Hey! Hallie here!
So this post was initially meant to celebrate my new obsession with ONEUS and my slow progression into joining their fanbase, TO MOON. Ultimately this post will still be about that, but first we need to talk about the elephant in the room. Ravn, the eldest of the group, was recently accused of irresponsible behavior towards women and abusing his ex-girlfriend. We at this blog currently have no interest in supporting Ravn. There’s a lot of evidence coming out both for and against Ravn, but that evidence can’t be properly studied by the general public. To put it plainly, we don’t know what happened. And though this is leading many TO MOONs to throw their undying support behind Ravn, I will not negate the feelings of victims of assault by doing this. I simply hope that RBW Entertainment does its best to get to the truth of the matter. All that said, we do have an interest in supporting the other members of ONEUS who are unfairly being negatively impacted despite having nothing to do with this situation. So below I’m still going to go into everything I love about each member of ONEUS and the particular songs I’ve been obsessed with recently. However, I will be leaving out Ravn at this time. So with the more difficult situation already addressed, let’s get into the happier stuff!
The Members:
Seoho: Lee Seoho is the second oldest of the group and one of the group’s main vocalists. He’s definitely the vocalist that gets the most center time, especially when it comes to choruses. This is probably because of his extremely strong vocals, which are both some of the most striking and the highest in tone of the group. Additional to his singing talents he’s also good at acrobatics, which definitely adds to the captivating way he executes choreography. He’s known for being a bit of a trickster at the expense of the maknae line, Keonhee in particular, but he’s also known for being the mood setter of the group. He’s apparently very laid back and works to make all of the other members happy whenever possible. While he’s not always the most vocal of the members in interviews, he’s always up to join in on a joke. The song I recommend for Seoho is actually ONEUS’s newest success, “Same Scent”, which features a lot of Seoho in each chorus and really plays to his strengths with the lighter, seductive tone of the song.
Leedo: Kim Gunhak, or Leedo, is the youngest member of the hyung line, a main vocalist, and is considered a sub rapper though he contributes to the rap line enough to technically be a main rapper. He’s contributed lyrics to two of ONEUS’s albums and is such a talented dancer that he picks up choreography faster than the other members. He’s easily recognizable in songs because of his deep voice, though his singing is a bit lighter in tone than his speaking and rapping. He’s also very noticeable amongst the group because of his muscular physique. He’s passionate about working out and keeps up with it frequently outside of his Idol activities. Though he can easily get shy or embarrassed, Leedo is most often genuine and sweet. He also loves kids. This is Annie’s ONEUS bias so she’ll probably talk about him more in the future! For Leedo I’d recommend “Bring It On”, which starts with a really fun rap verse from Leedo and features his intimidatingly deep voice in every refrain.
Keonhee: Lee Keonhee is the oldest of the maknae line and a main vocalist. His voice is slightly deeper than Seoho’s and carries a large amount of range and power. He’s also one of the more graceful dancers amongst the group. He’s recognizable amongst ONEUS due to his height, being the tallest of the members. He’s often the butt of the hyung line’s jokes, but he very much plays along and enjoys joking around. He’s known for being a bit more vocal in interviews, for being helpful to his hyungs, and for being a source of positive energy. He’s also known for his huge appetite. Keonhee offers constant support to the members of ONEUS, and also offers constant support to other groups around them. He’s been seen supporting ATEEZ in particular many times in lives and in person. Keonhee is my bias in ONEUS! I can’t wait to spend way too much time talking about him in the future! For Keonhee I’d recommend listening to “Come Back Home”, where Keonhee’s power is well utilized in the more desperate sounding chorus.
Hwanwoong: Yeo Hwanwoong is a sub vocalist and the main dancer of ONEUS. He’s viewed as one of the most talented dancers in fourth generation K-Pop, partially due to his experience street dancing, and partially because of his control over his body. While most of the members have contributed something to their choreography, Hwanwoong is most likely to add to the choreo. His voice can be recognized by its lighter tone and clear quality. Hwanwoong is another more outspoken member of ONEUS who enjoys joking around. He considers himself a free spirit and enjoys displaying how excitable and energetic he can be. He also comes across as very sweet and attentive to the other members. He’s the most biased member of ONEUS and his natural charm makes it easy to see why. For Hwanwoong I’d recommend “No Diggity”, where he gets the entire opening to display his vocals in a fun, unhinged way. Seriously, watch the MV for this and see how he performs it. It’s so good.
Xion: Son Dongju, or Xion, is the maknae of the group as well as the visual and a sub vocalist. His voice is the deepest aside from Leedo’s, and displays a lot of flexibility and range. His dancing is also well polished and expertly loose. Though he hasn’t spent as much time training as the others in the group, which is responsible for his lack of lines compared to the other members, he’s extremely skilled. He’s silent and a bit shy in interviews, but he’s much more prone to goofing off behind the scenes. He’s even been known to bite the other members as a joke. Aside from that though, he’s often teased for nagging the other members and attempting to keep them on track. On his off time he relatably dislikes working out but enjoys playing the piano. I genuinely hope that he starts getting more time to be centered in future songs, but for now the song I’ll recommend for him is “Luna”. This is probably the title track he is most prominently featured in. The richness of his voice really stands out here.
And that’s all for now! The music ONEUS creates gripped me the minute I heard my first ONEUS song. Their songs are so lyrical, and quite a few of them take inspiration from traditional Korean music. My favorite song form ONEUS at the moment is “Luna”, which is the perfect blend of traditional Korean music and ONEUS’s unique sound. The choreography is even partially a traditional Fan Dance. Speaking of choreography, ONEUS also boasts some really gorgeous choreo. While it might not be as technically impressive as a group like ATEEZ, I appreciate their more graceful and simple approach. There’s something really refreshing about the focus on beauty ONEUS goes for, and it’s really drawn me to them. I hope it draws you to them too! Even if this Ravn situation is scaring you away at the moment, I really think you should give this group a shot. All of the members are so talented and they deserve to be recognized for their work!
Don’t do anything fun until I get back!
Hallie
Oreos & Peanut Butter 