SHINee’s Vocal Analysis: Onew

0. LR Vocalists: Low range vocalists, 0. MB Vocalists: Mid-range belters, 0. MH Vocalists: Mid-range head voice vocalists, 0. WR vocalists: Well rounded vocalists, Companies: SM Entertainment, Groups, Tenors, Vocal Analyses, Vocal Ranges: 3 Octave Ranges, , , ,

Vocal Range

F#2 ~ Bb5 (3 octaves and 2 notes)

Supported Range

B2 ~ G4/G#4

B2 ~ E5 (With head voice)

Voice Type

Tenor

Strengths/Achievements

  • Lowest range amongst tenors in SHINee
  • Able to produce well placed fuller notes in the lowest part of his range, down to B2’s
  • Achieved resonance at times up to G#4
  • Able to change the tone of his voice to a fuller one or a lighter, brighter and headier tone at will
  • Uses head voice more frequently than most male idols
  • Tends to stay supported most of the time up until G4/G#4, occasionally A4
  • Able to use falsetto, head voice and a more mixed head voice for effect

Points for Improvement

  • Tendency to push notes on G#4/A4 at times and above frequently
  • Not consistent with his placement, tends to get nasal
  • Tone production is at times shallow and unsupported
  • Occasional pitch issues with vocal runs mostly and falsetto
  • Tendency to, although having a stable larynx, use a very breathy tone production even in his lower B2 ~ D3 range, even though he’s able to produce it well and having shown it
  • Very breathy and unsupported, airy lower range below B2
  • Occasional problems in the bridging area of his voice, when switching into falsetto
  • Any head notes above E5/F5 are completely pushed

Registers

  • Lower register: Anything below B2 is very airy and unsupported. Notes in the lower register at times can be too airy, and yet very well produced and supported at other times. B2’s and C3’s are comfortable notes for him.
  • Mixed register: Able to mix correctly and healthily most of the time, producing a heavier fuller tone when desired, or a lighter headier mix when desired. At times notes can be produced with resonance, at others nasality will come in, which is a problem. The voice is generally stable in his mixed register from chest up.
  • Upper register: Mostly well produced head notes, but with the tendency to get nasal. Falsetto notes at times come out through sloppy transitions which often sound slightly pitchy. When switching into head voice however, the bridging is much better produced with a much cleaner transition and better production of tone and pitch. Anything above E5/F5 is just basically yelling with head voice, usually a rockier pushed sound done wrong.

Agility

Onew’s voice is generally very light, so it finds itself more easily inclined to vocal runs and ornaments, very simple and not that quick though. His voice lacks any real agility and isn’t very precise in runs, but can handle simple melodic runs during songs he’s given. At other times he may get a bit pitchy.

Overall analysis

Onew possesses an unique caramel-like tone, very distinguishable from many other k-pop vocalists. Unlike many other SM idols, his voice doesn’t have that “trained like Yoo Youngjin” trademark sound. His voice has always been very light and clean, often leaning more towards softer pop and ballads. His range is quite considerably wide, possessing the lowest range amongst the tenors in SHINee. His voice in tone is darker than the other members, possessing a slightly bigger sound in the lower register due to its slight extra weight. Onew is completely capable of producing notes well in the B2 ~ E3 range, with full and very clear vocal lines hitting such notes, such as in “Drunken Truth“. His lower notes tend to be much breathier and lack any real vocal tone, whereas the higher ones can at times be breathy for effect, which isn’t always well executed.

Onew possesses a lighter voice which shines more in his upper mix register. He’s able to switch into a lighter mix, producing a much more relaxed and softer tone, such as his G4’s in “Lucifer”, in contrast to his more fuller, well placed resonant G4’s in songs such as “Day” and “Life”, where a truer rounder sound is produced, with a more balanced to slightly chesty mix. He doesn’t generally try and strain his voice, often choosing to sing songs that will mostly only go up to G#4’s and A4’s. He’s been able to show resonance in his upper mixed register but tends to lose tone production in A4’s and above, having his larynx go up and straining his voice. Although being able to produce a breathier tone for effect, Onew has the bad tendency to instead vocalize with a shallow tone, lacking the proper support at times, as mentioned earlier in his lower range, mix register and even in falsetto, his breathier tone tends to be generally less controlled and less focused in tone. Even if the intention is there, the result isn’t always 100% desirable due to a lack of true understanding of soft and breathy against shallow and breathy.

