Taemin (SHINee) profile

• BIOGRAPHY
• SHINEE
• SUPERM
• SOLO CAREER
• DISCOGRAPHY
• SONGWRITING CREDITS
• FILMOGRAPHY/ VIDEOGRAPHY
• ILLUSTRATION
• FUN FACTS
• OUR FAVOURITE PERFORMANCE

BIOGRAPHY

Lee Taemin (이태민) was born on July 18, 1993 in Seoul, South Korea. He has an older brother named Lee Taesun. In 2005, Taemin was discovered at an SM Entertainment casting and accepted as a trainee.

He originally attended Chungdam High School, but transferred to Hanlim Multi Art School in 2011 and graduated from there in 2012. Taemin then studied film and musicals at Myongji University.

On May 25, 2008, Taemin debuted as a member of the five-member boy band SHINee at just 14 years old. The debut single “Replay” from the album of the same name was a huge hit and is still considered by fans to be one of the best debut songs in K-Pop. The other four members of SHINee are Onew, Jonghyun, Key and Minho.

SHINEE

The five-member boy band SHINee debuted on May 25, 2008 with the mini album “Replay” and the title song of the same name. The boy band won their first Rookie Award in June, just a month after their debut! Thanks to their success and influence, SHINee was given the title “Princes of K-Pop” very early on, by which they are still known today. With the studio album “The First” Onew, Jonghyun and Co. also started a very successful career in Japan.

SHINee are known for not following trends, but rather creating them. This applies not only to music, but also to fashion. Many would even argue that the group is ahead of the trends. As one of the few second-generation groups, SHINee has always remained relevant and is still very popular over 15 years after their debut.

In December 2017, SHINee had to cope with a severe blow of fate when lead singer Jonghyun took his own life. The remaining four members stuck together and were on stage together again in 2018. The members repeatedly emphasize that SHINee is still a five-piece and regularly show this on social media or in their choreographies. Among other things, they often leave a space in photos or their dances that is clearly intended for Jonghyun.

• In 2009, SHINee became the first K-pop group ever to achieve the so-called “Rookie Grand Slam”. This means that they have been awarded the Rookie Award at all major Korean award shows.
• The members of SHINee are known for their great live vocals. Fans often joke that they are so good because they swallowed their CDs and therefore affectionately call the group “CDnee”.
• SHINee have released over 30 albums in Korea and Japan and regularly top the charts.
• SHINee’s hit “View” from the 2015 Studio Album “Odd” is considered K-Pop's first foray into the deep house genre. “View” is one of SHINee members’ favorite songs. Jonghyun wrote the text.
• SHINee is also very popular among idols. One of their biggest fans is Hoshi from Seventeen.
• The last SHINee song with Jonghyun called “Lock You Down” was released in June 2018 on the Mini Album “The Story of Light EP.3” as a Special Track.

Find out more about SHINee's story here!

Taemin has won the hearts of fans as the youngest member of SHINee.

He was known from the beginning for his great talent as a dancer and has shown through his solo career that he also has a beautiful voice. In fact, Taemin has already debuted three times: in 2008 with SHINee, in 2014 solo and in 2019 with SuperM. This marked Taemin's debut in three different generations.

SUPERM

On October 4, 2019, the new boy group SuperM debuted with the mini album “SuperM” and the title song “Jopping”. SuperM is a supergroup that brings together all of SM Entertainment's boy bands that existed at the time. The members include Taemin (SHINee), Baekhyun & Kai (EXO), Taeyong & Mark (NCT 127) and Ten & Lucas (WayV). The group only released a few songs, but they were very successful:

• The debut album “SuperM” was the first debut work by an Asian artist to top the US Billboard 200 chart.
• The title track “Jopping” reached number 1 on the US World Digital Songs Billboard Chart.
• SuperM was the first group from SM Entertainment to hold a live online concert. The concert entitled “Beyond the Future” took place in April 2020.
• The second album “Super One” was released in September 2020 and topped the Billboard World Albums Chart.

SOLO CAREER

Taemin debuted as the first member of SHINee Solo. His debut mini album “Ace” was published on August 18, 2014 and marks the beginning of a great success story. Ace topped the Gaon Album Chart and reached #2 on Billboard's World Albums Chart! The title song “Danger” is reminiscent of the music of Taemin's great idol Michael Jackson. Later songs and choreographies were also inspired by Jackson, which even earned Taemin the nickname “Korean Michael Jackson”.

He celebrated his first solo comeback with the studio album “Press It” in February 2016, which also topped the charts. In the same year, Taemin made his Japanese debut with the mini album “Sayonara Hitori”. It sold 45 thousand copies within a month and successfully placed in the top 3 of the Japanese Oricon Charts. In July 2017, Taemin gave his first solo concert in Japan and released the second Japanese mini album “Flame of Love”, which was even more successful than its predecessor.

Since then, Taemin has released many more solo albums, regularly topping the charts and scoring more than one viral hit. His most successful albums include “Move” (2017), “Never Gonna Dance Again” (2020) and “Guilty” (2023).

“Move” is Taemin’s second studio album and contains 9 songs including the title track “Move”. The song received attention for its extraordinary choreography and sparked a trend called “Move Disease”: Not only fans, but also numerous idols uploaded covers of the performance on their social media. “Move” is also Taemin and SHINee’s first song to reach 100 million streams on Spotify.

The third studio album “Never Gonna Dance Again” was released in two parts and was considered one of the best K-pop albums of the year. “Act 1” has sold over 150 thousand copies by the end of 2023, making it one of Taemin's best-selling albums. It represents a turning point in Taemin's career, who wanted to highlight his talent and individual style.

