Taemin has even held several solo concerts, as well as more than 100 concerts as a member of SHINee and a world tour as a member of SuperM.
Great reaction! I get you, 100%. The shock and awe of experiencing Taemin for the first time is very real and powerful. All of his fans have experienced it, and honestly there is no way out. Literally everything changed for me musically when I first stumbled across Taemin's Criminal mv in 2020. He hit me like a sledgehammer in my heart, mind, soul and--yes, not gonna lie--all my girlie parts! His depth as an artist is incredible, and he is not afraid to take risks, even if it means his art is not mainstream. And, as someone already commented, younger kpop fans have a tendency to overlook him because his band SHINee is 2nd generation and considered old (even though they are very much active today), not realizing that because Taemin was so young when he debuted, he is the same age or even younger than some 3rd generation artists. Ultimately, it doesn't matter. No, his music and artistry is not mainstream, but I and his fans all over the world would not have it any other way. He is Art personified. He did worry terribly about the time he had to be away for his mandatory enlistment. Incredible as it may seem from his outward artistry and seeming confidence, Taemin is extremely sensitive and did/does suffer from self-doubt and low self-esteem issues. He communicated his worries in a heartrending live message to fans as his time to enlist drew nearer. His time in the military was very difficult as he suffered terribly from depression, anxiety, loss of privacy, and nightmares. Despite him trying to tough it out, it got so bad he had to be relocated to public service to finish out the rest of his enlistment due to very real concerns about his mental and physical health. The entirety of SHINee World were on high alert and trying to hold panic at bay during those days until his bandmate Minho kindly sent out a message that they were together. We could finally breathe in relief that he was being taken care of. He is extremely loved by all his Shinee brothers, as well as his fans. Thankfully he seems to be in a much healthier place now that it is behind him. Guilty was the first release post military. It is a masterpiece. One of the many reasons the Guilty mv was so emotionally impactful for me is that it spoke to the anxiety and fears I had for him during that time to life on my screen. There are so many layers and interpretations to that song and mv. If you are interested, the trailer for the mv has some very interesting visuals and storylines that add another layer to possible interpretations. Here is the link: ruclips.net/video/CdYpEjawK38/видео.htmlsi=rOu5GMDaJiUh9AME Please continue to explore Taemin and try out his group SHINee. Each of the SHINee members are accomplished soloists as well!
loved your reaction! taemin is a true artist and really one of a kind. can’t wait to see more of your reactions to him especially his live performances!
I loved your reaction, you’ve seen him for the first time but you’ve already pointed out so many amazing things. You instantly felt what I felt, when I first came across Taemin almost 7 years ago - that he’s absolutely iconic! I’m really happy you found a new obsession with Taemin, cause frankly there’s no better, more incredible artist to obsess about. I could write a whole essay about Guilty or Criminal or Advice, but the thing you need to know about Taemin’s lyrics is that they’re always multilayered and sometimes the most obvious interpretation is not really the one he’s trying to convey. It may seem like he’s talking about toxic relationships, but most of the time he’s really talking about his inner struggles, the conflict between his public, famous persona and his real, private self. Please check out more of his songs - his older MVs like Thirsty, Danger or Press Your Number are also great. There’s also this amazing performance video - Me And You and ton of other b-sides with performances like Black Rose or Heaven. I’m really looking forward to your Taemin exploration!
Thank you so much for your kind words! I can feel your passion for Taemin, and it’s inspiring! I’ll definitely dive deeper into his music, Your insights on his lyrics add a whole new layer of appreciation for me. Excited to explore more. ❤
Welcome to the rabbit hole of mr Lee Taemin, the ACE and idols idol. It is a fact that he cant be put in a box, and he doesnt want that either. I do hope you would check out his most adorable MV "Think of you", and also his edgy next level hip hop track and MV The Rizzness ( a silly word untill Taemin said it, and yes he can rap like he has done nothing else)- but more so, PLS check out his ballads!! Is vocals are EVERYTHING!!!! And THEN, even just on your own time, you can find his older solo concert on YT (from Japan tour and Korean tour), and believe me, you dont want to miss it!!!! He is simply breathtaking from beginning to the end! His artistry is to be recond with, because if there is a label to put on Taemin, then it is him being true to himself, and he has been hard working giving 100 % since his trainee days 12 years old, debuting just 14 years old, and being on the top even today (then agian, he grew up with the best members any idol could hope for, all taking so good care of him). THAT is to be recon dwith. Even the popular dictionary has a term after him: "To pull a taemin"- meaning to give in your work, believe in yourself, and dont give up". His genre is Tpop (Taemin-pop ;).
Thanks for the warm welcome to the Taemin rabbit hole! I’ll definitely check out 'Think of You' and 'The Rizzness,' and dive into his ballads too. His artistry is truly something special. I can’t wait to explore more of his work. The concert recommendation sounds amazing-I'll make sure not to miss it! 💕💕💕
Subbed, liked and hit that bell for the GOD of kpop taemin. Sexuality live is one of my favorites the other is taemins live performance of the rizzness. Thank you for such a great reaction. More taemin please!!!!!
Too many favorite Taemin songs to list, but his mini album Guilty is one of my favs. His new album is coming out in a few weeks with a new MV for us all to freak out over!
I see "Advice" as a continuation of the themes within Taemin's previous Never Gonna Dance Again album trilogy -- "2 Kids," "Criminal" and "Idea." With "Criminal" and "Idea," Taemin talks about being involved in a toxic relationship -- not necessarily a romantic relationship, but a metaphor for his relationship with fame -- in which he agrees to be manipulated almost to the point of being destroyed in order to become the artist we see today. But, in the end of "Idea," we see him become free from the box everyone wants to put him in and he comes to terms with his role as an idol. He has now formed his own "Idea" about himself and what it means to be an idol, etc. As Taemin explained during his VLive event for "Advice" -- which came out in 2021 -- "Advice" is like the end to the first chapter in his life, and it marks the beginning of the second chapter. The song seems to be his way of saying I am done caring to everyone who judged him and all those haters who spread rumors and misinformation about him. "Advice" is showing that he is now free and confident to be himself, breaking stereotypes and now only listening to himself. Taemin is just one of those performers that leaves you speechless every time he steps on stage. He was born to be a performer and that is one of the reasons why he has become known as the Korean Michael Jackson. That is also why, as one of the top two performers in the industry, he was made a member of SuperM. Taemin is an Idol of Idols and a legend of legends. (He is considered the blueprint for what it means to be a successful as a male solo artist. He was one of the first male idols from an active group to go solo, and he did it at such a young age, starting in 2014 at 21 years old. He has been a solo artist for more than half his career.) In "Advice" he's basically saying, "Stop trying to put me in a box, in which I'll never fit in." He is also speaking to everyone that says he's getting old, that he's just a Michael Jackson wannabe that doesn't sell a lot of albums because he tries too hard to be edgy, etc. He's rebelling against all those people who are constantly advising him to make more mainstream music, or to follow the traditional Kpop idol style, in order to boost his sales and his popularity. However, as Taemin is making clear in "Advice," that is not who he is and he will never be "normal" or "mainstream" and he is OK with that. In the scenes where you see him covered in ink, I think that is supposed to be him showing everyone how he is no longer the "unstained," cute maknae everyone wants to think of him as. The diamond you see painted on his hand when he is playing the piano, and you see drawn on his bicep, etc. is SHINee's symbol and all the pearl aqua blue/green colors you see in the MV is SHINee's official color. (The large tattoo of a Peony flower you can see on his hip is real. Hence why in the lyrics he says, "I destroy the torso that you were chasing after." In other words, he's saying he's tired of people thinking they even have a say in what he does with his body.) This song was specifically designed to not be like anything he has ever done before. He plays the piano, he raps, he shows off his falsetto notes, etc., which is different than what we often hear and see from him. He intentionally used this song to prove that he isn't one type of singer. People often think of Taemin as a sultry vocalist that sings in a breathy comfortable, less dynamic style. So, with this song he wants to prove to everyone that he can be unpredictable and try new things. Yet again, you can't put him in a box or tell him who to be. Everything you see in this MV is 100% Taemin, including the piano playing. Everything that Taemin's haters like to point out about him and say are reasons why he shouldn't be held to such high esteem, I find completely ridiculous. I don't think that anyone who actually knows him would ever say he has played it safe at any time in his career. If you think he is only one dimensional, and that he is trying to be anything other than himself, then you really don't know Taemin. Everything he does is different, out there and definitely not safe. It's always uniquely Taemin, and he couldn't do it any other way. Also, because Taemin is a member of SHINee, none of his songs are ever like anything you have ever heard or seen before from him. It will always have a new beat, style and sound. As SM Entertainment's experimental boy group, SHINee is meant to be the first and they are expected to set the trend, and that includes the members' solo work. With every new song Taemin produces it's expected to be different than the last, so you will never hear the same style or sound from him in any of his songs, even on the same album, and yet, it still will be uniquely Taemin-like. Which is another example of how you can never put him in a box or expect anything from him. :D Another theme in "Advice" is about how Taemin is embracing his androgynous side -- but on his own terms -- which I think is a continuation of the message in his "Move" MV. Early in his career when Taemin was growing up in SHINee -- he debuted in 2008 at 14 years old -- he was known for his delicate feminine features. It took him a long time to accept that he was recognized for his looks and to come to terms with the fact that everyone thought of him as a "pretty boy," etc. So, at this point in his career -- he is now 27 years old in this MV -- he is making a statement about how he has decided to be himself and no longer care what people think. Music is art and art has no gender. So, that is why in "Advice" you see him wearing hair extensions, fishnets and women's Supreme sportswear, etc. But if you notice, his choreography is very fast paced and sharp, which is hyper masculine -- a complete contrast to the "feminine" image people want to give him. You also see him wearing makeup, but it's smeared on his face, as if to say, "people may think of me as a 'Pretty Boy,' but I don't care about looking pretty." In the lyrics he is saying, "It's creepy how people are always looking to cause drama, so stop trying to create scandals in my life that don't really exist. It's all just stories you make up." He's tired of all those people who seem to look for reasons to cause drama, where none really exists.
Where he says "floppy" in the lyrics, I think he's talking about knowing about or hearing firsthand the things people are saying about him, but he is choosing not to pay attention to them because what they're saying is flopping or doesn't hold any weight or have any substance, etc. "Advice" just proves that every time people try to put Taemin in a box, he destroys it and keeps coming back with something more unique and never seen before. Hence, why in the choreography he puts his hands in front of his face and creates a movement that looks like an animated mouth talking. It represents how everyone keeps talking about him and what they are saying is nonsense, which makes them look and sound ridiculous, etc. Which is why in the lyrics he says, "You will never get the keys to my lock" because he doesn't ever plan to give people what they want and allow them access to his secrets and personal life, etc. (Those people who like to gossip about him will never truly know the real him.) I interpret the "One (piece of) Advice" he is talking about in the lyrics as a reference to the advice he keeps being given about being more mainstream, but he's saying, "stop trying to make me conform to the image you have in your head of who I should be and what I should do." In other words, take all that time and effort you have been using to come up with ways to talk about how he doesn't fit in, etc. and put it to better use. "Follow my own advice" and do something original for once. And the crucifixion pose at the end of "Advice" is sort of a signature pose for him. I interpret it to be like he is saying, "And that is the end, this is my final word, take it or leave it, but don't doubt me. I have given it my all and laid everything I had out there for you," etc. You should really see his "Advice" dance practice as well. It's a good way to see the full choreography without any cuts, edits or ackward camera angles.
