Life Goes On is the debut Japanese studio album by South Korean singer Onew. It was physically released on July 6, 2022, through EMI Records. The album consists of two parts, Who Sings? Vol.1 and Life Goes On, which were digitally released on June 1, 2022, and June 29, 2022, respectively. It contains ten tracks, including six original songs and four covers, with the lead single "Life Goes On".
Onew released his second EP in April 2022 after taking a four-year hiatus from his solo music career due to military service.[1] Following this, it was announced that he would release his first Japanese album in July, accompanied by his first Japan concert tour as a soloist.[2]
The album contains two discs; the first disc includes six original songs, while the second includes four covers of famous Japanese songs.[3] The bonus disc was released as a digital EP titled Who Sings? Vol.1 on June 1. The songs included are "Everything" by Misia, "Kirakira" by Kazumasa Oda, "Uroko" by Motohiro Hata and "Yasashii Kiss o Shite" by Dreams Come True. "Kirakira" and "Uroko" were released on digital music platforms on May 18 and May 25, respectively.[4] The music video for "Kirakira" stars Rena Takeda and Jin Suzuki and showcases a story about everyday life.[5] The album's title song "Life Goes On" was pre-released on June 22.[6] The album's second disc was digitally released on June 29.[7] The full studio album was released physically on July 6 along with the music video of the title track. It stars Hinako Sakurai and was shot in Okinawa.[2][8]
To commemorate the album's release, Onew held a talk event in collaboration with J-Wave in front of 400 fans, where he discussed the production process.[9] He hosted the July 7 episode of All Night Nippon.[10] Onew embarked on his first Japanese concert tour on July 8 in support of the album.[2] A reality show depicting his album preparations titled Hello Onew started broadcast by Fuji TV on July 11.[11] He also collaborated with YouTuber and vocal coach Ryo Shiraishi, appearing on his YouTube channel to discuss his singing techniques and album[12] in addition to guesting on the longest-running Japanese music show Music Fair and music program Buzz Rhythm [ja][13]
Following their digital releases, both Who Sings? Vol.1 and Life Goes On topped Oricon's weekly Digital Albums Chart.[14][15] Both albums peaked at number four on the Billboard Japan Hot Albums chart[16][17] and topped the component Download Albums chart, recording 3,254 and 2,108 downloads, respectively.[18][19] With its physical release, Life Goes On recorded 30,299 copies in first week sales.[20]
^ abSHINeeオンユ、カバー集を先行配信 「キラキラ」「Everything」などJ-POP4曲 [Shinee's Onew will pre-release his cover collection of four J-pop songs, including "Kirakira" and "Everything"]. Oricon (in Japanese). May 13, 2022. Archived from the original on June 4, 2022. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
^SHINee・オンユ、カバーソング「キラキラ」MV公開 [Shinee's Onew releases music video for cover song "Kirakira"]. Billboard Japan (in Japanese). May 24, 2022. Archived from the original on June 10, 2022. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
^オンユが語ったソロ活動への思いとメンバーの支え、400人を前に「待っていただいた分、恩返しを」 [Onew talked about his thoughts on solo activities and the support of the members in front of 400 people. "Give back as much as you waited."]. Natalie (in Japanese). July 4, 2022. Retrieved July 4, 2022.
^SHINeeのリーダー・オンユ、自身初となる日本での地上波冠番組が放送決定 [Shinee's leader Onew will appear on his first terrestrial TV program in Japan]. The First Times (in Japanese). June 15, 2022. Retrieved July 4, 2022.
^オンユ TV出演情報 [Onew TV appearance information]. Oricon (in Japanese). Minato, Tokyo. Archived from the original on February 11, 2024. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
^"週間 アルバムランキング 2022年07月18日付" [Oricon album charts for July 18, 2022] (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on July 13, 2022. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
