[TRANS] Taemin's Interview with GEEK February Issue

In The Botanical Garden

                                               Photographed by Zo Sunhi

Once reminiscent of a youthful boy, SHINee’s Taemin is starting to show the qualities of a man who unrelentingly moves forward by his own conviction.

How does it feel to live as someone everybody knows -- as a globally recognized celebrity? 
It’s really awesome. On the other hand, it's very unnerving. Especially in moments such as when we received the ‘Artist of the Year’ award; in those moments I suddenly become frozen. It’s a mixture of feelings; I am ecstatic but confused as to whether I really deserved it. When we perform overseas, seeing the fans that passionately support us still feels awe inspiring rather than familiar. It’s not easy to grasp.

Does that bother you at times?
I wouldn't say it bothers me, but there are times when I feel it weigh down on me. Because although I'm really thankful for everything, I can't just stop at that; it compels me to be better. So from time to time, I remind myself to not be concerned with "How popular am I? How much am I loved?" but to put all of my effort into becoming better in the things that are important.

<We Got Married> seems to have put you on people's radar. What does mean to you? 
I'm really bad at what people typically refer to as ‘flirting.’ Not only that, things get even more awkward if I'm put next to someone who does flirt. I'm not good at expressing my feelings to begin with, but I think I'm at least learning some know-how through broadcasting experiences such as variety shows. You looked like a man who is quite good at expressing his feelings in We Got Married.
 Did it look like that? (Hahaha) To be honest, even when I’m with my friends I prefer straightforward conversations and uncomplicated relationships. Instead of sweet chitchat, I'm more used to the typical guy talk, where you just make a remark and get short replies in turn. 

At one point, not only Taemin but SHINee started to receive reviews that you had all evolved into something more than just idols. Did you all feel that you had? 
There was a year of absence from the domestic music scene for us because we were busy promoting overseas. SHINee, as well as myself, grew a lot during that time. We learned many things from going on big stages and repeating concerts. I think that with every new thing we learn on stage our performance grows richer. We are now contemplating how to take our next step forward. I would even like to create a complete stage on my own. At our concert, I performed a solo stage with a self-composed song and that made me really happy. If I continue to fortify my skills, rather than being overpowered wouldn’t I be able to do well on any stage no matter the size?

 You seem to have a lot of thoughts about 'things of my own'.
 It is very fulfilling to build SHINee with the members as we go along, but there are times I would like to try everything with my own style. Just like how SHINee has it’s own color as a group, I would like to find my own color by trying out various genres. I think that process of finding one’s own genuine color is what it means to grow up as a man. My dream is to do things until ‘I have no regrets’. SHINee has challenged itself with not-so-easy music. The genre wasn’t plain and it was almost too much to handle when it came to singing live while performing the complex choreography. At first we had our doubts thinking ‘would this work?’, but if you just do it, it works. All throughout my singing career, I learned that anything is achievable if you put your back into it.

It’s a new year. Is there any specific resolution you’ve made or thing you’ve thought about doing? 
I would like to have my own work studio. I wish there would be a space where I can be alone from the members to sort out my thoughts and reflect on things. I think having my own studio will help with writing good songs and accelerate the process of learning music. I don’t want my songs performed on stage right this moment, but I do want to become an artist with my own color. 

Any personal wishes? 
I personally want to take off on a spontaneous trip. The kind that you suddenly have the time for one day and just set off with your close friends. I think it will be relaxing to just walk around the busy streets. It will still be a satisfying trip even if it’s not somewhere fancy or if it’s without an impressive itinerary. Just the thought of escaping from the confines of my routine gets me excited.

credits: sfinee