It's funny how such a simple move (the hand coming out from under his shirt) can speak so much and have such an impact!!! Every "simple" move Taemin does is iconic, and I think it's definitely the way that he performs these moves
Taemin has been in the industry for more than 16 years as part of the legendary 5-member Kpop group SHINee and he has been a solo artist since 2014. "Guilty" is his title track on his 4th mini Korean solo album. I think "Guilty" is a continuation of the themes surrounding Taemin's previous releases. Particularly connected to his Never Gonna Dance Again trilogy of albums -- "2 Kids", "Criminal" and "Idea" -- and Advice album themes. As Taemin has explained, "Guilty" is about a lover who DOESN'T feel guilty about all the bad things they have done in the relationship and they feel no shame or remorse for the pain and suffering they may have caused the other person. Which, if you connect it to the messages from his previous MVs, this easily could be interpreted as a metaphor for everything Taemin has gone through in his career and life. As an idol, he has been manipulated and controlled his whole life. Debuting at 14 years old, Taemin has lived his entire life in the public eye under a microscope, he is expected to be flawless and perfect, and people are constantly telling him what to do and how he should act, etc. However, now that he has turned 30, I think he is embracing a new chapter in his life where he is saying he is no longer going to allow people to manipulate him and he is officially taking back control. In other words, he's not going to feel guilty any more for being himself and doing what makes him happy. The story in the MV also makes more sense if you pair it with the 2 teaser videos that were released a few days before the MV dropped. In the teasers you will see Taemin being manipulated even more by outside forces and people who literally at one point hand him a gun and force him to shoot something or someone, which is all part of the metaphor that has to do with taking control of his life, etc. If you delve in deep you will see that "Guilty" could be interpreted as his relationship with fame and the different sides of who he is as a person and artist. Everything you see and hear can be thought of as a metaphor for life told using biblical references as an underlying theme showcasing Taemin's Catholic faith.The majority of Taemin's songs and MVs touch on concepts, stories and themes from the Bible, as a metaphor to explain what he has gone through growing up as an idol and the journey he has taken in order to find confidence in and acceptance with who he is as a person and an artist. With Taemin -- and all the members of SHINee -- you will never get the same thing twice. Everything he releases will be a new style and sound and, yet, it will still be very "Taemin". As SM Entertainment's experimental boy group, SHINee are meant to be the first to do almost everything, and they are expected to come up with something new that no one has ever seen or heard before with every release of theirs. As Kpop's trendsetters, the members of SHINee reinvent the industry with every comeback. Taemin is the main dancer and a main vocalist of SHINee. However, because he is a member of SHINee, this means he can do it all. SHINee are known for the fact that there are no longer any fixed roles in their group, the main vocalists can rap and the rappers can fill in as main vocalists at any moment. However, what they are really recognized for is the fact that they are one of the best vocal groups to ever exist. All of the SHINee members are top tier singers and dancers. You may find this hard to believe, but when Taemin debuted as a member of SHINee way back in 2008, he didn't have a whole lot of lines in their songs. People even used to make fun of Taemin's singing and they would say that he was tone deaf and couldn't sing. However, it's sort of a misconception that Taemin "couldn't sing." it wasn't that he couldn't sing, it was just that he debuted when he was so young -- he was only 14 years old -- that his voice hadn't really developed yet and he didn't really have a good grasp of how to use his voice and produce the sounds he wanted with it. So, in the beginning, when he sang, he was often flat or his voice cracked or he was off key or out of tune, etc. And because he was being compared to the other members of SHINee who are all 2 to 4 years older than him, and the other members had such phenomenal voices to start out with, it really made Taemin sound like he was lacking. (SHINee are considered THE premier vocal group that everyone dreams of being as good as.) That's why in SHINee's first few songs Taemin only has a few lines, and most of the time he was just given big solo dance breaks to fill the stage at his parts in the song. However, if he was really tone deaf, he never would have become an SM Idol trainee -- SM would have put him on the dance track and probably steered him toward becoming a backup dancer -- and he definitely would have never become the amazing singer that he is today. As you probably know, someone who is truly tone deaf is physically unable to hear the difference in the notes and is unable to carry a tune. Taemin is considered one of the greatest dancers of all time. He has literally been voted one of the top two BEST dancers in all of Kpop by his peers and industry experts. Literally everyone in the Kpop industry looks up to Taemin and idolizes him. But Taemin really wanted to prove to everyone that he wasn't just a dancer, so he spent a lot of extra time concentrating on vocal lessons and the other SHINee members -- especially Onew and Jonghyun (two of the best vocalists in the industry) -- spent some serious time coaching and mentoring him until he learned what it took to match their vocal range and to use his voice. (For the first year or more after SHINee's debut Taemin spent hours in vocal lessons and he would push himself every day until his nose would bleed because he was so tired and worn out, etc. He practically lived in the training rooms at SM.) The ONLY thing the members of SHINee are not good at is lip syncing, so Taemin, and all the members of SHINee, have specifically trained since their debut, to build stamina and endurance, in order to be able to sing live for 3+ hours straight in concert, all while performing these intense choreographies and still sound flawless. When you watch a live performance, you may be shocked because Taemin and SHINee sound so perfect live even though they are dancing so intensely, but that is why they are so highly respected by everyone. Therefore, when you hear SHINee sing, 95% of the time it will be live. Other Idols and audio sound technicians, etc. who have witnessed the SHINee members performing live are always blown away, because in the parts of the song where most singers would take a break and rely on the backing track vocals to cover their voices so they can catch their breath and recover, this is where the SHINee members actually ramp it up and become their most powerful. In Taemin's live performance you will discover that he sounds even better than in the recorded version, all while dancing full out. What makes SHINee so great is that even if they are singing acapella while performing this high energy choreography, they sound just as amazing. That's why, even as rookies, senior artists would stop what they were doing to watch SHINee's rehearsals on music programs because SHINee's vocal talent is that impressive. When SHINee debuted, they were the first group to demonstrate how it was possible to sing live while performing complex choreography and still maintain stable vocals. Before SHINee, the thought within the industry was that it wasn't possible to sing live and also perform high intensity choreography at the same time. At that time, most groups would either sing live and have simple choreography, or they would have crazy cool choreography, but lip sync to their recorded vocals. SHINee completely changed the Kpop industry and upped the standard of what it meant to be an idol singer. Taemin -- and SHINee -- live is unmatched. It's literally referred to as the SHINee standard. It's the standard that all other groups strive to reach, and SHINee are the vocalists that all other artists try to emulate. Now, if you haven't already, you need to check out Taemin's Killing Voice performance. I have a feeling when you watch his Killing Voice you will find that hearing him sing "Guilty," as well as his other songs, live that you will be even more impressed. There is a reason why Taemin is like none other.
"Criminal" and "Idea" are part of Taemin's 3rd Korean solo album called Never Gonna Dance Again, which was released in 2020. It is part of a trilogy, which started with his prologue "2 Kids," and continued with "Criminal," which is part of Act 1 of the album. "Idea" is part of Act 2 of the album and it brings the whole concept full circle. And now his follow up release "Advice" has become the epilogue to the story. As Taemin said in an interview: "The two acts put together tell a story. '2 Kids’ is about growing pains and depicts the story prior to the story in the album. You can think of '2 Kids' as a teaser before the movie called 'Never Gonna Dance Again.' Act 1 shows a new side of me. I think it’ll be something you’ve never seen in K-pop before. And Act 2 is the end-all-be-all. It’s the ultimate level of intensity. Never Gonna Dance Again’ was originally the name of the concept. Because it doesn’t make sense for me to stop dancing. But I wanted to give a sense of rebellion with the irony of the title.” Just so you know, the Taemin you see is not necessarily the criminal in his "Criminal" MV. I see him as the victim who is being held captive by the criminal. The criminal is his lover (i.e. the other side of his personality) that he is singing about, which is a metaphor for the pressure he feels under as a Kpop idol. The song is about living in a toxic relationship and being brainwashed by a lover. He has now fallen in love with the person (or thing -- i.e. his career) who is inflicting all the pain and suffering on him, so now he accepts the abuse as a normal part of the relationship. Even though he is being abused by that person -- possibly a metaphor for the pressure he is creating for himself with the need to always be the best in everything he does -- he can't help but love them and allow them to continue to hurt him, etc.
