5 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Miss ONEUS’ Latest Album “La Dolce Vita”

Four months after ONEUS dropped their 9th mini album “Pygmalion”, the quintet — SeoHo, LeeDo, KeonHee, HwanWoong, and Xion, has made a quick comeback on September 26 with another mini album “La Dolce Vita.” This album set a new record for the group’s album sales by recording over 300,000 pre-order sales, and has landed top 10 of the iTunes Top Album Chart in 12 regions across the world on the first day of its release, a testament to ONEUS’s surging popularity both in and outside of Korea. Apart from the impressive album sales, the members have also made several remarkable breakthroughs and evolved into more mature artists in this comeback.

Here are 5 reasons why this album deserves your attention!

 

1. Perfect mix of Latin and classical music

ONEUS has always been known for incorporating traditional Korean music and dance in their previous releases such as ‘LIT’ (2019) and ‘LUNA’ (2021). However, the members took on a challenge in this album by trying out the Latin genre for the first time, saying that they tried to change their singing style and tone in order to express the distinctive characteristics of Latin music.

The title song ‘Baila Conmigo’ is a Latin-influenced track that adopts famous dance piece ‘Hungarian Dance No. 4’ by 19th century German composer Johannes Brahms as the base. The contemporary moombahton beat blends perfectly with the elegant melody of the classical music played in saxophone, all together bringing a fresh sound to ONEUS’ discography.

 

2. Innovative reinterpretation of classic fairy tale

In terms of the concept for this album, ONEUS made an interesting reinterpretation of Hans Christian Andersen‘s “The Little Mermaid“. The members are turned into mermen princes who give up their voices in exchange for legs to meet their lovers, which is a unique concept rarely adopted by K-Pop boy groups.

The lyrics of ‘Baila Conmigo’ sing the mermen princes’ desire to dance with their lovers for one last time before their farewell. Prior to the comeback, ONEUS dropped a set of story artwork illustrations, which the members were depicted as ethereal mermen princes in a fairytale book.

To fit into the role of merman prince, the members also paid extra attention to their stage outfits by using vinyl and lace to visualize fish scales and wear pearls to symbolize the tears of mermen. This one of a kind concept and storyline surprised TOMOON (their fandom) as many commented how much they love the members’ transformation into mermen princes on the group’s social media channels. 

 

3. Members participating in choreography and music making

Now in their 5th year of debut, ONEUS have been taking an increasingly active role in the album making process. During the media press conference on their comeback day, KeonHee revealed that all the members were closely involved in making the album by constantly giving out their ideas along the way.

In particular, HwanWoong participated in crafting the choreography of ‘Baila Conmigo.’ Another member, LeeDo, was involved in writing the lyrics of two of the B-Side tracks ‘Simulation’ and ‘Epilogue,’ and even took part in composing the latter one. LeeDo recalled that he put a lot of effort in creating lyrics and melodies that fit the concept of the title track and album as a whole. This album is undoubtedly a combination of all the members’ hard-work and creativity. 

 

4. Spanish album title and lyrics 

Many Spanish-speaking TOMOON were delighted when the album title track and track list were unveiled, as Spanish is widely used in this album. The title of the album, “La Dolce Vita,” translates to “the sweet life” in English. The name of the title track, ‘Baila Conmigo,’ is also Spanish, which means “dance with me”. The title matches well with the message of the song that the mermen princes are inviting their lovers to dance together, while at the same time resonates with the album’s name.

The members even made a bold attempt of recording a Spanish version of the title track, confessing that they paid extra attention in getting the pronunciation right and received guidance from a native Spanish speaker during the recording, so as to make the song sound familiar to Spanish-speakers. Some of the Spanish lyrics are even kept in the Korean version, which accentuate the Latin color of the song.

 

5. Compelling intro and B-Side tracks

ONEUS has been famous for having amazing intro tracks since their debut. The intro track of this album ‘Intro: Beggin’ you’ is no exception, which is a short upbeat track that connects with the story of the title track seamlessly. While the other two B-Sides give out exactly opposite vibes. ‘Simulation’ is an emotional song with heavy and dramatic beats that the members sing their regrets of letting go of their love, hoping their lovers can come back again.

On the other hand, ‘Epilogue’ is a more lighthearted song which is about a couple breaking up peacefully as their love towards each other has faded away. The members once again present high-quality tracks and showcase their ability to pull off a wide spectrum of genres through this album as the promising “4-generation performers.”

Check out the music video of “Baila Conmigo” below to fall for the mesmerizing charms of the five mermen princes! 

Meanwhile, ONEUS will be kicking off the European leg of their second world tour “La Dolce Vita” in November, which the members will be performing in six countries in Europe. Ticket sale has began on September 22, and more stops and further information will be announced later. 

What do you think about ONEUS’s “merman prince” concept in “La Dolce Vita”, and what’s your favorite track in the album? Share us your thoughts in the comments below. Let’s show our love and support to ONEUS and wish them a successful comeback and world tour!