His control is generally good, with minor pitch problems, often caused more because of a shallower tone (less supported), than truly because of any lack of skill in controlling the voice. His upper mixed notes tend to be much more pushed, lose vocal focus and color, and his tongue tends to get tense and get in the way of his tone production. His vibrato however in the lower mixed register is generally healthy and well produced showing that he’s a smart vocalist and knows how to use his voice, instead of trying to belt out notes way above his range. His highest belt to date is C5, done in 2 SHINee songs, with a very strained sound, but mostly he stays in his comfortable supported range. Another inconsistency problem in his mixed register is that at times his voice will slip into is nose due to not lifting his soft palate, however this issue was much more prominent earlier in his career, something he seems to have mostly fixed and is able to produce a more forward fuller sound more often in his mix.

Onew’s falsetto register is again, often shallow and lacks in control, but more often than not, Onew uses a truer sounding head voice, which actually carries more of his natural vocal tone into it and is very easily identifiable as his voice. He is able to produce it well and stay relaxed, even as high as Eb5/E5. Onew at times however will produce nasal notes with a more closed sound, instead of keeping his soft palate lifted, like in his mixed register. Anything above E5/F5 is often just pushed and very strained.

His support is, as mentioned above, at times good, or at times shallow. Onew knows how to support his voice to make it full, but at other times isn’t able to truly support his voice to produce a softer breathier tone, mostly in his lower register. In rare cases, Onew will push even in his lower mix due to fatigue and lack of good placement, most notably in the performance of Nessum Dorma, where in attempt to create a fuller sound without the necessary support, he pushed many G4’s and sustained an A4 with a very tense and tight throat. That case being very notable because it was completely out of his comfort zone in terms of vocal styling, since mostly Onew has those notes below G#4 consistently supported. A big contrast to Nessum Dorma would be his solo performance of “I Won’t Give Up”, staying in a range between B2 ~ G#4, he produces much better notes, supporting with resonance and a forward placement, cleaner one sounding voice. One of his best vocal performances.

Onew is a very determined vocalist and musician, able to play piano and accompany himself. Over the years he has learned to produce a fuller sound and control his support voice and eliminate nasality. He is also a smart vocalist and will mostly sing in a range he knows he can handle. He is able to produce resonance, but isn’t consistent enough within one performance with his tone production and support, though having individually somewhat developed registers, as a whole the voice needs more connecting and bridging to stay more solid as one throughout every register. Onew isn’t as risky as Jonghyun, not trying to do crazy things with his voice in terms of grit, raspiness or onsets, mostly staying clean and healthy.  He’s got a lot of potential to grow as a vocalist, possessing some understanding of music and playing with his voice at times, he should be able to control his voice much better as it matures over the years.

Musicianship

Onew doesn’t try to show off generally and will attempt occasional changes in melodies with some made up melodies and adlibs. Not always well executed, he can get a bit pitchy at times. Mostly however, he doesn’t try to do anything risky and will mostly add simple changes to melodies or oftentimes no change at all.

Label (Type of Vocalist)

MH Vocalists: Mid-Range Head Voice Vocalists

MB Vocalists: Mid-Range Belters

LR Vocalists: Low Range Vocalists

WR vocalists: Well Rounded Vocalists

Vocal Range Video(s)

Video by: kitsunemale

Best Vocal Performance(s)

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Analyzed by Ahmin (Kitsunemale)

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390 thoughts on “SHINee’s Vocal Analysis: Onew”

  1. Hi Ahmin! In the analysis it’s mentioned that Onew occasionally brings support up to A4. Do you happen to know of any specific examples of him doing that, preferably a sustained A4? (Though seeing how he usually sounds on A4 I’m not hopeful that he’s ever supported a sustained one lol I’m just curious).

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    1. Just answered this question the other day:
      “Oh you see, Yoo Youngjin doesn’t necessarily train idols to sing at SM but however way he was trained and the others at SM kind of follow a pattern where they mix in a similar way and end up sounding kind of similar.”

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      1. Hello! Just out of curiosity, may I know who are some of the SM idols with the most prominent “Yoo Youngjin” style?

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      2. I’d say Yesung, Kyuhyun to a degree, Jonghyun, some Blackbeat members, and to a degree Changmin?

