Lee Jin-ki (Onew)

 

Lee Jin-ki better known by his stage name Onew,is a South Korean idol singer, dancer, actor, songwriter, presenter, radio host, MC, and promotional model. . Onew was discovered at the 2006 SM Academy Casting and signed the contract with SM Entertainment the day after his audition. He debuted as one of the lead vocalists and leader of boy group Shinee in May 2008 who went on to become one of the best-selling artists in South Korea.

 

Born                  : December 14, 1989

Birth Place       : Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi-do,South Korea

Height               : 1.77m

Music Group   : Shinee

Family Name   : Lee

Age                    : 30

Drama List

Year	Drama	Role
2010	Dr. Champ Athena: Goddess of War	Guest Role Guest Role
2012	Oh My God 2	Guest Role
2013	Pure Love Welcome to Royal Villa	Guest Role Main Role
2016	Descendants of the Sun	Support Role

 

Film List

Year	Film	Role
2012	I AM.	Main Role
2015	SMTOWN The Stage	Main Role

 

Childhood & Education

Onew grew up as a single kid in the family and was adored by his parents. His first encounter with music happened on one of his holiday trips with his parents. Onew’s parents would often play trot songs in the car, and little Onew loved them quite a lot. This was the initial phase of the musician inside him. Once his parents heard him sing those songs, they realized their son had a hidden talent.

Soon, he began singing for local bands and was located by the ‘SM Academy Casting’ in 2006. Onew gave an audition and was immediately selected by the company as a musician, and under the mentorship of Lee Soo-man, Onew further honed his talent. By 2008, he was already a trained singer. He was then introduced to the band ‘Shinee,’ which operated under ‘SM,’ and his journey began.

Career

2008–10: Career beginnings and debut with Shinee

2010–2017: Musical acting, acting debut and solo activities

2018–present: Military enlistment and solo debut

 

Personal Life

In June 2014, Onew developed vocal cord issues and underwent a surgery, which had him staying away from singing for a few months following the surgery. After his recovery, he made a full-fledged comeback, sounding fresher than ever.

 Onew and his band have regularly organized concerts for charity. He donated 1.2 million won for the ‘Korean Heart Association’ and once collected tons of rice from his fans to help feed the hungry and poverty-stricken children of North Korea.

 Onew has dated singer Jung-ah for some time. Luna, the popular singer, is also rumored to be one of his many ex-lovers from the industry. Onew states that he is presently single.

 

Vocals

Onew is one of the main vocalists of Shinee and is known for his distinctively unique vocal color and for his calm and understated voice, providing the strong vocal foundation of the group with fellow members Taemin and Jonghyun

Controversy

Sexual harassment allegations

In August 2017, Onew was accused of sexual harassment. The victim stated that on August 12, in a night club in Gangnam, Onew, who was intoxicated, touched her leg two or three times as he tried to stand up, over the course of two hours while she was dancing on one of the club's multiple dancing platforms that was adjacent to where Onew was seated. However, she acknowledged that such incidents could happen under the influence of alcohol and withdrew the charge. Nevertheless, the case was forwarded to the prosecution as a recommendation for indictment without detention. After a four-month hiatus, Onew posted a letter of apology, which was accepted widely among his fans, but others called for him to step down from Shinee. On April 5, 2018, SM Entertainment announced that the charges against him had been dismissed by the prosecutors