After seven years, K-pop group SHINee’s Onew returned to the Philippines for his first solo show.
Onew held his “Guess!” fan meeting in Manila on July 4 at the New Frontier Theater.
Minutes before the fan meeting, Onew greeted members of the Philippine media in a photo-call inside the venue.
SHINee's Onew greets members of the Philippine media before his fan meeting at the New Frontier Theater on July 6 (Jonathan Hicap)
This was Onew’s first solo tour since debuting in 2008. The last time Onew was in Manila was when SHINee performed at the “One K 2017 Global Peace Concert” in Manila held on March 2, 2017.
SHINee became the first K-pop group to hold a show in the Philippines. A year after their debut, SHINee held their first-ever performance in the Philippines during the Philippines-Korea Friendship Festival held on Nov. 27, 2009 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP).
They performed along with Korean rap duo Mighty Mouth, jazz group Winterplay and Filipino band Brownman Revival.
Since then, Manila gradually rose to become a major market for K-pop shows.
Fan meeting
As Onew stepped on the stage at his Manila fan meeting, screams filled the venue. He performed “Circle” and “Sign.”
“Kamusta kayo? (How are you?) I really missed you guys. Your energy is just amazing. I’m getting surprised every time,” he greeted the crowd.
About naming his fan meeting “Guess!,” Onew said “The point is to guess what I am going to do next. But at the same time before taking on my new challenge, I thought it would be meaningful to share my thoughts with my fans.”
“And I wanted to meet various fans in various countries. That’s why I came here to Manila,” he added.
SHINee’s Onew (left) and guitarist Zairo pose for a group photo with Filipino fans at his "Guess!" fan meeting in Manila on July 6 (X)
The audience at Onew's fan meeting in Manila on July 6 (L-Squared Productions)
According to Onew, “This is my first time preparing for a fan meeting like a world tour. And I wanted to meet various fans from various cities and countries. The most joyful part is your love for me. I wanted to draw a future with you from this time as well.”
Onew said coming back to Manila will depend on how loud the cheers would be at the fan meeting.
Segments
Onew discussed his life and career through different segments during the fan meeting.
In “Guess Recent Pictures,” he talked about unreleased photos taken during different events.
Meanwhile, “Guess Favorite Song” was about Onew’s musical inspiration. These included “As It Was” by Harry Styles and SHINee’s “Love Like Oxygen.”
In “I Am a Painter” segment, Onew drew Philippine tourist spots: the Chocolate Hills in Bohol and Banaue Rice Terraces in Ifugao Province. The drawings were raffled off to fans.
In part 2 of the fan meeting, Onew talked about his present and future.
Onew's photos shown during the fan meeting (X)
“I’m thinking about the things that I’m gonna do in the future. I think I’m gonna go with new challenges. And to the way I’m going, I kinda felt like I need your advice on the way I’m going. The style that both of us could like. Those kinds of music that both of us will like,” he said.
The “Guess Onew’s Style” segment was about his style choices in fashion and music. In “Onew’s Style Choice,” photos were presented showing Onew’s fashion styles. The audience and Onew picked the photo with him as a doctor.
In “Onew’s Song Choice,” the choices were “Always,” “Caramel,” “Paradise,” “In The Whale” and “Sign.”
“I think these five songs are the songs that comfort you,” he said.
In creating a solo song, Onew said, “I think I take a closer look at the lyrics. And I also think of the general direction of the song. For the album ‘Circle,’ I thought of the circulation that everything comes back to its place. I want to put a meaning to an album.”
Of the five, Onew picked “Sign” as his favorite, saying, “I thought the song ‘Sign’ wasn’t going to be much of a showcase song. There are songs that I sing a lot, right?. And among the songs, ‘Sign’ was always out of the list. I kinda thought that when I have more opportunity to meet you, I really wanted to sing this song for you.”
In the segment “Guess Who I Am,” Onew had to do three missions: Balloon Challenge, Tissue Roll Match and Find the Mic.
For the Dance Challenge, Onew had to dance to the “Look At Me Now” choreography.
Audience members participated in the “OX Quiz” by guessing Onew’s answers among questions. The four winners were given signed posters.
‘All Day’
About the fan meeting, Onew said, “I would like to say I think I cannot express it in words. I kinda think that I did not have a day which was this kind of happy. That actually tells me that your cheers are so amazing to that point. Thank you so much for making me happy. Mahal ko kayong lahat (I love you so much).”
Onew then sang his unreleased song “All Day” followed by “Dice.”
A fan video was shown during the event with Onew saying, “I will make sure that this energy that I receive I will make sure to use it for a good purpose also.”
Onew’s “Guess!” fan meeting in Manila was presented by L Squared Productions.
SHINee's Onew greets members of the Philippine media before his fan meeting at the New Frontier Theater on July 6 (Jonathan Hicap)
SHINee performing at the Philippines-Korea Friendship Festival on Nov. 27, 2009 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (Jonathan Hicap)
SHINee performing at the One Korea 2017 Global Peace Concert on March 2, 2017 at the SM Mall of Asia Arena (Jonathan Hicap)