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  3. Thank you..but have you listened to Onew. Your analysis was harsh. His vouce…even if you tear it apart . technique and pitch. Hes not a robot. His voice makes me cry. So thanks for you said about him ( your idea) but to me he is so much more. He sings opera..you know

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    1. Yes, the only way we could analyze these vocalists is by listening to them. I think you’re not understanding the point of our analyses correctly. These are vocal technique analyses, not analyses about how their voices make us feel. You’re free to feel emotion and feel touched by his singing and nobody can say you’re wrong, but that’s subjective and can’t be used as an objective assessment of his singing. Also “he sings opera..you know” no, he does not. He’s a pop singer who likes to sing nessum dorma but he’s not a classically trained vocalist and when he tries to sing opera, you can hear he’s untrained and does not have the proper technique for classical singing. Trust me, if you knew me, you’d know I hold Onew dear to me but that’s irrelevant to a vocal analysis.

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      1. I’m not quite sure what they mean. In fact, you seemed to speak quite highly of Onews vocals in this article. Not everything was good, but most was good. I don’t see where you were too hatch really

        Liked by 1 person

  4. Hi! I was wondering what you think of Onew’s run at 2:14? It sounds kinda weird to me.

    And if you have time, could you please analyze how the rest of the members did too? This is a recent performance of one of their really old songs (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEQqIqFCZUs), so it’s interesting seeing how much their voices have changed since then.
    Do you hear much of an improvement?

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    1. 2:14 the run is how he usually does it in studio, if anything I would say that this sounds like it’s lip synched from the studio version. That run is kind of one of his highest belted phrased notes from that time, so he was pushing quite a bit and then using air on each individual note, with random H’s that shouldn’t be there. It’s not a very smooth run. I know this song haha I know a lot of SHINee songs, don’t worry. Which is why I think this is lip synched.

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  6. So like i saw that you said onew is a pop star that likes to sing nessun dorma. How does he do trying to sing it since he’s a contemporarily trained vocalist and not a classical vocalist, and what are some differences between classical and contemporary styles of singing?

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    1. As I’ve mentioned many times, he’s not classically trained so he is not trained to sing it properly. In classical singing, one must sing with a low larynx position, an open throat, a relaxed tongue and for males a much more chest dominant usage of the muscles in the vocal cords while keeping a much more developed expansion of the intercostal muscles and the diaphragm. Onew does not have that, so he ends up pushing his larynx down with his tongue, tightening his throat and pulling chest voice up with a lot of tension and so in Nessum Dorma he sounds uncharacteristically throaty and pushed throughout.

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  7. HI~ It’s been a while since we’ve heard onew’s singing voice, although it is really bittersweet….
    I have a question, in this performance, he finally hits his highnote at 3:35 with mixed voice (before this he usually hits it with falsetto). It sounds a bit too heady for me tho, How was it technically? Thanks^^

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  8. Hello guys, so i recently saw this and i wanted to ask you guys about the good and bad momentes of Onew’s vocals in the 1:30 – 2:00 period, I know there are some obvious strains but apart from the highest notes idk if there are others. Also (if possible) are there any interesting things ou find about minho’s vocals ?, i know he’s far from good but i believe this is the most challenging singing i’ve heard from him.

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    1. It’s been answered before and it’s basically this signature metallic sound some vocalists in SM have in their mix, like Yesung, Jonghyun, Taemin, Shinhwa, Yoo Youngjin, Trax, etc.

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      3. Then, please listen to the title track – Blue. Some said, it has a vibe of opera or musical. Do you agree with it? as you have pointed out before that Onew was not trained to sing as an opera singer. Do you think he’s doing a good job here? Thanks.

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      4. Well so you know, you could always post the video as well to help:

        Opera and musicals are two very VERY different things, vocally and musically. To say “or” it could mean one feels there’s a similarity in its theatrics and I can accept that, but only that. This song has a very interesting composition. It’s definitely not very standard pop at all. It’s a ballad, it’s got some classical influences in the instrumental and musical here and there perhaps, but vocally and melodically it’s pop. The way he’s singing is not classical/opera at all, although it was a bit pushed. I think the song stays within a very comfortable range for him, there was very little room for error really.

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      5. The CD version is a bit different to the MV one. But I think it doesn’t matter regarding the vocal part. Thanks for reply. Hope you enjoy the music:)

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  11. Thank you for your article. Onew has released his solo album recently. Could you please talk something about the progress in vocal techniques he made these 4 years?
    Sorry about my English.

