Criminal (Taemin Song)
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"Criminal" is a song recorded by South Korean singer
Taemin Lee Tae-min (; born July 18, 1993), better known mononymously as Taemin, is a South Korean singer-songwriter, dancer, and actor. He debuted as a member of the South Korean boy band Shinee in May 2008 and the supergroup SuperM in 2019, both un ...
. It was released as the lead single of his third studio album, ''
Never Gonna Dance Again ''Never Gonna Dance Again'' is the third Korean studio album (fourth overall) by South Korean singer Taemin. It consists of two parts, ''Act 1'' and ''Act 2'', that were later collected together in the repackage album, ''Never Gonna Dance Again (E ...
'', on September 7, 2020, through
SM Entertainment SM Entertainment Co., Ltd. () is a South Korean multinational entertainment agency established in 1995 by Lee Soo-man. It is one of South Korea's largest entertainment companies and has been responsible for fostering and popularizing the car ...
. A
synthwave Synthwave (also called retrowave, or futuresynth) is an electronic music microgenre that is based predominantly on the music associated with the Film score, film soundtracks of action films, science fiction films, and horror films of the 1980s. ...
song with
Stockholm syndrome Stockholm syndrome is a proposed condition or theory that tries to explain why hostages sometimes develop a psychological bond with their captors. Emotional bonds can possibly form between captors and captives, during intimate time together, ...
-themed lyrics, "Criminal" was written by Danke,
Lauren Aquilina Lauren Amber Aquilina (born 23 June 1995) is a Maltese-English singer-songwriter, and musician. Born in Bristol, she gained popularity by independently releasing a trilogy of EPs (''Fools'', ''Sinners'', and ''Liars'') whilst studying at school ...
, Chloe Latimer, Shae Jacobs, Score and Megatone, and produced by Jacobs, Score and Megatone.


Background and release

On August 28, 2020, SM Entertainment announced that Taemin would be releasing the first part of his third studio album, ''Never Gonna Dance Again: Act 1'', on September 7, alongside the lead single "Criminal". It was released in the same timeframe as the
SuperM SuperM () was a South Korean Supergroup (music), supergroup formed in 2019 by SM Entertainment and Capitol Music Group. The group consisted of seven members from four SM Entertainment boy bands: Taemin from Shinee, Baekhyun and Kai (entertainer, ...
album '' Super One'', causing Taemin to split his time between the two projects. Two remixes of the song by DJ Minit and Sumin were released on September 29 as part of SM's iScreaM project.


Composition

"Criminal" is a
synthwave Synthwave (also called retrowave, or futuresynth) is an electronic music microgenre that is based predominantly on the music associated with the Film score, film soundtracks of action films, science fiction films, and horror films of the 1980s. ...
song with "newtro" (new retro) sounds and a
Stockholm syndrome Stockholm syndrome is a proposed condition or theory that tries to explain why hostages sometimes develop a psychological bond with their captors. Emotional bonds can possibly form between captors and captives, during intimate time together, ...
theme. Taemin described the song as having "a dark, internal feeling". It features narration from news broadcasts in the bridge, an idea that was introduced by Taemin. The song "pulsates with an intoxicating, borderline hypnotic groove", before building to "an explosive moment of catharsis" in the final chorus. The lyrics depict being trapped in a toxic relationship in which Taemin is a victim and yet also complicit. ''
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'' viewed the song as a continuation of themes previously explored in "
Move Move or The Move may refer to: Brands and enterprises * Move (company), an American online real estate company * Move (electronics store), a defunct Australian electronics retailer * Daihatsu Move, a Japanese car * PlayStation Move, a motion ...
" (2017) and "Want" (2019). They interpreted it as Taemin embracing the darkness of his alter ego, akin to
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde'' is an 1886 Gothic fiction, Gothic horror fiction, horror novella by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson. It follows Gabriel John Utterson, a London-based legal practitioner who investigates a series ...
.


Critical reception

"Criminal" received positive reviews from critics, with many labelling it one of the best
K-pop K-pop (; an abbreviation of "Korean popular music") is a form of popular music originating in South Korea. It emerged in the 1990s as a form of youth subculture, with Korean musicians taking influence from Western Electronic dance music, danc ...
songs of the year. Taylor Glasby of ''
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'' described it as an "opulent piece of sonic cinema". Crystal Bell of ''
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'' praised Taemin's versatility and artistry, calling him "a master of movement and sensuality".
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reporter Emlyn Travis stated, "No one in K-pop is doing it like Taemin". She ranked "Criminal" first in her list of the best K-pop songs of the year. Writing for ''IZE'', Kim Yun-ha praised the explosive energy of the song, highlighting the intensity of the final chorus. According to Marga Buenaventura of CNN Philippines Life, the song "reinforces the idea that among male idols today, Taemin is indeed an ace among aces".


Year-end lists


Accolades


Music video

The music video for "Criminal" was directed by Jo Beom-jin of VM Project Architecture, who had previously worked with Taemin on "Press Your Number" (2016) and "Drip Drop" (2016). Jo was handpicked by Taemin and they developed the music video together. In the video, Taemin performs the choreography to the song on various sets, including a lava floor, a "sterile white room" and a setpiece inspired by '' The Devil's Advocate''. The choreography was created by Kasper and Koharu Sugawara. Taemin had collaborated with Sugawara on several of his previous releases, including "Move" and "Want". He begins the choreography with his hands tied, an idea that was included at Taemin's suggestion, and unties the knot with his teeth as the chorus begins. At the song's climax, Taemin utters the line, "Destroy me more," while staring directly at the camera and running a hand through his hair. Following this, the dancers, clothed in red, explode in movement around him, introducing "an element of catharsis". Tassia Assis of ''
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'' described this as "a surrender to the dark, twisty maze of his own artistry." ''Billboard'' praised his use of "visual imagery as an extension" of the music.


Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the
liner notes Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or cassette j-cards. Origin Liner notes are descended from the prog ...
of ''Never Gonna Dance Again: Act 1''. Recording * Recorded at SM Lvyin Studio * Digitally edited and engineered for mix at SM Big Shot Studio * Mixed at SM Blue Ocean Studio * Mastered at 821 Sound Mastering Personnel * Taemin – vocals, background vocals * Danke (LaLaLa Studio) – lyrics *
Lauren Aquilina Lauren Amber Aquilina (born 23 June 1995) is a Maltese-English singer-songwriter, and musician. Born in Bristol, she gained popularity by independently releasing a trilogy of EPs (''Fools'', ''Sinners'', and ''Liars'') whilst studying at school ...
– composition * Chloe Latimer – composition * Shae Jacobs – composition, arrangement * Score (13) – arrangement, composition, drums, piano * Megatone (13) Kim Byung-seok – composition, arrangement, bass, guitar * Deez – vocal directing * Onestar – background vocals * Lee Ji-hong – recording * Lee Min-gyu – digital editing, engineering for mix * Kim Cheol-sun – mixing * Kwon Nam-woo – mastering


Charts


Release history


References

{{Lee Tae-min 2020 singles 2020 songs Taemin songs SM Entertainment singles Songs in Korean Synthwave songs Songs written by Lauren Aquilina