ONEWE
ONEWE is a Korean rock band that is gradually making quite the name for themselves. The group consists of five members: leader and vocalist Younghoon, guitarist Kanghyun, drummer Harin, keyboardist and vocalist Dongmyeong, and rapper and bassist CyA.
ONEWE debuted in May 2019, mere months after their brother group, ONEUS, officially began their activities. Before either of these groups were launched under RBW, they participated in a show called “RBW Trainee Real Life – We Will Debut” which can be still be found on the agency’s official YouTube channel.
MEMBERS
YONGHOON
Yonghoon was born on August 17th, 1994, making him the eldest out of the ONEWE – ONEUS line-up.
ONEWE was originally made of four members, and it wasn’t until Yonghoon won a music competition that the other members convinced him to join the group. They believed they needed Yonghoon to truly make the team thrive.
Several of ONEWE’s songs were written by Yonghoon himself, recalling memories and personal stories to inspire lyrics. For example, their song “Love Me” was written based on his experience with dogs. Yonghoon had a fear of them and it wasn’t until he pet a dog for the first time that he started overcoming his anxiety about them. “Love Me” expresses a longing fondness for these adorable pets.
Before Yonghoon joined ONEWE, he trained under Cube Entertainment and, with the rest of the members, he also took part in “The Unit” where he ranked 59th.
HARIN
Harin was born on March 29th, 1998. He, along with CyA and Kanghyun, were the first three members to form ONEWE.
Some interesting facts about Harin include his interest in magic and the fact that he was the leader of his school’s environment club. He is also musically-inclined, being able to play any song on the piano without knowing the chords before hand. He also has a knack for beatboxing.
Harin also competed on “The Unit” where he placed 54th.
KANGHYUN
Kanghyun was born on November 24th, 1998. Before Yonghoon became the official leader, Kanghyun held the position. He formed ONEWE with Harin, who had been a close friend of his since childhood.
Kanghyun is known as the mood maker of the group. He holds a huge amount of respect for his idol, Steve Wonder. He is skilled in Kendo and has won over seven medals from competitions.
He ranked 61st during the group’s stint on “The Unit.”
DONGMYEONG
Dongmyeong was born on January 10th, 2000. While everyone called ONEUS and ONEWE twin groups, little do they know that Dongmyeong does have a literal twin in ONEUS: Xion.
He joined ONEWE shortly after it was formed thanks to his great bond with CyA, his best friend since pre-debut. Dongmyeong excelled in school and was appointed as Class President, as well as Vice President of the student committee.
The group has often described Dongmyeong as the one who has the most energy out of all the members. He is said to love to laugh and to spread great vibes to the people around him.
He placed 16th on “The Unit,” which bonded him with A.C.E’s Chan. He ranked 68th on “Produce 101 Season 2.”
CyA
CyA was born on January 24th, 2000. He was inspired to make music because of his love for the legendary idol group BIGBANG. He is a talented bassist and can play using either of his hands, but he is dominantly left-handed. He writes all of his rap and has even written about the dog he long dreamt of owning: Gyuki.
Like the rest of the members, he is close with MAMAMOO. You can even find them in Solar’s music video, “It’s Been A Long Time.” He is also really good friends with former classmate Sunwoo from The Boyz.
He ranked 60th on “The Unit.”
PAST TO PRESENT
Before ONEWE shared the stage with HwaSa, blessed us with their beautiful sound, or graced us with their unforgettable talent, they were just five boys with the hopes of being musicians.
However, ONEWE isn’t as new of a group as many suspect. Before their 2019 debut with “Ringing In My Ears” and “Reminisce About All,” they promoted as a group named MAS 0094.
MAS stood for “Make A Sound” and the “0094.” ONEWE’s fandom is now called “WEVE,” but when they went as MAS 0094, their dedicated followers were called “Lovers.” MAS 0094 debuted in 2015 under Modern Music. They first released the digital single “Butterfly, Searching for Flowers” before following it up with two EPs, Feeling Good Day and Make Some Noise, as well as the song “After 15 Seconds.”
Unlike many boy bands, MAS 0094 was a group that was formed by friends. They were people who shared the same goals and inspirations ,which in turn made them stand out amongst their peers.
