Onew (SHINee) Profile (Updated Facts!)

Onew (온유) is a South Korean singer, lyricist, actor, and member of the boy group SHINee under SM Entertainment. He debuted solo on December 5, 2018, with the mini album ‘Voice’.

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Onew (SHINee) Profile

Stage Name	Onew (온유)
Birth Name	Lee Jin Ki (이진기)
Occupation	Singer, Actor, Lyricist
Birthday	December 14, 1989
Active Years	2008–present
Age	34 (in 2024)
Zodiac Sign	Sagittarius
Height	175 cm (5’9½”)
Weight	61 kg (134 lbs)
Nationality	Korean
Blood Type	O
MBTI	ISFP

Onew (SHINee) Facts:

Early Life

– Onew was born in Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea.
– He went to Yeonseo Elementary School and Haan Middle School.
– He graduated from Gwangmyeong Information Industry High School (Management Information Department).

Personal Life

– He graduated from Chungwoon University from the Department of Applied Musicology and later earned his Masters from the Department of Music Broadcasting from the same university.
– The dancers and members nicknamed him ‘Majangi’ so he included the word in his Instagram ID. (Allure Korea)
– Onew refrained from participating in auditions when he was young because of his shy personality.
– One of his most humiliating stories was when all the members were leaving the airport and he was blurred out of a photo along with the manager because the reporters failed to recognize him because of his casual clothing. (Knowing Bros)
– He is an only child.
– He considers his voice as his charming point.
– Key revealed that people usually fail to recognize him as a celebrity on the streets since he always has a casual fashion style.
– If he could be born as any member in his next life, he would want to be born as Taemin because he wants to dance well. (Allure Korea QnA)
– His nicknames include “Leader Onew”, “Dubu”, “Ontokki”, “Onewhan”, and “Tofu”.
– He often makes eggs and tuna without salt to replace the chicken breast since he ate it for a long time and started to hate its dry texture. (Bar Jong Won ep.01)
– If his girlfriend could cook for him, he would want her to cook Dakdolitang. (Onew オンユに50の質問!)
– If he has a problem or made a mistake, he likes to sleep to ‘reset’ and regain his presence of mind.
– He prefers holding hands over linking arms with his girlfriend. (Premium Magazine Seek vol.12)
– He cherishes the words “Let’s think about yourself.”
– He relieves his stress by sleeping.
– His official color is green, and his fans are called “MVPs” based on lyrics from their single, “Replay”: “Noona, you’re my MVP”.
– He thinks he looks the best when singing.
– He likes to wear T-shirts and shorts when he goes to sleep.
– If he were to go to a deserted island, he would bring a knife because one can do anything with a knife. (Allure Korea)
– Once someone asked him in the military “Where is Onew” because he had his real name on the military badge and hence they failed to recognize him. (Knowing Bros)
– If he could be born as any member’s son, he would like to be Minho’s son as Minho has a laid-back personality. (Marie Claire Korea)
– He prefers dating someone who likes him over someone he likes because he doesn’t know if the one he loves likes them back. Also, he might end up falling for the one who likes him more. (ELLE Mission ELpossible)
– Onew’s ideal type is a girl with a cute aura and short hair.

Career

– He is the leader and main vocalist in SHINee.
– He was discovered in 2006 at S.M. Academy Casting.
– In mid-2015, he underwent surgery to remove vocal polyps, leading to a period of voice retraining.
– He had small roles in various dramas, including “Dr. Champ” (2010), “Pure Love” (2013), “Royal Villa” (2013), and “Descendants of the Sun” (2016).
– In 2019, he was featured in the military musical “Return: The Promise of That Day” along with EXO’s Xiumen.
– He was featured in ELLE magazine along with GOT7’s Youngjae and Wonpil.
– He enlisted in the military on December 10, 2018, as an active duty soldier.
– He has appeared in many musicals, including “Shinheung Military Academy”, “Return: The Promise of the Day”, and “Midnight Sun”.
– He appeared in Heize’s MV for the song “I Don’t Know You” in 2017.

Likes & Dislikes

– His favorite number is 2.
– He likes buying T-shirts in primary colors. (Marie Claire Korea)
– His favorite animal is Giraffe.
– His favorite smell is the smell of trees since they have a calming feeling.
– He likes mountains over sea.
– He loves to lie down a lot.
– He prefers roller coasters over haunted houses.
– He likes sitting on the passenger seat over the driver’s seat.
– His favorite color is blue. (Onew オンユに50の質問!)
– He loves watching horror movies.

Food Preferences

– He likes eating tomato pasta over cream pasta.
– He prefers Tonkotsu over spicy miso.
– He likes eating deep fried foods. (Marie Claire Korea)
– His favorite dish is chicken and he loves to eat any dish with chicken.
– He likes eating Yakiniku over Shabu shabu.
– His favorite Japanese foods include ramen and tendon. (Seek Vol.016)
– His face swells up after eating salty food. (RADIOSTAR EP.569)
– He likes eating consomme flavor chips over-salted chips. (Premium Magazine Seek vol.12)

Abilities

– He can play the piano.
– He can sing very high notes and also participated in opera.
– He has a weak stamina.
– His weakness is that he gets easily influenced by other people’s opinions. (Onew オンユに50の質問!)
– Onew tends to make the most mistakes during practice.
– He can hit a note for 50 seconds without stopping or taking a breath.
– He was the weakest in Math and the best in science at school.

Personality & Habits

– He is good at empathizing with emotions and often cries and comforts someone who is crying. (Bar Jong Won ep.01)
– He would approach a girl secretly and in private instead of asking her out boldly. (Onew オンユに50の質問!)
– Key said Onew’s personality is the embodiment of ‘I am a natural person’.
– He said he doesn’t have many celebrity friends because of his introverted nature.
– He believes he is the type of person that might fall in love easily. (ELLE Mission ELpossible)
– He said he was the type of person that used to say ‘i’m fine’ even when he was not but now he consciously tries to acknowledge and heal himself. (Anan 2021)
– He doesn’t prefer hanging out with an outgoing person since he might feel overwhelmed.
– Something that will never change is ‘being comfortable’ and ‘not overdoing it’. (Seek Vol.016)

Sexual Harassment Allegations

– In August 2017, he faced accusations of sexual harassment. The accuser detailed an incident in a Gangnam nightclub where, while intoxicated, Onew touched her leg two or three times over two hours as she danced on a platform near him.
– She later withdrew the charge acknowledging that such incidents can happen under the influence of alcohol, but the case was proceeded to prosecution. After a four-month hiatus, he issued a letter of apology.
– On April 5, 2018, SM Entertainment revealed that prosecutors had dismissed the charges against him.

Major Works

– His popular songs include “DICE”, “O (Circle”, “Lullaby” and “Blue”.

Awards

– In 2016, he won the ‘Rookie Award’ at the “2016 Scene Stealer Festival” for his role in “Descendants of the Sun” and in 2015, he won the “Leader of the Year” at the SBS Gayo Daejeon.

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