SHINee's Onew: "My Voice Is My Weapon, I've Gained Confidence as a Solo Artist"

Onew Returns with New Full-Length Album "Percent" After 2 Years and 4 Months

Singer Onew is greeting at the showcase commemorating the release of his second full-length album 'PERCENT' held on the 15th at Myeonghwa Live Hall in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

"Although I have released many full-length albums as a member of SHINee, I haven't had many solo activities. I felt that now was the right time."

Onew, a member of the group SHINee, expressed his thoughts on the release of his new album at the showcase for his second full-length album "Percent" held on the afternoon of July 15 at Myeonghwa Live Hall in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul. This album is his first new release in about five months since his fourth mini-album "Connection," which was released in January. As a full-length album, it is his first in two years and four months since his first full-length album "Circle," which was released in March 2023.

"Percent" is an album that documents the process of being emptied and filled, moving toward completion. It carries the message that, as we live our lives, we encounter various beings and form complementary relationships with them, ultimately achieving 100%. Onew, who participated in the production, infused the album with his belief that while one cannot be complete alone, there is beauty in being an imperfect existence.

He said, "I wanted to quantify various emotions. As we live, many things happen. There are times when we are happy and times when we are anxious, but sometimes we also find hope in between. I tried to express these emotional changes through music."

Singer Onew is performing the title track "Animal" at the showcase celebrating the release of his second full-length album "Percent" held on the 15th at Myeonghwa Live Hall in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

He also shared his thoughts on musical experimentation. He said, "When I was younger, I didn't really like my own voice, but at some point, it started to feel like a new weapon, and I gained confidence. I wanted to show a lot of fun things. Whatever I try, the fact that it is uniquely Onew is my greatest strength."

For the title track "Animal," he even challenged himself with singing rap. He said, "I was worried that if I did too well, it might actually interfere with the song, but I did my best in my own way so as not to harm the song. I hope you think of it as me showing what I can do right now."

"Animal" is a song that captures the moment when instincts are unleashed. It features a driving synthesizer and FX sounds reminiscent of animal cries. He said, "You'll feel excited when you listen to the song. I hope you'll awaken your instincts and enjoy it."

The album contains a total of 11 tracks, including "Silky," "Caffeine," "Marshmallow," "Confidence," "Orae OKㅋ," "Faraway," "Mad," "Percent," and "Epilogue." It will be released on various music platforms at 6 p.m. on July 15. To commemorate the album's release, a pop-up store will also open from this day at the Shinsegae Department Store Gangnam branch in Seoul.