Taemin is going completely his own way, forging a career that has rarely followed the standard idol blueprint to begin with.
Debuting in 2008 as SHINee’s prodigy, Taemin is considered one of K-pop’s most elite dancers. And if you’ve watched him for any length of time, you also know that he never really showed one emotion at a time, but instead always lived between two opposing emotions.
His solo career, which began with Ace in 2014, this trait really began to emerge. Pushing the boundaries of K-pop, he began to thrive on strong dualities—masculinity and femininity, delicacy and danger, restraint and explosiveness.
In a tightly controlled industry, when no one even thought about gender-fluid K-pop, Taemin released Move in 2017. Created in collaboration with Japanese choreographer Koharu Sugawara, the program was so intentionally feminine and masculine at the same time that it broke down the rigid binary of how male idols were “supposed” to dance. This caused Mov-byon (“Move Sickness”) when other idols covered the song to try out the style, and became “iconic for its alternative representation of sexuality”, serving as an example for a generation of dancers. Then he came Want, “Criminal,» And GuiltyWith each era, a new dialect is added to Taemin’s body language. While most idols show strength, Taemin always exercised control. Detention before the explosion. A softness that makes the click brutal.
That’s why its new chapter, Phase 1: Mild Violencedoesn’t seem like a new concept, but more like he’s finally found the right name for what he’s been doing all his life: the art of oxymorons.
What does “soft violence” really mean to him?
An oxymoron is usually defined as two contradictory words that don’t go together. But in Taemin’s world, they always do, as demonstrated in “Soft Violence.” Speaking about this, he says Rolling Stone India that this new release is a deeply personal reflection of how he feels inside. “I think that during my solo activities, different feelings have always coexisted,” says Taemin, shifting the focus from his stage persona. “But instead of focusing on that aspect in ‘Soft Violence’, I think the words ‘Soft Violence’ was an expression that came to mind when I thought about Taemin as a person.”
His words strip away the glamor of the superstar, revealing a vulnerable side that is crucial to understanding his new era. “Violence is actually a very cruel and scary word, but I think a kind of violence can also be inside something that looks soft or beautiful on the outside,” he shares. For him, this thought comes from those moments that have stayed with him when even the words spoken to encourage him actually ended up hurting him. “Reflecting on similar experiences, I felt that the term ‘soft violence’ was appropriate to express, somewhat abstractly, the ‘soft violence’ that I had experienced.”
Read this again. This is not the Taemin who is famous for his perfect moves, but the 33-year-old artist who was told “You’re doing great” so many times that the very expectation began to feel like pressure. This contradiction is exactly what “soft violence” means to him.
From “criminal” to “floater”: how his definition of violence has softened
It’s a subtle approach and a radical departure from his previous releases, such as the cult classic Move or “Criminal,” which focused on more intense, often darker emotions through soft, graceful movements. Taemin explains that the album also has songs “with a more minor feel, like ‘Move’ or ‘Criminal,’ but I think the title tracks are more focused on songs that are a little brighter and exciting. So compared to the previous ones, I think they might feel a little more visceral.”
Essentially, his idea of “violence” has softened into the feeling one might experience in love—sweet but painful—as heard on lead single “Float.” This is a light pop track about falling in love with lyrics about an easy connection: “Every time I’m with you I just float/Every conversation seems to flow…” The song highlights Taemin’s subtle falsetto, offsetting the album’s darker B-sides. “Rather than being something intense and violent like Crime, Swimming can also be a little sad in a way when it comes to the emotions of love that you feel with someone,” he reflects. He offers a softer, deeply resonant view of human relationships, emphasizing that “even if this kind of emotion is not necessarily intense or dark, I think it can be another form of ‘soft violence.’
Era of the cocoon
Taemin has been in the industry for almost two decades. It’s a turning point that could allow him to more firmly establish himself in the image he’s been building for years. Instead, he decided to completely change his approach. As he explains, he’s one of those people who keeps trying new things, “even the things I’ve always done outside of that box,” even if, as he admits, “it’s not as easy as I thought.”
