SHINee’s Onew announces first solo studio album ‘Circle’

SHINee vocalist Onew has shared new details for his upcoming solo comeback with the album ‘Circle’.

• READ MORE: Onew talks subverting expectations on ‘Dice’: “I wanted to completely break out”

On February 21 at midnight KST, the singer unveiled a poster outlining the release schedule of his first studio album ‘Circle’. Due out on March 6, the record’s arrival will be preceded by two weeks of teasers.

Notable dates shared include the mood sampler video on February 22, album details on February 27 and a music video teaser for its title track on March 2. Onew will also be holding three nights of concerts in Seoul from March 3-5 ahead of the release.

ONEW The 1st Album 〖Circle〗
Schedule Poster

➫ 2023.03.06 6PM (KST)#ONEW #온유 #SHINee #샤이니 #Circle #ONEW_Circle pic.twitter.com/FZmh1fBv7M

— SHINee (@SHINee) February 20, 2023

SM Entertainment also officially began pre-orders for ‘Circle’ earlier today. The album is available to purchase via several music retailers both in and outside of South Korea, including the official SMTOWN Global Shop.

ONEW The 1st Album 〖Circle〗

Pre-order

SMTOWN &STORE ➫ https://t.co/JvsRsmWmJm
YES24 ➫ https://t.co/abkafbqqiT
핫트랙스 ➫ https://t.co/6FLKN6UEfT
알라딘 ➫ https://t.co/rVRD8sth8T #ONEW #온유 #SHINee #샤이니 #Circle #ONEW_Circle pic.twitter.com/npSsVw2YCk

— SHINee (@SHINee) February 20, 2023

The new record is set to arrive just under a year after Onew released his sophomore mini-album ‘Dice’, which was led by the single of the same name. In a five-star review of the record, NME’s Tássia Assis wrote: “By taking a chance and trusting his own experience, Onew allows himself to shine in all his multifaceted glory.”

News of Onew’s return came shortly after his SHINee bandmate Key made a comeback with his second repackaged studio album ‘Killer’, a re-release of his August 2022 album ‘Gasoline’. That album also included the B-side ‘Another Life’, which was named one of the best K-pop songs of 2022 by NME.

Onew first debuted in 2008 as a vocalist of SHINee, who went on to release hits like ‘Ring Ding Dong’, ‘Sherlock’ and ‘View’, among many others. In 2018, prior to enlisting for his mandatory military service, Onew released his debut mini-album ‘Voice’, which included the single ‘Blue’.

Following his discharge in 2020, he returned to promotional activities with SHINee, releasing their seventh studio album ‘Don’t Call Me’ and its repackaged version, ‘Atlantis’ in 2021. The latter is their most recent music to date, as youngest member Taemin began his military service shortly after its release.

The post SHINee’s Onew announces first solo studio album ‘Circle’ appeared first on NME.