All the abuse is happening to him, he is not hurting anyone else or doing anything criminal himself. Therefore, the story isn't about Taemin being a criminal. Notice, the S.W.A.T. team isn't arresting him. They pretty much walk right past Taemin and ignore him as they search for the criminal. The "boss" vibe is a facade he puts on to make people believe he is in control, but as we see in the choreography, he is being manipulated by all the outside forces around him. For example, we see him lying across the backup dancers backs and they pick him up and manipulate him to do what they want him to do at that moment. A lot of his dance moves are designed to make him look like a marionette puppet that is being pulled around by strings and being told what to do. Which is what we see when he is crouched down and he creates that wiggly, wave movement in the dance, etc. As part of the story, he has been held captive for so long that, as it says in the lyrics of "Criminal", he is now suffering from Stockholm syndrome, so he is no longer fighting the abuse and that is why you see him throw his bindings away. The criminal -- which is a metaphor for the pressure he has felt in his career -- no longer has to tie him up to keep him there. (Because he has fallen in love with the pain and suffering he inflicts on himself as an artist, etc.) The backup dancers represent the forces he is struggling against as he fights with his mind over whether to stay or go, etc. Also, pirates didn't just wear eye patches because they injured one of their eyes. Eye patches were more often worn by thieves who had perfect eyesight. An eye patch helps you to see better in the dark or in low light. If you shield your eyes from bright light, when you enter a dark room and remove the eye patch, your eyes adjust more quickly to the dark. This allowed pirates and thieves to be able to see better and be able to get in and get out more quickly as they go from bright daylight to darkness of a low lit room or hull of a ship, etc. Therefore, I think the eye patch that Taemin wears in "Criminal" and the masks covering one eye of the backup dancers is a metaphor for being able to see in the dark and how Taemin is saying he has now been in the industry long enough to understand what the "criminal" is doing to him -- i.e. he knows he needs to shield himself from the bright lights of fame in order to see what is happening in the dark -- and he is fully aware of what he is sacrificing, but he loves what he does too much to leave, etc. Fun fact: It was Taemin's idea to include the police blotter/news clips in that part of the "Criminal." If you notice, the sound bites are from all over the world and they are speaking multiple languages. All of Taemin's dances tell a story. As he has said, he specifically designs his choreography to be a part of the story within the song and MV. So, "Criminal" is supposed to be slightly creepy, as well as sexy. He is literally being abused and asking you to please "destroy me more." Taemin pronounces Idea the way you hear him saying it in "Idea" because he is pronouncing it like the Greek word idéa, and not like the English pronunciation. The song is based on the Greek philosopher Plato’s theory of Ideas. Plato believed that an "Idea" is an ultimate reality. Every form has an idea, an image, or standard set for it and Plato believed that these ideas were eternal. For example, when talking about a human, everyone has an image, an ideal type of human according to Plato and once defined that description or thought is constant and never changing. In "Idea" Taemin is disagreeing with Plato's theory and he is saying that the world is not ruled by one ultimate definition of something or that there isn't only one voice. Taemin is saying he has many voices and thoughts influencing him. If he were to conform to only one way of doing something -- i.e., if he listened to everyone who told him there was only one way to be a Kpop Idol and he needed to do everything the traditional cookie cutter way -- then that would be like killing his spirit and everything that makes him who he is. Hence the lines in the song that say, "Killing me softly." Fun fact No. 2: In "Idea" the female voice you hear saying "Killing me softly" is BoA. She is a solo artist also under SM, and she is Taemin's highly respected senior, who debuted with SM in 2000 at the age of 13 and, now after more than 24 years, she is known as one of the senior-most members of the industry. BoA is legend. Some have said, and I have to agree, that "Idea" is a metaphor for the way Taemin sees his career. He loves what he does, almost to the point of obsession -- like "my messiah" he is drawn to it and can't help worship it -- he practically needs to dance and perform to survive. But, at the same time, it pretty much controls his life. Living as an Idol means everything he does is done in the public eye, and he will never be able to live a normal life -- his "dangerous dream" that is engulfing him and "swallowing him" up. The stress and constant demand for perfection he feels may be slowly "Killing me softly," etc. I particularly like the verse in "Idea" that says: "The blue light, When you and I face each other, Stained in it, All one's feelings, It's an infinite range, In my world, Most dazzling, The absolute value of you, My my IDEA." These lines seem to be talking about Taemin's fans. SHINee's fan color is pearl aqua blue, so the blue light you see in the MV and the blue light he talks about in the lyrics of "Idea," makes me think he is referring to the impact and influence the fans have had on everything he has done in his career. And although he loves and appreciates us, it has not come without a few sacrifices and negative aspects as well. The mutual love and respect between Taemin and the fans also have added a lot of extra pressure on him because he always wants to give people his absolute best and he is constantly trying to live up to an impossible standard of self-imposed flawlessness. This album's whole concept is a metaphor for his life and career. With every release from this album, the concept was designed to be darker than the last. In "2 Kids" he was emotionally and physically beating himself up with regrets. In "Criminal" he was living in a toxic relationship. In "Idea" he takes the theme one step further, and says that even though it was my idea and my plan to live this life, nothing comes without a price, and because of that need for perfection, any chance of being average or living a regular life is pretty much dead. Taemin has sacrificed everything to become the magnificent and unique performer and person that we know him as today. If you are impressed with Taemin's dancing in these MVs, yet again, just wait until you see his dance practice videos, as well as a live performance. You will be even more blown away. And if you want to see Taemin explain how to do the choreography for these dances, check out his "Criminal" tutorial video with Jeno and Mark from NCT and his "Idea" tutorial video with Haechan and Ten from NCT.
Guilty is a really honest and haunting song. He is talking basically about how he corrupted himself and how the industry changed him, he becans a trainee at 14 and i think he feels guilty for what he did to himself and how he lost his innocence. Its kind of why all the extras look similar to him, and how he gets controlled and worshipped. Its all about him and whats been done to him and by him. Taemin is probably the most objectified male idol ever. From since he was a kid he got a lot of creepy attention because he was so pretty, and that combined with his being the most influential idol for newer idols, its so much pressure.
@@Nicoleboojie She is a really famous choreographer, she made choreos like "Next Level" by aespa, "Rover" by Kai, and many others, she also was in "Street Woman Fighter" season 2 with her team called "BEBE"! You should definetly watch it! 🔥
So happy to see more people getting into Taemin! Michael Jackson is one of Taemin's biggest inspirations and he's known as the "Michael Jackson of Kpop." When Taemin debuted with his group SHINee (pronounced like "shiny") at the age of 14 in 2008, he barely got lines because he was told he couldn't sing. However, with the help of his brothers (his other SHINee members) he was able to develop his voice into what it is today to the point that despite being the YOUNGEST of the group, Taemin was actually the first one to debut as a soloist in 2014. Shawols (SHINee fandom name) are endlessly proud of him and the path he's carved for himself as a global artist.
Taemin is a PERFORMER and it’s so satisfying to see as an ex dancer. He’s not afraid to do ‘ugly’ and unflattering moves, which sounds rude but it’s genuinely the highest compliment!! He knows he can pull them off with his attitude +dancers and it overall just enhances the entire performance, which is a huge example of the difference between Dancers who become idols and Idols who learn to dance
Taemin is on a level of his own! Him and his group he's in (SHINee) are legends in Kpop. I hope you'll check out NCT soon! They're from the same company as Taemin and Aespa. There's multiple units with that group so I would start with NCT 127 as they're the main unit, they have an RnB/Hip Hop sound.
first of, you are so gorgeous as hell!! the makeup, the hair and fit are so chef's kiss! also i agree on your commentary, so on point. lastly, welcome to the taemates family!!
Taemin is having his comeback very soon. It is bound to be iconic, like always! Taemin is a very artistic and intensive performer, but off stage he is the swetest, kindest person ever, even though he can get a bit mischievous when he is with the other SHINee members ;)
PLEASE NOTE!!: if you are wanting to check out more of (G)-IDLE's content, please take note of the following: MEMBERS(oldest to youngest.): MIYEON MINNIE SOYEON YUQI SHUHUA EX MEMBER: SOOJIN. (she was kicked out of the group due to bullying rumors that were later found false. she is now a soloist, and debuted with AGASSY.) ABOUT THEIR CONCEPT: (G)-IDLE is known for their more mature concept, but when member SOOJIN departed from the group, they slipped out of that more 'mature' concept, but even after SOOJIN's departure from the group, they have still been able to produce songs for an ''older'' audience. If you are looking for a more mature side of (G)-IDLE, listen to songs like: LION OH MY GOD SUPER LADY NXDE if looking for a more ''childish'' and fun side of them, check out: DUMDi DUMDi QUEENCARD KLAXON ALLERGY hope this helps!!
In "Want" Taemin is supposed to be portraying Lucifer. That's why he seems to have a love affair with those snakes. (The ones he is holding are real snakes.) And, like Lucifer, he is supposed to be seducing the audience and the girl using his devilish powers, which is why the choreography looks like he is slithering like a snake. The gate you see him standing in front of is supposed to be a representation of "The Gates of Hell" from French artist Auguste Rodin. Taemin is Catholic, and most of his MVs showcase his faith as it tells the story using numerous Biblical references. Fun fact: That's not just any female dancer in Taemin's "Want" MV. The girl you see highlighted in the shadows is Yoo JiMin (Karina) who is the leader and main dancer of aespa, which is also an SM Entertainment group. She participated in this song as a rookie trainee even before aespa's debut. ("Want" was released in February 2019 and aespa didn't debut until November 2020.) She also participated in some of his live comeback stage performances and she was in his "Want" dance practice video.
"Want" is one of those songs that the lyrics take the song and performance up to the next level. :D The lyrics give everything a whole other feel and it helps to explain the images and story you see being told in the MV. Many people think that "Want" has a vampire vibe, and I can see where some might get the vampire feel from this MV. After all, one of Taemin's nicknames is SHINee's eternal vampire because in some performances and MVs, the way he looks and the aesthetic of the performance gives him a vampire image. But if you understand the story he is trying to tell within the MV, it's much deeper than that. The style and aesthetic in "Want" is just the kind of vibe we have all come to expect from Taemin. He has a very sensual/sexy way of moving and, as a soloist, it's kind of his signature thing.That is why all his songs are titles such as "Danger," "Soldier" "Sexuality," "Tiger," "Press Your Number," "Guess Who," "Mystery Lover," "Hypnosis," "Crazy 4 U," "Flame of Love," " Under My Skin," "Thirsty," "Want," "Criminal," etc. or "Ace," "Already", "Door, "Pretty Boy," "Move" "Artistic Groove," "Famous," "Idea," etc. Each song is meant to show you exactly why he is one of the best in the industry even just by their titles. I find it interesting that all of his songs, with the titles alone, tell you exactly what Taemin is all about. If you look at all the titles of his songs, you will see that the titles convey one of two things about him, either painting a picture of his sexy and sensual onstage personality, or they explain his dedication and passion as an artist. Taemin is very unique and never does the same thing twice, he is constantly switching up his sound and dance style. However, you will see that it will always be very Taemin-like. Many choreographers who have worked with him over the years have said that, with Taemin you can't help but allow him to move in whatever way his body takes him. Taemin is art in every sense of the word. :D Taemin started when he was a child by copying dancers that he saw on TV such as Michael Jackson and Kpop star Bi Rain. And he didn't have any formal training until he joined SM. As trainees, SM originally planned to make SHINee a hip-hop group, so Taemin's dance training started out focusing on hip-hop dance styles like popping and locking. However, over the years, he has devoted himself to learning every style of dance. Now he is considered one of the top two best dancers. Taemin is literally the artist that everyone within the Kpop industry looks up to and respects. There really is no one that pushes him or holds him to a higher standard then himself. Taemin has said that he really has never taken a true vacation since he was a trainee -- he started with SM Entertainment when he was around 11 years old -- and he doesn't know what to do if he isn't constantly working and training. As he has said, there has never been anything that has come easy to him and he has only gotten to where he is today because he has worked hard to accomplish everything. He is constantly pushing himself to become the best of the best in everything he does. As a member of SHINee, Taemin has trained his entire career to be able to pull off this type of intense and intricate dancing while singing live and always sounding flawless the whole time. (SHINee debuted in 2008 when Taemin was only 14 years old.) That is what SHINee are known for. So not only is Taemin an amazing dancer -- considered one of the top two dancers in all of Kpop (Kai from EXO, who happens to be Taemin's best friend since trainee days, and a fellow member of the Kpop supergroup SuperM) -- but he is also one of the best singers in the industry, and the 5 members of SHINee make up one of the top groups, that everyone looks up to and dreams of even coming close to being as good as. Taemin has released at least one song or album -- most of the time way more than just one -- as part of SHINee, as a member of a project group, as a solo artist or as a member of SuperM every year since SHINee's debut. (Except for 2022 because he was on hiatus while he carried out his public service duties as part of his military requirements.) He is one of the only idols who has debuted in 3 Kpop generations -- second gen. with SHINee, third gen. as a solo artist and 4th gen. in 2019 as a member of SuperM -- and yet he is the same age or younger than most 3rd and even some 4th gen idols.
subbing for your kpop journey. i hope that you will check out some of his main group, shinee, too. he was only 14 when he debuted with them in 2008 with the song "replay" which is universally agreed to be the best kpop debut ever.
