Vocal Range

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

Supported Range

B2 ~ G4/G#4

B2 ~ E5 (With head voice)

Voice Type

Light-Lyric 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 Weaknesses 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 by 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 rang