With a history like this, most artists would choose to play it safe when they come back—to either be completely vulnerable or completely powerful. He decided not to do this. He’s back to his signature mix of both, but this time he’s going about it differently.
He sees this new album as a liminal space—a waiting room between who he was and who he is becoming. We all know him as a perfectionist on stage – a man who can completely mesmerize a crowd with how easily he controls his body. He has spent years performing some of the most exciting numbers in K-pop history; think “Flame of Love,” “Want,” “Advice,” or “Guilty,” but this release feels different. We are no longer talking about just mind-blowing steps, but about a deeper metamorphosis. He shares, “In a way, ‘Soft Violence’ contains a little bit of who I am now, who I have become so far, and who I am on the edge of moving forward. You can also think of it as a cocoon-like state. So, I think Taemin’s performance isn’t just about dancing; trying something new musically can also be considered part of Taemin’s performance.”
More than “soft violence”
His singing style carries enormous narrative weight within the record’s track listing, moving the conversation away from the strict thematic constraints. “This album is actually very diverse,” he emphasizes. “There are intense songs, exciting songs, calm songs and songs of different genres.” The soundscape is an open canvas, allowing the tracks to breathe on their own. “So instead of looking at the album’s identity solely through the concept of ‘Soft Violence,’ I hope people can think of it as an album containing different music.”
However, if you look for it, the duality is still present, especially in the lyrics. When asked where the emotional impact is felt the most, Taemin pointed to the contrast within the tracklist itself. “I think ‘Parasite’ seems to be the biggest contrast because the pessimistic language in the lyrics is quite harsh.” At the other end of this spectrum is the record’s softest moment. “I think the softest song is “Easy Loving You.” It has a melancholy feel to it, but it’s also a soft and sweet song.”
End of cycle at 11:59
The visual language of the album ties everything together. The introductory video is called “This Is the End” and features images of loops repeating and a clock stuck at 11:59. One minute to midnight. One minute until a new day. “You can take this to mean that I step away a little from the repetitive daily life in which I have been stopped or trapped, try something new over time and move forward. Therein lies the meaning of finishing what I have been doing so far and starting again.”
His answer ties the very idea of ”soft violence” to his life as an idol who debuted as a child and spent years living according to a schedule dictated by others. “I didn’t think much about it at the time; it was very natural to follow certain paths and certain deadlines that had already been determined – things like: “You should do it this way” or “You should do it like this”, “You should sing a song like this”, “You should dance like this”, “The album should come out like this” or “It should be released at this time.” But now, I think I place more importance on being more self-aware and moving away from being passive,” he notes.
However, he does not romanticize this freedom. More independence means more responsibility, and he’s right in the middle of that process. In his words: “This process can seem overwhelming and difficult, and I worry about it a lot, but at the same time it’s very exciting. In some ways, I think this is the path I need to take forward. What I’ve done so far is still there, and I think the fact that I’m going through changes now is also ultimately part of who I am at the moment.”
Bridge to the third stage
As Taemin enters this new chapter, one can’t help but wonder if this album is the definitive version of the artist he’s always been, or the basis for a new persona. Taemin says, “If I break it down into three stages, I think everything so far has been stage one; this album is stage two, and the next album will be stage three.” Taemin sees this period as a necessary, quiet interlude, adding that if too many things change at once, it can start to feel a little unnatural. “I think this album is kind of a bridge in the middle,” he notes.
However, the main goal is to imagine what is beyond this bridge. Instead of following popular trends, Taemin wants to explore the world and delve deeper into his point of view, admitting that he is already thinking about “radical changes” for his next album. To do this, he feels he needs to step out of his comfort zone, “explore more of a world I haven’t known before” and try something completely new—not through flashier gimmicks, but through the content of his songs and the vulnerability of his stories. “I think I also need to show more things musically,” he concludes. “I want to create music based on honest stories that can be communicated more effectively to people, as well as the experiences I’ve had so far.”