Welcome to the rabbit hole!!! Once you TaemIN, you can never TaemOUT! 🩵 Next thing you know, you’ll be a TaeMATE and Shawol!!! Subscribing to follow your journey.
he’s the best dancer in kpop !! i would really recommend heckling out the group he’s from, SHINee !! they are one of the most respected groups in kpop and idk what i would do without them 💗 you should react to key’s solo music too it’s soooo good
I hope you react to Danger by him one day, it was his solo debut and honestly still one of my favs, like a perfect Halloween song 😆 i don't know how to explain it, it also gives me Michael Jackson vibes
Ahhh! Thanks so much for this! I love SHINee so much - I would looooove if you could check out KEY’s solo stuff! I would recommend: Forever Yours, I Wanna Be, Bad Love, Gasoline, Killer, Good & Great, and you absolutely must check out his all English b-sides- Helium, Imagine, CoolAs, and Another Life. Another Life has a MV! He’s such a superstar. Thanks again for taemin! Glad you like him!!
I begon to listening Kpop sînce Guilty, it’s perfect. Taemin is Taemin. His voice is so beautiful, his dancing perfect, the best and his is so sexy and hot. His is fire❤️🔥💥I can’t follow any other idol. You have to listening sexy in the air from the new album. Taemin kill me, or destroy me. This is crazy😂❤️🔥❤️🔥💥💯he is a sweet person too, Taemin ❤🖤😊
Welcome to kpop! For future reference when it comes to foreign videos! When you click the CC, if it says "auto-generated English" then it's not real subtitles at all and the computer is guessing based on what it hears (not accurate at all). If it says a language to English like "German --> English" then it's usually not translated right either since it's being translated by a machine. Only if it says "English" the it's accurate and was written by a person. If you see auto-generated captions, just turn it off and search lyrics later because it's really distracting for viewers to see random nonsense lyrics like "pineapple in the downtown alley he is". Not all videos are going to have English subtitles - especially older songs unless the company went back and edited it which is rare. I've been into kpop for 16 years, so grew up with Gen 2 artists who didn't have subtitles.
don't know if anyone has told you but tip for future videos, if it says [auto generated] when turning CC on then they are not 'real' they are translated real time by what I think is google translate lmao and they won't capture everything that is being said. so unless they straight up say just 'English' they won't be accurate 👍🏼
La nueva empresa de Taemin nunca va a poder hacer una canción y mv tan iconicos y lo demostró con Sexy in the air que no tiene nada especial, me puso triste porque después de una década es la primera vez que algo de Taemin no me gusta, pero igual es el Rey.
@@Nicoleboojie he’s in EXO, I recommend, mhmm, rover and peaches for Kai’s solo songs and if you ever want to do a exo reaction I recommend love shot, tempo, and obsession
Boojie Questions of the Day! 🌟 These are some thought-provoking questions, so much respect to anyone who takes the time to answer! 🙌
Feel free to answer one or all-whatever suits you! 😊
Military Enlistment Impact: 🇰🇷 Taemin is the first time I'm hearing that ALL Korean men have to serve in the military including k-pop Idols. Do you think Taemin's (or any male K-pop idol's) military enlistment had a significant impact on his career momentum? 📉📈
Solo Music and Mainstream Appeal: 🎶 Do you think Taemin's solo music is too experimental for mainstream K-pop fans? 🤔
Becoming a Fan: 🌟 How did you become a fan of Taemin? 💖
This is common in Korea and production companies take this into account when they sign male artists early in their careers.
Hi! For his military enlistment, I know he was super duper worried about that before he went in, which is understandable as he debuted in 2008 at 14 years old so he’s been an idol for more time than he hasn’t. Fortunately, him and SHINee have both stayed relevant and have recorded some of the highest sales of their career post-military!! I think this is very rare.
I worry that some K-pop fans write him off as he’s a part of second gen but if they listened I think he’d be more popular than he is now! However, he’s definitely known and there’s a saying that if you’re not a Taemin fan, your favorite idol is a Taemin fan..Guilty and the associated dance went viral with pretty much someone from every group doing it at some point haha
Becoming a fan: I became a SHINee fan before Taemin started a solo career and Taemin used to be my least favorite 😅( still loved all of them), that was because he was a bit quieter and he was still learning how to sing and develop his voice! When he started to show more of his unique style and that he could hold his own, he quickly became my favorite and has stayed my ult ever since.
I don't think Taemin's enlistment impacted his career momentum because he's had such a long career of being active (since he was 14 in 2008) and since the other Shinee members were all done with their enlistment when he enlisted.
I first saw Taemin as a judge/mentor in the Idol show "The Unit". There he cried because of a friend. That made me check him out. First I watched "Advice". I was intrigued. Then (I think) I watched "Criminal" and kept going. The third was "Want". It just blew me away, song and video.
Pls React to Babymonster
The day I discovered Taemin was the best day of my life fr
Mines too!!!
Frrr my brain algorithm changed bruh
It changed the trajectory of my life!
17:10 fun fact- the female voice in Idea is BoA! A first generation idol responsible for spreading kpop to japan. She's also Taemin's company senior. To kinda explain how big BoA was- she literally had a collab stage with Brittney Spears in 2003.
@@lightningdoughnut4880 oh I’ve never known she had a collaboration stage with Brit!!?? That’s so cool!!
TAEMIN is considered a role model for many and his stage presence and talent is amazing, it is worth getting to know his work and at the same time seeing him perform them live - it's definitely on a different leve
he has been in the industry for 16 years and is known for his unique style, you actually noticed it right away, so I think you will definitely be delighted with his other songs
His new album is scheduled to be released on the 19th, so you met him just in time to see your first combak
Taemin is a literal titan in the kpop industry! He originally debuted in 2008 as the youngest member of Shinee (who are widely regarded as the princes of kpop) and made his solo debut in 2014. He's also the first SM artist from a group to have a solo debut! (Which is pretty big considering SM is arguably the first kpop entertainment company and one of the Big 3) Taemin's known for his dancing, but he worked incredibly hard after.debut to improve his vocal skills and is now an excellent vocalist! He's also known for being very artistic in his work, actively taking part in conceptualizing his solo work. In fact, so many idol trainees see him as a role model that there's even an abbreviation for it- Taemin is a 2nd gen idol and idols from 3rd, 4th, and.5rh gen have all listed him as their role model. Personally, there really isn't a single artist or idol like him, and his stage presence is so strong.
Welcome to the Taemin cult! In the words of our amazing leader, there's no exit!
Subscribed for more Taemin, and hopefully his group SHINee.
@@Ofra8191- eeeee! I’m starting to think y’all are serious about this cult thing 🤣… sign me up
@@Nicoleboojie we very much are... kind of.... there are worse cults to be a part of....
@@Nicoleboojiealso watch Super M. Its a supergroup of SM artists.
Taemin's new song Eternal will come out on 8/19!! Please listen🙏🏻🙏🏻
I’ll put on my calendar rn!
Thanks for reacting to Taemin!! Fun fact: that is aespa’s karina pre-debut in want. He is very Michael Jackson-inspired, check out his debut, danger! It is very mj-ish. Taemin is really known for his artistry and it seems like you really understand his lyrics. Can’t wait for you to check out his live performances, other mvs and his comeback, eternal!!
i am so glad you discovered Taemin. he's an exceptional performer, often referred to as the "Idol of Idols".
some context for the last song, Guilty. Taemin debuted in the kpop industry in a group at 15 years old. the imagery you are seeing + the chilling lyrics are Taemin's way of processing being sexualized so much as a child and having no control over what was happening to him, as he looks back on it now as an adult. i think his service in the military [another way of losing autonomy] dredged up a lot from his past he wanted to forget. it was months after his discharge before we saw him smile again.
he is amazing both as a soloist and in his group, called SHINEe. if you want some recommendations i am happy to give them to you and if you have any questions, i am happy to answer them!!
Whoa! Thank you for sharing this context-it adds so much depth to understanding 'Guilty.' Taemin’s journey and the way he channels his experiences into his art is truly powerful. I’d love to hear your recommendations and learn more about SHINee and his solo work. Which other songs or performances of his do you think best reflect his growth as an artist? I appreciate your insight ❤
TAEMIN is very legendary and considered the IDOL of idols. He broke many stereotypes and paved his own path. When starting out his voice was not developed and so he barely had any lines. But, that did not stop him. He worked very hard in his craft to get where he is. He is successful as a 2nd generation idol with SHINee and as soloist. I will tell you that one thing all kpop fandoms can agree on is that TAEMIN is one of theeee BEST … it’s unanimous. No argument, no fan wars to be had. It’s fact 😊 😎
Iconic songs, fabulous performances, striking visuals. He has it all. He is king of dark concepts and will always hypnotize everyone with every damn comeback 😝 please make sure to check out is B-sides and Japanese songs as well along with his title tracks, they are also chefs kiss.
Here are some of my recommendations starting with his earliest releases
Danger , Ace, Pretty boy, Press your number, Drip drop, soldier , Sexuality , One by one, Guess who, Rise, crazy for you, Heart stop, Thirsty, Day and night, Artistic groove, Shadow, Never forever, Clockwork, Black rose, Strings , 2kids, Heaven, Impressionable, The rizzness etc…
Japanese songs
Sayonara Hitori, Tiger, Flame of love, Door, Do it baby, Eclipse, Mars, Into the rhythm, Under my skin, Holy water, Slave, Famous , Exclusive etc…
Also check out his concert.
TAEMIN the 1st stage Nippon Budokan live performance
The look and feel for "Move" is very specific, it's supposed to be androgynous and gender neutral. Early in his career when Taemin was growing up in SHINee he was known for his feminine look. The industry thought it was novel and cute to play up his feminine features. Being recognized for his delicate image, ended up giving him a real complex about the fact that people never saw him as a masculine man. It took him a long time to accept that he was known for his looks and to come to terms with the fact that everyone thought of him as a "pretty boy," etc. So, at this point in his career as a 24-year-old (He is 31 now) he was trying to make a statement about how he has now come to terms with just being himself and not caring what people think. Dancing is art and movement has no gender.
"Move" is his title track on his 2nd Korean solo album, which was released in 2017. He debuted as a solo artist in 2014. There are 3 versions of his "Move" MV. Version #1 is the regular MV version, which you watched. Version #2 is his solo performance version that just highlights his dancing. Version #3 is the duo version, which focuses on the choreographer and him dancing together.
Fun fact: The blue color you see throughout this MV is supposed to represent the cool, chill vibe of this song, but pearl aqua also is SHINee's fan color, so you will see aqua/blue/green shades with most everything to do with SHINee as a way to represent their connection as a group and their connection to their fans, etc.
And just so you know, those background vocals aren't Taemin's. They actually chose to leave the songwriters' vocals in the song from when they recorded the guide track. I have seen interviews with Adien Lewis, one of the original songwriters and he was shocked to hear his voice still in the song. Usually when a Kpop company gets a song from a songwriter, especially a foreign songwriting team, they will translate it into Korean and record all the vocals using the artists' vocals or other Korean artists, etc. Therefore, it's very rare that a songwriter would have their original vocals in a Kpop song, however, this was one of the few times where SM didn't rerecord or change everything. If you're interested, here is a short clip of an interview with Adien Lewis talking about "Move", ruclips.net/video/hTxbaiWyrmA/видео.html.
