The Recap: ONEW Brings 110% (Percent) of His Magic to Chicago
Ever since breaking away from his longtime label and joining Griffin Entertainment in 2024, SHINeeโs ONEW has been on a roll. The singer has been churning out music like candy while cultivating a solo career that marries his comforting and gentle timbre with an infectious energy thatโs impossible to ignore. Less than a year after his last U.S. tour, ONEW returned to Chicago on January 14 with โONEW The Live: Percent (%),โ bringing an abundance of pearl aqua magic and a little more conversation with him.
Energy Levels
As fans gathered inside the Copernicus Center, the excitement of seeing ONEW again โ or in my case, for the first time โ coursed through the air, becoming more contagious with every interaction. Whether fans dressed up for the occasion, decked out in SHINeeโs official pearl aqua color and other shades of blue, or decided to spread cheer through gifting freebies, the energy was nothing but positive, joyful, and electric โ exactly the type of vibe Iโve come to expect at a K-pop concert.
At these types of shows, especially those featuring K-popโs newer generation, the audienceโs age range tends to skew more to teens and young adults. However, considering that ONEW is nearly 20 years into his career and many fans have followed his journey since SHINeeโs debut in 2008, itโs worth noting that this is one of the few shows where youโll find a majority of adults in their mid-to-late 20s, 30s, or even older. Some have started families, bringing their kids along for the experience and making what will probably become a core memory for both children and their parents. Itโs times like these that Iโm reminded of how expansive K-popโs reach truly is, and how special it must be for ONEW to receive this generational love in real-time.
Welcome To the Show
As ONEW opened the show with โPERCENT (%),โ an experimentally tempting B-side off of his album of the same name, the singer automatically set the tone for what fans could expect from this show. Something a little jazzy, a little loose, and overall intimate, ONEWโs aura comes simply from commanding the stage with nothing else but a mic, a mic stand, and his voice. While large movements arenโt necessarily required, especially given the reserved nature of his first few songs, the minimal actions he did take โ like putting both hands in the pockets of his gray suit during โNo Parachuteโ โ ended up being that much more impactful, showcasing his silent yet gentle masculinity.
From there, the singer initiated the third song of the night, โYeowoobi,โ by holding up his hand and saying, โLights,โ signaling the audience to hold their diamond-shaped lightsticks high in the air. The moment itself feels like itโs ripped straight out of a movie, with hands softly waving back and forth as ONEWโs lush voice fills both the venue and hearts alike. โYour love takes me higher than Iโve ever been,โ he sings longingly. The soothing moment doesnโt last long, though; before you know it, heโs already amping up the mood with โFar Away,โ a 2000s-inspired alt-rock number that stands out from his other performances thus far. As light and breezy as the nightโs been, itโs the section that follows these first four songs that truly captures ONEWโs endearing and playful personality.
Curiosity & Conversation in their purest forms
During K-pop concerts, itโs become standard practice for artists to have โmentsโ (shortened from โcommentsโ) in between performance segments. During these ments, the idols will greet fans, delve deeper into the meaning of the tour, and casually chat with the audience about what theyโve been up to while on the road. While most groups tend to keep their ments more concise (especially the larger the group), soloists have the pleasure of letting the conversation flow a little more freely โ a benefit ONEW takes full advantage of, considering he literally has a song called โConversation.โ
โIโm so happy that I can be back after such a short amount of time,โ the singer said. โI told you I would keep coming back to see you under lots of different subtitles for โThe Live.โโ He continues to explain that โThe Liveโ is a branding for his concerts, where he can showcase his various charms and live performances. So far, from 2025โs โONEW The Live: Connectionโ to โONEW The Live: Percent (%),โ each subtitle has been derived from the names of his albums. Following his discussion of the tourโs meaning, ONEW does something that you donโt often see at other K-pop shows: celebrating his fansโ personal achievements.
