Saku (EP)

Saku
Saku
	Digital cover
EP by Onew
Released	October 1, 2025
Genre	J-pop
Length	16:54
Language	Japanese
Label	Victor
Onew chronology
Singles from Saku
	"Hana no Yoni"; Released: October 1, 2025;

2025 EP by Onew

Saku is the second Japanese extended play (EP) by South Korean singer Onew. It was released on October 1, 2025, through Victor Entertainment. It contains five songs, including the lead single, "Hana no Yoni".

Composition

The Japanese word saku means "to bloom", and each of the EP's five tracks contain stories related to flowers.^[1] Onew said he chose the title to reflect how life's happy moments can bloom like flowers.^[2] The opening song, "Kimi=Hana", describes the colourful flowers that bloom in each season. Lead single "Hana no Yoni" expresses fond memories of a lover. "Lily" describes driving along a highway at night after fighting with a romantic partner. In "Beautiful Snowdrop", Onew fantasises about the object of his affections. The final song, "'Cause I Believe in Your Love", is about a promise to meet again one day.^[3]

Release and promotion

Saku was released on October 1, 2025. To promote the EP, concept photos were released in three parts, starting on September 1, depicting flowers in different colours.^[4] Onew also released various promotional videos, including a highlight medley featuring snippets of each track and a commentary video where he discussed his thoughts about the songs.^[5] He performed songs from the EP at the Nippon Budokan on October 3–5, as part of his tour, Onew the Live: Percent (%).^[6]

Track listing

*Saku* track listing
No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Arrangement	Length
1.	"Kimi=Hana"	Ladyhood (Digz, Inc. Group)	Earattack Boy Matthews Eniac	Earattack Eniac	3:04
2.	"Hana no Yoni" (花のように)	Shinquo Ogura	Ogura	Ogura	4:03
3.	"Lily"	Ogura	Ogura	Ogura Arata Umehara	2:59
4.	"Beautiful Snowdrop"	Toru Ishikawa	Maiz Haris Alagic Scott Quinn	Maiz Alagic	3:05
5.	"'Cause I Believe in Your Love"	Ryosuke Nakazato	Parkmoonchi Frants Ciara Muscat	Parkmoonchi Frants	3:43
Total length:					16:54

Charts

Weekly charts

Weekly chart performance for *Saku*
Chart (2025)	Peak position
Japanese Albums (Oricon)^[7]	5
Japanese Combined Albums (Oricon)^[8]	6
Japanese Hot Albums (Billboard Japan)^[9]	45

Monthly charts

Monthly chart performance for *Saku*
Chart (2025)	Position
Japanese Albums (Oricon)^[10]	30

References

^ Yoon, So-yeon (September 23, 2025). "Shinee's Onew to release second solo Japanese EP in October". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved September 25, 2025.
^ ShineeのリーダーOnew、日本2nd ミニアルバム『Saku』でJ-popに挑戦! 日本語で魅せる歌声【インタビュー】 [Shinee's leader Onew takes on J-pop with his second Japanese EP "Saku"! Captivating Japanese vocals. (Interview)] (in Japanese). Oricon. October 9, 2025. Archived from the original on October 9, 2025. Retrieved October 9, 2025.
^ Jeong, Hee-yeon (October 1, 2025). 온유, 日 미니 2집 'Saku' 발매…주말 부도칸 단독 콘서트 [Onew releases second Japanese EP "Saku" and will hold a solo concert at the Budokan this weekend]. Sports Dong-A (in Korean). Retrieved October 5, 2025 – via Naver.
^ Onew、ソロ作『Saku』コンセプトフォト全揃い　10月には武道館3日間ライブも [Onew releases all concept photos for his solo album "Saku" and will perform at the Budokan for three days in October]. Billboard Japan (in Japanese). September 18, 2025. Archived from the original on September 19, 2025. Retrieved September 25, 2025.
^ Shinee Onew、日本2ndミニアルバムトラックリスト＆コメンタリー公開　タイトル曲は「花のように」 [Shinee's Onew releases track list and commentary for his second Japanese EP; the lead single is "Hana no Yoni"]. Real Sound (in Japanese). September 24, 2025. Retrieved October 5, 2025.
^ ＜ライブレポート＞Onew、「すごくキレイで、夢みたいです」ファンと最高の時間を分かち合った武道館3days [(Live report) Onew: "It's so beautiful, it feels like a dream." Three days at the Budokan sharing the best time with fans.]. Billboard Japan (in Japanese). October 6, 2025. Archived from the original on October 6, 2025. Retrieved October 9, 2025.
^ "Oricon Top 50 Albums: 2025-10-13" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved October 9, 2025.
^ "Oricon Top 50 Combined Albums: 2025-10-13" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on October 9, 2025. Retrieved October 9, 2025.
^ "Billboard Japan Hot Albums: 2025/10/08 公開". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Archived from the original on November 9, 2025. Retrieved October 9, 2025.
^ "Oricon Top 50 Albums: 2025-10" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on November 12, 2025. Retrieved November 12, 2025.

[1] Yoon, So-yeon (September 23, 2025). "Shinee's Onew to release second solo Japanese EP in October". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved September 25, 2025.

[2] ShineeのリーダーOnew、日本2nd ミニアルバム『Saku』でJ-popに挑戦! 日本語で魅せる歌声【インタビュー】 [Shinee's leader Onew takes on J-pop with his second Japanese EP "Saku"! Captivating Japanese vocals. (Interview)] (in Japanese). Oricon. October 9, 2025. Archived from the original on October 9, 2025. Retrieved October 9, 2025.

[3] Jeong, Hee-yeon (October 1, 2025). 온유, 日 미니 2집 'Saku' 발매…주말 부도칸 단독 콘서트 [Onew releases second Japanese EP "Saku" and will hold a solo concert at the Budokan this weekend]. Sports Dong-A (in Korean). Retrieved October 5, 2025 – via Naver.

[4] Onew、ソロ作『Saku』コンセプトフォト全揃い　10月には武道館3日間ライブも [Onew releases all concept photos for his solo album "Saku" and will perform at the Budokan for three days in October]. Billboard Japan (in Japanese). September 18, 2025. Archived from the original on September 19, 2025. Retrieved September 25, 2025.

[5] Shinee Onew、日本2ndミニアルバムトラックリスト＆コメンタリー公開　タイトル曲は「花のように」 [Shinee's Onew releases track list and commentary for his second Japanese EP; the lead single is "Hana no Yoni"]. Real Sound (in Japanese). September 24, 2025. Retrieved October 5, 2025.

[6] ＜ライブレポート＞Onew、「すごくキレイで、夢みたいです」ファンと最高の時間を分かち合った武道館3days [(Live report) Onew: "It's so beautiful, it feels like a dream." Three days at the Budokan sharing the best time with fans.]. Billboard Japan (in Japanese). October 6, 2025. Archived from the original on October 6, 2025. Retrieved October 9, 2025.

[ac_Oricon_-7] "Oricon Top 50 Albums: 2025-10-13" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved October 9, 2025.

[8] "Oricon Top 50 Combined Albums: 2025-10-13" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on October 9, 2025. Retrieved October 9, 2025.

[9] "Billboard Japan Hot Albums: 2025/10/08 公開". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Archived from the original on November 9, 2025. Retrieved October 9, 2025.

[10] "Oricon Top 50 Albums: 2025-10" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on November 12, 2025. Retrieved November 12, 2025.