Partly for the prolific volume of projects artists release each year and partly for the fluid definition of an album (running anywhere from three to 13 tracks), an annual ranking of K-pop albums is never easy. As South Korea continues to extend its global musical influence, certain projects transcend hit-song compilations, presenting larger visions and conceptual narratives.
In 2023, stars like V, WOODZ and ONEW used their latest solo projects to share the music that inspires them at their core as artists and let listeners settle into sonic worlds they’ve developed.
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First Place: Onew, Circle The First Album
While it’s somewhat criminal to think that 15 years after ONEW’s debut with SHINee in 2008 we only just received his first full Korean album, the singer-songwriter himself would say that now was the perfect time for Circle. A musical journey unlike anything released this year, ONEW shared that he had attempted to record the album’s title track before dropping his Dice EP in early 2022, but felt it wasn’t at the level of perfection it deserved and held onto the song. ONEW then involved himself in every aspect of Circle‘s production process, from meticulous mixing and mastering to tuning, beats, recording and mastering, attesting to the singer-songwriter’s dedication to artistic expression.
The single “O (Circle)” opens the album with an intriguing blend of electronica and strings, while its gospel-tinged chorus emphasizes lyrics about the circular nature of life and how memories, feelings and dreams are all fleeting. The 10 tracks on Circle develop unique transformations from start to finish: the breezy melodies in “Cough” are paired with loneliness-themed lyrics and a melancholy instrumental breakdown, while “Rain on Me” starts with aggressive acoustic guitar strumming before transitioning into an atmospheric, percussive ballad. Sweet surprises abound, too: ONEW scats on the jazz-rap hybrid “Caramel” and gives a glimpse into his indie-rock side on “Parachute.”
The album’s effortless flow is anchored by ONEW’s famously solid yet understated vocals. As Circle concludes with the tender piano ballad “Always” which addresses themes of loyalty and resilience, the listener wonders if it’s an allegory for ONEW’s public journey through health challenges, including vocal cord surgery. Even without any writing credits on Circle, ONEW’s presence is undeniably felt in this seamless collection that boasts an emotional depth brought on by 15 years in the game. That’s the kind of introspection you can’t rush or doctor through A&R but need to cycle through and arrive at when the moment is right. From scheduling this album’s release to the messages on the final track, time is definitely on ONEW’s side to deliver such a project. — J.B.
Just got confirmation: NCT 127's new title track will officially be named "Favorite (Vampire)," changes should be seen across platforms in the coming hours
Jongho's voice live is something you need to see to believe. The amount of high belts he consistently slays song after song is unbelievable #ATEEZinNewark
'Don't Call Me' is the seventh full-length album by SHINee, featuring Onew, Key, Minho and Taemin together with nine new tracks to bring to their beloved boy-band magic.
In the K-pop industry, the word “comeback” is used to refer to any new album or song release and doesn’t especially hold the same weight it does in the west for an artist’s career revival. So when SHINee release their first album together in nearly three years, comeback might be thrown around but this is truly the next-step extension of what the boy band has been doing together for more than a decade now.
Don’t Call Me is the seventh full-length album released by SHINee, featuring Onew, Key, Minho and Taemin together with nine new tracks to bring to their beloved boy-band magic. While the album opens with the dramatic rap-heavy title track, the LP warps through throbbing synth-dance cuts, sentimental R&B ballads, and shiny funk-pop anthems to show that—even as they approach 13 years together—the SHINee sound still can't be completely pinned down beyond their harmony-heavy blend.
As Key sees it, this album doesn’t hold any particular special meaning above others—this is what SHINee has always done and will continue to do. “It’s our natural thing,” he says during a video call from Seoul with his members. “This isn’t a special album per se, these are just our natural selves.”
Their natural SHINee selves also include a noticeably close camaraderie during the interview: each member frequently whispers or talks to one another while another speaks, they instinctively know whose coffee drink is whose, and can completely flip anyone’s interview answer on its head—like when Key revealed, in his dead-pan tone, that a backstage visit from Minho was hardly the “surprise” the rapper claimed it to be moments earlier.
Even if SHINee claims what they do today is natural, handling your way through a vocal and choreography performance that “Don’t Call Me” requires just shows why SHINee has earned their place as pure pop royalty. Read on for more on what the guys had to say on their return, growth since their last album release, favorite songs and more.
Jeff Benjamin: It’s great that SHINee’s back. What’s it like being together as a group recording, rehearsing, and doing interviews like this?
Onew: Obviously we have our own expectations for ourselves as a group since it’s been a while, but we’re excited. The overall atmosphere back together and being able to do this again has been great.
Taemin: It’s been a while that we’ve been together working on an album together and I think we’re able to emit this synergy—it’s a synergy that doesn’t happen in our individual activities.
Jeff Benjamin: Minho, you went right from your military discharge to meeting the members backstage at [Korean music show] Inkigayo. Why was it important for you all to meet up so quickly?
Minho: This is going to sound obvious, but I just really missed them. When I heard they were all together, I really wanted to surprise them because it had been so long.