When idols interact with their fans, itโs usually by reading handmade signs, responding to โI love youโs being shouted from across the venue, or asking which of their songs and performances fans liked best. But this time, ONEW specifically asks the audience whatโs going on in their lives, and if thereโs anything positive they want to share. Itโs honestly such a refreshing change of pace. โI was here last April for โONEW The Live: Connection โ have you guys been well since then?โ he asks genuinely. โDo you guys have any good news?โ
The question barely left his mouth before fans started enthusiastically shouting, โYes,โ so he kindly took this opportunity to catch up with his Jjinggu (ONEWโs fandom name) and get to know his tour pen-pals on a personal level. One fan shouted they had passed their political science exams because of him, while another mentioned she got a new house. ONEWโs eyes widened as he congratulated both. The third and final fan he called on shared that she got a new job, and although he couldnโt quite understand the nature of the job, he was equally excited and applauded regardless.
Itโs one thing to tell your fans that you love and care about them, but itโs another to actually show it. What ONEW demonstrated during his first ment is that he honestly cares about whether his fans are living happy lives, and he wants to celebrate their wins the same way they celebrate his. If thatโs not a wholesome idol-fan relationship, then I donโt know what is.
Standout Performances
All Day: If youโre looking for a song that you can just lose yourself in while surrendering to the groove, look no further than โAll Day,โ a jazzy B-side from ONEWโs 2024 EP, Flow. Soaked in feel-good rhythms and an addictive bassline, โAll Dayโ is a dream built to seep into the audienceโs mind, body, and spirit as ONEW coasts along its ethereal hook, flitting from one end of the stage to the other as if heโs walking on air.
The track itself doesnโt even reach the three-minute mark, but the SHINee leader manages to extend his performance by looping the chorus. Itโs something I didnโt even know I needed, but I found myself wanting it to never end โ mesmerized by the pink-tinted lights from above as ONEW submerged the crowd in a sonic symbiosis. Even after returning home that night, the โAll Dayโ experience continued playing on a loop in my head (and on my phone).
MAESTRO: Staying within the Flow album, ONEWโs stage led straight into another B-side, โMAESTRO,โ a retro funk track with a bit of โ70s influence. This is where we see ONEW the most energetic so far, reveling in the swing of it all as he hoists his mic stand high in the air during the pre-chorus. He struck a pose right as the newly added synth beats hit, singing, โ ์์ ์ ์ด ํ์ ํ์ (I am the maestro under the ocean).โ
The new synths added so much star power to the moment, as if ONEW wasnโt just simply stating heโs the maestro, but declaring it. The crowd became his symphony, and it made the buildup to the chorus that much more rewarding in a way that may not have hit as hard without the extra instrumental push. The change clearly resonated, though โ fans erupted into a sea of cheers and continued to do so long after the song had ended, leaving the singer blissfully dumbfounded by the response.
Winner: Even before making his solo debut back in 2018 with Voice, ONEW was no stranger to the power of a ballad โ itโs what he has become known for outside of SHINeeโs more colorful works. Knowing that, fans were in for a treat when the singer decided to slow it down with โStarry Nightโ and โWinner.โ The latter song holds so much more weight when you realize itโs about knowing your worth and standing strong in it. ONEWโs performance starts soft, almost feather-like, in the first half, before gradually building into this wave of warmth and reassurance, mirroring the journey of self-doubt into self-confidence.
โI wrote this song thinking that, as you guys live your day-to-day lives, you go through life thinking, โI am a winner,โโ ONEW explains following his performance. โYou guys are doing an amazing job just surviving […].โ
It may not feel like much to some, but regardless of what someone has gone through or is still going through, Iโm willing to bet thereโs at least one person in the crowd that night who needed to hear that. And sometimes, thatโs all it takes.
Silky: If anyone needed any more convincing that ONEWโs range is a godsend, โSilkyโ appears right in the nick of time. With its languid and almost sensual allure, the Percent (%) B-side feels even more intimate than it lets on. While the singer stated itโs about those lazy days when he just wants to sleep in and relax in his bed, thereโs something inherently sexy about the production and the way his voice savors each note.
Objectively, though, it is an impressive performance, considering ONEW spends most of it in his head voice (or higher register) and does so effortlessly while sitting down. If youโve ever taken vocal lessons, youโll know this is a skill in itself, as standing while singing is usually the preferred technique for many vocalists. However, ONEW takes it all in stride, expertly switching from his head to chest voice and delivering velvety riffs he could probably do in his sleep.
