ONEUS Members on “Same Scent,” Touring, and Growing Up With Fans
Though it was a rainy Thursday evening, when ONEUS — Seoho, Leedo, Keonhee, Hwanwoong, and Xion — took the stage at The Apollo Theater, their energy was high, matched only by the fans who had gathered after a long day of school and work for a night of raucous celebration and performance. And the five-member K-pop group spared no effort for them, singing far louder than their backtrack, performing their most intense dance moves and playing off one another’s vibes. When someone in the crowd screamed, “Oh my god” mid-show, Keonhee began to sing and dance the chorus from NewJeans’ latest single “OMG.” These small moments with fans are just as important to ONEUS now as the bombastic choreo and sets. Four years into their careers, they’ve grown alongside their supporters, ToMoon, and have built something special together.
“I have seen fans growing up from being students to becoming grown-ups,” Keonhee tells Teen Vogue. “I had fans who wanted to accomplish something and have accomplished something throughout our journey together. I feel like we have this wonderful relationship [where] we become a source of support for each other.”
ONEUS has done a lot of growing up lately. Early last year, they completed their “Blood Moon” tour in the United States, and swiftly returned to Seoul, South Korea for the release of their edgy avant-garde EP Trickster. Soon after, they came back again with the EP Malus and its sensual single “Same Scent.” Now, they’re kickstarting 2023 with yet again another tour. Between recording, shooting music videos, promoting, touring, and more, the group is living and learning as they go. So when ONEUS sits down to chat with Teen Vogue, through interpreter Heather Kang, it only makes sense they’re laden with coffee and energy drinks.
“Last year, the focus of the tour was more on really giving the perfect performance and really impressing the audience. But this year, we are much more focused on enjoying the stage together with the audience and being able to connect with them better,” Hwanwoong shares. Keonhee elaborates, “I realized that being able to enjoy the stage and performance and the whole experience itself is as important as showing them a good performance itself.”
On the topic of enjoyment, the group takes a moment to recollect moments that have stuck with them over the year since they were last in New York City. “We had a big performance during the holidays just recently and we put a lot of effort into preparing for it, but also, there are a lot of people who loved our performance, so that’s the best highlight of the year so far,” Seoho says. He’s referring to their end-of-year special stages, which included a dance performance to the Y2K track “Sexy Back” and a rendition of “Same Scent” with historic cultural garments, instrumentals, and fan dancing similar to their previous titles “Lit” and “Luna.”
