SHINee leader Onew is back with a new solo statement. The singer released his single album “Illusion” (착각, Chakgak) on October 20 at 6 p.m. KST through Griffin Entertainment, along with the music video for its title track — the culmination of a three-part rollout that put out each of the album’s songs as its own title track.
The album contains three tracks: “Chakgak,” “Mind Games” (featuring YUJU, released September 29) and “Tic Tac Toe” (featuring ZICO, released October 7). The main title track explores how someone can read too much into another person’s small gestures and gradually become convinced of their own assumptions, blurring the line between reality and imagination. Onew is credited as both lyricist and composer, as reported by Soompi.
A dance song from a ballad voice
In a deliberate twist, Onew made the lead track a dance song — a bold choice for a vocalist long celebrated for slower genres. “After long believing that his voice is best suited to slower genres of music, such as ballads, Onew decided to make the lead track of his new single album a dance song,” the Korea JoongAng Daily noted. The promotional rollout leaned into the concept with a confidential-case-file aesthetic: draft images, MV spoilers, lyric posters, three sets of concept photos and a teaser asking “IS IT?” answered with “IT IS.”
A chart-topping prerelease
The prereleases already proved the strategy. “Tic Tac Toe,” co-written and composed by Onew and ZICO, topped the Bugs real-time chart after its October 7 release and secured a high position on Melon’s HOT100, according to K-Hallyu. The R&B hip-hop track pairs 808 bass and trap rhythms with Onew’s smooth delivery and ZICO’s rap — and its dance challenge drew SHINee’s Minho, ZEROBASEONE’s Seok Matthew, BOYNEXTDOOR’s Sungho and Woonhak, and ALPHA DRIVE ONE’s Sanghyun. Since debuting with SHINee in 2008, Onew has steadily built his solo catalog; “Illusion” is his latest evolution.
The rollout was designed like a mystery. Onew revealed the promotional schedule on October 12 through his official social media, styled as a confidential case file connecting his photo with clues via red string, per KStarTrend. Concept photos showed him in trendy street-style attire against printed New York cityscape backdrops, underscoring the playful vibe. With “Mind Games” released September 29 and “Tic Tac Toe” on October 7, each of the album’s three songs arrived as its own event — a fitting structure for an album about perspective.
