SHINee’s Taemin is back with a new album and the title track “Criminal“!

On September 7, Taemin held a V LIVE broadcast to talk about making his official return as a solo artist for the first time in a year and seven months.

Taemin started off the broadcast by telling fans that he’s here to keep the promise that he’d greet them through V LIVE, something he had mentioned a month ago when he released his prologue single “2 KIDS.”

Taemin talked about how he’s been promoting with SuperM while also working on his solo comeback. “I’ve been busy doing two things at once,” he said. “Things on my schedule began to overlap because of my wrist injury, but I experienced new things through this album, so I enjoyed it without any regrets.”

Taemin then mentioned a nickname his fans gave him, “Kal-Taemin,” which refers to the Korean slang kaltwegeun, or to leave work right on time. Taemin told the story of how the nickname came to be.

“I was caught leaving the stage at a music show before the show ended, which made the people on the show flustered,” Taemin said. “I shouldn’t have done that.”

He explained, “I tend to be really shy, so I didn’t know what to do when I was with the other artists. I wanted to get down from the stage even more quickly because I was promoting by myself.”

Taemin shared that he usually doesn’t leave work on the dot when he’s recording or practicing. “I stay to talk, and then I leave,” he said. Taemin added with a laugh, “But I tend to leave immediately for broadcasts.”

Taemin also talked about his other nickname, “Yeoksolnam,” which refers to the Korean words meaning “legendary solo male artist.” Taemin commented, “That’s a nickname I really like. I want to create my own color, and the nickname creates a new feeling for me that I haven’t had before.”

When fans asked him about the hardest parts of promoting as a solo artist, Taemin answered, “The communication with the public. I have to be able to make others relate to me, and I also try to do whatever I want to do, so it’s difficult to find that middle ground.”

He continued, “I actually don’t know the solution to that problem. While doing the kind of music I want to do, I work hard to give good energy to people. Rather than have my music, as opposed to myself, be known to people, my goal is to let my music be known through who I am as a person. That’s something I need to figure out in the future.”

Taemin shared his thoughts on the third nickname, “Taem-ddo-role,” which refers to how many junior artists name him as their role model. Taemin said, “Although I’m Taemin and a part of SHINee, who could be considered artists who have achieved a lot, on the other hand, I do feel a big sense of responsibility. I realized I’ve become a big source of strength and pride for people, and I’m very thankful to the junior artists who have motivated me as someone with low self-confidence.”

On the topic of his third full album “Never Gonna Dance Again : Act 1,” Taemin said, “I gave a lot of my opinions on various aspects of the album, including the songs, the visual side, the music video, and more.”

Taemin then spent some time unboxing his new album, and he also thanked his fellow SHINee members for promoting his new music on social media.

Taemin went on to introduce his song “Criminal” and even showed off an acoustic version of his newest title track. Taemin also explained the key parts to the “Criminal” choreography. He said, “In the beginning, when I begin with my hands tied, is how I expressed a ‘criminal.’ I wanted to portray a story really well in the music video, and I wanted to create my own world view.”

He continued to describe the song. “I tried changing up my voice with ad-libs in the last chorus,” Taemin said. “It’s the part that I recorded while thinking a lot about how I could make it sound refreshing.”

Lastly, Taemin described how he’s changed since his debut. “I discovered a more relaxed version of my self,” he said. “Before my debut, I was impatient, but now I have a more understanding side to me, the side where I let myself go and think in a relaxed way. I’ve become someone who can accept myself even if I make a mistake.”

Check out the music video for “Criminal” here!

Source (1)

Recommended Watch: