''Life Goes On'' is the debut Japanese studio album by South Korean singer

Onew Lee Jin-ki (; born December 14, 1989), better known by his stage name Onew, is a South Korean singer, songwriter, actor and host. Born in Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi-do, Onew was discovered at the 2006 SM Academy Casting and signed a contract with S ...

. It was physically released on July 6, 2022, through EMI Records. The album consists of two parts, ''Who Sings? Vol.1'' and ''Life Goes On'', which were digitally released on June 1, 2022, and June 29, 2022, respectively. It contains 10 tracks, including six original songs and four covers with the lead single of the same name.

Background and release

Onew released his second EP in April 2022 after taking a four-year hiatus from his solo music career due to

military service Military service is service by an individual or group in an army or other militia, air forces, and naval forces, whether as a chosen job ( volunteer) or as a result of an involuntary draft (conscription). Some nations (e.g., Mexico) require ...

. Following this, it was announced that he would release his first Japanese album in July, accompanied by his first Japan concert tour as a soloist. The album contains two discs; the first disc includes six original songs, while the second includes four covers of famous Japanese songs. The bonus disc was released as a digital EP titled ''Who Sings? Vol.1'' on June 1. The songs included are "Everything" by

Misia Misaki Itō, commonly known as and stylized as MISIA, is a Japanese singer and songwriter. Born in Nagasaki, Misia moved to Fukuoka at the age of 14 to pursue a recording career. There, she continued her secondary education and briefly attended ...

, "Kirakira" by

Kazumasa Oda is a Japanese singer-songwriter, and composer. He was the leader of folk rock band Off Course from 1969 to 1989, and has done solo work since 1985. As the vocalist of Off Course, Oda wrote many Japanese standard numbers in the 70s and 80s. Th ...

, "Uroko" by

Motohiro Hata is a Japanese singer-songwriter. He debuted under the major label BMG Japan in 2006 with the single . Early life and career Hata is the youngest of three brothers. He moved to Yokohama when he was 2. He began playing the guitar at age 3, a ...

and "Yasashii Kiss o Shite" by Dreams Come True. "Kirakira" and "Uroko" were released on digital music platforms on May 18 and May 25, respectively. The music video for "Kirakira" stars

Rena Takeda nicknamed'' Renarena'' (れなれな), is a Japanese actress and model affiliated with Vithmic Co., Ltd. Biography Rena Takeda was born in Iwaki, Fukushima in 1997. In December 2013, she won a competition named "Seeking a second Kumicky" from a ...

and Jin Suzuki and showcases a story about everyday life. The album's title song "Life Goes On" was pre-released on June 22. The album's second disc was digitally released on June 29. The full studio album was released physically on July 6 along with the music video of the title track starring Hinako Sakurai and was shot in

Okinawa is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest city ...

Promotion

To commemorate the album's release, Onew held a talk event in collaboration with

J-Wave J-Wave is a commercial radio station based in Tokyo, Japan, broadcasting on 81.3 FM from the Tokyo Skytree to the Tokyo area. J-Wave airs mostly music, covering a wide range of formats. The station is considered the most popular among FM broad ...

in front of 400 fans, where he discussed the production process. He hosted the July 7 episode of ''

All Night Nippon is a Japanese radio program broadcast by Nippon Broadcasting System and other radio stations from 1–5 am (JST). It preempts broadcasts from TBS Radio's programming heard on stations under both JRN and NRN (TBC Radio, CBC Radio, etc.). ...

''. Onew embarked on his first Japanese concert tour on July 8 in support of the album. A reality show depicting his album preparations titled ''Hello Onew'' was broadcast by

Fuji TV JOCX-DTV (channel 8), branded as and colloquially known as CX, is a Japanese television station based in Odaiba, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Owned and operated by the it is the key station of the Fuji News Network (FNN) and the Fuji Network S ...

on July 11. He also collaborated with YouTuber and vocal coach Ryo Shiraishi appearing on his YouTube channel discussing his singing techniques and Japanese debut album.

Commercial performance

Following their digital releases both ''Who Sings? Vol.1'' and ''Life Goes On'' topped Oricon's Weekly Digital chart, peaked at number four on the ''

Billboard Japan ''Billboard Japan'' is a sister organization of the U.S.-based music magazine '' Billboard''. It is operated by the Japanese Osaka-based company Hanshin Contents Link (a subsidiary of Hanshin Electric Railway is a Japanese private railway compa ...

'' Hot Albums chart and topped the component Download Albums chart, recording 3,254 and 2,108 respectively. With its physical release, ''Life Goes On'' recorded 30,299 copies in first week sales.

Background and release

Promotion

Commercial performance

Track listing

Charts

Weekly charts

Monthly charts

Year-end charts

Release history

References