SHINee’s Onew, one of K-pop’s most instantly recognizable vocalists, has released his first full-length album in over two years, bold yet unmistakably his own sound.

“When I was younger, I didn’t really like my voice because I couldn’t imitate anyone,” said Onew, during a press showcase for his second full-length album, “Percent,” held in western Seoul on Tuesday.

“But looking at it from a different perspective, I learned that such uniqueness could be my weapon — so I’d say my biggest strength is that whatever new genres I try, it somehow becomes something uniquely ‘Onew-like,’” he added.

“Percent” comes about six months after Onew’s fourth solo EP “Connection,” and more than two years since his previous and first full-length album “Circle,” dropped in March 2023.

The album features 11 tracks: the lead track “Animals,” along with B-sides “Silky,” “Caffeine,” “Marshmallow,” “Confidence,” “Oreo Cake,” “Far Away,” “MAD,” “Percent (%),” “Epilogue” and “Happy Ending.”

The lead track “Animals,” marked by a sleek baseline and acoustic guitar sounds, explores the moment of liberation, with a focus on animalistic instinct and senses.

Onew said his motivation comes from the people closest to him, including his SHINee bandmates, Minho, Key and Taemin.

“My previous agency [SM Entertainment] has made me who I am now, and my current company [Griffin Entertainment] has also been really supporting me so much,” he said. Onew signed an exclusive contract with Griffin Entertainment in April last year, after his contract for solo activities with SM Entertainment expired earlier that year.

"And my members, who are a constant presence in my life, give me the strength to keep going forward without burning out.”

Guessing how his younger bandmates — who call him “old man,” according to Onew — would react to the album and its lead track, he said with a laugh: “I hope they’d say ‘Wow, our old man got hip,’ or ‘you’ve upped your game lately.’”

Onew is set to soon kick off a solo tour with two shows in Seoul on Aug. 2 and 3, which will bring him to Hong Kong, Bangkok, Tokyo, and Kaohsiung in Taiwan as well as stops in Europe and Latin America.

BY SHIN HA-NEE [shin.hanee@joongang.co.kr]