One of the most respected and established K-pop groups produced by SM Entertainment, SHINee has been churning out hit after hit since their 2008 debut. (Who hasn’t heard of their classic "Replay," the dynamic "Lucifer," or their Eurodance-inspired "View"?) Through the years, the legendary K-pop group, namely ONEW, KEY, MINHO, and TAEMIN, still dominates the hearts of their fans called Shawols.
The group continues to move forward with their various individual and group schedules except when they had a comeback last June 2023, when their dubu (tofu) leader, ONEW, had to take an unexpected health break.
Thankfully though, the 34-year-old idol got the chance to reunite with his members for a three-day Seoul encore concert in time for their 16th debut anniversary. The whole fandom released a collective sigh of relief after seeing ONEW look so happy and healthy while performing on stage.
Similarly, Filo Jjinggus (Onew's fans) succeeded when they welcomed their beloved Lee Jin Ki to Manila for his very first solo fancon. Lee Jin Ki is Onew's real name, btw!
Held last July 4, 2024 at the New Frontier Theater, the "GUESS!" fan meeting was staged by L-Squared Productions, Inc.—an up-and-coming live events production and promotion company that has previously brought in K-pop acts Whee In of MAMAMOO and LUCAS. Their first foray into the live events scene was the 2023 Cebu V1BE Booze and Arts Festival, which was headlined by impressive local acts Rico Blanco, Urbandub, 6cyclemind, and Zild.
Dr. Marco M. Llado, the CEO of L-Squared, and his team were excited to bring in ONEW. He shared, "The beloved leader of SHINee has such a passionate fanbase here in the Philippines and we had the mindset that it was going to be more of a privilege—rather than just another opportunity—for L-Squared to be the appointed promoter for an artist of such caliber."
L-Squared’s CEO only had positive words to say about the veteran singer, revealing, "ONEW was professional and easygoing. We really saw how he [gave it] his all to reciprocate the love he [received] from his fans. I’m sure even the fans who attended his fan meet will agree with us when we say that ONEW was born to be on stage and has a great sense of humor."
True enough, ONEW kept everyone laughing at the"GUESS!" fan meeting with his playful demeanor and smiley face (coincidentally, it's the outfit theme for the night!). The audience was a mix of old and young fans ranging from senior citizens to minors accompanied by their parents. It’s a true testament to SHINee’s staying power and how their "contemporary, R&B music" has captured and continues to capture people’s hearts.
Here are five fan-con moments that further cemented our love for ONEW:
1. ONEW sang his popular solo tracks and even surprised fans with a new song!
SHINee’s lead vocalist proved he’s got a voice that’s smooth as honey. His live renditions of "O Circle," "Sign," and "DICE" sounded just like the original album recordings. The only difference was that ONEW had live accompaniment from instrumentalist Zairo, who also doubled as his opponent for some of the fancon challenges.
Aside from performing, ONEW talked about his thoughts on songwriting. He shared that he takes a closer look at lyrics when producing music. He added, "I also think of the general direction of the song. For the album "Circle," I actually thought of circulation and everything going back to its place."
Later on, he also made Jjinggus sing a duet with him for the catchy chorus of "All Day"—an unreleased track! It was like a karaoke party as the line (translated to the days of the week) was repeatedly flashed on the screen. ONEW was genuinely impressed as he thought the crowd wouldn’t be able to learn the Korean lyrics that fast. Amazed, he said, "You guys are great singers." Of course, we are, ONEW! ;)
2. By just uttering a few lines in Filipino, ONEW made everyone totally kilig.
From confidently saying "pogi ako" to "jojowain mo ba ako?," ONEW’s killer lines shot an arrow through our hearts. With a huge grin on his face, he gamely said the lines without knowing what they meant. After "jojowain mo ba ako?" was explained to him, he excitedly shouted, "I’m your man!"
3. Though art isn’t his strongest suit, he reinterpreted two Filipino landmarks to the best of his ability.
ONEW was challenged to draw Chocolate Hills—which he funnily called Matcha Chocolate Hills and the Banaue Rice Terraces for 60 seconds each! In his mind, he would be able to create impressive visuals similar to what he saw on the screen. But when he saw his actual work, he said, "Reality is really cold. I am a person like this. I have more talent in singing rather than painting." LOL!
Two fancon attendees were lucky enough to bring home these unique works of art, complete with ONEW’s signature and a "love you" at the bottom. He segued into saying, "As long as these rice terraces exist, my love for you will stay as well." Such a smooth talker!
4. The "GUESS!" fan meeting revealed more fun facts about ONEW.
Since the lights toward the audience area were on throughout the two-hour program, the meeting with ONEW felt more intimate than ever. ONEW could see every face in the crowd, even praising a little girl’s bellboy-inspired getup from the "DICE" music video.
ONEW stripped back layers of himself, sharing unreleased photos from his recent adventures, his choice outfits (ONEW’s clean-cut look in Descendants of the Sun received the most screams), and his favorite songs from his repertoire and other artists. ONEW openly expressed, "'Sign' is not really a showcase song… But I felt like if I had more opportunities to meet my fans, I’d like to sing it for them."
He even sang "As It Was" by Harry Styles in such a cute yet powerful manner. He definitely ate and left no crumbs.
5. Any and every mention of SHINee made Jjingus scream for more.
Throughout the night, Shawols were ecstatic to hear ONEW mention his K-pop group. At first, he recalled that his last visit to Manila was with the SHINee members for the 2017 Global Peace Concert.
During the "Guess Favorite Song" segment, he was teased by fans into singing a few lines from the earworm "Ring Ding Dong." Much to everyone’s delight, he started crooning "Baby… My lady…" and admitting to liking the song very much. However, ONEW spilled that he chose SHINee’s "Love Like Oxygen" for the Manila fan meet before singing it live.
After closing the show with an acoustic version of "DICE," ONEW made a pinky swear and promised to come back to the country soon. (Hopefully, he returns with the other SHINee members!) A letter also flashed on the screen, with ONEW writing, "We did a lot [of] things together and we have to continue to do it together. I’m grateful for your faith in me until now. Please continue to take good care of me. Let’s meet for a long time."
Because of his bright energy and boyish charms, ONEW made all the fan attendees feel elated for days. This was seen in the overwhelming amount of love L-Squared received through social media messages, comments, stories, and even e-mails. The L-Squared team promises to stage more events for Filipino fans whether it be K-pop, Western, or local artists.
With that, the L-Squared CEO actually teased, "Without revealing too much, we want to sustain our momentum going into the second half of 2024 and end the year with a bang. The grandest from us for all of you, celebrating the ever-rich genre in the country, from old-school to new-gen, across places."
ONEW may have only spent a few hours with his Jjingus, but the experience left a lasting impression on everyone. Fans who came face-to-face with him during the hi-bye session left either screaming, stunned, and/or in awe of his shining personality. As a Shawol, I exited the venue with my heart bursting at the seams and my cheeks aching from smiling too much at this precious idol. I can’t wait to see what ONEW comes up with next as a solo artist and as a member of SHINee!
Special thanks to L-Squared Productions PH.
