46 Facts About Onew

Onew debuted as the lead vocalist and leader of the South Korean boy band Shinee in May 2008, who went on to become one of the best-selling artists in South Korea.

Onew made his solo debut on December 5,2018, with the release of his first extended play, Voice, five days before his military conscription on December 10,2018.

Onew released his first Korean studio album Circle on March 6,2023.

Onew followed this with the release of his third EP Flow on September 3,2024, and his fourth EP Connection on January 6,2025.

Onew has contributed to songwriting for both himself and Shinee.

Onew received great appreciation from Lee Soo-man, SM Entertainment's founder, at Girls' Generation's debut showcase.

Onew signed a contract with the company the day after he auditioned.

Shortly after debut, Onew contributed to singles for Lee Hyun-ji in 2008, titled "Vanilla Love" and "Vanilla Love Part 2".

In 2010, Onew tried his hand at songwriting and, together with his bandmate Minho, wrote the lyrics for the song "Your Name" from Shinee's second studio album Lucifer.

Onew starred in various musicals starting from 2010, debuting in the musical Brothers Were Brave alongside singer Lee Ji-hoon.

Onew then starred in the Korean production of Rock of Ages playing the lead role, Drew.

Onew has showcased his acting skills via television like having a cameo role as a clumsy doctor in the drama Dr Champ.

Onew had cameo roles in the dramas Athena: Goddess of War, Oh My God x2, Pure Love and sitcom Royal Villa.

Onew sang the soundtrack "Moonlight" for the drama Miss Korea.

Onew was originally cast for the Brazil edition, but had to be replaced because of schedule conflicts.

In 2016, Onew was cast in the drama Descendants of the Sun, which starred Song Hye-kyo and Song Joong-ki.

Onew portrayed first-year resident Dr Lee Chi-hoon, a junior of Song Hye-kyo's character.

Onew was awarded the Newcomer Scene Stealer Award at the 2016 Scene Stealer Festival for his role in Descendants of the Sun.

Onew was confirmed for a new tvN program Eat, Sleep, Eat which serves local recipes through Southeast Asia.

In October 2016, Onew wrote the song "So Amazing" for Shinee's fifth Korean studio album 1 of 1, and another song, "Beautiful Life", for its repackaged album, 1 and 1.

In June 2017, Onew was featured in Heize's music video for the song "I Don't Know You".

Onew went into hiatus and did not participate in the remaining shows of Shinee's 2017 concert tour in Japan.

In May 2018, Onew was featured in Kim Yeon-woo's fifth studio album in the song "Play the Field", which he helped write.

Onew was unable to promote the EP as he enlisted for his mandatory military service as an active duty soldier on December 10,2018, just five days after its release.

In January 2019, Onew joined the military musical Shinheung Military Academy, which tells the story of patriotic youths who fought to gain independence from Japan.

Onew was officially discharged from the military on July 8,2020,12 days earlier than his expected date of discharge in light of South Korea's efforts to combat COVID-19.

In January 2021, Onew resumed activities as part of Shinee.

On February 4,2021, Onew released a song titled "Shadow" as a soundtrack for the drama series Breakup Probation: One Week.

In May 2021, Onew was cast in the musical Midnight Sun as the male lead Ha-ram.

In July 2021, Onew appeared as a regular cast member on Sea of Hope, a variety show where celebrities cook and sing for guests.

In September 2021, Onew joined the cast of March of the Ants Chapter 5, a reality show about investing in the stock market.

In November 2021, Onew participated in the Korea On Stage project for which he visited and filmed singing performances at Yangdong Folk Village as part of The Cultural Heritage Administration and The Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation's tourist campaign to promote Korea's Cultural Heritage.

The single featured lyrics written by Onew alongside established songwriter Kim Eana.

Onew stated that he sought diversity with this EP; like the six-faced object, it consists of six tracks showing different aspects of him as a soloist.

One of the tracks is "In the Whale", a special song showing his affection and gratefulness to fans, which Onew wrote lyrics for.

On December 26, Onew released songs "The Cure" and "Where You Are", collaborating with other labelmates for SM Entertainment's winter album 2022 Winter SM Town: SMCU Palace.

Onew mentioned that while his previous album, Circle, centered around the themes of life's cycles, Flow focuses on the movement within these cycles and how people should do their best in those situations while still preserving their unique identities and that he tried to choose songs that everyone can easily sing along to and enjoy at a concert aiming to be closer to the public.

On January 6,2025, Onew released his fourth EP, Connection, with the lead single "Winner".

Once again, Onew participated in this album's entire production and lyric writing with the goal of it being the connecting bridge to project and express his values, especially happiness, to listeners and comfort them.

On March 7,2025, Onew hosted a special concert titled, Onew's Spring Songs, at the Tokyo Garden Theater in Japan in which Wolf Howl Harmoney performed as a guest.

On 21 April, 2025, Onew released his first-ever English song "Mad" serving as a pre-release for his upcoming second Korean studio album which will be released in July, 2025.

Onew became interested in music at a young age when he started to play the piano.

Onew is one of the main vocalists of Shinee and is known for his distinctively unique vocal color and for his calm and understated voice, providing the strong vocal foundation of the group with fellow member Jonghyun.

In June 2014, Onew underwent a vocal cord polyp removal and vocal fold mucosa reconstruction operation, which made him unable to sing for a few months.

Onew confirmed that Onew's vocal range "improved and he can make sounds comfortably too".

In 2016, Onew donated roughly 1.2 million won to the Korean Heart Association.