![]() ![]() I have a greater capacity to deal with the situations and circumstances around me. ![]() “One thing I discovered about myself recently is that I’m more at ease. “I always imagine, and try to be on the lookout, for new things, for references that can inspire me creatively so I can showcase things that people haven’t done before or that are new,” he says. But although it appears that 2018 was a year of almost relentless work, Taemin points out it was also a period of learning and discovery. “While I was singing,” he begins, “I was imagining looking at myself, sitting in a room alone, from a third person’s perspective.” With such evocative lyrics, is there a line or verse he especially connects with? “It’s hard to pick just one part that particularly stood out to me,” Taemin replies, simply.Įarly in 2018, SHINee made the decision to continue as a four-piece, releasing three EPs in the first half of the year, while Taemin also released a Japanese album, and performed a 32-date tour of Japan, even as he was prepping the ‘Want’ album. Having admitted on Twitter that he’d gone through “trials” in recording ‘Monologue’, there’s the question of what was going through his mind in the studio. Unsurprisingly, fans have questioned if the song is for SHINee’s Kim Jonghyun, who passed away, aged 27, two months after ‘MOVE’ was released. Its lyrics reflect loss, grief and letting go – “ Our last night, the night I lost you / It’s beyond the regretful memories / Rewind the time… I can’t touch you / I’m talking to myself / I want to reach you / Walk with me”. The first song he laid down was the emotional ‘Monologue’, with its beautiful but sparse piano and violin instrumental. Taemin poses for a photo during a showcase for SHINee’s sixth album “The Story of Light” in Seoul on June 11, 2018 I’m pretty meticulous about it, and what I look for is to try and see if I can picture myself singing and performing the song.” “After I choose, I’ll discuss (them) with my team and pick the rest of the songs. “I listen to as many as I can, then pick out my favorites,” Taemin says. The album is quintessentially his sound – pulsing synths and an airy vocal hook on ‘Artistic Groove’, his love of showy strings and grandiose choruses on ‘Shadow’ – and although he doesn’t write the songs, he ties himself to the creative process the minute the demos come into his label. ![]() “I personally like the scenes when I’m dancing solo,” he admits, adding, “those were actually my idea.” They were spontaneous, unplanned during storyboarding and shot off the cuff on the day. ![]() Have him pinpoint a moment he feels is significant, however, and Taemin, often cited as one of K-Pop’s most accomplished dancers, hones in on the performance element. In the single’s video, the symbolism is biblical (real and CGI serpents, a neon cross, Rodin’s giant Gates of Hell), sexual (spiderwebs, wet skin, a red palette underpinning the lighting and styling), but also perhaps personal as magnifying glasses cluster in front of his face to mimic the scrutiny he bears as a performer. His 11 years in the spotlight, ongoing success and enigmatic stage presence are the reasons the latest idol groups – some with members older or the same age as Taemin but with less than half his experience, and even a few who weren’t yet in primary school when he debuted – gaze at him on South Korea’s weekly televised music shows with a mix of respect and starstruck awe. In spite of K-Pop’s ever-quickening revolving door of idols, where you’re only as relevant as your latest chart position and YouTube view count, Taemin has become a stable fixture, unperturbed by the trends that often dictate the sound of the entire K-Pop industry, instead focused on making records that wholly suit his dramatic, and often melancholic, flair. Having begun his idol training aged 12, debuted in 2008 (aged 15) with SHINee, who would become one of K-Pop’s most successful and long-standing idol groups, and developed a critically acclaimed solo career alongside his group activities, 25 year old Taemin is a certified K-pop powerhouse. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |