This is Biography Lee Tae-min (born 18 July 1993), better known by his mononym as Taemin , is a South Korean singer, actor and dancer.In March 2011, Taemin transferred from Chungdam High School to Hanlim Multi Art School to accommodate his busy schedule during Shinee’s Japanese promotions. He graduated in February 2012, but was unable to attend the ceremony due to band activities. Taemin has been attending Myongji University since 2013, majoring in film and musicals. He identifies himself as a Catholic. On 19 April 2021, during a broadcast on V Live, he announced that he would enrol for compulsory military service on 31 May, serving as a member of the military band.On 14 January 2022, it was announced that Taemin would complete his military service as a public service employee due to worsening symptoms of depression and panic disorder.He was discharged on 4 April 2023. Taemin joined as a member of the boy band Shinee in May 2008 and the supergroup SuperM in 2019, both under SM Entertainment , and was later labelled by the media as ‘Idol’s Idol’ due to the large number of idols citing him as an inspiration. As an actor, Taemin’s first role was as Junsu in the 2009 MBC comedy Tae-Hee, Hye-Kyo, Ji-Hyun .
Taemin debuted as a solo artist in 2014 with the release of his first extended work (EP), Ace . He reached number one on the South Korean Gaon Album Chart and his lead single ‘Danger’ reached number five on the Gaon Digital Chart . His first studio album, Press It (2016), also ranked number one on the Gaon Album Chart. Taemin made his solo debut in Japan in July 2016 with the release of his second EP, Sayonara Hitori .In 2017, Taemin released his second Korean studio album, Move , and the title track drew attention for its distinctive choreography. In 2018, Taemin released his first Japanese studio album, Taemin , and embarked on his first Japanese tour, called Sirius. His third Korean studio album, Never Gonna Dance Again (2020), led by the singles ” Criminal ” and “Idea”, was widely recognised by critics as one of the best K-pop releases of the year.Early in Taemin’s career, he joined SM Entertainment as an apprentice with singing and dancing talent and was chosen to debut as a member of Shinee in 2008 at the age of 14.
The group officially debuted on 25 May 2008, performing in the music programme. Inkigayo on SBS.Taemin made his acting debut the following year in the MBC comedy Tae Hee, Hye Kyo, Ji Hyun as Junsu.InJanuary 2012, he voiced the main character in the Korean version of the animated film Koala Kid . He also joined the singing competition programme Immortal Songs 2 as a contestant. On 19 September 2012, Taemin released his first soundtrack (OST) song, “U”, for the drama To The Beautiful You . October, it was announced that Taemin, along with Eunhyuk from Super Junior and Henry from Super Junior-M , Hyoyeon from Girls’ Generation and Kai and Luhan from Exo would participate in a six-member dance.team for the Veloster theme song ” Maxstep “, the collaboration between SM Entertainment and Hyundai . A teaser video of the song was premiered on the PYL Younique Show on 17 October 2013, SM Entertainment revealed that Taemin would take part in the variety reality show We Got Married with Son Na-eun as his partner, replacing the former couple Kwanghee and Sunhwa.
In the same year, Taemin made a three-episode appearance in the drama Dating Agency: Cyrano as the idol singer Yang Ho-yeol under the stage name Ray.In June, he appeared in Super Junior-M’s Henry’s solo song “Trap” along with Super Junior’s Kyuhyun.In December, Taemin participated in the soundtrack of the series Prime Minister & I , providing vocals for the song “Footsteps”, the first song to premiere in the series, at the end of its third episode. Taemin to solo debut with Ace , Press It and Sayonara Hitori Taemin at the showcase of his first full-length album Press It in May 2016.In May 2014, Taemin appeared in the musical Goong in Giappo.NeI 18 August 2014, Taemin made his solo debut with the release of his first extended work (EP) Ace . The six-song EP reached number one on South Korea’s Gaon Album Chart , while its lead single ‘Danger’ reached number five on the Gaon Digital Chart .
The music video for ‘Danger’ was released on 16 August, choreographed by American choreographer Ian Eastwood and the SM Entertainment BeatBurger filmmaking team. Taemin travelled to Los Angeles to learn the routine. On 3 February 2015, Taemin was confirmed in the cast of the first season of Match Made in Heaven Returns .April, Taemin joined JTBC’s Off to School programme as a cast memberI.On 1 June, he released the song “That Name” in collaboration with bandmate Jonghyun for the soundtrack of KBS2’s Who Are You: School 2015 .
The song debuted at number 36 on the Gaon Digital Chart,Taemin released his first studio album Press It on 23 February 2016. The album contained ten songs, including the lead single ‘Press Your Number’, which was co-produced by Bruno Mars . Taemin told reporters at a media showcase hosted by bandmate Minho at SM Town Coex Artium in Gangnam-gu , Seoul, “After my EP, I performed with Shinee but I also spent a lot of time preparing my next solo album, took a lot of private singing and dance lessons, and reviewed my past songs. I want to say that I have become a stronger artist.
The album debuted at number one on the Gaon Album Chart.In June 2016, Taemin’s Japanese debut was announced with the Sayonara Hitori EP and a show to mark his 23rd birthday. The EP was released on 27 July and included four new songs, as well as the Japanese version of ‘Press Your Number’. Later in June, it was confirmed that Taemin was part of the cast of Mnet’s dance programme Hit the Stage . He collaborated with Koharu Sugawara , who choreographed his Japanese debut song ‘Sayonara Hitori’, and came first in the second episode. In July 2017, Taemin held his first solo concert in Japan at the Nippon Budokan in Tokyo, attracting 28,000 fans. His second Japanese EP, Flame of Love , was released the same month.
Taemin held his first Korean concert, Off-Sick, for three days at the end of August, playing in front of a total of 12,000 people. The Encore Off-Sick concerts were announced on 7 September and took place on 14 and 15 October at the Jamsil Gymnasium, attracting 10,000 fans. More shows in Japan followed later. In August 2017, Taemin’s first Japanese drama, Final Life: Even If You Disappear Tomorrow , was announced. The detective series, directed by Masatoshi Kurakata and Takeshi Maruyama, was a Japanese original for Amazon Prime Video and released in September. It starred Taemin and Shota Matsuda . Taemin also provided vocals for the soundtrack of the drama “What’s This Feeling.His first reality series, The Taemin: Xtra Cam , was broadcast via V Live , showing preparations for his upcoming album and behind-the-scenes concert footage.
Taemin joined the reality show The Unit as a mentor in October 2017.His second studio album, Move , was released the same month. His lead single of the same name attracted attention for its unique choreography and sparked a trend called ‘Move Disease’ after a performance of the song went viral in South Korea. The album debuted at number two on the Gaon Album Chart and number three on the Billboard World Albums Chart. On 10 December, a repackaged edition of Move was released, entitled Move-ing . He added four new songs to the tracklist, including the lead single ‘Day and Night’. That same month, Taemin was supposed to perform at the annual KBS Song Festival , but withdrew a week after the death of bandmate Jonghyun.
Taemin took part in the JTBC programme Why Not? The Dancer in May 2018. The show saw him travel to Los Angeles with Eunhyuk and Highlight member Lee Gi-kwang in their attempt to become choreographers. He later joined the music programme The Call , where he collaborated with artists such as Bewhy and UV. As of 21 September 2018, Taemin embarked on his first Japanese concert tour, Sirius. It consisted of 32 sold-out shows in 16 cities, attracting 100,000 people.On 5November, Taemin released the self-titled studio album Taemin , his third ever and first in Japanese. Taemin released his second Korean EP, Want , on 11 February 2019.
The choreography for the title track was created by Koharu Sugawara. The EP entered various Billboard charts , including number four on the World Albums, Taemin’s fifth entry to date, and number five on the Heatseekers Albums , a new career high. He followed the release with his second Korean concert T1001101, which played at the SK Olympic Handball Gymnasium from 15-17 March Taemin began his first Japanese arena tour, XTM , in Hokkaido on 8 June. Fourteen shows were scheduled, with three more added in August to meet demand.On 4August, Taemin digitally released his third Japanese EP Famous , with a physical release on 28 August through EMI Records and Universal Music Japan .
The lead single and title track “Famous” were released on 26 July 2019, along with a music video. The EP topped the Oricon Albums Chart , its first release to do so. In August, Taemin debuted as a member of SuperM , a K-pop supergroup created by SM Entertainment in collaboration with Capitol Records. The group’s promotions began in October and were aimed at the US market. SuperM’s self-titled debut EP was released on 4 October, with the single ‘Jopping . Taemin returned to Japan with his T1001101 concerts in December, performing at the Yokohama Arena and Osaka-jō Hall for three days. Taemin was supposed to hold a concert, Never Gonna Dance Again, in Seoul in March 2020, but it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Before the release of his next album, he starred in the online reality show Rare-Taem , in which he completed missions based on the results of a board game. Taemin’s third Korean studio album, Never Gonna Dance Again , was released in two parts in September and November 2020 respectively. The project, together with lead singles ‘Criminal’ and ‘Idea’, has been widely recognised by critics as one of the best K-pop releases of the year. Taemin released the song ‘My Day’ for the soundtrack of the drama series tvN Navillera in March 2021. He released his third Korean EP, Advice , on 18 May. The album contained five songs, including the lead single of the same name. He premiered the single in an online concert called NGDA (Never Gonna Dance Again), which he held through the Beyond Live platform on 2 May. The concert attracted nearly 90,000 viewers in 119 countries.
Taemin participated in the 2020 Summer Olympics theme song, which he recorded before his enlistment. is back as a solo artist with his fourth EP Guilty on 30 October 2023 is having much success , two years and five months after Advice . In December, he will hold a concert entitled Metamorph at the Inspire Arena in Incheon . He will be the first artist to hold a stand-alone concert at the venue, which is South Korea’s first multi-purpose arena. Taemin is known for his distinctive and intricate dance style, which often incorporates elements of contemporary dance .
His frequent use of androgynous fashion and make-up, especially after his 2017 single ‘Move’, has earned him recognition as a pioneer of the genderless performance trend among male K-pop idols. Taemin said these sentences ( I wanted to go beyond what is typically perceived as K-pop and through ‘Move’ I was able to show an edgier, more powerful concept. Not only that, but regardless of the genre, I think all audiences will be able to appreciate it and listen to it as something different from most of what’s coming out in K-pop. My goal was to find a middle ground, mixing male and female movements together in the choreography. Taemin on ‘Move’).
The choreography of ‘Move’, created by Japanese choreographer and frequent collaborator Koharu Sugawara, went viral in South Korea after the single’s release, prompting many dance covers by fans and celebrities in a trend called ‘Move Disease’. Taemin’s discography is predominantly pop and R&B and occasionally influenced by rock, hip-hop, trap and electronica, with darker themes than his work with Shinee and sensual in character. Lyrically, Taemin’s songs cover concepts ranging from love and lust to self-discovery, philosophy and faith. His music videos often focus on choreography and contain biblical references, in particular ‘Want’.In 2016, Taemin together with bandmate Key and other SM Entertainment artists, participated in the UNICEF and Louis Vuitton’s ‘Make a Promise’ campaign, under which 40 per cent of the proceeds were donated through UNICEF to children in need.
Discography
2016 – Press It
2017 – Move
2017 – Move-ing
2018 – Taemin
2020 – Never Gonna Dance Again (Act 1 | Act 2)
EP
2014 – Ace
2016 – Sayonara Hitori
2017 – Flame of Love
2019 – Want
2019 – Famous
2020 – Never Gonna Dance Again
2021 – Advice
2023 – Guilty
