SHINee's Onew Talks About His Experience Recording "Circle," Expectations For 2023, And More 

SHINee’s Onew recently posed for Allure Korea!

In an interview that followed the photo shoot, Onew talked about his new album, recent solo concert, and more.

Onew recently released his first full-length studio album “Circle.” When asked why he decided to release a full-length album, he replied, “I decided it was the right time. I wanted to honestly show the inner side of the human Onew. I also wanted to broaden the spectrum of my music. I think ‘Circle’ will be a great stepping stone for my future activities.”

Regarding the production process of the album, Onew revealed, “For this album, I was completely involved in the production process from start to finish. I can’t count how many rounds of mixing and mastering we did. We went through everything over and over again—nothing was left untouched including the tune, beat, mixing, recording, and mastering.”

He continued, “I like the lyrics of the songs on this album and the title track ‘O (Circle)’ in particular. During the production process, I said many times that the lyrics turned out great. Lyricist Kim Eana did a good job of understanding my intentions. I wrote down the lyrics based on the images and thoughts that came to mind after hearing ‘O (Circle)’ for the first time and showed them to the A&R team. The words and mood I used were pretty dark, but the lyricist completed it beautifully and refreshingly.”

When asked if there is a special meaning behind the way the songs are arranged on the album, Onew explained, “From the very first track to the last track, I wanted to make it feel like watching a single performance. So I looked at the composition of the songs and placed them in the order that sounded best in my opinion.”

He was then asked about his experience while recording “O (Circle),” and he shared, “I had ‘O (Circle)’ in mind even before ‘DICE.’ I was convinced that it was the perfect song. After recording the song the first time, I wasn’t quite satisfied with it, so I discarded it and started recording all over again. While recording all the songs, I tried to accurately convey my emotions and clearly understand the intentions of the person giving the directions. We communicated closely throughout the entire process.”

On his recent solo concert, which all the members of SHINee attended, he was asked how he felt about seeing the members in the audience. Onew revealed, “It was so encouraging! Just knowing that they were there was reassuring. SHINee has always been my pride, my driving force, and my stimulus.”

The interviewer went on to ask him what he talked about with the members backstage after the performance, and he shared, “Since we are so close, we don’t say much about each other’s activities. We just tend to give feedback and share jokes, but they said that they enjoyed the concert.”

When the interviewer asked if there was any other memorable feedback on the concert, Onew revealed, “A close friend I’ve known since middle school attended the concert. He sent me a message saying, ‘I like the songs this time.’ He is a friend who gives me feedback on every album.”

Finally, he was asked what his expectations are for the year 2023. He replied, “This year’s goals and mindset are not much different from last year. I want everyone I know to be happy, even in trivial things. Personally, I hope that there will be more things I want to do as Onew and as Lee Jin Ki.”

Onew’s full interview and pictorial will be available in Allure Korea’s April issue.

In the meantime, watch Onew in “Descendants of the Sun” below:

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