"Move" features all female dancers because the whole point of the song and dance is supposed to be about crossing gender boundaries and how just because you are male doesn't mean your dance has to be hyper masculine. Taemin uses what is traditionally considered more feminine dance moves to show how you can merge both feminine and masculine styles together to create something that can't be singled out as one gender or the other. This dance allowed a more mainstream audience to start to embrace less traditional gender roles within Kpop.
"Move" is one of Taemin's most famous choreographies and it has become the dance he is most recognized for.This dance has inspired what is known as the "Move disease," and it is said that the dance is so catchy that you can't help but try to imitate it. There are literally hundreds of videos online of people attempting cover dances to this song. (It is on the level of Beyonce's "Single Ladies" dance and some of the most famous TiK Tok dance challenges.) However, no matter how good of a dancer they are, it is quickly apparent that there is just something about the way Taemin moves that can't be duplicated. Taemin is Taemin and there is no one else like him. The dance is never as sharp or precise as the way Taemin does it. That is why he is hands down considered one of the top two BEST dancers in the industry.
Taemin's "Move" choreography is actually considered by professional dancers to be one of the most difficult dances to pull off because of the amount of control you have to have and the intricate movements. They say that if Taemin's dances look easy then that means they are extremely difficult and if they look difficult then they are almost impossible to pull off unless you are Taemin. There's a reason why EVERYONE looks up to him, even world-famous dancers.
As Taemin has said numerous times in interviews and on variety shows, the key point in "Move's" choreography is literally supposed to be to stare into the camera like you are trying to seduce the person who is watching. So, you are right, that is exactly what Taemin is doing.
The female dancer who is the featured dancer dancing with Taemin in the MV wasn't just any dancer, she is the choreographer who choreographed "Move". Her name is Sugawara Koharu and she is a Japanese choreographer who has choreographed dances for several Kpop groups, as well as American artists. She has worked with Taemin a lot over the years and she is the one that also choreographed Taemin's dance for his songs "Want," "Flame of Love" and "Sayonara Hitori" and helped choreograph Taemin and her performance on the competition program Hit the Stage -- "Devil" performance, etc., and she was one of 3 or 4 choreographers who helped choreograph Taemin's "Criminal." Taemin and Sugawara are really good friends. She was also the choreographer for SHINee's song "Good Evening," among others. She loves working with Taemin because they are a lot alike, and that is one of the reasons why she has been featured in several of Taemin's projects. Plus, Taemin and all the members of SHINee, are also one of the most famous artists in Japan and they all speak fluent Japanese, so they have no problem communicating through dance or language. :D
You should now check out a live performance, as well as his dance practice video, so you can really see why this song is so iconic and discover how it literally changed the Kpop industry.
Taemin's choreography is very much influenced by him. Although he has input in almost everything he does, he has choreographers that come up with the choreography for most of his dances and he then infuses it with his own ideas and style and makes it uniquely his. The way Taemin dances is just the way he moves. His movements are effortless. If you watch Taemin dance a lot, you will see that no matter who choreographs the dance, it will always be very Taemin-like. Many choreographers who have worked with him over the years have said that, with Taemin you can't help but allow him to move in whatever way his body takes him. Taemin is art in every sense of the word. :D
Taemin's style of dance can't be defined. As he has said, he has worked his entire career to create a style of dance that is unlike anything in the Kpop industry. And I would argue that that now extends to the entire industry of dance. Taemin started out as a self-taught popper and locker without any dance training, and, even then, as a trainee it was clear his skills as a dancer went far beyond the average dancer. Over the years he has infused those popping and locking skills into his now more contemporary style of dance. But, when it comes to dancing, he can do it all and there is no one better at it than him.
Taemin has had a solo career for almost 10 years and he has been a member of SHINee for more than 16 years. He has at least 12 solo albums and SHINee currently has 14 full length albums, plus dozens of mini albums, singles, repackaged albums, etc. And he is also a member of SuperM, which debuted in 2019. So, you won't run out of Taemin content to watch for a very long time. ;p Taemin has even held several solo concerts, as well as more than 100 concerts as a member of SHINee and a world tour as a member of SuperM.
Taemin, my love! I adore that he is creatively involved in every piece of his work, his mind is incredible!!
there is no one like taemin
Great reaction! I get you, 100%. The shock and awe of experiencing Taemin for the first time is very real and powerful. All of his fans have experienced it, and honestly there is no way out.
Literally everything changed for me musically when I first stumbled across Taemin's Criminal mv in 2020. He hit me like a sledgehammer in my heart, mind, soul and--yes, not gonna lie--all my girlie parts! His depth as an artist is incredible, and he is not afraid to take risks, even if it means his art is not mainstream. And, as someone already commented, younger kpop fans have a tendency to overlook him because his band SHINee is 2nd generation and considered old (even though they are very much active today), not realizing that because Taemin was so young when he debuted, he is the same age or even younger than some 3rd generation artists. Ultimately, it doesn't matter. No, his music and artistry is not mainstream, but I and his fans all over the world would not have it any other way. He is Art personified.
He did worry terribly about the time he had to be away for his mandatory enlistment. Incredible as it may seem from his outward artistry and seeming confidence, Taemin is extremely sensitive and did/does suffer from self-doubt and low self-esteem issues. He communicated his worries in a heartrending live message to fans as his time to enlist drew nearer. His time in the military was very difficult as he suffered terribly from depression, anxiety, loss of privacy, and nightmares. Despite him trying to tough it out, it got so bad he had to be relocated to public service to finish out the rest of his enlistment due to very real concerns about his mental and physical health. The entirety of SHINee World were on high alert and trying to hold panic at bay during those days until his bandmate Minho kindly sent out a message that they were together. We could finally breathe in relief that he was being taken care of. He is extremely loved by all his Shinee brothers, as well as his fans. Thankfully he seems to be in a much healthier place now that it is behind him.
Guilty was the first release post military. It is a masterpiece. One of the many reasons the Guilty mv was so emotionally impactful for me is that it spoke to the anxiety and fears I had for him during that time to life on my screen. There are so many layers and interpretations to that song and mv. If you are interested, the trailer for the mv has some very interesting visuals and storylines that add another layer to possible interpretations. Here is the link: ruclips.net/video/CdYpEjawK38/видео.htmlsi=rOu5GMDaJiUh9AME
Please continue to explore Taemin and try out his group SHINee. Each of the SHINee members are accomplished soloists as well!
loved your reaction! taemin is a true artist and really one of a kind. can’t wait to see more of your reactions to him especially his live performances!
I really enjoyed watching your journey into the taeminism cult haha
Welcome and thank you for the reaction! There is no exit now!🔥
What’s that taem-in taem-out quote again? 🤣🤣🤣
I loved your reaction, you’ve seen him for the first time but you’ve already pointed out so many amazing things. You instantly felt what I felt, when I first came across Taemin almost 7 years ago - that he’s absolutely iconic!
I’m really happy you found a new obsession with Taemin, cause frankly there’s no better, more incredible artist to obsess about.
I could write a whole essay about Guilty or Criminal or Advice, but the thing you need to know about Taemin’s lyrics is that they’re always multilayered and sometimes the most obvious interpretation is not really the one he’s trying to convey. It may seem like he’s talking about toxic relationships, but most of the time he’s really talking about his inner struggles, the conflict between his public, famous persona and his real, private self.
Please check out more of his songs - his older MVs like Thirsty, Danger or Press Your Number are also great. There’s also this amazing performance video - Me And You and ton of other b-sides with performances like Black Rose or Heaven. I’m really looking forward to your Taemin exploration!
Thank you so much for your kind words! I can feel your passion for Taemin, and it’s inspiring! I’ll definitely dive deeper into his music, Your insights on his lyrics add a whole new layer of appreciation for me. Excited to explore more. ❤
TAEMIN is a great dancer. His vocals are awesome.
The dance practices for these are insane and highly recommended, I love being able to see the entire choreo.
im so excited for taemin's comeback under his new company, the name "eternal" sounds already so cool
Welcome to the rabbit hole of mr Lee Taemin, the ACE and idols idol. It is a fact that he cant be put in a box, and he doesnt want that either. I do hope you would check out his most adorable MV "Think of you", and also his edgy next level hip hop track and MV The Rizzness ( a silly word untill Taemin said it, and yes he can rap like he has done nothing else)- but more so, PLS check out his ballads!! Is vocals are EVERYTHING!!!! And THEN, even just on your own time, you can find his older solo concert on YT (from Japan tour and Korean tour), and believe me, you dont want to miss it!!!! He is simply breathtaking from beginning to the end! His artistry is to be recond with, because if there is a label to put on Taemin, then it is him being true to himself, and he has been hard working giving 100 % since his trainee days 12 years old, debuting just 14 years old, and being on the top even today (then agian, he grew up with the best members any idol could hope for, all taking so good care of him). THAT is to be recon dwith. Even the popular dictionary has a term after him: "To pull a taemin"- meaning to give in your work, believe in yourself, and dont give up". His genre is Tpop (Taemin-pop ;).
Thanks for the warm welcome to the Taemin rabbit hole! I’ll definitely check out 'Think of You' and 'The Rizzness,' and dive into his ballads too. His artistry is truly something special. I can’t wait to explore more of his work. The concert recommendation sounds amazing-I'll make sure not to miss it! 💕💕💕
Subbed, liked and hit that bell for the GOD of kpop taemin. Sexuality live is one of my favorites the other is taemins live performance of the rizzness. Thank you for such a great reaction. More taemin please!!!!!
Thank you so much for the support! I’m glad you enjoyed the reaction, and I’ll definitely be bringing more Taemin content. ❤❤❤
Too many favorite Taemin songs to list, but his mini album Guilty is one of my favs. His new album is coming out in a few weeks with a new MV for us all to freak out over!
Every Taemin song release is a cultural reset istg
Haha sure buddy
I love your reaction to taemin.. its like im watching myself 😂. I started like that then his music became my obsession ❤❤
Taemin's new mini album "Eternal" will be coming out on 19/8, hope you enjoy!!!
I see "Advice" as a continuation of the themes within Taemin's previous Never Gonna Dance Again album trilogy -- "2 Kids," "Criminal" and "Idea." With "Criminal" and "Idea," Taemin talks about being involved in a toxic relationship -- not necessarily a romantic relationship, but a metaphor for his relationship with fame -- in which he agrees to be manipulated almost to the point of being destroyed in order to become the artist we see today. But, in the end of "Idea," we see him become free from the box everyone wants to put him in and he comes to terms with his role as an idol. He has now formed his own "Idea" about himself and what it means to be an idol, etc.
As Taemin explained during his VLive event for "Advice" -- which came out in 2021 -- "Advice" is like the end to the first chapter in his life, and it marks the beginning of the second chapter. The song seems to be his way of saying I am done caring to everyone who judged him and all those haters who spread rumors and misinformation about him. "Advice" is showing that he is now free and confident to be himself, breaking stereotypes and now only listening to himself.
Taemin is just one of those performers that leaves you speechless every time he steps on stage. He was born to be a performer and that is one of the reasons why he has become known as the Korean Michael Jackson. That is also why, as one of the top two performers in the industry, he was made a member of SuperM. Taemin is an Idol of Idols and a legend of legends. (He is considered the blueprint for what it means to be a successful as a male solo artist. He was one of the first male idols from an active group to go solo, and he did it at such a young age, starting in 2014 at 21 years old. He has been a solo artist for more than half his career.)
