"It's not voyeurism if it's for the arts": SHINee's Taemin's latest mini-album "Guilty" sparks debate among netizens

SHINee's Taemin released his comeback mini-album Guilty on October 30, 2023. However, the album has been roped into a controversy as concerns are being expressed by Korean netizens over the singer's most recent mini-album. This is because, the nature of the content has caused discomfort for some, particularly the "peephole," which fans have compared to unlawful spying or "molka."

Some netizens' sentiments were further heightened by the sight of Taemin wearing what they thought to be schoolboy-like clothes. However, many of the Guilty singer's fans came to his defense and tweeted on X regarding the concept of the mini-album, with one fan, @FleurdeNeige10, explaining how it is "not voyeurism if it's for the arts."

The concept of designing the physical mini-album as a "shoebox" thrilled a lot of his fans and admirers from around the world. The artist aimed to highlight the topic of his most recent mini-album with the unconventional idea, which is rooted in people's innate need to conceal their guilty pleasures in a shoebox.

Previously, in conjunction with the release of his fourth mini-album, Guilty, Taemin of SHINee had a press conference as well. The celebrity discussed his most recent EP, which was released after a long wait of two years and five months.

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"I wanted to capture the real me": SHINee Taemin's comeback mini-album Guilty shows an unseen side of the idol, fans express mixed feelings about the concept

Since his first days in the music industry, Taemin has made a name for himself as a talented and adaptable musician who isn't afraid of pushing the boundaries and experimenting with different musical genres in order to express his own style.

The artist has established himself as a leading idol in the business over the years, inspiring many others along the way, and gained a sizable following of admirers and supporters of his work. During the recent press conference on October 29, Taemin mentioned that he tried to show his real side through his comeback mini-album.

"It's been a while since I've made a comeback, shall I say it's Taemin's Cliche? I wanted to capture the real me that people want to see."

In spite of his proven track record and the buzz around the 30-year-old singer's most recent release, a few Korean netizens have voiced their reservations about the degree of s*xualization in Guilty. They debated about the possibility that the concept of the album went too far.

As reported by Koreaboo, on TheQoo, a South Korean online forum, some Korean netizens shared their thoughts about the idol's album. While one noted that they didn't find it "s*xy" and that they were giving off "a very Japanese Gravure vibe," another user felt that the artist "did cross the line." Furthermore, still others expressed their dislike towards the mini-album by commenting "Hul, what's with the underwear?" and "These images are so questionable."

Another netizen drew attention to a number of potentially offensive pictures, including an undressed pair of pants and underwear on the ground, a picture of Taemin allegedly eating ice sensually, and the stylized font used to spell out the word Guilty. Collectively, all of these components caused some controversy and much discussion.

While some fans apprecitated the pictures' artistic qualities, many netizens expressed their concerns about the same, as they felt that the images sent a s*xual message that could have gone too far. However, many fans of the 30-year-old singer from SHINee came forward to tweet on X, formerly Twitter, and show their support for the singer and his craft.

The singer also spoke about his desire for Guilty to be featured on SHINee's most recent album, HARD, at the press conference on October 29, 2023. During the conference, he revealed that he consented to keep the song for himself when the group persuaded him that it better suited his personal style.

The Guilty singer continued by discussing how he experimented with a different musical genre for his comeback in an effort to showcase his creative potential and development. Throughout his exchanges at the press conference, the idol conveyed his appreciation to fans who have supported him for so long and declared his protective instincts toward his bandmates of over 15 years.

The SHINee singer's sixth EP overall, and his final one before enlisting in the military, was Advice, and it was released in May 2021. After a gap of two years and five months, Taemin—who is well-acclaimed for his singles such as Criminal, Idea, and Under My Skin among others—released his latest mini-album Guilty and carved his comeback in the music industry.

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The comeback EP by the idol consists of six tracks, which include Guilty (title track), The Rizzness, She Loves Me-She Loves Me Not, Not Over You, Night Away, and Blue.

As of this moment, the Guilty MV has received over 9.8 million views. Conversely, TAEMIN SOLO CONCERT: METAMORPH is slated to happen at the Inspire Arena in Incheon on December 16 and 17, 2023.