Taemin Reveals He Was The Mastermind Behind The Idea Of Tying His Hands For “Criminal”

Taemin recently made a comeback as a solo artist after a year and seven months with his new album Never Gonna Dance Again : Act 1 and has been busy releasing tons of content for his long-awaited fans.

With this comeback, the title track “Criminal” gives off a bit more sinister and dark vibe that complements Taemin’s style. Taemin sat down and gave some deeper insight into the process of making the music video through a commentary.

He reveals that he wanted the video to look more cinematic and so he talked with the director and ended up adding an intro to the video to give it that effect.

He also tells a funny story about the part with the moving hands in the background.

You see the hands and things popping out on the side right? Our staff worked hard to make this part happen. While we were filming, I would sometimes push the wall with my hands and end up locking hands with a staff member on the other side. I thought it was so funny and we ended up having bloopers because of that.

⁠— Taemin

He also gives a brief explanation as to what is going on in the video for those that might be confused.

The music video might be a bit confusing so let me explain it a little bit. There’s an evil Taemin and a victim Taemin. He’s a victim but he doesn’t hate it that much. It shows the process of him assimilating to the criminal so you can think of it like the Stockholm syndrome.

⁠— Taemin

After reacting to the music video, he took to Twitter to answer questions left by fans. One fan’s comment stood out as Taemin confidently answered the question.

Fan: Whose idea was it to dance with your hands tied and loosen it with your mouth? I literally screamed when I watched that part. Taemin you are a genius.
Taemin: Yes, tying my hands up was my idea. They weren’t actually fully tied up. It was actually just a band that I twisted on my wrists so that it’s easy to get out off before dancing.

To find out more details about the making of “Criminal,” watch the full commentary below!