With a smaller label, the band mostly went under the radar. However, when Dongmyeong participated on “Produce 101” in 2017, it helped the band gain more exposure. They group officially joined RBW, where they were then known solely as MAS. The label saw the group’s talent and helped the talented young artists blossom into who they are today.
Later that year is when the group joined the future members of ONEUS on the show “RBW Trainee Real Life – We Will Debut” (also known as “I Shall Debut”). They then changed their name to ONEWE in 2018.
Just one month after the group made their debut as ONEWE in May 2020, they also went on to make their Japanese debut. The following year, their popularity began to rise even more with mainstream audiences with the release of their first full album, entitled ONE. With collaborations such as “Q” with MAMAMOO’s Hwasa and “End of Spring” featuring AleXa, they gained many new fans as well.
ONEWE’s inspiring story shows how anyone who dreams enough can be enough. You can check out ONEUS’ recent single, “Parting,” as well as their comeback track, “A Book in Memory,” off their latest mini-album, Memory: Illusion.
ONEUS
ONEUS is a a six-member boy group consisting of main rapper, vocalist, and producer Ravn, main vocalist Seoho, main rapper and sub-vocalist Leedo, main vocalist Keonhee, main dancer and sub-vocalist Hwanwoong, and sub-vocalist, visual, and maknae, Xion.
As trainees, the members were collectively called RBW Boyz. They made their official debut with the song “Valkyrie” on January 9th, 2019. Their fandom name “To Moon” was decided on March 21st of the same year.
Despite only debuting in 2019, they have been busy with many promotions. They have released multiple albums, gone on several international tours, and appeared in reality shows both in Korea and Japan since their debut.
MEMBERS
RAVN
Kim Young Jo, known as “Ravn,” is the eldest member of ONEUS and was born on September 2nd,1995. He is known as the main rapper, sub-vocalist, and producer of the group.
Before he pursued his dream of being an idol, he was a child actor and a model. It wasn’t until much later that he joined JYP Entertainment, even winning second place at their 2016 auditions. He was also went on to become a trainee at YG Entertainment and later at Plan A, where he was set to debut in VICTON. Ravn eventually left the company and soon found his place with RBW.
His stage name Ravn draws its roots from his love of the X-MEN superhero, Mystique Raven. He loves to draw and has always had a passion for music. He has helped write the lyrics for most of ONEUS’ songs, including ones from their albums, LIGHT US, FLY WITH US, and RAISE US. He was also a contestant on “MIXNINE” and ended up ranking 27th on the show.
SEOHO
Lee Seo Ho, known as Seoho, is the second oldest member and was born on June 7th,1996. He is known as the main vocalist of the group.
Seoho was originally going to go with stage name “Xion” but it was later given to their maknae. He often finds himself enjoying sports such as football and basketball, and was formerly trained in a form of martial arts called hapkido. Seoho competed on “MIXNINE” with Ravn, eventually ranking 17th place.
Unlike Ravn, Seoho has trained only at RBW, although he did audition at JYP. The members tend to enjoy spending time with Seoho because of his fun personality. In fact, he is often called the happy virus due to his ability to make the other members feel happy when they are down. His confident points are his vocals and his attractive eye smile. He is known as the mother of the group, while Ravn is known as the father.
LEEDO
Kim Guan Hak, known as “Leedo,” was born on July 26th, 1997. He is known as the main rapper and sub-vocalist of the group. Like Ravn, Leedo was also a former trainee at YG Entertainment, but he ended up leaving to join RBW.
His main hobby is working out, and he believes it to be one of his specialties, along with singing, rapping, and dancing. He also partnered up with Ravn to help write lyrics for their albums LIGHT US and RAISE US.
Before he joined RBW, he went through a rough patch that made him distrustful of people. As a result, he nearly gave up on his dream of being an idol. It wasn’t until Ravn suggested that he audition for RBW that he strove towards his goal again.
Leedo is often one of the more reserved members, but he opens up once he starts performing onstage. He believes that his most attractive point would be the difference in his voice when he raps in comparison to his singing. Lastly, Leedo have proven to be very strong, easily being able to lift two of his members on his back while doing squats.
KEONHEE
Lee Keon Hee, stylized simply as Keonhee, was born on June 27th, 1998. He is known as the main vocalist of the group along with Seoho.