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. Your English is completely fine! Also I’m sorry but I haven’t heard the whole album as we usually base analyses off of live performances. But I haven’t noticed any progress in his singing.

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      1. Minnie!!!!! Where’s my Minnie???!!!!

        Hey, the FAQ is incomplete!!!!You should add “How’s Minnie? I miss him”. Minnie, I’ve been MIA to the point I realized “Oh, it’s been a minute, when did I leave?!”. I’ve been missing my Minnie!!!. I hope you’re doing well and are very loved, as you should be (Preach!!!). I was looking at the blog and thought “Wow, so huge”. It’s so clear it’s a labor of love. Now you’re in another place on another journey of love and knowledge, but more for you, as it should be. Call it a labor of love, but of loving yourself. What’s been up with me? Plotting ways to one day meet my friend Minnie and securing those ***** Bb4s. Have to check my head and low registers later. Hey, do you know the best way to check your lower register? Singing with it in the morning is cheating.

        Wait, this isn’t question time. This is tell Minnie not to worry about new analyses time. You’ll figure them out on your own time, YOUR TIME. And when you do, whatever your heart does, will be just fine. Wherever your heart leads you will be just right, and your actions and thoughts have linked many people to the light that is shining inside. So many people like you, it’s not hard to see why.

        Love my Minnie!!! We love our Minnie!!!!

        P.S. Those flights to SK ain’t looking cheap.

        Liked by 2 people

      2. Thank you, I really needed that. Thank you for always being an angel, encouraging, understanding and giving me so much love and support. You’re a very special person.

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  12. To our dear Minnie (Ahmin),

    Every now and then, I find myself thinking more about our precious Minnie a little more than usual, and then I take that as a sign that I should write to him. Hey cutiepie!!! How’s life?

    I hope that wherever you are, you are happy and loved and cherished. I hope love finds you in its infinite forms and transformations. I also wish for you to continue chasing your dreams with the passion and professionalism that characterizes you as a person.

    Every now and then, when the chips are down, I hope you sleep at night comfortably. I want you to dream about waking up in a tropical forest. When you wake up there, as far as the ey can see, you’ll see things that you love, people you love, and people who love you back. They’ll all be looking at different trees and doing different things, but with great frequency, they’ll look back and walk out their usual routes to make sure you are fine, happy and alright. They’ll stop what they’re doing because they started thinking about you and want to stop for a minute and say they love you. I guess this isn’t a dream really. It happens all the time, in subtle ways.

    People like you will have great happiness in life. You have given love in many forms, and, in return, have been entrusted with dreams and ideals and even more love that will protect you and guide you for the rest of your life. No matter how alone you feel, trust that our bonds will keep you warm no matter how cold it may seem. People, including me and many others, bet their chips on you because we love you and believe in you in the same way you love and believe in others. Something in my gut right now tells me that you’re heart is shining in a way only you can do. Something tells me that everything is going to be just fine because our Minnie’s on the job.

    P.S. Those flights to SK STILL DON’T LOOK CHEAP!!!

    P.S.S. With much love, your friend, Rynavoc.

    P.S.S. Please keep smiling, our boy should smile as much as he wants.

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. Hey Minnie,

      I hope you’re doing great. I’m gearing up for something vocally a few months from now. I hope to send you a message soon because I might need your expertise. Writing this is also a promise to hold myself accountable and message you with good news a few months from now.

      Have a great day!!!

      P.S. Vacation should be mandatory for everybody in Christmas.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    2. Nah that’s not fair ahmin /_\ Lina got only A5, Ali got only G5, they’re barely HV vocalist but you gave them that label while Onew also got enough support to fit the criteria

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      1. At least I was about to be like girl you wanna fight me?? Lol but then after looking at the criteria I feel like the head voice standard should be moved up a semitone for every voice type except maybe baritones? That could go up a whole tone maybe. I’ll check with Pandayeu.

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      2. Bb5 for sopranos ?i personally think it way too high. Some sopranos barely hit that in a usable range like in songs . I think that a bit too much to ask for pop vocalists

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  15. Hi Ahmin, It is said that Onew had vocal training on his vacations days during military until now. Do you notice any improvements or differences on his voice and technique in the latest SHINee album Don’t Call Me? I’ve noticed he was given more lines as well. Hope to hear from you 😊

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  16. Hello, I read in your future analyses that you won’t analyse KEY bc of your rules, and it made me curious since I’ve always thought he has better technique than Taemin, I guess that I’m wrong.
    Take care!

