Is he really past his prime?
Koreaboo
33 minutes ago
Online communities are abuzz with speculations that SHINee’s Taemin, one of the most legendary idols that second-generation K-Pop has gifted to the world, is losing relevance and fast.
SHINee;s Taemin | @xoalsox/Instagram
Taemin, who is active both as a SHINee member and a soloist, has had a pretty eventful year in 2026. He dropped a digital single, “Permission,” in May 2026, just ahead of his landmark performance at Coachella. Before that, he released his first English single, “Long Way Home,” in March, which recently entered the US Top 40 Radio Airplay chart. His US promotion stint was also marked with some milestone talk show appearances, including The Kelly Clarkson Show and The Jeniffer Hudson Show. Aside from his solo endeavors, Taemin also participated in SHINee’s much-anticipated 6th mini album, Atmos, which was followed by the concert series, 2026 SHINee WORLD VIII: [THE INVERT].
| @shinee/Instagram
Evidently, by the metric of activities, Taemin is nowhere near an idol facing obscurity. However, the chart performance of his latest release has convinced netizens otherwise. Despite his Coachella performance, “Permission” has been unable to draw enough traffic on Melon Music. On June 3, KST, it ranked in the 500s on the streaming platform, with less than 2,000 likes.
| Nate Pann
Even when posts calling Taemin’s latest release a “flop” went viral, the dominant voices appeared to be in agreement. However, some fans defended the idol and his group, arguing that they still had a solid fanbase that tuned in routinely for their activities.
| Nate Pann
- “Apparently, SHINee made a comeback too, lol. Not that anyone would know… but yeah, they didn’t even chart.”
- “Isn’t that obvious? Taemin isn’t even an idol people feel threatened by, so nobody pays him any attention anyway.”
- “It feels like Taemin’s fans’ mentality has gotten weird because his career flopped.”
- “Huh? Is he still active?”
| Nate Pann
- “I watched his Coachella performance and loved it, so I wanted to give him a listen, but it’s not on YouTube Music? SHINee is actually making a comeback soon; given the situation with Key, I doubt they’ll be promoting in the usual way—they’ll probably just stick to doing concerts and the like. SHINee is still incredibly popular, after all. Taemin has also been consistently releasing solo material; the people who want to listen are listening. Does it really only count as “success” if the general public knows about it?”
- “It’s absolutely hilarious that nobody even knows they made a comeback lol.”
- “For someone like Taemin, he’s been insanely successful as a solo artist.”
- “The smear campaign is pathetic. Cut it out. Just leave Taemin alone.”