He is talented in multiple fields, such as singing, playing the piano. A random talent is the fact that he is able to open a bag of chips with his feet (as seen on “Weekly Idol” episode 412 with ATEEZ).
Keonhee has a passion for all forms of art. He loves to find the hidden messages in art pieces and songs. The members have many nicknames for Keonhee such as “Frog” or “Giraffe” due to him being the tallest member in the group.
He loves his own bright energy and finds it an attractive point for others. He also wears braces on his bottom teeth and has an adorable lisp. He stated that his “specialty” are his lips, whether it be during singing, eating, or talking. Besides his lips, he also takes pride in a special heart he creates where where he wraps his arms behind his head to form the shape.
Keonhee was a contestant on “Produce 101,” where he gained many fans and ended up ranking 33rd.
HWANWOONG
Yeo Hwan Woong, known as Hwanwoong, was born on August 26th, 1998. He is known as the main dancer and sub-vocalist in the group.
Hwangwoong was graduated from Seoul Performing Arts High School. He began to dream of becoming an artist after watching Rain preform. He used to be a Pledis trainee and was a finalist of their “Hot Debut” in 2013, almost resulting in him being a SEVENTEEN member. Hwanwoong ended up leaving Pledis and ultimately settled at RBW.
Hwanwoong consideres his height, his ability to discover his strengths, and his knowledge of taekwondo as his charming points. His dancing skills and specialities are locking, waacking, and street dancing. He can also do splits and he believes that his ability to differentiate his stage persona from who he is in real life is a point of pride. The members often call him “Woongie.”
Like Leedo, he was also a “Produce 101” contestant, ranking 42nd in the show.
XION
Lastly, Son Dong Ju, known as “Xion,” was born on January 10th, 2000. He is known as the sub-vocalist, visual, and Maknae of the group.
His twin brother is Dongmyeong from ONEWE, being younger than him by only a minute. Besides singing, he finds his specialty to be his acting. Originally, he was the member who was going to be called “Leedo.”
As the maknae, he is known to be in-charge of the team’s aegyo. His hobbies include watching musicals and eating. Xion dislikes working out. He believes that his charming points are his cold appearance and bright personality. He also loves his long eyelashes and pretty eyes, being able to place a toothpick on top of his lashes.
Besides being an idol, he also is an MC for “V HEARTBEAT WEEKLY: Kpop Chart & News” with his twin brother.
PAST TO PRESENT
During their two-year, pre-debut period, various members were seen on TV as they participated in competition programs. Keonhee, Hwangwoong, and Seoho all participated on “Produce 101 Season 2.” Later than year, Ravn and Seoho participated in the YG show “MIX NINE.”
As trainees, the members were collectively called RBW Boyz. Along with the ONEWE members, they participated in the show “RBW Trainee Real Life – We shall Debut.” In June 2018, their official name was announced to be ONEUS.
In January 2019, they released their first EP, entitled Light Us. The album’s title track “Valkyrie” gained attention from K-pop fans for its catchy melody and great production value, while the ONEUS members themselves overall showed a polished edge despite being a rookie group.
A few months later, they impressed once more with their second EP, followed by their first Japanese concert and official Japanese debut soon afterwards. Since then, the group as released several more EPs, as well as their first full studio album, entitled Devil.
Last year, ONEUS went on to compete on the idol reality show “Road to Kingdom” where they impressed the viewers and ended up placing fourth. Thanks to their great talent being showcased on the show, they saw a substantial growth in their fanbase.
What makes this group additionally interesting is the absence of a leader. Not many groups go without a set leader, but the members take part in making decisions for the team!
WORK WITH MAMAMOO
After the success of RBW’s hit group MAMAMOO, RBW has since debuted four groups. Two of those groups include ONEWE and ONEUS.
The bond between the artists MAMAMOO and ONEUS and ONEWE is truly admirable. You can often find them talking about each other on VLIVE broadcasts, making cameos in each other’s music videos, or dancing to each other’s choreographies.
Seoho appeared in Solar’s music video for his solo track, “In My Dreams.” Ravn appeared in MAMAMOO’s “Everyday” music video. Yonghoon recorded the whistle parts in Solar’s “Where the Wind Rises,” and ONEUS’ “A Song Written Easily.” Harin, Dongmyeong, CyA, and Kanghyun were in Solar’s “It’s Been A Long Time” music video. You can find Hwasa singing and appearing in ONEWE’s song and music video for “Q,” and ONEWE performed as MAMAMOO’s live session band back at the 2016 KBS Song Festival.
