By Pen Fang
The prince of K-Pop has returned. Taemin, member of boy group SHINee and soloist, returned with his fourth mini-album Guilty following his conclusion of military service in April 2023, over two years after his previous release, Advice.
Taemin debuted in 2008 as the maknae (youngest member) of the group SHINee. He has become known as the “idol of idols” and an “ace,” with many idols looking up to him and his talent, especially his intricacy in dancing. His solo work is known for its darker, more sensual tone. His existing discography stands above the playing field on its own, with songs like “Move” a distinct entry exploring androgyny in the world of K-Pop choreographies.
Guilty is a self-described fresh start for Taemin. While still exploring the same vein of dark sensuality that his past releases have, there is a quality to the release that feels like a new page of his career as he returns from enlistment. “You can say it’s a Taemin-cliche,” he suggests, “but something that the people want. I wanted to capture the real me.”
“Guilty,” the title track, explores the point of view of the perpetrator in a toxic relationship and a “selfish love that inadvertently inflicts pain on the other person.”
“There’s always a sacrifice,” he says, “and pushing someone to sacrifice is also love. There are a lot of things I gain from being a singer, but, at the same time, there are lots of things I have to give up, and these are the ones I emphasized in this single.”
The music video for Guilty alludes to Taemin being objectified and controlled at a young age — and his reclamation of his sexuality and image. He debuted at 14 and, despite being fresh into his thirties, has spent over half his life under the eyes of the industry.
The music video opens with Taemin, wearing a simple white tank top, sitting in a room with childlike drawings on the wall. The lighting is a distinct amber, before the scene switches to Taemin stumbling down a hall, movements like a puppet on strings, in a harsh blue color palette. As the song descends to the first chorus, hands are seen grabbing for Taemin — controlling his movements — before the music video transitions to the choreography with jerky movements. The point move, Taemin putting his hand through his shirt to expose his chest, despite its inherent sexuality, feels wrong in this instance. There is a distinct feeling that he is not the one in control.
Taemin invites the audience into guilt. The imagery in the music video combines sexuality with anguish and innocence (and the loss of it). He continues this theme in the promotion of the album as well. The schoolboy outfit, seen in the music video and its trailer, is also used in an Inkigayo performance. As the camera lingers on Taemin’s exposed chest in the chorus, with the juxtaposition of sexual and and something that is not supposed to be, there’s the repeated provocation of guilt in the viewer.
“Showing skin is still a taboo,” he explains, “so when a male performer rips their shirt and the crowd goes wild, I wanted to understand and incorporate the concept of breaking that taboo.”
The archive box version of the album, with additional inclusions accessible through a peephole in the bottom, contributes to the voyeuristic feel. In fact, many of the pre-release teaser photos and images from the photobooks are an intimate look at Taemin. You see his body, you see his underwear, you see close-up photos of his face. And the unflinching proximity of these items and the unwilling sexuality it creates is comfortable. You are made to feel like a voyeur; you are made to feel guilty.
During the second part of the music video, we begin to see Taemin’s reclamation of sexuality.
There are shots of Taemin, adorning a feathered headdress, as a subject of worship as people gather around him, alluding to Abraxas, a deity in Demian by Hermann Hesse. Taemin even includes in his personal Instagram account’s bio: “Der Vogel kämpft sich aus dem Ei [The bird fights its way out of the egg” with emojis of an egg, a bird hatching from it, then just the bird. The full quote from Demian, translated, is: “The bird is fighting its way out of the egg. The egg is the world. Whoever wishes to be born must destroy a world. The bird is flying to God. The god is named Abraxas.” Taemin, too, has broken from his shell, pioneering his own way forward. He performs the second chorus wearing a shirt with “Libertine,” referencing a person who is devoid of responsibility or sexual restraints.
He explains, “The music video was [also] inspired by this book called Eroticism by George Bataille. It covers a lot of topics about breaking taboos, and I thought about how this can reflect on my music and the perspective I put into it.
During the build to the climax, we see a string of images revealing a loss of innocence. A wide shot from inside the vehicle of Taemin raising a gun. Taemin, on the ground, clinging to the leg of a faceless figure in white. A shot of Taemin’s leg, bloodied as he digs his fingers into it. Taemin using an inhaler in a vehicle, a scene revealed in the trailer that again creates the dichotomy of innocent yet sexual through its framing and use of an object as innocuous as an inhaler. These shots directly reference scenes from the music video trailer. The final shot continues one scene from the trailer of a shot of Taemin raising the gun, aim controlled by someone else. This time, however, Taemin does not raise a weapon and instead looks directly at the camera.
In the final chorus, everything burns. The choreography departs from the first two choruses, more cathartic and less controlled. This is Taemin’s rebirth: epitomizing his dance as he alternates quickly and seamlessly between sharp and movements, set to the swelling of strings, sensual and intricate and teeming with emotion.
“As an artist, it is my job to be more appealing and more attractive. I wanted to understand what attracts other people,” Taemin explains. “I want to introduce who Taemin is through the performances.”
“A lot of my songs carry words that could be considered negative. And although positive words have power, I think it’s more attractive to make the negative look beautiful.”
The final scenes of a music video feature Taemin in what appears to be the setting of the first chorus as he stumbles away. On the same road where he started, Taemin continues pioneering his artistry, creating something provocative and new, something that evolves as you look at it. “I want to be a true pioneer and open paths for juniors,” he says, “and it carries a big meaning in my career as an artist.”
