On February 18, 2025 (KST), boy group ONF celebrated the “Part 1” release of their second full-length album with an “ONF:MY IDENTITY” showcase. At this showcase, ONF performed two songs from the album live for the audience, including the “title track” of “The Stranger” and “Night Tale.”
After the showcase, Korean media outlet The Star uploaded a YouTube video of the performance—except the video ended up being “MR Removed”-esque, according to the reporter who realized the mic was “attached to the wrong speaker.”
I must have attached my mic to the monitoring speaker… When I tried enhancing the vocals, it turned into one of those MR-Removed live videos.
— The Star
Regardless, ONF powered through the performance and served near-perfect live vocals:
Soon, the video, alongside the reporter’s comment explaining the audio quality, went viral across online communities.
While some skeptics wondered if the video might be a “pre-planned accident,” given how other K-Pop agencies have attempted such marketing before…
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…most appreciated ONF’s return to the K-Pop scene with some of the strongest vocals!
- “Is it like the ‘mistake’ that was NMIXX’s live vocals being revealed? We all remember the pre-planned mistake, LOL.”
- ”Not sure about it being entirely accidental, but I knew ONF was good at performing live, so… Haha.”
- “Wow, this is insane.”
- ”I was actually shocked when I saw them at their concert last year. Their live performances are better than any idol group’s I’ve seen.”
- ”How can live vocals be this stable?!”
- ”Looks like their agency is trying to sell them. This is good marketing, though.”
- “As if a reporter would actually ever make this kind of a mistake with their mics, LOL. But whatever the truth might be, their live vocals are so good. Too good that it makes me wonder if revealing it this way was pre-planned.”
- ”Marketing or not, I hope ONF makes it big this comeback. The members are super talented and their songs are amazing. I’d love more people to find out about them.”
ONF’s new album consists of six tracks that “back up the group’s identity of ‘one and only.” ONF shared, “The title track, ‘The Stranger,’ represents our pursuit of a path that no one else takes,” adding, “and we look forward to creating music that is uniquely ours.”
Watch “The Stranger” music video here:
Source: Munhwa Ilbo and theqoo
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