TAEMIN has spent nearly two decades becoming one of K-pop’s most singular performers. Since debuting with SHINee as a teenager, he’s built a career defined by reinvention — not just as an idol, but as a true performance artist. Whether through the theatrical darkness of tracks like ‘Criminal’ and ‘Guilty,’ his fascination with character-driven storytelling, or his relentless push to evolve across languages, markets, and mediums, TAEMIN has always occupied a lane entirely his own.

Today on the couch we discuss his recent Coachella set where he played a ton of new tracks. Plus the masks of celebrity, having a 4D personality, and whether the “real” version of you is something only a select few ever get to see. He opens up about pressure, anxiety, ambition, and why creative stress is something he’s learned to accept as part of the process.

We also go deep into the art itself: his obsession with character-building, the stories behind songs like “Sober,” “1004 (Oct 4),” and English language song “Long Way Home,” and how choreography often starts with instinctive movement before becoming fully formed performance language.

Elsewhere, we touch on SHINee, global ambitions, creating music in English, Korean, and Japanese, the challenge of breaking into new markets, and why he still feels like he’s only getting started. Plus: yes, there’s a new album coming this year.

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30 comments

  2. Not in reference to anything except I'm an extreme nerd, but theres an NPC in World of Warcraft named Taemin. He is part of a quest chain that leades the player to walk across a flower path and greet a spirit horse. I cried when I saw it and wished I still played WoW so I could do Taemin's quest. Iconic.

  6. Mixed language in songs works! Love hearing Korean, sounds beautiful & lyrical to me, perhaps because I speak English!

  8. Thank you so much for having him the opportunity to share his thoughts and philosophy in his music.
    He is genuine, humble, working hard and devoted. ❤Taemmen❤

  9. Telling someone who's sold out the Tokyo Dome so many times on the last 18 years that Coachella is the biggest set of their career is insane.

  12. Aaaah, Taemin, my sweet boy…I'm happy about this interview.
    Like all fans, I can't say I know him personally—after all, it's a parasocial relationship—but listening to some interviews where he talked about when it was right to stop his work, I felt a sense of melancholy. This is not only because hearing the word "end" is sad, but because I sense he doesn't fully realize his own worth.
    I'm happy that Taemin is exploring the market outside of Korea. I understand that in K-pop, youth and aesthetic beauty are highly valued, but even though he's been working for a long time and perhaps is starting to feel old, he needs to understand that:

    1. At 30, he's not old at all.

    2. Even though he's built much of his character around this and we've always liked that, he's much more than just abs and a pretty face.

    He has an artistic appeal that goes beyond that. I'm not sure he's fully grasped it yet, so I hope he'll be even more daring from now on, fearlessly letting it out. And I hope he continues to do this work for as long as he wants to and as long as it gives him satisfaction.

  16. ❤I LOVE Taemin's interviews! They are always so interesting & enjoyable. He is so sincere in his answers & I thoroughly enjoy his thought processes. BRAVO! ❤

  17. Я в таком шоке! Я не католичка, а потому не знала, что Святой Франциск имеет прямое отношение к танцу… Даже имя Тэмина при крещении, оказывается, характеризует его призвание и талант🤩

  18. gosh if i ever learn korean it would be to listen and understand every word that comes out of taemin's mouth. i swear his thought process and how he's expressing himself in such an expansive and mythical way impresses me every single time. if someone has not seen his ETERNAL album listening session bts yet, please do so, his mind is incredible.
    also this interview was especially pleasing, the questions were top notch. thank you so much for having him, and just to add to it, he hates cucumbers because he's an actual cat, they're scared of cucumbers too!! 😂

  23. Thank you so much for having this legend over for an interview. He is one of the most talented and hardworking people I’ve ever seen

  24. Taemin speaks so well, I could listen to him talk all day 6v6 ✨ Everything he says has real thought behind it. I admire Taemin so much! 💖🐣

  25. Great questions about his process and decisions, with follow-up questions in the moment, really. Taemin is incredibly talented and well admired for his successes, so thank you for being chill about language differences instead of trying to make the guest conform. This was an excellent interview!

  27. Я так кайфанула от этого интервью, словами не передать! Столько интересных тем подняли. Спасибо!

  28. thanks for having taemin it’s nice to see an interview for him really delving into the music and his thought process. excited to see where this album will take him

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