Onew is one of the five members of 2nd generation group SHINee, along with Key, Taemin, Minho, and the late Jonghyun, and debuted with them in 2008 before debuting as a soloist ten years later with Blue.

Here are my credentials: If you’ve ever read my blog before, you’ll know I’m a huge ShaWol (SHINee fan), and so I’m slowly making my way through their solo discographies before eventually tackling their huge discography as a group. I’ve done Taemin, Jonghyun, Key, and now Onew, but Onew’s actually the one I know the least well, so I’m excited to get to know more! (Also shoutout to @fallsouthwinter on Tumblr, who knows his work like the back of their hand and helped me out).

(This is on my list to re-do, which will hopefully be done right when his new album comes out in July!)

EP #1: Voice

Blue is a ballad if ever there was one, and usually ballads take a lot to win me over…but this one managed! I love dancing and beautiful production, but I’m a singer at heart, and so I couldn’t help but be won over by Onew’s absolutely stunning voice mixed with such light strings. I don’t know exactly which life experiences the song is about, but the way he sings it, it’s like he’s pouring his heart into every note, and it’s quite an affecting performance, even without a translation. The MV too is gorgeous, all in shades of blue, gray, and white, swirling around him in a vortex.

Voice is quite a melancholy EP on the whole, but I still enjoyed the gentle pull-back and rush-forward of Your Scent, the catharsis in the slow-building Illusion, and especially the sweetness and warmth in the lyrics and acoustic guitar of Shine On You (my hidden gem); I go “aww” at the “I love you” every time.

EP #2: Dice

Dice is a song that, somehow, I hadn’t actually heard before? It seems kind of shocking, considering it’s his most popular song. It goes the precise opposite way from Blue, being much cuter, poppier, and stranger (the last mostly in terms of music video), and overall reminded me a little of Jonghyun’s laid-back R & B style, just with a peppier edge. Though the song itself is nothing incredible, Onew’s voice makes everything more enjoyable, and the music video had me very amused (especially when they run away together, lol). I also like the bridge a lot.

From the EP, also called Dice, I enjoyed the building synths in the dancy, appropriately sunny Sunshine (my hidden gem), the vintage background beat in On The Way, and the vulnerability expressed in Love Phobia.

Interlude: Who Sings & Life Goes On

Kirakira, of course, is a Japanese release, and returns to the orchestral style of Blue, but with a far more upbeat feeling that I think works quite well with his voice. It has an excellent driving beat from its underlying guitar (which actually gets a solo, here), and a brightness that feels like it comes from deep within. And, that music video is adorable; I can never resist a cat! This is actually my favorite single so far, which is a surprise. Apparently it’s a cover of an older J-pop song by Odu Kazumasa, and “Kirakira” literally means “shiny”, which I hope was a choice made on purpose, because if so, that’s very sweet.

From the EP, Who Sings?, I loved the jazzier direction taken with the building strings in the slowly burning (seven-minute-long!) Everything, which feels like more of an epic or opera than just a song, so I couldn’t pick anything else as my hidden gem. But, I also enjoyed the feel-good orchestral pop of Uroko.

Life Goes On is also a Japanese title, and like Kirakira, features the story of someone other than Onew in its music video (though he does appear in this one). It’s peppier from the outset, and feels like the OST of a drama set by the beach, which makes sense for a summer track. I especially enjoy its central message of joy and its encouragement for the little trials that life puts us through, and I admit that, though I expected to be bored at first, it won me over.

From the EP, Life Goes On, my hidden gem was made by the 60’s indie-soft-rock vibes of Yoake No Sekai and the pathos and comfort in his voice in Lighthouse.

Album #1: Circle

Circle is the first single I ever really saw from Onew, and it made me fall in love with his voice, for good reason. It’s so light and airy, but holds so much warmth and inner strength in it, which makes it quite unique. Circle is at times peaceful and soothing, and at others a little haunting with how high his voice goes. As a Wiccan, of course I appreciate the idea of life going on in cycles of seasons, years, and elements, and the ending with the full choir behind him mixed with the gentle strings and slow beat gave me goosebumps.

From the album, Circle, I had so many highlights: the coffee-shop vibeyness and percussive guitar of Rain On Me, the easy charm of Caramel (which reminded me of IU’s Bbibbi with its bubbly beat), the spacey synths of Anywhere, the soaring vocals and bright acoustic guitar of Paradise, the tongue-in-cheek vocalizing in the groovy No Parachute, and the cozy warmth of Walk With You. I completely understand why Billboard named it their top k-pop album of the year. Well deserved.

