FIRST REACTION TO ONEW 온유 "O (CIRCLE)" !!!

[@Keke88]

He is blessed with such a magical voice // So lovely and stirring.

[@lindastewart1028]

it's basically saying we are not so different you and I, floating on this planet together, going through the same things, the same life, so let's love and take care of each other ( hearts that gave love with out any special reason) we don't need a reason to love our fellow man other than that he is our fellow man.

[@milindawilson9175]

Onew's "O (Circle)" is the title track from his solo Circle album, which came out in March 2023. It's his fourth solo album overall after his solo debut in 2018 with his Voice album, then his follow up album Dice in 2022 and his Japanese solo album Life Goes On also in 2022. In one of Onew's behind the scenes videos he explained his "O (Circle)" MV is depicting the different stages of a person's heart. The "Children's Park" -- or, as I like to think of it, the set of a children's TV show -- is supposed to represent the happy, playful child's heart. The peach tent area that we see him sitting in is supposed to represent the inside of a whale's stomach, depicting the story of his previous B-side song "In The Whale," which is a song he wrote for fans and is on his previous Dice album. And the dark grey set is supposed to be a mature adult's heart, depicting what a person has to go through in order to reach adulthood, etc. The album and song is called "Circle" because it represents the circle of life and how everything is connected like the changing of seasons. Onew was involved in all aspects of everything to do with this album, including songwriting, multiple rounds of recording, mixing and mastering, and album design and style, etc. In one interview he said, with this album he wanted to "broaden the spectrum" of his music and he considered it a "stepping stone" for his future work. The "O (Circle)" MV was directed by the same director, who directed SHINee's "The Feeling" MV, so you may have noticed that they have a similar feeling and aesthetic. And, as always, Onew is a member of SHINee, so none of his songs or albums will ever be the same. Everything he releases is meant to be something completely new and fresh that we have never heard or seen from him before. Of course he is an amazing singer and performer.That's why the members of SHINee are some of the most well respected singers and artists, and why they are one of the top groups in the industry. SHINee are the golden standard. It's literally known as the SHINee standard, and it's what all other groups strive to reach. Onew is considered one of the premiere vocalists in the industry who is known for being the male vocalist with the most consistent vocals. He is one of the male vocalists that vocal coaches use as an example of what people should try to emulate in order to become a great singer. He has been one of SHINee's main vocalists since debut and he is recognized as one of the top vocalists in Kpop since even before debut. Onew was only one of two people ever personally cast by Lee SooMan, the founder of SM, and he was chosen at age 16 for his outstanding vocal ability. Onew's vocals are so good that as a rookie he was even a vocal coach and mentor to a lot of SM's trainees, including several member of EXO.

[@weebs-apart]

Thanks for explaining the links in the song

[@ShawolOT5]

This song AND album is an absolute MASTERPIECE…and I don’t say that lightly. There isn’t a single skippable song. Usually, I’ll shuffle an album, but this is so perfectly put together and cohesive that I literally just played it on an endless loop practically 24/7 for months and it’s still a go-to, especially after a long day at work. The concert was spectacular, as well. I wish I could own it on DVD so I could watch it whenever, but I’m happy I at least bought the re-stream so I had the opportunity to watch it again. Back to this song, though…it feels and sounds GRAND. The sound is full-to-bursting in the best possible way and Jinki’s vocal acrobatics and layering are pristine, ethereal, immaculate, and truly unmatched. The backing choir adds to the grandeur and I can just picture an orchestra and full choir backing him in a venerated hall with a packed house sitting in absolute rapture…the living silence beating like a heartbeat several measures after the last note fades before the entire audience explodes into applause and accolades. The song truly feels, for lack of a better explanation, just that grand. All this without once mentioning the LYRICS! Good gracious, they’re literal poetry. Words to live by…words we all need to hear… On those waves, we drift together Different faces Differently shaped hearts Not lacking nor sufficient They are beautiful as they are Below the same sun Casting differеnt shadows We are, we arе We’re all different, but all the same. We may look differently, believe differently, love differently, etc, but we’re all one. We laugh, love, cry, bleed, grieve, rejoice…but we tend to overlook those similarities and instead fear our differences. We should instead celebrate those differences! Could you imagine if every single flower was instead a red rose? No other flower existed. What would make it special? What value would it have? Yes, it’s pretty…it smells sweet…but to never experience the fields of brightly colored tulips, the sweet fragrance of honeysuckle, the splash of red poinsettias in winter… How sad would that be? The same can be said for people. There’s so much beauty in differences. Gah…I’ve gone off on a tangent and, though I’ve considered deleting it, I’ll instead leave it here. Kudos if you’ve stuck around and read it in its entirety. lol

[@weebs-apart]

Got to say this song makes you passionate

[@ShawolOT5]

@@weebs-apart yes, absolutely!

