ONEW Releases First Full-length Japanese Solo Album, Life goes on
Ahead of his upcoming Japanese tour, SHINeeโs leader and vocal powerhouse ONEW released his Japanese album, Life goes on, with the title track of the same name. The songs were digitally pre-released on June 29, but the album was officially and physically released on July 6. The full-length album contains six new songs and four cover songs. His versatility as an artist is showcased in the mixture of emotional ballads such as โLighthouseโ to the R&B track โBeauty.โ
Aiming to Spread Positivity
During his โSpecial Talk Event,โ ONEW explained that he wants listeners of his music โto find happiness in their lives.โ The title track of the album, โLife goes on,โ creates positivity with the mixture of the bright melody, sweet vocals, and an uplifting message.
The lyrics encourage listeners to find the beauty in mundane life, โEven if you donโt wanna accept it/ Look at the reality and raise your head.โ Meaning that when people worry about things that have happened in the past, they are missing out on lifeโs current beauty. Ultimately, despite hardships, life goes on, so ONEW wants listeners to enjoy every day.
The music video encapsulates this optimistic message by following a womanโs (played by Japanese actress, Hinako Sakurai) daily life. She is able to find joy in situations, such as petting a dog and dancing whilst completing chores. To add smiles to the faces of viewers, the refreshing song is also matched by ONEWโs bright smile in the video as he sings on a beautiful beach.
ONEW is the leader of SMโs five-member boy group, SHINee. The groupโs fans, Shawols, noticed the parallels between โLife goes onโ and SHINeeโs โBoys Meet Uโ music video as they were both filmed in Okinawa. ONEW also explained that member Taemin gave him advice for the songs on the album, highlighting the groupโs supportive bond.
Positivity is also portrayed through the upbeat track, โๅคๆใใฎไธ็ (Yoake No Sekai).โ Opening the album, it has a comforting vibe with a soft melody, feeling like a hug from ONEW. He sings the moving lyrics, โThe trembling of your fingertips is a sign of lifeโ with a bright vocal tone. This suggests that the worries people face when they begin to fall in love are merely natural emotions that everyone experiences.
ONEWโs Powerful Vocals
The second track on the album is โ้ ใ่ตทใใๆใซ (Osoku Okita Asani).โ Despite being almost six minutes in length, the song remains dreamy with ONEWโs peaceful vocals that fill listenersโ hearts with warmth. The track contains the refreshing message that love can be simple, even if people talk of it as a โphantom that canโt be grasped.โ Instead, for ONEW, love is natural as represented through the imagery of โwavesโ and โendless blue sea,โ which is also fitting for the summer release.
Beginning with soft piano notes is the next track on the album, โLife isโฆโ The song elicits emotion with ONEWโs soothing adlibs. His impressive vocal control makes his musical theatre experience and 14 years as a member of SHINee clear. The writer of the track, Sayaka Inoue, said she was โspellbound by his truly beautiful voice.โ
ONEW showcases his lower register in the fifth song on the album, โLighthouse.โ Whilst the instrumental is mellow in the beginning, the emotion in his voice alone is strong enough to tell the story. The lyrics use the metaphor of a lighthouse to represent gratitude to a person that โilluminates the world.โ An electric guitar kicks in during the climax of the song, but this does not overpower ONEWโs breathtaking ending vocals.
A Mature Charm
The fourth song on the album is the R&B track, โBeauty.โ The song allows ONEW to present a more mature side of himself with his sultry vocals. His Korean title track โDICEโ compared love to a game which was uncertain. However, โBeautyโ represents ONEWโs confidence as he sings, โI want to meet the you nobody knows.โ His fans, MVPs, took to Twitter to share their compliments for the track.
Bonus Cover Songs
Disc two of the physical album contains four cover songs that were also included in his album, Who Sings? Vol. 1 released on May 31. His passion for singing and appreciation for music is evident in the covers. The album debuted at number four on Billboard Japan Hot Albums Chart.
Onew chose to include the song โใญใฉใญใฉ (KiraKira)โ due to his admiration for the original artist Oda Kazumasa. The other covers include โEverything,โ โ้ฑ(ใใใ) (Uroko),โ and โใใใใใญในใใใฆ (Yasashii kisu o shite).โย
A Year Full of ONEW
2022 has proven to be a busy year for ONEW. On April 11, he released his second mini-album, DICE where he showed his maturity as an artist. Life goes on has equally been a success as it debuted at number one on Billboardโs Japan Download Albums chart. He is also set to begin his first Japanese solo tour on July 8 which will take place in four cities: Tokyo, Fukuoka, Nagoya, and Osaka. The tour quickly sold out, so two additional dates were added, highlighting his popularity. Additionally, he participated in the musical Midnight Sun which proved that he was born to perform on the stage.
To keep up with ONEWโs upcoming activities make sure to follow SHINee on Twitter and Instagram.
Want to read more about ONEW? Check out EnViโs review of his album DICE here!