In "Advice" he's basically saying, "Stop trying to put me in a box, in which I'll never fit in." He is also speaking to everyone that says he's getting old, that he's just a Michael Jackson wannabe that doesn't sell a lot of albums because he tries too hard to be edgy, etc. He's rebelling against all those people who are constantly advising him to make more mainstream music, or to follow the traditional Kpop idol style, in order to boost his sales and his popularity. However, as Taemin is making clear in "Advice," that is not who he is and he will never be "normal" or "mainstream" and he is OK with that.
In the scenes where you see him covered in ink, I think that is supposed to be him showing everyone how he is no longer the "unstained," cute maknae everyone wants to think of him as. The diamond you see painted on his hand when he is playing the piano, and you see drawn on his bicep, etc. is SHINee's symbol and all the pearl aqua blue/green colors you see in the MV is SHINee's official color. (The large tattoo of a Peony flower you can see on his hip is real. Hence why in the lyrics he says, "I destroy the torso that you were chasing after." In other words, he's saying he's tired of people thinking they even have a say in what he does with his body.)
This song was specifically designed to not be like anything he has ever done before. He plays the piano, he raps, he shows off his falsetto notes, etc., which is different than what we often hear and see from him. He intentionally used this song to prove that he isn't one type of singer. People often think of Taemin as a sultry vocalist that sings in a breathy comfortable, less dynamic style. So, with this song he wants to prove to everyone that he can be unpredictable and try new things. Yet again, you can't put him in a box or tell him who to be. Everything you see in this MV is 100% Taemin, including the piano playing.
Everything that Taemin's haters like to point out about him and say are reasons why he shouldn't be held to such high esteem, I find completely ridiculous. I don't think that anyone who actually knows him would ever say he has played it safe at any time in his career. If you think he is only one dimensional, and that he is trying to be anything other than himself, then you really don't know Taemin. Everything he does is different, out there and definitely not safe. It's always uniquely Taemin, and he couldn't do it any other way.
Also, because Taemin is a member of SHINee, none of his songs are ever like anything you have ever heard or seen before from him. It will always have a new beat, style and sound. As SM Entertainment's experimental boy group, SHINee is meant to be the first and they are expected to set the trend, and that includes the members' solo work. With every new song Taemin produces it's expected to be different than the last, so you will never hear the same style or sound from him in any of his songs, even on the same album, and yet, it still will be uniquely Taemin-like. Which is another example of how you can never put him in a box or expect anything from him. :D
Another theme in "Advice" is about how Taemin is embracing his androgynous side -- but on his own terms -- which I think is a continuation of the message in his "Move" MV. Early in his career when Taemin was growing up in SHINee -- he debuted in 2008 at 14 years old -- he was known for his delicate feminine features. It took him a long time to accept that he was recognized for his looks and to come to terms with the fact that everyone thought of him as a "pretty boy," etc. So, at this point in his career -- he is now 27 years old in this MV -- he is making a statement about how he has decided to be himself and no longer care what people think. Music is art and art has no gender. So, that is why in "Advice" you see him wearing hair extensions, fishnets and women's Supreme sportswear, etc. But if you notice, his choreography is very fast paced and sharp, which is hyper masculine -- a complete contrast to the "feminine" image people want to give him. You also see him wearing makeup, but it's smeared on his face, as if to say, "people may think of me as a 'Pretty Boy,' but I don't care about looking pretty."
In the lyrics he is saying, "It's creepy how people are always looking to cause drama, so stop trying to create scandals in my life that don't really exist. It's all just stories you make up." He's tired of all those people who seem to look for reasons to cause drama, where none really exists.
Where he says "floppy" in the lyrics, I think he's talking about knowing about or hearing firsthand the things people are saying about him, but he is choosing not to pay attention to them because what they're saying is flopping or doesn't hold any weight or have any substance, etc. "Advice" just proves that every time people try to put Taemin in a box, he destroys it and keeps coming back with something more unique and never seen before.
Hence, why in the choreography he puts his hands in front of his face and creates a movement that looks like an animated mouth talking. It represents how everyone keeps talking about him and what they are saying is nonsense, which makes them look and sound ridiculous, etc. Which is why in the lyrics he says, "You will never get the keys to my lock" because he doesn't ever plan to give people what they want and allow them access to his secrets and personal life, etc. (Those people who like to gossip about him will never truly know the real him.)
I interpret the "One (piece of) Advice" he is talking about in the lyrics as a reference to the advice he keeps being given about being more mainstream, but he's saying, "stop trying to make me conform to the image you have in your head of who I should be and what I should do." In other words, take all that time and effort you have been using to come up with ways to talk about how he doesn't fit in, etc. and put it to better use. "Follow my own advice" and do something original for once.
And the crucifixion pose at the end of "Advice" is sort of a signature pose for him. I interpret it to be like he is saying, "And that is the end, this is my final word, take it or leave it, but don't doubt me. I have given it my all and laid everything I had out there for you," etc.
You should really see his "Advice" dance practice as well. It's a good way to see the full choreography without any cuts, edits or ackward camera angles.
It's funny how such a simple move (the hand coming out from under his shirt) can speak so much and have such an impact!!! Every "simple" move Taemin does is iconic, and I think it's definitely the way that he performs these moves
If you check his bsides and preformance make sure to check out sexuality, guess who, heaven and door for full taemin on stage experience
You have to watch those dance practice video!!!!
Taemin has been in the industry for more than 16 years as part of the legendary 5-member Kpop group SHINee and he has been a solo artist since 2014. "Guilty" is his title track on his 4th mini Korean solo album.
I think "Guilty" is a continuation of the themes surrounding Taemin's previous releases. Particularly connected to his Never Gonna Dance Again trilogy of albums -- "2 Kids", "Criminal" and "Idea" -- and Advice album themes.
As Taemin has explained, "Guilty" is about a lover who DOESN'T feel guilty about all the bad things they have done in the relationship and they feel no shame or remorse for the pain and suffering they may have caused the other person. Which, if you connect it to the messages from his previous MVs, this easily could be interpreted as a metaphor for everything Taemin has gone through in his career and life. As an idol, he has been manipulated and controlled his whole life. Debuting at 14 years old, Taemin has lived his entire life in the public eye under a microscope, he is expected to be flawless and perfect, and people are constantly telling him what to do and how he should act, etc. However, now that he has turned 30, I think he is embracing a new chapter in his life where he is saying he is no longer going to allow people to manipulate him and he is officially taking back control. In other words, he's not going to feel guilty any more for being himself and doing what makes him happy.
The story in the MV also makes more sense if you pair it with the 2 teaser videos that were released a few days before the MV dropped. In the teasers you will see Taemin being manipulated even more by outside forces and people who literally at one point hand him a gun and force him to shoot something or someone, which is all part of the metaphor that has to do with taking control of his life, etc.
If you delve in deep you will see that "Guilty" could be interpreted as his relationship with fame and the different sides of who he is as a person and artist. Everything you see and hear can be thought of as a metaphor for life told using biblical references as an underlying theme showcasing Taemin's Catholic faith.The majority of Taemin's songs and MVs touch on concepts, stories and themes from the Bible, as a metaphor to explain what he has gone through growing up as an idol and the journey he has taken in order to find confidence in and acceptance with who he is as a person and an artist.
With Taemin -- and all the members of SHINee -- you will never get the same thing twice. Everything he releases will be a new style and sound and, yet, it will still be very "Taemin". As SM Entertainment's experimental boy group, SHINee are meant to be the first to do almost everything, and they are expected to come up with something new that no one has ever seen or heard before with every release of theirs. As Kpop's trendsetters, the members of SHINee reinvent the industry with every comeback.
Taemin is the main dancer and a main vocalist of SHINee. However, because he is a member of SHINee, this means he can do it all. SHINee are known for the fact that there are no longer any fixed roles in their group, the main vocalists can rap and the rappers can fill in as main vocalists at any moment. However, what they are really recognized for is the fact that they are one of the best vocal groups to ever exist. All of the SHINee members are top tier singers and dancers.
You may find this hard to believe, but when Taemin debuted as a member of SHINee way back in 2008, he didn't have a whole lot of lines in their songs. People even used to make fun of Taemin's singing and they would say that he was tone deaf and couldn't sing. However, it's sort of a misconception that Taemin "couldn't sing." it wasn't that he couldn't sing, it was just that he debuted when he was so young -- he was only 14 years old -- that his voice hadn't really developed yet and he didn't really have a good grasp of how to use his voice and produce the sounds he wanted with it. So, in the beginning, when he sang, he was often flat or his voice cracked or he was off key or out of tune, etc.
And because he was being compared to the other members of SHINee who are all 2 to 4 years older than him, and the other members had such phenomenal voices to start out with, it really made Taemin sound like he was lacking. (SHINee are considered THE premier vocal group that everyone dreams of being as good as.) That's why in SHINee's first few songs Taemin only has a few lines, and most of the time he was just given big solo dance breaks to fill the stage at his parts in the song.
However, if he was really tone deaf, he never would have become an SM Idol trainee -- SM would have put him on the dance track and probably steered him toward becoming a backup dancer -- and he definitely would have never become the amazing singer that he is today. As you probably know, someone who is truly tone deaf is physically unable to hear the difference in the notes and is unable to carry a tune.
Taemin is considered one of the greatest dancers of all time. He has literally been voted one of the top two BEST dancers in all of Kpop by his peers and industry experts. Literally everyone in the Kpop industry looks up to Taemin and idolizes him.
But Taemin really wanted to prove to everyone that he wasn't just a dancer, so he spent a lot of extra time concentrating on vocal lessons and the other SHINee members -- especially Onew and Jonghyun (two of the best vocalists in the industry) -- spent some serious time coaching and mentoring him until he learned what it took to match their vocal range and to use his voice. (For the first year or more after SHINee's debut Taemin spent hours in vocal lessons and he would push himself every day until his nose would bleed because he was so tired and worn out, etc. He practically lived in the training rooms at SM.)
The ONLY thing the members of SHINee are not good at is lip syncing, so Taemin, and all the members of SHINee, have specifically trained since their debut, to build stamina and endurance, in order to be able to sing live for 3+ hours straight in concert, all while performing these intense choreographies and still sound flawless. When you watch a live performance, you may be shocked because Taemin and SHINee sound so perfect live even though they are dancing so intensely, but that is why they are so highly respected by everyone. Therefore, when you hear SHINee sing, 95% of the time it will be live.
Other Idols and audio sound technicians, etc. who have witnessed the SHINee members performing live are always blown away, because in the parts of the song where most singers would take a break and rely on the backing track vocals to cover their voices so they can catch their breath and recover, this is where the SHINee members actually ramp it up and become their most powerful.
In Taemin's live performance you will discover that he sounds even better than in the recorded version, all while dancing full out. What makes SHINee so great is that even if they are singing acapella while performing this high energy choreography, they sound just as amazing. That's why, even as rookies, senior artists would stop what they were doing to watch SHINee's rehearsals on music programs because SHINee's vocal talent is that impressive.