[@Jojo-17Argentina]

My favourite song of the year for now

[@weebs-apart]

Ohh

[@mariposasabia]

Oh this album is gold. It is vibey and relaxing, but this song and MV is rather deep.

[@blueonew2848]

I think you got the gist of the concept. The parts you don't get are things that are personal to him. He has mentioned a few times about the concept of small but certain happiness. which is to find joy in the small things we take for granted or often overlook, this is also reflected in the lyrics like "the joys of an unhurried sunrise of a slow dawn". In the grand scheme of things, we go through the same motions of life, you start as a child(imagery of classroom and toys), as an adult you might start to chase wealth(coins), and find love and heartbreak(fallen rose). "Since we resemble each other, we can embrace each other wordlessly" It's a consolation that we are not alone with our struggles in life and that someone will be able to empathize with us since we go through the same things. "Things you can't hold in your hands, but still have", when you inevitable lose something, or someone in your life, even if you don't have them with you physically, you still have them in the form of memories. It could be about Jonghyun but at the same time, we can all relate to this because loss is part of the life we all go through. Even though we might be at different phases of our lives, we are still "Below the same sun, casting different shadows". "My childhood dreams of an emerald green world" is about his dream to become an idol and fans are the green world(our fandom name is SHINee world and fandom color is pearl aqua green). "Hearts that give love for no special reason" probably also about the fans, he once asked the fans which part of his voice they liked because he wanted to improve his vocalization but they replied "we like it because it's you". We can also think of it as perhaps love from our parents, or close friends or just people who are just nice to us even though we may feel like we don't deserve it. This song is showcasing Onew as a person, and his goal as an artist, which is to bring comfort and healing through his music.

[@weebs-apart]

Appreciate the explanation 🤔

[@jhennismarmontes8662]

This album CIRCLE is really beautiful, the concept is very deep, I hope you can listen or react really a good production

[@tokki_bunch]

You definitely dived into the deep end lol! It's a bit of a deep song, yeah. This is kind of a mix of my own thoughts and what others have said about it (Onew hasn't explained it all himself): - I also think "we" is everyone passing through life. - The video contains references to the other SHINee members: dinosaur figures for Jonghyun, keys for Key, a soccer ball for Minho, and mushrooms for Taemin. - The scenes in the pink tunnel are actually a reference to being "In the whale," a song on his Dice album that he wrote for fans. (This has been confirmed!) It's a beautiful song, if you want to check out a lyric video or a concert performance. Inside the whale is meant to be a safe place, and the Onew there has a walkie-talkie, which he seems to be using to talk to the normally dressed Onew, who's also carrying a walkie-talkie, to tell him good things: "Hearts that gave love without any special reason." - The "character" he's playing in the scenes with the Truman Show-esque door on the show set has been called "Child Onew," so I guess it might be referencing the innocence of childhood, while the Onew standing on the altar might be referring to an adult's knowledge of life's truths. - The cat puppet's name is Tiger, apparently. - I think the song is about being comfortable with the realization that since we all equally pass through life and death, it doesn't necessarily have to be this huge, scary concept. This is just my opinion, but all of the members of SHINee went through a long process of grieving Jonghyun, and this song and several others on the Circle album seem (to me, anyway) to be part of Onew coming to terms with that loss. I'd call it a mental health manifesto. - While the MV didn't have choreography in it, there is choreo for Circle! And it's basically been described as a work of art: kzbin.info/www/bejne/ql7Gm3uaaMambM0 It's definitely not a song you'd typically hear in K-pop, and it's probably down to Onew being a senior artist that he was able to pitch it as a title track at all. Variety's the spice of life, and all that. It also got him his first solo music show win. :)

[@eszeezee6967]

Don't worry, I don't understand the story and references fully as well. But I really love the cinematography, the song, Onew's voice and most importantly that it got me in the feels. I summary what I take from it is WE collectively go through ups and downs in life, yet we strive to forge on because the process and experiences that life throws at us have made us stronger.

[@weebs-apart]

Same love the cinematography as well

[@TheHekateris]

Jinki taling us to church 😌

[@mariposasabia]

Key also has a storyline the explains how Key's MV Bad Love is linked to Gasoline and to Killer. Key said it's a 3 part story, which was very well explained by a youtuber called Tors1e. She is very good at explaining these mvs for me because lol I get so lost.

[@weebs-apart]

Ohh thanks for the reccomendation

[@onewsfalsetto9439]

dont fret. you dont need to completely understand the philosophy behind the lyrics. just enjoy the song.