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Hi! I'm in LAX currently, awaiting my flight back home after an incredible trip. I hope you all are doing well!
So good news: trip went amazing! Me and my good friend K went to 6 different bookstores in the LA area, ate a ton of good gluten free food (she's celiac, I'm supportive), and most importantly! WE SAW TAEMIN!
Now, this is mostly for Ash to help further the Taemin Brainrot, but I'm also talking about my feelings here to sort them out.
We went to concert venue on Sunday in absolute giddiness, this is his first world tour despite having been a solo artist since 2014 and a member of the band SHINee since 2008. To give you an idea of who Taemin is, let me introduce you to the song that got me into him, and therefore into later his band and k-pop in general: CRIMINAL.
Saw this around the time it released in 2019 and baby I was HOOKED. The voice, the controlled and precise dancing, the dark, gothic decadence! It's incredible! I had 3 or so friends who were already into both his band and his solo music, and they were happy to tell me more about him. One of them said he was Catholic and I went oh so THAT'S why He's Like That. I get it!
He's also the youngest of his band SHINee, maknae as they say in Korean. (He was only 15ish in 2008 when they debuted and... yeah. There are a LOT of problems involved with starting such a demanding career in such a demanding industry as a child... and that's not even getting into the objectification that idols of all ages and genders deal with.) And boy does he get This Is Our Spoiled Baby privileges with his bandmates. They buy him fancy gifts when he asks, they let him cuddle when they wouldn't let anyone else, they were super affectionate when he rejoined the band after his mandatory military service. He's SPOILED rotten. Observe:
This 15th anniversary livestream was recorded soon after he got to reunite with his hyungs (older peers), and you don't even have to watch the whole thing. You can just see how he constantly maintains skinship or other contact for reassurance, and they're all subtly making sure he's included, okay, engaged, and happy. (This livestream has a lot of feelings for a lot of fans, since it also happened not long before another member had to take a hiatus for his health.)
Now, given that he is obviously the baby of the group, guess what he did for his solo debut back in 2014 to depart from that baby image and establish his own unique brand as a solo artist? Danger:
He basically smashed every public perception of him created over the last 6 years of his career as a member of SHINee. People were losing it, according to the fans who've been following him for a long time.
Now, back to his current concert. It was incredible. He's such a passionate performer live, and really lives in and basks in the moment with his fans. Also, the fan club created such a beautiful tribute video thanking him for his music and encouraging him in his future endeavors. It was a lot, given that he only just split with the company he'd been signed with his entire adult life and more, and was taking a bold move with a new company. He got so moved and choked up, he almost forgot the order of events to close out his show. It was so sweet!
Now, to the less fun fangirly stuff. It was ironic that I was traveling to see a show for an artist who has helped me a lot in my 30s at the SAME TIME that the biggest artist of my 20s pissed. me. off. a. lot. I've had icons of GACKT on this account for almost a decade? And now I'm gonna switch them out because, short version, on the zombie bird app, GACKT praised Trump. I won't go into details because it'll upset me, but!
Everyone I've been longtime friends with due to shared GACKT fangirling is fucking devastated. I distanced myself emotionally years ago for other reasons that unsettled me. So while angry, I'm not as upset as like, 20, 21-year-old me would have been. And this has reminded me that I can by all means take comfort from artists but... at least, for my obsessive self. I'm going to need boundaries in case. Stuff like this happens.
BUT. The fangirl heart wants what it wants, and so for now, I'm just leaning hard into the Taemin fangirling and hoping the best for him. I hope he gets to tour wherever he wants and make whatever art he wants and wear whatever he wants.
So good news: trip went amazing! Me and my good friend K went to 6 different bookstores in the LA area, ate a ton of good gluten free food (she's celiac, I'm supportive), and most importantly! WE SAW TAEMIN!
Now, this is mostly for Ash to help further the Taemin Brainrot, but I'm also talking about my feelings here to sort them out.
We went to concert venue on Sunday in absolute giddiness, this is his first world tour despite having been a solo artist since 2014 and a member of the band SHINee since 2008. To give you an idea of who Taemin is, let me introduce you to the song that got me into him, and therefore into later his band and k-pop in general: CRIMINAL.
Saw this around the time it released in 2019 and baby I was HOOKED. The voice, the controlled and precise dancing, the dark, gothic decadence! It's incredible! I had 3 or so friends who were already into both his band and his solo music, and they were happy to tell me more about him. One of them said he was Catholic and I went oh so THAT'S why He's Like That. I get it!
He's also the youngest of his band SHINee, maknae as they say in Korean. (He was only 15ish in 2008 when they debuted and... yeah. There are a LOT of problems involved with starting such a demanding career in such a demanding industry as a child... and that's not even getting into the objectification that idols of all ages and genders deal with.) And boy does he get This Is Our Spoiled Baby privileges with his bandmates. They buy him fancy gifts when he asks, they let him cuddle when they wouldn't let anyone else, they were super affectionate when he rejoined the band after his mandatory military service. He's SPOILED rotten. Observe:
This 15th anniversary livestream was recorded soon after he got to reunite with his hyungs (older peers), and you don't even have to watch the whole thing. You can just see how he constantly maintains skinship or other contact for reassurance, and they're all subtly making sure he's included, okay, engaged, and happy. (This livestream has a lot of feelings for a lot of fans, since it also happened not long before another member had to take a hiatus for his health.)
Now, given that he is obviously the baby of the group, guess what he did for his solo debut back in 2014 to depart from that baby image and establish his own unique brand as a solo artist? Danger:
He basically smashed every public perception of him created over the last 6 years of his career as a member of SHINee. People were losing it, according to the fans who've been following him for a long time.
Now, back to his current concert. It was incredible. He's such a passionate performer live, and really lives in and basks in the moment with his fans. Also, the fan club created such a beautiful tribute video thanking him for his music and encouraging him in his future endeavors. It was a lot, given that he only just split with the company he'd been signed with his entire adult life and more, and was taking a bold move with a new company. He got so moved and choked up, he almost forgot the order of events to close out his show. It was so sweet!
Now, to the less fun fangirly stuff. It was ironic that I was traveling to see a show for an artist who has helped me a lot in my 30s at the SAME TIME that the biggest artist of my 20s pissed. me. off. a. lot. I've had icons of GACKT on this account for almost a decade? And now I'm gonna switch them out because, short version, on the zombie bird app, GACKT praised Trump. I won't go into details because it'll upset me, but!
Everyone I've been longtime friends with due to shared GACKT fangirling is fucking devastated. I distanced myself emotionally years ago for other reasons that unsettled me. So while angry, I'm not as upset as like, 20, 21-year-old me would have been. And this has reminded me that I can by all means take comfort from artists but... at least, for my obsessive self. I'm going to need boundaries in case. Stuff like this happens.
BUT. The fangirl heart wants what it wants, and so for now, I'm just leaning hard into the Taemin fangirling and hoping the best for him. I hope he gets to tour wherever he wants and make whatever art he wants and wear whatever he wants.