Key: It wasn’t a surprise at all. We all knew he was going to come to Inkigayo, we were just thinking, “No, he’s not going to wear a military uniform.” But he was wearing it. [Laughs]
Jeff Benjamin: Looking at Don’t Call Me at large, what does a SHINee album represent today in 2021?
Key: You know it’s been 13 years since we debuted, right? Honestly, it’s really hard to show something new to audiences because it feels like we’ve done everything. And we tried every concept. So, these days we’re focused on making a well-made album. We were collecting a lot of good songs but we didn’t care about genres or style of music, we just wanted to combine well-made songs. We want to show that this isn’t a special album per se, these are just our natural selves: We’re singers. Releasing an album isn’t a unique thing for us; it’s our natural thing.
Jeff Benjamin: So even if this is SHINee back in its natural habitat, what does “Don’t Call Me” represent as the title track single?
Taemin: There were a lot of potential title tracks that were on the list. But for us, “Don’t Call Me” was a really strong standout track because we didn’t want to just showcase SHINee’s usual colors and usual style but emphasize the performance aspect with this comeback. We felt like “Don’t Call Me” was the song for that. Also, you probably know this, but SHINee has never released songs that are hip-hop–based so we felt like that was something new to try as well.
Jeff Benjamin: What are your favorite songs on the album right now?
Taemin: “CØDE” because I personally feel like it’s a song that showcases SHINee’s maturity. Even though it’s got SHINee’s signature vibe in it, there’s a mature sound. We worked with [songwriter] Kenzie and [producers] LDN Noise on this one, we work with them so much and I personally just like their sound so much so it was a great track for me.
Key: “Heart Attack.” So, “Heart Attack” and “Don’t Call Me” are like black and white. “Don’t Call Me” is based on hip-hop and it’s quite strong, but “Heart Attack” is light and I think it’s typical of SHINee’s funky pop sound.
Minho: I can’t really choose, there are so many good ones.
Onew: I personally like “I Really Want You” because it really sounds like a SHINee song, really our color.
Jeff Benjamin: I want to ask about some specific songs too. “Marry You” is a very mature moment as the final part of the ongoing story that began with “Replay” in 2008.
Key: There’s a story of “Replay,” “Lovesick” and “Marry You,” and we thought about how this universe matters a lot to our fans—it’s an independent world from SHINee World. We’re going to keep trying to make those kinds of universes, fans really like that, but we want to say that we’re still keeping on with this story. We’re still the same SHINee as our story continues.
Jeff Benjamin: One of my favorite tracks is “Kind.” I felt it represents SHINee’s relationship, but can you explain it more?
Minho: Yes, it does represent the relationship between our members but it’s also a song expressing our relationship with our fans; really any person we love or that we care about basically. Out of all the tracks, it’s more on the quieter and slower side and that does make more of an impact when you’re listening to the whole album.
Jeff Benjamin: You last released an album in 2018, what changes or surprises have you noticed between one another since returning to work?
Minho: For me, it’s probably Taemin. He’s the only one who hasn’t been in the military while the rest of us were these years. I was kind of surprised to see how well he was keeping up with the trends and all that.
Taemin: I was just surprised at how well kept up, it was as if they never left for that year-and-a-half. Even when we were practicing choreography, they were telling me, “Oh I’m so tired” or “I don’t know if I can do this.” But when we saw the actual video of our practice, I was actually really really satisfied. Probably the most satisfied I’ve been compared to our previous releases. It’s just great to see they’re all still on top of it in terms of their physical condition and their ability to keep up with trends. I’ve been hearing a lot of comments from other artists and friends saying they all are so much more handsome and got so much cooler.
Jeff Benjamin: To wrap up, is there a message you’d like to share with fans around the world?
Onew: Obviously, we worked really hard on this comeback and we put a lot of effort not just into the performance but every aspect of it. I think fans can expect to see a far-more matured SHINee this comeback. Please look forward to it.
200307 jeff__benjamin: #! It was great to reunite with @loonatheworld in Seoul to talk their new album (I was shocked and excited at the first listen of “So What” and what else I heard) and visit BlockBerry Creative HQ. Even though #LOONA was introduced to the world one by one, I wanted to capture the collectiveness I felt not only from the group themselves but from the entire building. It was really nice to have such a warm conversation with the group (Vivi and Yves’ ENGLISH was impressive and during a moment when the staff was checking on something, Yves told me in English, “so nice to see you again”. :,) But I really do believe in the larger vision of what LOONA is bringing and am so excited for what's next. Like Heejin said, “I really want people to trust LOONA.” And don’t worry, #Orbit, we didn’t forget Haseul.
Here's our photo from after the interview. Check out the interview now on @billboard, link in my bio and story, Orbits!
@Jeff__Benjamin: Thanks for taking time to hang out and eat with me during my Korea trip. I really enjoyed and appreciated our time together, thank you again for the invitation. Of course, can't wait for everyone to hear MIRROR. 한국 컴백을 응원 합니다! See you soon, Wonho http://instagram.com/p/B3X7zMFAfLB/
