Seoul, South Korea · k-pop · dance-pop

Taemin

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SHINee's dancer-turned-soloist, and the closest thing K-pop has to a pure movement artist — his solo work is built around the choreography.

Taemin, born Lee Tae-min in Seoul in July 1993, joined SM Entertainment as a trainee before debuting with SHINee in May 2008 at age fourteen, its youngest member. He spent years as the group's most visible dancer before moving into solo work, and has since been described in the media as an inspiration for other idols.

His records lean on electronic and dance-pop production shaped around movement, with the choreography and the arrangement developed together rather than one being fitted to the other.

He debuted solo in 2014 with the EP Ace, which topped South Korea's Gaon Album Chart, and followed it with the album Press It in 2016, also a number one. He debuted in Japan the same year with the EP Sayonara Hitori, then released Flame of Love in 2017.

He has released material in both Korean and Japanese, and the single "Move," from his 2017 album of the same name, became the best-known example of his approach: restrained vocals, an unhurried groove, and a dance style that plays with androgyny and small, precise gestures. His album Never Gonna Dance Again (2020), led by "Criminal" and "Idea," was widely praised on release.

Taemin has also performed as part of the supergroup SuperM since 2019, alongside further solo EPs: Advice (2021), Guilty (2023) and Eternal (2024).

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