Warning: Taemin's "Danger" Ahead

Taemin dropped his debut solo music video for "Danger" late last week, and the mini album ACE followed suit just earlier today. And good lord is it everything I never knew I wanted from this kid. While last week saw mostly Winner in constant rotation on my music player (I'm still addicted to their album), looks like this week will see a massive amount of the SHINee maknae.

There are so many things to love about the album and the accompanying music video. One: the very fact that Taemin is proving to the world that he's not just SHINee's main dancer anymore and that he has very much earned the title of singer and that he deserves this. Two: that even while many complained about his going solo before Onew or Jonghyun, Taemin broke out into the solo scene with an outstanding single that is sure to rocket through all the charts. Three: Taemin is showing us that he's no longer that 14-year-old kid who loves steak and burgers and frequently loses his stuff if not glued to his hands, he's an adult (but sorry, sweetie, seeing you shirtless still makes me feel like I should be kneeling in a confessional box even though I'm not Catholic).  And lastly, that Taemin is clearly in his element, singing and dancing the way he wants to, and being able to pay homage to his idol in an obvious Michael-Jackson-inspired track via lead single "Danger." Even the music video, a few fashion choices aside, is fantastic..

Aside from the title track, each and every song on the mini album is golden and are the kind of songs I've always imagined Taemin would do were he to ever go solo. The sexy pre-released track "Ace," with lyrics penned by DBSK's Changmin, is a favorite. It throws back to SHINee's own "Symptoms" and I can very well imagine it being sung by the entire group, but nonetheless Taemin totally rocks it solo.

Taemin has already performed his new songs on several stages this past weekend, including Inkigayo, Music Bank, and a SMTown concert in Seoul. Sadly, as is the SM Tradition, these were mostly lip-synced because that's the way SM just does things to avoid mistakes during initial debut/comeback promotions. We all know that Taemin, along with the rest of SHINee, can very well hold their own during live performances. It doesn't matter how intense the choreography is, Taemin can hit those notes. So, hopefully, as we go into the second week of promotions, we get some actual live performances from it. I'm so excited for this, you guys.

I never realized how huge a fan of Taemin I was until this solo thing happened. I've always considered SHINee as one of my Top 3 k-pop boy groups, but I was never really sure of who my SHINee bias was. With this solo though, it's kind of looking like he very well might be my bias. (But then there's a huge chance I'd feel the same way if Onew or Jonghyun make their solo debuts.)

Gaaahhh. I might not be Kim-Jonghyun-level of going gaga over Taemin, but I'm pretty damn close. (I'm not even kidding with how much Jonghyun is fanboying over their maknae, this is him in a nutshell. He's been tweeting so much in support of Taemin and it's super sweet how he declared himself the president of the Taemin fanclub. I heard he cried when he first watched the "Danger" music video.) But see, we all feel like proud parents here. I might not have been there since the beginning, but after falling in love with SHINee, I've watched a boatload of videos on YouTube and got a crash course on the group. So I've seen videos of Taemin as a kid. And now he's all grown up. I'm feeling kind of verklempt right now.

Lee Taemin, fighting!

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CL to release solo m/v today

YG Entertainment has been releasing still after still in promotion of CL's solo debut. While I'm a huge 2NE1 fan, I'm hesitant about CL going solo. (Note: Die-hard CL fans should probably stop reading at this point.)

Sure, CL might have what it takes to make a successful solo project. She raps, she dances, she sings - she's got crazy stage presence, to boot. She's not called fierce for nothing. But there's still that niggling feeling in the back of my head that's half-scared that they might treat this in the same way they treated G-Dragon's "One of a Kind" promotions (i.e. too much swag and overblown self-confidence). Which is not to say it doesn't work for YG artists as a whole, because if there's anything YG does better than the rest of them, surely it's swag. But where GD is an established solo artist and songwriter in his own right, CL is not.

So when I see GD strutting his shit like the mofo that he is, I believe it. I accept it. I like it. Whereas with CL, I'm always on the edge - not quite sure if she's being honest about who she is an artist, or simply wanting us to believe she's the baddest female this side of Korean hip-pop without sufficient credentials to back it up.

Now, if they tone down on the vainglory, that might make the whole ordeal less overbearing. In which case, I'd actually be looking forward to the project. CL may not be my favorite YG artist, but she sure does have her charm, especially when she's not trying to bulldoze me with her fierceness. Having said that, CL fighting!

ETA: The video just came out. And while it would probably take several listens for me to warm up to the song, I am quite liking the video. There's a lot to be said about the video but I, for one, am liking the choreography. And the styling. Although the concept is lost on me. It's a mishmash of several things we know CL likes. From futuristic Jeremy Scott fashion, to the 90's Aaliyah-inspired midriffs and baggy jeans, to sleek and elegant couture. It's Adidas and Balmain all rolled up into one bombastic video. Which can be kind of jarring placed side-by-side but somehow works because it's CL.

Anyway, here's the video.

Promotional stills:

Stills from the m/v

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