SONGS & MUSIC VIDEOS
ONEWE has an impressive set list since their re-debut in 2019. They have ten original music videos under the name ONEWE, in addition to a few more as MAS 0094. Currently, their most viewed music video is “Regulus” which has over 2.5 million views as of the time of this article was published.
ONEWE’s music videos consist of songs like “Reminisce about All,” “Ring on my Ears,” and “0&4.”
Their first full album, entitled ONE, consists of 12 songs and includes remakes from their MAS 0094 days.
RECENT COMEBACK: “A Book In Memory“
ONEWE OFFICIAL YOUTUBE
COVER SONG: “LATATA” by (G)I-DLE
ONEWE OFFICIAL YOUTUBE
MOST VIEWED: “Regulus“
ONEWE OFFICIAL YOUTUBE
ONEUS also has a significant set list since their debut in 2019. They have 12 music videos with their most viewed being “Valkyrie,” a song which has racked up almost 26 million views as of the publication date of this article. Their music videos consist of “TWILIGHT,” “A SONG WRITTEN EASILY,”“COME BACK HOME” and more.
Their most recent comeback was with “No diggity” off their album, Devil. They will soon make their comeback with “BLACK MIRROR,” so check out the teaser video by clicking here.
RECENT COMEBACK: “No diggity”
DANCE COVER: Criminal (Taemin)
ONEUS OFFICIAL YOUTUBE
MOST VIEWED: “Valkyrie”
Before either ONEWE or ONEUS officially debuted under RBW, they had already collaborated in a music video, entitled “Last Song.”
The music video features a wholesome four minutes of the boys smiling, laughing, and just having a good time together. Since all of the members share dorms and apartments, you can see the genuine bond they have developed between one another.
The hope in their eyes shines through in this music video as they sing about heartache, love, and passion. “Last Song” will bring a smile to anyone who watches it, so give it a watch if you can!
1THEK OFFICIAL YOUTUBE
ACHIEVEMENTS
ONEUS has won one Asia Artist Award in 2020 for Focus Singer Award. The group was nominated for The Male New Artist Award in the Genie Music Award the previous year. They were also nominated for three awards at the 2019 Seoul Music Awards in the categories for New Artist Award, Popularity Award, and Hallyu Special Award.
For two years in a row, ONEUS won different awards at the Soribada Best K-Music Awards. The categories they won were: New Artist Award (2019) and The New Icon Award (2020). Lastly, ONEUS also won a FAN N STAR award for Rising Star and a KY STAR AWARD for Most Anticipated Idol in 2019.
ONEWE has yet to win any awards, but the future remains promising for this talented band!
CONCLUSION
ONEUS and ONEWE both have undeniable talents that deserve to be known. These artists work tirelessly to reach their dreams, and their passion is evident in their efforts.
While these groups are still rising in popularity, fans are given the chance to watch them grow, to explore new styles, and to continue to work hard. We know that To Moons and WEVE wish for continuous success for ONEUS and ONEWE in the future, as do we!
SOCIAL PLATFORMS
If you wish to start supporting and stanning these groups, feel free to follow them on their social media accounts!
ONEWE
Instagram: @official_onewe
Twitter: @official_ONEWE
Tik Tok: @ONEWE_Official
YouTube: ONEWE
ONEUS
Instagram:@official_oneus
Twitter: @official_ONEUS
Tik Tok: @rbw_oneus
YouTube: ONEUS
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Hberri’s goal is to share fun news stories with fellow K-pop and K-drama enthusiasts such as herself. Hberri started off as a journalism major writing for her school paper, but she wanted to branch out to write about what she loved. Hberri started listening to K-pop in August of 2018, where she fell in love with groups such as DAY6, VAV, The Rose, ATEEZ, and many more. Her favorite group is TOMMORROW X TOGETHER, and she loves helping create theories for different groups. Besides K-pop, Hberri has been watching Korean dramas ever since she found Lee Minho on “Boys Over Flowers” back in 2015. Hberri is very excited to start writing more stories in the future!
Media: As Credited