SHINee Taemin's 'Criminal' the Most 'Unforgettable Song That Defined K-Pop This 2020' + Full List

By Mhaliya Scott Dec 30, 2020

Today marks the end of 2020, which is for many people the worst year they had so far. While serious and big problems seem to be endless this year, K-pop continues to bring comfort and give healing to fans all over the world through the release of songs that made 2020 a little sweeter.

Below are the 35 of the best K-pop songs selected by BuzzFeed that, according to them, "got us through this year." The No. 1 song they selected is SHINee's Taemin's recent single titled "Criminal." Released on September 7, the track serves as the lead single of the first part (Act 1) of his third Korean studio album, "Never Gonna Dance Again." Also, it marked his return to the K-pop scene as a solo artist for the first time in a year and seven months.

"Criminal" is described to be a synthwave song that conveys attraction toward someone as Stockholm syndrome - this syndrome is a psychological response that takes place when abused victims or hostages get along with their abusers or captors. That being said, in the track, SHINee's Taemin is being controlled wholly by someone else, and yet he used that situation to grow.

"Theatrical and hypnotic, 'Criminal' is pure genius," BuzzFeed noted.

In a certain interview, SHINee's Taemin shared that he gave a lot of his opinions on different points of the album, including the songs, the music video, the visual side, and more. In particular, he revealed that he added ad-libs in the last chorus of "Criminal" while he was recording and thinking about how he could make the track sound refreshing.

Upon the release of SHINee's Taemin's "Criminal," the song immediately peaked at No. 1 on major music charts such as Genie, Bugs, and Vibe. Additionally, the album "Never Gonna Dance Again : Act 1" topped iTunes charts all over the world, specifically in 20 regions, including the United States, Canada, and Russia.