In May 2021, Taemin began his military service, which is mandatory for all men in South Korea. He was originally supposed to work in the military band, but due to depression and panic attacks, Taemin was transferred to public service in 2022. He was released in April 2023.

With the fourth mini album “Guilty” Taemin reported back and broke his personal sales record. In the first week, the album sold 198 thousand copies, more than any of Taemin's other solo albums at that time. Taemin has not only surpassed himself, but also all other solo albums by male solo artists from the second generation.

In 2024, Taemin left SM Entertainment after over 15 years. He signed with BPM Entertainment in April to continue his solo career. However, he is still a member of SHINee and continues to work with SM Entertainment for the group's activities.

Taemin's fifth mini album “Eternal” is a special milestone because it is the first that is not produced by SM.

DISCOGRAPHY

YEAR	SONG
2012	"U" - To the Beautiful You OST
2014	"Ace" (Mini Album)
2014	"Steps" - Prime Minister and I OST
2015	"Because I Love You" - 2015 Gayo Daejun Limited Edition
2015	"Named" (with Jonghyun) - Who Are You: School 2015 OST
2016	"Press It" (Studio Album)
2016	“Sayonara Hitori” (JP Mini Album)
2017	“Flame of Love” (JP Mini Album)
2017	“Move” (Studio Album)
2017	“Move-ing” (Reissue)
2017	“Thirsty (Off-Sick Concert version)” (Single)
2017	"What's This Feeling" - Final Life OST
2017	"I'm Crying" - Final Life OST
2018	“Taemin” (JP Studio Album)
2018	"Pinocchio" (with Bewhy) - The Call Project No.4
2019	“Want” (Mini Album)
2019	“Famous” (JP Mini Album)
2020	“Never Gonna Dance Again: Act 1” (Studio Album)
2020	“Never Gonna Dance Again: Act 2” (Studio Album)
2020	“Never Gonna Dance Again” (Compilation Album)
2021	“Advice” (Mini Album)
2021	"My Day" - Navillera OST
2023	“Guilty” (Mini Album)
2023	"Draw" - No Office Romance! OST
2024	“Eternal” (Mini Album)

SONGWRITING CREDITS

Taemin participated as a songwriter for the first time on his first studio album “Press It”. He worked on the title track "Press It" and the B-side "Soldier". He wrote a few more songs for his solo albums in the following years, although not many. Taemin is also credited as a songwriter for “Our Page” by SHINee. The song is a letter from SHINee members to their late friend Jonghyun.

FILMOGRAPHY/ VIDEOGRAPHY

Taemin made his acting debut in the comedy “Tae Hee, Hye Kyo, Ji Hyun” in 2019. Since then, many more roles have been added, not only in Korea but also in Japan. He is also active as a moderator and mentor.

YEAR	TITLE	ROLE
2009	Tae Hee, Hye Kyo, Ji Hyun (K-Drama)	Junsu
2011	Athena: Goddess of War (K-Drama)	Guest appearance
2011	Moon Night '90 (Variety Show)	Kim Sung Jae
2011	High Kick! 3 (K-Drama)	He himself
2012	Koala Kid (Animated Film)	Speaking role: Johnny
2012	I Am (Documentary)	He himself
2012	Salamander Guru and The Shadows (K-Drama)	Master of Disguise
2012	Immortal Songs 2 (Music Competition)	Candidate
2013	Dating Agency: Cyrano (K-Drama)	Yang Ho-yeol/ Ray
2013	The Miracle (The Heirs Parody)	Kim Tan
2013/ 14	We Got Married (with Son Na Eun) (Reality Variety Show)	Regular Member
2015	SM Town the Stage (Concert Film)	He himself
2015	Match Made in Heaven Returns (Variety Show)	Regular Member
2015	Off to School (Variety Show)	Regular Member
2016	Hit the Stage (Dance Competition)	Candidate
2017	Final Life: Even If You Disappear Tomorrow (Japanese Drama)	Song Sion
2017	The Unit (Survival Show)	Mentor
2018	Why Not? The Dancer (Dance Reality Show)	Regular Member
2018	The Call (Variety Show)	Regular Member
2024	Road to Kingdom 2 (Music Competition)	Moderator

ILLUSTRATION

Taemin has graced the cover of countless fashion magazines in his long career and has received much recognition as a pioneer of genderless fashion.

FUN FACTS

• Taemin has been close friends with EXO's Kai since his time as a trainee.
• He can forge the signatures of all SHINee members.
• His role model is Michael Jackson.
• Taemin has two cats: Kkoong & Daeng
• He plays the piano.
• He is known to often lose or break his things. That's why fans gave him the nickname “Magic Hand Taemin”.
• Another nickname of Taemin is “Idol’s Idol” because he himself is admired by idols. His fans include Taehyun (TXT), Haechan (NCT), Chungha and Seonghwa (ATEEZ).
• Taemin is Catholic.

OUR FAVOURITE PERFORMANCE

When K-pop fans are asked the question who is the best dancer in K-pop, most of them answer “Taemin” without hesitation. Taemin is already an icon and continues to inspire fans and other idols with his unique style. This includes not only his dance and his clear voice, but also his androgynous fashion. But not only with fashion, but also with his choreographies, Taemin blurs the boundaries between the genders.

Taemin stands out from the crowd and is one of the few idols from his generation who are still relevant and regularly gain new fans. And there is still no end in sight!

Sources: Social media channels of SHINee, Taemin & SuperM, SM Town, Youtube, Billboard, Hanteo, kmca, BPM Entertainment

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