MAD: Thereโs something about when ONEW stays in the pocket of a song thatโs just effortlessly cool. Sure, he can belt for days and bring listeners to tears with a single note, but itโs so fascinating and captivating when he doesnโt have to โ and thatโs โMADโ in a nutshell. With its easy-listening R&B tone and sleek production, itโs the type of performance you can just vibe to without giving it a second thought. It also helps that itโs his first all-English track, making it that much easier for English-speaking fans to grasp and sing along to. As one of the songs I was most excited to hear live, โMADโ did not disappoint.
ANIMALS: In the final leg of the show (at least, before the encore), ONEW unleashes his wild side with the funky synth-pop track, โANIMALS.โ With this performance, he serves us theatrics, drama, and intensity as he throws his head back and commits to the animalistic nature of the track. By the time we got to the bridge, the SHINee member delivered one of the most ferocious belts Iโve ever heard, thrashing around the stage and providing the final blow of an explosive final chorus. Like art imitates life, ONEW is finally free to create, experiment, and rediscover music in a way that is both liberating and fulfilling.
Yay: At this point in a K-pop concert, the artist wouldโve already gone through at least two or three breaks in between sets, with wardrobe changes, before the final encore stage. ONEW, on the other hand, doesnโt take a single break to recoup or change backstage until the encore. Mind you, that means he had been on stage either singing or talking for an entire hour and a half straight โ that usually never happens. Of course, circumstances would be much different if he were executing intense choreography this whole time. However, itโs still a testament to his vocal and mental stamina that heโs able to preserve that much energy without strain.
With that said, โYayโ was easily one of the most fun and infectious numbers of the night as ONEW bounced around the stage like a bunny on Easter Sunday. With most of his other U.S. stops, the singer would come down the aisles during this performance and interact with the fans up close โ itโs become one of his favorite things to do. Unfortunately, due to the venueโs policy that night, ONEW was unable to fulfill that ritual for Chicago. Regardless, the singer is not one to have fans going home empty-handed, so he prepared and signed little stuffed animals and stress balls to toss into the crowd.
Iโm convinced ONEWโs motto must be, โNo fan gets left behind,โ because after he gently tossed stuffed animals to fans on the floor, he chucked those stress balls all the way to the upper balcony like it was nothing. After the video went viral on TikTok, even the MLB couldnโt help but chime in. ONEW for the first pitch at a U.S. baseball game, anyone? Never say never.
Happy Birthday: Finally, โONEW The Live: Percent (%)โ closes with โHappy Birthday,โ a bright and hopeful song where ONEW can simultaneously wish fans a happy birthday, regardless of the physical distance between them. Maybe Iโm a bit biased because my own birthday is coming up โ and because his SHINee bandmate Jonghyun also has a โHappy Birthdayโ song โ but this performance was such a cathartic moment. As ONEWโs voice fills the venue one last time, carried by the swell of the instrumental, Iโm reminded to make every moment count, to let the euphoria sink in before itโs gone. As ONEW takes his final bows, he does just that, sitting in the gratitude of being able to touch so many lives so far away from home. For him, itโs the greatest gift of them all.
Verdict
No matter what percent you were at before the show, whether itโs 50% or 2%, youโre guaranteed to leave โONEW The Live: Percent (%)โ feeling like 110% or more. From his witty sense of humor and kind gestures to his sweet crooning, ONEW manages to fill up the crowdโs happiness gauge until itโs bubbling over, and the energy is reciprocated to the highest degree. The best way to describe this tour would be, โsunshine, rainbows, and giggles, but make it a little wild, funky, and sexy.โ
When he wasnโt singing his heart out or playing the audience like a maestro, ONEW was making an effort to hear and respond to as many of the fansโ declarations of love as he could. I think that pretty much sums up his character and dedication quite nicely.
For updates on all things ONEW, be sure to follow him on Instagram and X.
Looking for more recaps? Check out EnViโs review of Sarah Kinglsey in NYC here!
