A unique evening with ONEW under a “Starry night“.
To celebrate the release of his album “PERCENT“, the leader of the renowned group SHINEE kicked off his European tour, “ONEW THE LIVE: PERCENT (%)“, at the Salle Pleyel in Paris on November 9th. Invited by AEG France, KSTATION TV had the privilege of attending his very first solo concert in the French capital.
From the opening notes of “Percent (%)“, the Salle Pleyel erupted with enthusiasm. ONEW immediately followed with “No parachute“, “Yeowoobi“, and “Far away“, plunging the audience into an electrifying atmosphere. At the end of the latter, the SHAWOLs (SHINEE‘s fandom name) gave him a truly “French-style” welcome, combining chants of encouragement and foot-stomping, much to the soloist’s surprise.
“Is this what Parisian culture is all about? We’re going to be able to do something I’ve wanted to try for a long time. I’ve been so excited to see you all tonight. I hope we reach 100% happiness.” – ONEW
Even without the live band that usually accompanies him on tour, ONEW manages to maintain a joyful and warm atmosphere. He demonstrates the full range of his vocal abilities with “Conversation“, “All day“, and “Maestro“, tracks that get the entire venue dancing and singing along. He doesn’t hesitate to acknowledge this special energy: “Your energy is incredible, I feel like I’m going to fly.”
The concert then shifts into a completely different mood with “Starry night“, which immerses the audience in a more dreamlike world. ONEW and the fans share a tender duet, creating one of the most touching moments of the evening. The tracks “Winner” and “Epilogue” extend this deep and sincere atmosphere, leaving ONEW visibly moved by the audience’s enthusiasm. He then reveals that “Winner” is a song written as much for himself as for his fans: “‘Winner‘” is a song where you wonder who the star is… I didn’t write it just for myself. I want you to remember that you are the stars of your own lives.“
This was his chance to do something he had “wanted to do for a long time”: get the crowd tapping their feet to the chorus of “Winner“.
“I had thought about it while writing the song… thank you. Thanks to you, my happiness level is over 100%. Even though we live in different environments, know that I care about you all very much.” – ONEW
After this emotional moment, the energy spiked again with “Silky” and “Beat drum“, which had the entire venue rocking. ONEW then performed “Mad“, a song composed especially for this tour, before ending this first Paris concert with the high-energy “Caffeine” and “Animals“.
But ONEW wasn’t ready to leave his fans just yet. The singer returned to the stage with a surprise: autographed teddy bears that he handed out to the audience, before delivering three final performances of “Oreo cake“, “Yay“, and “Happy birthday“, and then warmly thanking his fans for their support and presence.
“First of all, I’d like to thank you for coming tonight and for giving me this unforgettable evening. It feels like just yesterday I was working on the album, and tonight I’m here in front of you, in Paris. I see you have messages for me, I’m touched, thank you so much. I am deeply touched that you love Korea, and thank you for all the encouragement for SHINEE and for me. I promise to give it my all and do everything to come back to Paris soon. Thanks to you, I experienced this happiness, and I hope it was the same for you. Thank you for this unforgettable evening.” In French: “See you soon.” – ONEW
In conclusion, what we’ll remember from this concert is not only the breadth of ONEW‘s vocal abilities, but also his infectious good humor, his generosity, and his genuine joy at reconnecting with his fans in Paris. Not to mention the impressive energy of the SHAWOLs, whose fervor transformed this evening into an unforgettable moment for both the audience and the artist.
Finally, ONEW will continue his world tour in the United States on January 9th at the San Jose Civic Center in San Jose.
Journalist: Laura
Translator: Laura
Photos: Laura
Source: KSTATION TV