Interlude 2: Inspiration & Knock On My Door

Inspiration and Knock On My Door are Japanese singles, and I won’t spend too much time on them. Inspiration combines a very classic K-pop winter sound (those twinkling sound effects!) with a peppy underlying beat, and is pretty enjoyable, as holiday-sounding songs go. Knock On My Door is slower and more stripped-back, opting once more for an acoustic guitar and the strength of Onew’s vocals to create what’s quite a pleasant song, but a bit forgettable.

EP #3: FLOW

Beat Drum is Onew’s first release since leaving SM Entertainment and joining Griffin (and since returning from a very long break), and so I was curious about what sound he would go with.  It turns out that Beat Drum takes a middle path, taking the upbeat sound and synthy feel of Dice while working in the new element of hip-hop and a much quicker underlying drum. It’s a song that sounds like a celebration, and though it’s different from his previous work, it still feels like Onew. My one complaint, though, is that it’s too short. It’s not even two and a half minutes! I demand at least thirty more seconds of him harmonizing.

From the EP, Flow, I enjoyed the light footed sound and synthy beat of Hola, the woozy, dreamy vibes of Maestro, and the dance-floor ready sound of All Day. I couldn’t choose a hidden gem, but so far I feel like Hola has a bit of an edge.

Single #1: Mansae

While Beat Drum was a little bit on the subdued side, not even the most critical viewer could accuse Mansae of being the same. Right from the start, it bursts forward with an insistent, bass-driven beat, trippy percussion, and some delightfully funky interpolations. But the best part of this is that, despite all of the bizarre music video choices (funny as they may be), Onew’s vocals are really what take center stage. I’m often of the opinion that vocals go underappreciated in upbeat songs, but here, they’re rightfully the star of the show. It’s so nice to see! And I admit I smiled like a fool when Jinki yelled “Nan hanbokhae!” (I’m happy!) at the end. Because I think I believe him.

EP#4: Connection

I’m very biased when it comes to Winner., not only because I love SHINee, but because it goes for one of my all-time favorite sounds, a slowly building power ballad. With a mix of melancholy and hopeful that is a perfect fit for Onew’s specific voice, the song feels full-to-bursting with the kind hard-won determination to keep going. The MV is at times heartbreaking and cathartic, watching him scream in the bathtub and belt on a rooftop, “As long as the traces of my fight remain, I’ll raise my fists and yell at the sky.” I especially loved the outro, which brought in some almost gospel-like influences and connected his struggles to those of people around the world. And after all he’s been through in the last years, I can’t help but feel like it’s autobiographical. And I didn’t miss the hints to Jjong’s Lonely, especially with the bathtub. He even co-wrote it; Jonghyun would be so proud of his hyung. And though he’s a decade older than me, I’m proud of him too.

From the EP, I enjoyed the backing choir in Promise You, the funky influences in Boy, and the easygoing warmth of Conversation, which was probably my hidden gem. This would have been a solid package even without Winner and Mansae, but all together, it’s a strong contender for one of my favorites of the year, which, at time of writing, is six days old.

Single #1: MAD

Mad is Onew’s first English single, something that has a fairly mixed history in k-pop, from awkward lyrics to complete departures from group’s personalities. This one is…fine. The lyrics are good and the vocals are lovely as always, but it opts for a fairly laid-back coffeeshop sound that’s never been among my favorites of his preferred genres. There’s also, for some reason, no official MV, which didn’t help keep me engaged. I think it feels more like a b-side than a single in its own right, but I could definitely see it growing on me.

Verdict: TL;DR

I’m glad I did this! Looking through Onew’s discography is something I’ve been meaning to do for a while. I gained a brand new respect for Onew’s beautiful voice and how well it fits with strings. I don’t have the same emotional connection to his work that I do with Taemin’s, Key’s, and Jonghyun’s, but I think it could really grow on me in time. I’m really looking forward to his album later this year!

My Top 5 songs are Kirakira, Circle, Winner, Life Goes On, and Shine On You, with Conversation as an honorable mention. Onew gets an 8.75 out of 10 from me, which is about what I expected. Like with Kim Sejeong’s work, I’m not a fan of an overwhelming amount of ballads, but I found that besides that, it had a pretty decent balance. The genres he delves into aren’t always among my favorites, but when he nails it, he really nails it.

Next time, we’ll be doing part 2 of the SHINHWA deep dive and a girl group supplemental. Tschüss!

(SHINee Deep Dive)