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Shinee’s Taemin in a still from the music video for Advice, the solo mini-album he released on Tuesday ahead of enlisting for compulsory military service in South Korea. Photo: SM Entertainment
K-Pop Artists & celebrities

With mini-album Advice, Shinee’s Taemin leaves K-pop – for now – as he prepares to enlist in South Korean military

  • The charismatic K-pop singer’s five-track EP Advice opens with a song addressed to those who would judge others without considering their feelings
  • To the delight of fans, the music video to the mini-album shows the androgynous performer switching from sports bra and fishnets and a suit
K-pop, Mandopop and other Asian pop
Tamar Herman
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Taemin of the K-pop group Shinee will enlist in South Korea’s military at the end of May to begin his compulsory national service, but ahead of his musical hiatus, the singer this week released the EP “Advice”.

The title track is a slick trap and R&B dance production that provides a platform for the charismatic performer to explore his creativity and androgynous aesthetic, which are front and centre in the music video for Advice, released alongside the album.

Aside from the single, the EP features four other new songs from the K-pop star, including If I Could Tell You, featuring Taeyeon of Girls’ Generation.
The title song, which emphasises Taemin’s versatility with its aggressive, singsong raps and creeping harmonies, is addressed to those who judge others thoughtlessly without concern for their feelings.  

“You take me apart however you wish/You say things the way you‘d like to,” Taemin sings over ambient piano instrumentals. “Moving around the tip of your tongue, you don’t get it... Show your imagination in a more novel way.”

“Advice” is the third EP – known as a mini-album in K-pop – Taemin has released since he began issuing solo content in 2014. It follows the release of Never Gonna Dance Again last year.

The 27-year-old singer debuted in Shinee, stylised “SHINee”, in 2008. The group released their latest single, Atlantis, in April. Taemin has also been a member of SuperM, a boy band made up of different artists from the roster of South Korean company SM Entertainment.
Taemin wears a suit in one sequence of the Advice and a sports bra and fishnet stockings in another, to the delight of music fans. Photo: SM Entertainment

Through multifaceted releases over the years ever since starting his career as a young teen, Taemin has made a name for himself as a theatrical performer.

He has grown into a K-pop stalwart, known for dynamic music accompanied by provocative choreographies, many of which incorporate contemporary dance elements that do away with typical gendered dance styles.

The music video for Advice shows Taemin’s artistic flair and perspective – many who viewed it expressed their delight on social media at seeing him don what appears to be a sports bra to go with a crop top, fishnets, and his long hair.

“Taemin wearing a sports bra and stockings is a big middle finger to everyone who says clothing has genders,” wrote one fan on Twitter.

Throughout the video, he contrasts them with other scenes in which he dons suits, bares his torso, and performs highly choreographed dance routines full of powerful popping and isolations.

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