When SHINee debuted, they were the first group to demonstrate how it was possible to sing live while performing complex choreography and still maintain stable vocals. Before SHINee, the thought within the industry was that it wasn't possible to sing live and also perform high intensity choreography at the same time. At that time, most groups would either sing live and have simple choreography, or they would have crazy cool choreography, but lip sync to their recorded vocals. SHINee completely changed the Kpop industry and upped the standard of what it meant to be an idol singer.
Taemin -- and SHINee -- live is unmatched. It's literally referred to as the SHINee standard. It's the standard that all other groups strive to reach, and SHINee are the vocalists that all other artists try to emulate.
Now, if you haven't already, you need to check out Taemin's Killing Voice performance. I have a feeling when you watch his Killing Voice you will find that hearing him sing "Guilty," as well as his other songs, live that you will be even more impressed. There is a reason why Taemin is like none other.
"Criminal" and "Idea" are part of Taemin's 3rd Korean solo album called Never Gonna Dance Again, which was released in 2020. It is part of a trilogy, which started with his prologue "2 Kids," and continued with "Criminal," which is part of Act 1 of the album. "Idea" is part of Act 2 of the album and it brings the whole concept full circle. And now his follow up release "Advice" has become the epilogue to the story.
As Taemin said in an interview: "The two acts put together tell a story. '2 Kids’ is about growing pains and depicts the story prior to the story in the album. You can think of '2 Kids' as a teaser before the movie called 'Never Gonna Dance Again.' Act 1 shows a new side of me. I think it’ll be something you’ve never seen in K-pop before. And Act 2 is the end-all-be-all. It’s the ultimate level of intensity. Never Gonna Dance Again’ was originally the name of the concept. Because it doesn’t make sense for me to stop dancing. But I wanted to give a sense of rebellion with the irony of the title.”
Just so you know, the Taemin you see is not necessarily the criminal in his "Criminal" MV. I see him as the victim who is being held captive by the criminal. The criminal is his lover (i.e. the other side of his personality) that he is singing about, which is a metaphor for the pressure he feels under as a Kpop idol. The song is about living in a toxic relationship and being brainwashed by a lover. He has now fallen in love with the person (or thing -- i.e. his career) who is inflicting all the pain and suffering on him, so now he accepts the abuse as a normal part of the relationship. Even though he is being abused by that person -- possibly a metaphor for the pressure he is creating for himself with the need to always be the best in everything he does -- he can't help but love them and allow them to continue to hurt him, etc.
All the abuse is happening to him, he is not hurting anyone else or doing anything criminal himself. Therefore, the story isn't about Taemin being a criminal. Notice, the S.W.A.T. team isn't arresting him. They pretty much walk right past Taemin and ignore him as they search for the criminal.
The "boss" vibe is a facade he puts on to make people believe he is in control, but as we see in the choreography, he is being manipulated by all the outside forces around him. For example, we see him lying across the backup dancers backs and they pick him up and manipulate him to do what they want him to do at that moment. A lot of his dance moves are designed to make him look like a marionette puppet that is being pulled around by strings and being told what to do. Which is what we see when he is crouched down and he creates that wiggly, wave movement in the dance, etc.
As part of the story, he has been held captive for so long that, as it says in the lyrics of "Criminal", he is now suffering from Stockholm syndrome, so he is no longer fighting the abuse and that is why you see him throw his bindings away. The criminal -- which is a metaphor for the pressure he has felt in his career -- no longer has to tie him up to keep him there. (Because he has fallen in love with the pain and suffering he inflicts on himself as an artist, etc.) The backup dancers represent the forces he is struggling against as he fights with his mind over whether to stay or go, etc.
Also, pirates didn't just wear eye patches because they injured one of their eyes. Eye patches were more often worn by thieves who had perfect eyesight. An eye patch helps you to see better in the dark or in low light. If you shield your eyes from bright light, when you enter a dark room and remove the eye patch, your eyes adjust more quickly to the dark. This allowed pirates and thieves to be able to see better and be able to get in and get out more quickly as they go from bright daylight to darkness of a low lit room or hull of a ship, etc. Therefore, I think the eye patch that Taemin wears in "Criminal" and the masks covering one eye of the backup dancers is a metaphor for being able to see in the dark and how Taemin is saying he has now been in the industry long enough to understand what the "criminal" is doing to him -- i.e. he knows he needs to shield himself from the bright lights of fame in order to see what is happening in the dark -- and he is fully aware of what he is sacrificing, but he loves what he does too much to leave, etc.
Fun fact: It was Taemin's idea to include the police blotter/news clips in that part of the "Criminal." If you notice, the sound bites are from all over the world and they are speaking multiple languages.
All of Taemin's dances tell a story. As he has said, he specifically designs his choreography to be a part of the story within the song and MV. So, "Criminal" is supposed to be slightly creepy, as well as sexy. He is literally being abused and asking you to please "destroy me more."
Taemin pronounces Idea the way you hear him saying it in "Idea" because he is pronouncing it like the Greek word idéa, and not like the English pronunciation. The song is based on the Greek philosopher Plato’s theory of Ideas. Plato believed that an "Idea" is an ultimate reality. Every form has an idea, an image, or standard set for it and Plato believed that these ideas were eternal. For example, when talking about a human, everyone has an image, an ideal type of human according to Plato and once defined that description or thought is constant and never changing.
In "Idea" Taemin is disagreeing with Plato's theory and he is saying that the world is not ruled by one ultimate definition of something or that there isn't only one voice. Taemin is saying he has many voices and thoughts influencing him. If he were to conform to only one way of doing something -- i.e., if he listened to everyone who told him there was only one way to be a Kpop Idol and he needed to do everything the traditional cookie cutter way -- then that would be like killing his spirit and everything that makes him who he is. Hence the lines in the song that say, "Killing me softly."
Fun fact No. 2: In "Idea" the female voice you hear saying "Killing me softly" is BoA. She is a solo artist also under SM, and she is Taemin's highly respected senior, who debuted with SM in 2000 at the age of 13 and, now after more than 24 years, she is known as one of the senior-most members of the industry. BoA is legend.
Some have said, and I have to agree, that "Idea" is a metaphor for the way Taemin sees his career. He loves what he does, almost to the point of obsession -- like "my messiah" he is drawn to it and can't help worship it -- he practically needs to dance and perform to survive. But, at the same time, it pretty much controls his life. Living as an Idol means everything he does is done in the public eye, and he will never be able to live a normal life -- his "dangerous dream" that is engulfing him and "swallowing him" up. The stress and constant demand for perfection he feels may be slowly "Killing me softly," etc.
I particularly like the verse in "Idea" that says: "The blue light, When you and I face each other, Stained in it, All one's feelings, It's an infinite range, In my world, Most dazzling, The absolute value of you, My my IDEA." These lines seem to be talking about Taemin's fans. SHINee's fan color is pearl aqua blue, so the blue light you see in the MV and the blue light he talks about in the lyrics of "Idea," makes me think he is referring to the impact and influence the fans have had on everything he has done in his career. And although he loves and appreciates us, it has not come without a few sacrifices and negative aspects as well. The mutual love and respect between Taemin and the fans also have added a lot of extra pressure on him because he always wants to give people his absolute best and he is constantly trying to live up to an impossible standard of self-imposed flawlessness.
This album's whole concept is a metaphor for his life and career. With every release from this album, the concept was designed to be darker than the last. In "2 Kids" he was emotionally and physically beating himself up with regrets. In "Criminal" he was living in a toxic relationship. In "Idea" he takes the theme one step further, and says that even though it was my idea and my plan to live this life, nothing comes without a price, and because of that need for perfection, any chance of being average or living a regular life is pretty much dead. Taemin has sacrificed everything to become the magnificent and unique performer and person that we know him as today.
If you are impressed with Taemin's dancing in these MVs, yet again, just wait until you see his dance practice videos, as well as a live performance. You will be even more blown away. And if you want to see Taemin explain how to do the choreography for these dances, check out his "Criminal" tutorial video with Jeno and Mark from NCT and his "Idea" tutorial video with Haechan and Ten from NCT.
Guilty is a really honest and haunting song. He is talking basically about how he corrupted himself and how the industry changed him, he becans a trainee at 14 and i think he feels guilty for what he did to himself and how he lost his innocence.
Its kind of why all the extras look similar to him, and how he gets controlled and worshipped. Its all about him and whats been done to him and by him.
Taemin is probably the most objectified male idol ever. From since he was a kid he got a lot of creepy attention because he was so pretty, and that combined with his being the most influential idol for newer idols, its so much pressure.
Who if non other than Bada Lee could have made that masterpiece of a choero that is "Guilty", I love that song and choreo soooo much!
@@Marcondirondirondello who is bada lee?! This is the second time I’ve heard that name
@@Nicoleboojie She is a really famous choreographer, she made choreos like "Next Level" by aespa, "Rover" by Kai, and many others, she also was in "Street Woman Fighter" season 2 with her team called "BEBE"! You should definetly watch it! 🔥
So happy to see more people getting into Taemin! Michael Jackson is one of Taemin's biggest inspirations and he's known as the "Michael Jackson of Kpop." When Taemin debuted with his group SHINee (pronounced like "shiny") at the age of 14 in 2008, he barely got lines because he was told he couldn't sing. However, with the help of his brothers (his other SHINee members) he was able to develop his voice into what it is today to the point that despite being the YOUNGEST of the group, Taemin was actually the first one to debut as a soloist in 2014. Shawols (SHINee fandom name) are endlessly proud of him and the path he's carved for himself as a global artist.
14?!?! How old are the other members?!?
@@Nicoleboojietaemin was the youngest, key and minho were 16 and jonghyun and onew were 18
Taemin is a PERFORMER and it’s so satisfying to see as an ex dancer. He’s not afraid to do ‘ugly’ and unflattering moves, which sounds rude but it’s genuinely the highest compliment!! He knows he can pull them off with his attitude +dancers and it overall just enhances the entire performance, which is a huge example of the difference between Dancers who become idols and Idols who learn to dance
Taemin is on a level of his own! Him and his group he's in (SHINee) are legends in Kpop.
I hope you'll check out NCT soon! They're from the same company as Taemin and Aespa. There's multiple units with that group so I would start with NCT 127 as they're the main unit, they have an RnB/Hip Hop sound.
Taemin has sooo many amazing different b-sides too
he can sing, he can dance, the visuals, the art. everything
TAEMIN IS THE KING OF KPOP, THE IDOLS'S IDOL, THE MJ OF KPOP, THE ACE OF ACES
first of, you are so gorgeous as hell!! the makeup, the hair and fit are so chef's kiss! also i agree on your commentary, so on point. lastly, welcome to the taemates family!!
They call him the Korean MJ/ The King of Kpop because he’s an icon in the industry and he’s known for his dancing
Taemin's walk is iconic by itself 🙌
You are the best person who reacted to the song Guilty. I loved you very much. You are beloved. Keep it up
Thank you so much for your deep reaction❤❤❤
Phenomenal artist, TAEMIN!
Taemin is the idol of idols.