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  17. Hello, not sure if you’re still answering questions, but I was wondering if you have any thoughts on SHINee’s vocals in general in their most recent comeback. I’m trying to improve my understanding of vocal technique, so I’m trying to compare how well they support now in comparison to prior years.

    As an example, they sang a cover of Dear Name and I’m pretty sure it was live: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5YmLkh8nV4. I’m wondering how well the members did here, more specifically Onew, Taemin and Key in the chorus. Thanks.

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      1. Well, that’s just how it sounded for my non-expert / trained ears 😆 he showcased his lower register in the start then in the adlibs, especially during key change at 3:09, would you say was that resonant? I really have no idea what I’m talking about so it would be nice to hear an expert’s opinion regarding this. 😉

        Liked by 1 person

  19. Hey Minnie!!!!!!

    Cheer up, pal. You have helped so many people over the years me (included), so I hope that, this time, we can be of support to you. Sending hugs and lots of love. I’m not doing so hot either, but I’m getting better. Let’s stick around and do our best. I’ll be here for you, okay? 😀

    P.S. I hope you feel no pressure in coming back to the blog. I prefer you put all your energy into your ‘ irl ‘ life.

    P.S.S. I opened a twitter recently, and I followed you. I’m an @eric with a bunch of numbers, I forget.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  20. Hi. I had a few questions about the following encore performance if you don’t mind:

    Was the E4 at 1:47 supported? And was the A4 at 4:03 supported? Thanks!

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      3. Just so I know for future reference, how can you tell that the sound is in your throat or sung with closed throat? I think I can tell that the A4 sounded kind of squeezed, but the E4 sounded more open and relaxed to me. Was the F#4 at 4:30 also throaty? Thanks!

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      4. The difference is that the squeezed one is more obvious because a vocalist like Onew will go from relatively open to sounding squeezed. Whereas Key has never established clean support so even though he’s not squeezing yet (which he does higher), he’s never quite open either? It’s just a more subtle quality difference in which he’s mostly singing in his throat anyway. It’s just how he sings, always somewhat through the throat. You’d have to know the difference between supported and non supported sound to hear the difference though.

        Liked by 1 person

      5. Ah ok that makes sense. I am currently trying to learn the difference between supported and non-supported notes, but so far I’ve only been able to detect tension and differences in placement. I thought I heard some improvement from Key and Onew lately but I guess I was wrong lol. E4 is somewhat high for a baritone though, as is A4 for a tenor. Thanks!

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      6. Is there a method to practice identifying the difference between supported and non supported notes? Or is it just something you learn when you study vocal technique in an Academy for years

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      7. I would say if it’s not something you’re actively listening out for, you wouldn’t just get it by studying at an academy. You have to have a clear reference of what supported and unsupported singing sound like in order to get familiar and identify patterns.

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      8. When you say that Key has never established clean support, does that mean he has shallow support, inconsistent, or both? I’m just trying to learn the difference lol. There have been occasional times, especially in recent performances, when he sounds more open and full and less throaty, but it’s definitely inconsistent. Is him singing from his throat a large reason why he he struggles? Thanks!

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  21. Hi, Ahmin! I hope you are well and safe this year. I wonder if you could answer some questions for me. Where do you draw the line for head voice? I found this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSgB7jOxTOU where they felt that Onew classified for head voice vocalist in the same tier as Kyuhyun and remembered that you don’t. Is this channel reliable? Do you agree with their content? Sorry if it’s something you already spoke about.

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    1. Why you feel unsatisfied Kyuhyun and Onew tier? I mean their tier are different from this, Onew only support under a semitone below Kyuhyun so they are not big gap anyway
      Actually first criteria of blog put E5/F5 headvoice for tenor for a catagory “high headvoice vocalist” but admins feel they need to level up to F5/Bb5 for tenor/soprano so Onew and Lina falled from that category

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      1. Did I say I was unsatisfied? Sorry if that was what it seemed, english is not my first language so sometimes I do miss some cues. I just asked if there was a different criteria for it. Which you just answered, so thank you. I also wondered if the channel’s content was reliable even if they don’t share the same opinion on some things.

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