EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Oneus On Their Newest Comeback And Upcoming Tour!

Welcome back, To Moons! As many of you know, we at THP have been Oneus fans for years now. Their concepts are some of the most creative ones we’ve seen in K-Pop. Their vocal and rap line can trade positions seamlessly with every comeback. And stanning them has been one of the best decisions we’ve made.

Oneus have recently announced their Reach For Us world tour in 2023! (*cue our screams in the background*) They’ll be coming to 14 cities in the Americas, kicking off their tour in New York on January 12, and ending in Sao Paulo on February 15.

2023 Tour Dates

The Reach For Us tour follows an incredible North American tour in March of this year, and two equally incredible comebacks: their seventh EP, Trickster, in May and their eighth mini-album, MALUS, in September! In any case, we don’t know how Oneus stays this busy AND delivers such high-quality music every time!

We’d love to continue praising Oneus for their hard work, but we know what you’re really here for. So we’ll let the boys speak for themselves on the making of MALUS and their hopes for the Reach For Us tour!

You’re approaching your fourth anniversary! What would you say has been the biggest lesson you’ve learned since your debut? And what accomplishment are you most proud of?
Hwanwoong: The longer I do this, the more I understand that sincerity is the most important part of success. It’s about the truth. Fans aren’t involved in the day-to-day, but they can feel the mindset and attitude we had when they listen to and experience what we make. There have been times when I wasn’t sure this was the right path for me. But being able to be real with fans, I realized how much it really means.
Our biggest achievement was performing our first concert as a five-member group. We showed fans that we’re strong and moving forward, and I’m incredibly proud of the work we’re doing.

We love the styling and aesthetics of your concepts! If you had to sum up the MALUS concept in a word, what would it be?
Seoho: Attractiveness.
Leedo: Temptation.
Keonhee: I think you could say, “I look like myself.” In this album, the members’ innocence stood out, and I think they felt sexy while maintaining their honest charm.
Hwanwoong: Our experience.
Xion: A new challenge.

MALUS is a first look at your more mature and alluring side. What made you choose this kind of concept for this comeback?
Keonhee: I wanted to show the more mature side of Oneus. We showed off our own version of sexy‒more soft than intense‒which is the main concept of this album.

‘Intro: EDEN’ was the perfect song to open up MALUS as it gets listeners ready for the rest of the album, and the delivery throughout shows off your vocals perfectly. What lyric from the track do you think tells the story of MALUS the best?
Seoho: I think the lyrics that best illustrate the point of MALUS are “Being seduced by the sweet temptation.”

‘Gravitation’ is one of our favorite tracks on the EP, and we love that several members took part in the writing and composition! Can you tell us a little about the process of creating that track? Did you work on it together, or separately and then put the pieces together?
Leedo: We started the process by choosing a topic‒what would we be writing about? Once we knew the direction, we each worked on our own and then came back together to work out all the kinks.

‘Full Moon’ is another one of our favorite b-sides on MALUS! We especially love the dark instrumentals mixing with the music box-like sounds. How long does it usually take you to experiment with sounds before you find the perfect one for a song?
Seoho: Each song is different. You can find the sound you want anywhere‒sometimes, it comes easily, and other times nothing seems right. And you just have to keep playing around until you make something that feels right.
Leedo: When you have the instrument you want‒one that will make the perfect sound‒it’s pretty easy to figure it out. When you can hear the sounds but don’t know the instrument that will make them, it can take a while. Playing around and finding that sound, though, is part of the sincerity we want our fans to hear.

‘Same Scent’ touches on themes of temptation. Can you tell us a guilty pleasure you each have?
Seoho: Eating my favorite food until I get so full that I can’t possibly eat another bite (especially during comeback season).
Leedo: Snacking late at night. I know it’s not great for you and can affect your weight, but eating late at night just makes everything taste better.
Keonhee: Or eating right after rehearsal. When you’ve been practicing all day, and all you can think about is how hungry you are, that food is the most delicious! I may regret it the next day, though.
Hwanwoong: A beer after a workout, especially after a lifting day with Leedo. I don’t know what it is about a beer after working out, but it just tastes so much better. Drinking may cause muscle loss, but it’s totally worth it (laughs).
Xion: I also like my late-night snacks, especially the night before a music video shoot.

From songs like ‘Lit’ to ‘No Diggity’ and now ‘Same Scent,’ the energy and sound are quite different in those songs, yet they feel very Oneus. What is it like recording songs with different energy levels? Do you approach them differently when you record them? And does your pre-recording ritual change?
Seoho: We approach each song differently, depending on the vibe we want to create. When we record, we go in knowing exactly what we want to achieve. Some songs require a lot of tension and a bit of nervous energy, while others are more calm. It’s all about what we believe will lead to the best possible songs.
Keonhee: I’d say our pre-recording rituals change with each song as well. Each song has its own emotions and message we want to convey. Before walking into the booth, I like to think about how I should be feeling or how I should sound on each track. My routine is personal to what I bring to Oneus as a vocalist.
I do want to be able to bring in some more sounds from other genres to our music as well. I’ll start listening to different sounds and hopefully get inspired.

We’ve added ‘Mermaid’ to our morning motivation playlists, and it’s such a feel-good, summer bop! So, we’re curious: which of your songs or songs by other artists would you put in your morning motivation playlists?
Seoho: ‘Happy’ by Pharrell Williams.
Leedo: ‘We Don’t Talk Anymore’ by Charlie Puth. It cheers me up as soon as I wake up!
Keonhee: ‘Love Is You’ by Chrisette Michele. It just starts your morning off right. It’s calm and soothing, and it really refreshes you.
Hwanwoong: ‘Wrapped Around Your Finger’ by Post Malone.
Xion: With Christmas right around the corner, I’ve been really feeling the Christmas carols. Ella Fitzgerald’s ‘Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas’ is a good way to start your morning!

You’re gearing up for an upcoming world tour! What teasers can you give us to get To Moons excited about the shows?
Xion: We’ve released some really great music! Fans can look forward to new performances, special stages, and an authentic Oneus performance.

What have you learned from your first two tours that you’ll use in this one? Alternatively, what are some things that you didn’t get to do in your first two tours that you want to do this time around?
Hwanwoong: Musicians and artists have this unique gift to communicate without words. Even though we don’t speak the same language, our American fans get to see and understand us through our music and our performances. This tour will really speak to our fans and allow us to share some of our favorite moments with them.
Xion: On our last tour, I really learned to have fun on stage. I used to be really in my head and wasn’t ever in the moment of it all. I really want to focus on the present, relax, and put on a great show for our fans.

We didn’t know that we could love Oneus even more than we already did. But our interview with them made it possible! Which song is your favorite from MALUS? And what are you looking forward to most about Oneus’ Reach For Us tour?

Talk to us! We want to know your thoughts on Twitter! And check out our Facebook and Instagram!

Need more Oneus content? Oh, we got you!

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT ONEUS:
FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | YOUTUBE