❤❤❤❤❤❤
Taemin is having his comeback very soon. It is bound to be iconic, like always! Taemin is a very artistic and intensive performer, but off stage he is the swetest, kindest person ever, even though he can get a bit mischievous when he is with the other SHINee members ;)
Really!? Do you know the date!? I have to prepare myself 😅
@@Nicoleboojie August 19th, so next Monday. There are videos teasing his concept and songs on the BPM Entertainment channel.
I am a huge Taemin fan, your reaction resonate with me 😊, please react to more Taemin❤
Praise to both Taemin and SM 🤌🏻
Go watch Taemin in the groups he's in!! He's a part of SuperM and SHINee!
The king of K-pop 👑👑👑
PLEASE NOTE!!:
if you are wanting to check out more of (G)-IDLE's content, please take note of the following:
MEMBERS(oldest to youngest.):
MIYEON
MINNIE
SOYEON
YUQI
SHUHUA
EX MEMBER: SOOJIN.
(she was kicked out of the group due to bullying rumors that were later found false. she is now a soloist, and debuted with AGASSY.)
ABOUT THEIR CONCEPT:
(G)-IDLE is known for their more mature concept, but when member SOOJIN departed from the group, they slipped out of that more 'mature' concept, but even after SOOJIN's departure from the group, they have still been able to produce songs for an ''older'' audience. If you are looking for a more mature side of (G)-IDLE, listen to songs like:
LION
OH MY GOD
SUPER LADY
NXDE
if looking for a more ''childish'' and fun side of them, check out:
DUMDi DUMDi
QUEENCARD
KLAXON
ALLERGY
hope this helps!!
You should check out his preformence of his song sexuality!!
He gives me Micheal Jackson vibes with how they dance
YES!!!!
No lie he can dance omg! Him and usher could have a dance off
The art is Taemin ❤️💎👑
In "Want" Taemin is supposed to be portraying Lucifer. That's why he seems to have a love affair with those snakes. (The ones he is holding are real snakes.) And, like Lucifer, he is supposed to be seducing the audience and the girl using his devilish powers, which is why the choreography looks like he is slithering like a snake. The gate you see him standing in front of is supposed to be a representation of "The Gates of Hell" from French artist Auguste Rodin. Taemin is Catholic, and most of his MVs showcase his faith as it tells the story using numerous Biblical references.
Fun fact: That's not just any female dancer in Taemin's "Want" MV. The girl you see highlighted in the shadows is Yoo JiMin (Karina) who is the leader and main dancer of aespa, which is also an SM Entertainment group. She participated in this song as a rookie trainee even before aespa's debut. ("Want" was released in February 2019 and aespa didn't debut until November 2020.) She also participated in some of his live comeback stage performances and she was in his "Want" dance practice video.
"Want" is one of those songs that the lyrics take the song and performance up to the next level. :D The lyrics give everything a whole other feel and it helps to explain the images and story you see being told in the MV.
Many people think that "Want" has a vampire vibe, and I can see where some might get the vampire feel from this MV. After all, one of Taemin's nicknames is SHINee's eternal vampire because in some performances and MVs, the way he looks and the aesthetic of the performance gives him a vampire image. But if you understand the story he is trying to tell within the MV, it's much deeper than that.
The style and aesthetic in "Want" is just the kind of vibe we have all come to expect from Taemin. He has a very sensual/sexy way of moving and, as a soloist, it's kind of his signature thing.That is why all his songs are titles such as "Danger," "Soldier" "Sexuality," "Tiger," "Press Your Number," "Guess Who," "Mystery Lover," "Hypnosis," "Crazy 4 U," "Flame of Love," " Under My Skin," "Thirsty," "Want," "Criminal," etc. or "Ace," "Already", "Door, "Pretty Boy," "Move" "Artistic Groove," "Famous," "Idea," etc. Each song is meant to show you exactly why he is one of the best in the industry even just by their titles. I find it interesting that all of his songs, with the titles alone, tell you exactly what Taemin is all about. If you look at all the titles of his songs, you will see that the titles convey one of two things about him, either painting a picture of his sexy and sensual onstage personality, or they explain his dedication and passion as an artist.
Taemin is very unique and never does the same thing twice, he is constantly switching up his sound and dance style. However, you will see that it will always be very Taemin-like. Many choreographers who have worked with him over the years have said that, with Taemin you can't help but allow him to move in whatever way his body takes him. Taemin is art in every sense of the word. :D
Taemin started when he was a child by copying dancers that he saw on TV such as Michael Jackson and Kpop star Bi Rain. And he didn't have any formal training until he joined SM. As trainees, SM originally planned to make SHINee a hip-hop group, so Taemin's dance training started out focusing on hip-hop dance styles like popping and locking. However, over the years, he has devoted himself to learning every style of dance. Now he is considered one of the top two best dancers. Taemin is literally the artist that everyone within the Kpop industry looks up to and respects.
There really is no one that pushes him or holds him to a higher standard then himself. Taemin has said that he really has never taken a true vacation since he was a trainee -- he started with SM Entertainment when he was around 11 years old -- and he doesn't know what to do if he isn't constantly working and training. As he has said, there has never been anything that has come easy to him and he has only gotten to where he is today because he has worked hard to accomplish everything. He is constantly pushing himself to become the best of the best in everything he does.
As a member of SHINee, Taemin has trained his entire career to be able to pull off this type of intense and intricate dancing while singing live and always sounding flawless the whole time. (SHINee debuted in 2008 when Taemin was only 14 years old.) That is what SHINee are known for. So not only is Taemin an amazing dancer -- considered one of the top two dancers in all of Kpop (Kai from EXO, who happens to be Taemin's best friend since trainee days, and a fellow member of the Kpop supergroup SuperM) -- but he is also one of the best singers in the industry, and the 5 members of SHINee make up one of the top groups, that everyone looks up to and dreams of even coming close to being as good as.
Taemin has released at least one song or album -- most of the time way more than just one -- as part of SHINee, as a member of a project group, as a solo artist or as a member of SuperM every year since SHINee's debut. (Except for 2022 because he was on hiatus while he carried out his public service duties as part of his military requirements.) He is one of the only idols who has debuted in 3 Kpop generations -- second gen. with SHINee, third gen. as a solo artist and 4th gen. in 2019 as a member of SuperM -- and yet he is the same age or younger than most 3rd and even some 4th gen idols.
subbing for your kpop journey. i hope that you will check out some of his main group, shinee, too. he was only 14 when he debuted with them in 2008 with the song "replay" which is universally agreed to be the best kpop debut ever.
We should support LEE TAEMIN comeback Eternal on 19/ 08/ 2024 under Big Planet Made
Wait to see his japanese work❤
lee taemin IS female gaze. 💌✨
Check the performance of black Rose , thirsty mv
Want was my first Taemin.
You need to see Sayonora Hitori❤
also Famous, Thirsty & The Rizzness
Welcome to taeminism, you will love it ❤️
Welcome to the rabbit hole!!! Once you TaemIN, you can never TaemOUT! 🩵 Next thing you know, you’ll be a TaeMATE and Shawol!!! Subscribing to follow your journey.
he’s the best dancer in kpop !! i would really recommend heckling out the group he’s from, SHINee !! they are one of the most respected groups in kpop and idk what i would do without them 💗 you should react to key’s solo music too it’s soooo good
btww you’re so pretty🥹🫶
I hope you react to Danger by him one day, it was his solo debut and honestly still one of my favs, like a perfect Halloween song 😆 i don't know how to explain it, it also gives me Michael Jackson vibes
Never go with auto generated subtitles
Ahhh! Thanks so much for this! I love SHINee so much - I would looooove if you could check out KEY’s solo stuff! I would recommend: Forever Yours, I Wanna Be, Bad Love, Gasoline, Killer, Good & Great, and you absolutely must check out his all English b-sides- Helium, Imagine, CoolAs, and Another Life. Another Life has a MV! He’s such a superstar.
Thanks again for taemin! Glad you like him!!
criminal & guilty are actually two sides of the same toxic love story! fun fact 😭
6:50 There are three versions of his MOVE MV, this is #1 along with #2 and #3.
I begon to listening Kpop sînce Guilty, it’s perfect. Taemin is Taemin. His voice is so beautiful, his dancing perfect, the best and his is so sexy and hot. His is fire❤️🔥💥I can’t follow any other idol. You have to listening sexy in the air from the new album. Taemin kill me, or destroy me. This is crazy😂❤️🔥❤️🔥💥💯he is a sweet person too, Taemin ❤🖤😊
For me he is Michael Jackson in Kpop industry
I definitely see why!
LMAOOOO mood @ guilty
now that u reacted to Taemin I'm wondering if u are gonna react to soloists soloiss
Watch Danger. 🔥
Welcome to kpop! For future reference when it comes to foreign videos! When you click the CC, if it says "auto-generated English" then it's not real subtitles at all and the computer is guessing based on what it hears (not accurate at all). If it says a language to English like "German --> English" then it's usually not translated right either since it's being translated by a machine. Only if it says "English" the it's accurate and was written by a person. If you see auto-generated captions, just turn it off and search lyrics later because it's really distracting for viewers to see random nonsense lyrics like "pineapple in the downtown alley he is". Not all videos are going to have English subtitles - especially older songs unless the company went back and edited it which is rare. I've been into kpop for 16 years, so grew up with Gen 2 artists who didn't have subtitles.
don't know if anyone has told you but tip for future videos, if it says [auto generated] when turning CC on then they are not 'real' they are translated real time by what I think is google translate lmao and they won't capture everything that is being said.
so unless they straight up say just 'English' they won't be accurate 👍🏼
OOOOO!!! yeah no one has told me that! thank you so much
Taemin💯💥
Idk if you have yet but you should react to 2PM! You would LOVE them!
La nueva empresa de Taemin nunca va a poder hacer una canción y mv tan iconicos y lo demostró con Sexy in the air que no tiene nada especial, me puso triste porque después de una década es la primera vez que algo de Taemin no me gusta, pero igual es el Rey.
watch the mv for sexy in the air🫡
Please react his live performance
Please react to taemin sexy in the air ♥️♥️♥️
Actually they call Taemin MG of kpop 4:28
Please do react to CURIOUS by UNIS, it's their first comeback♥️♥️♥️
Hes so… ughhhhh🤭
more like UGHGDSADTJJFDFYUUGHHHTS
❤️🔥👑🛐
you need to react to enhypen tgere so good songs like given taken, sacrifice, and chaconne
Now you gotta react to his bestie Kai
Is kai in shinee?
@@Nicoleboojie he’s in EXO, I recommend, mhmm, rover and peaches for Kai’s solo songs and if you ever want to do a exo reaction I recommend love shot, tempo, and obsession
react to his stuff trailer album preview and mv teaser of his upcoming album
React to le sserafim's new MV "crazy" plss
@@aizenbanay5076 on it! Editing it now
You should react to Kai from exo too!!
Girly u need to react to JJAM from stray kids
@@Lena_slays-2 got you bby
@@Nicoleboojie thank u girly!
Hope you also react to SB19 from philippines😍
I would like to see more aespa reaction please please please ??????
please react to TXT!!❤❤ one of the members, yeonjun, did a cover performance of taemin's guilty, u could watch that to start simce u know the songggg
I would appreciate it if you could also watch the video about the group SHINee that Taemin belongs to!!