ONEUS

Specializing in R&B-tinged pop, South Korean boy band Oneus are a product of the Seoul-based entertainment company RBW. They emerged in 2018 after their members had competed in the survival reality TV shows Produce 101 and Mix Nine. By the end of 2021, they'd placed six EPs in the Korean Top Ten, three singles in the Japanese Top Ten, and their debut album, Devil, charted highly in their home country at number two. They have remained chart favorites in their home country with Top Five EPs including 2021's Binary Code and Blood Moon, 2022's Trickster and Malus, and 2023's Pygmalion and La Dolce Vita. The band formed during the online project RBW Trainee Real Life: We Will Debut. Lead vocalist Keonhee and dancer Hwanwoong were the first members to be selected. At the beginning of 2018, another lead vocalist, Seoho, and rapper Ravn were added to form a quartet, initially called RBW Boyz. Rapper Leedo and vocalist Xion joined in March, and by June they'd been given the Oneus moniker. Their debut release, "Last Song," was released in September, a joint single with their alt rock namesakes Onewe. The debut Oneus EP, Light Us, appeared in January 2019 on the same day as their first-ever concert, at Seoul's Yes24 Live Hall. The Raise Us EP followed in May and contained "Twilight," a single that was re-recorded for the Japanese market, subsequently becoming a hit after debut live appearances in Osaka and Tokyo. Following the launch of their third EP, Fly with Us in November, they embarked on their first U.S. tour. On their return to Asia, they consolidated their success in Japan with the December single "808." In 2020, Oneus finished fourth in the reality TV show Road to Kingdom before releasing their Lived EP in August. Their debut full-length album, Devil, appeared in January 2021 and featured the singles "Bbusyeo" and "No Diggity," the latter of which hit the Japanese Top Ten. Two additional EPs were issued that year -- Binary Code and Blood Moon -- both of which reached number two in the Korean charts. Culled from the latter EP, "Luna" helped Oneus to win their first TV competition as part of the 2021 season of Show Champion. In February 2022, they embarked on a U.S. tour. Their seventh EP, Trickster, arrived that April featuring the single "Bring It On." An eighth EP, Malus, followed that September. Around the same time, Ravn parted ways with the group. More EPs arrived in 2023, including Pygmalion and La Dolce Vita, the latter of which hit number seven on Billboard's World chart. ~ James Wilkinson, Rovi