Winner (band)

Winner (; ; stylized in all caps) is a South Korean boy band consisting of four members: Kim Jin-woo, Lee Seung-hoon, Mino, and Kang Seung-yoon; originally a five-piece band, Nam Tae-hyun departed in November 2016 due to health-related issues. The band's debut was hailed as "unprecedented" for a newly launched act, thereby birthing the moniker "Monster Rookies" within the industry. Furthermore, their musical impact in their native country solidified the band as the "Kings of Summer" and cemented widespread trust in their artistry.

Formed in 2013 by YG Entertainment and Mnet's ''WIN: Who Is Next'', the quintet debuted in 2014 with the studio album ''2014 S/S''. As of March 2019, they remain the fastest Korean act to top the ''Billboard'' World Album Chart with the oeuvre and to secure the number one position on the Gaon Music Chart with both the album and its titular single, " Empty". The band also set a record as the fastest act to win on a televised music show, with a time of five days. Notably, they are the only artist to have all of their singles top the platform, Melon, for five consecutive years since their first release. Their success worldwide bestowed them with a plethora of accolades for music, fashion, and popularity, with honors from award shows such as the Melon Music Awards, the Style Icon Awards, and the MTV Asia Music Gala. Following the band's reformation, their lead single, "Really Really" from their first single album '' Fate Number For'' (2017), sold over 2.5 million digital copies in their country and surpassed 100 million streams on the Gaon Music Chart; marking them as the first male K-pop act to achieve this milestone without it departing from the chart.

Renowned as a "self-producing" group, its members are deeply involved in every facet of their creative process—from music production and choreography to design and marketing; their leader and youngest member, Kang Seung-yoon, is often portrayed as the act's main producer. In addition to their musical achievements, they are proclaimed as a " blue chip" due to their demand in the advertising industry, securing endorsements from prominent brands such as Adidas, Oreo, and Kiehl's. Beyond their commercial and artistic success, Winner is also noted for its philanthropic endeavors, actively participating in charitable initiatives and animal welfare campaigns in particular.

History

2010–2013: Formation and pre-debut activities

Following the successful launches of YG Entertainment's representative boy band Big Bang (2006) and girl group 2NE1 (2009), the label scouted talents through global and private auditions to nurture their next debuting act. Following two to three years of training, hints of its prospective line-up were revealed to the public including notable trainees such as Kang Seung-yoon and Lee Seung-hoon, who rose to domestic stardom through the audition shows ''Superstar K2'' (2010) and ''K-pop Star'' (2011–2012), respectively. Its prevailing members, Kim Jin-woo and Nam Tae-hyun, were recruited into the company's trainee system through an audition held in 2010 and 2011, respectively; Kim, the longest trained member of the five, was first discovered by Big Bang's Seungri at his academy, resulting in the opportunity to audition at the label. Song Min-ho debuted under Y2Y Contents Company as a member of BoM (2011), which disbanded one year and eight months later, and joined YG Entertainment in 2013, as the final addition to the ensemble.

Its debut process was chronicled in Mnet's ''WIN: Who Is Next'' (2013), a reality show documenting the five as members of "Team A". It further unveiled a second line-up of trainees under the name "Team B" (currently iKon), that the five had simultaneouly trained with, and were portrayed as their rivals while competing to debut as "Winner". In the span of 100 days, the show consisted of three rounds of performances and public voting. Furthermore, artists of "YG Family" (i.e. Big Bang, 2NE1, Epik High), namely Taeyang and G-Dragon, evaluated and mentored the trainees. For its finale, a live broadcast was hosted by Daesung and Yoo In-na in front of an audience of over 3,000 people at the SK Olympic Handball Gymnasium. It showcased the two team's self-composed works, "Go Up" and "Climax", which became their first entries on the Gaon Digital Chart at number eight and twelve, respectively, following its official release. On October 25, Team A were announced as the winners and commenced with preparations for their debut.

In September 2013, Team A and B received the chance to join G-Dragon's "Crooked" stage performance on ''M Countdown'' as his back up dancers. Two months later, the quintet served as the opening acts for Big Bang's Japan Dome Tour, an opportunity won as the winners of ''WIN: Who is Next''. In this time, the band's first official event entitled "Hello! Winner", created a buzz in the country, where they greeted 300 fans amidst a crowd of 8,000 people in Osaka. Furthermore, through the recording of their reality program ''Winner TV'' (2013–2014), a predecessor of ''2NE1 TV'' (2009–2011) and ''Big Bang TV'' (2011), which documented their debut preparation and lifestyle, the band secured the chance to perform as guests for 2NE1's All or Nothing World Tour in Seoul on March 1–2, 2014, alongside additional stops in Asia following an invitation by the quartet. Winner joined the YG Family Power World Tour in Osaka on April 12, which later expanded as an action to introduce their newest artist to fans located in Southeast Asia.

2014–2016: Immediate success with ''2014 S/S'', international recognition, and Nam's departure

Between June and August 2014, the quintet were re-introduced to the public eight months following the conclusion of ''WIN: Who is Next''. Following a series of teasers and pictorials heralding their debut, the band held a launch party-esque showcase with an audience of 400 attendees at the Conrad Seoul Hotel on August 6, to introduce the band's music and look. It depicted a fashion show with models from YG KPlus and the members walking down a catwalk. The showcase and its concept was cited to be unique from existing male idols and "fresh" by media outlets, alluding to the quintet's "classy" image ahead of the release of their first studio album, ''2014 S/S''. It was also recognized by the Red Dot Design Awards, one of the three biggest design awards in the world, for being the first-ever project to apply a fashion brand’s launching concept to an artist's debut, becoming the winner of the artist's debut branding category. In result, the term "model-dols", a portmanteau of "model" and "idol", was created within the industry.

Winner officially debuted with the titular singles "Empty" and "Color Ring" on August 17, the day of their first performance on television. They became the fastest act to win on a music show after five days of their debut, a record that was cited to be unusual for a rookie. ''2014 S/S'' debuted atop the Gaon Album Chart and a number of international music charts, including the ''Billboard'' World Albums Chart. Furthermore, they debuted at number six on its Heatseekers Chart, indicating a near Billboard 200 entry, rare for a Korean act at the time. On the Gaon Digital Chart, both singles charted at first and third place, respectively, while the former remained at number one for two consecutive weeks. "Don't Flirt", became the most downloaded b-side on the platform, until its record was broken by Blackpink's "Forever Young" (2018) after four years. On September 10, the band released their album's Japanese equivalent of the same name, which peaked at number two on the Oricon Albums Chart. The following day, they embarked on their first Japan tour, which concluded in Tokyo on October 11 with a total of 50,000 attendees. Their commercial success had selected them as one of the ten best artists at the 2014 Melon Music Awards, followed by multiple Best New Artist awards presented by the 29th Golden Disc Awards and 4th Gaon Chart Music Awards amidst others. Abroad, they were awarded the Best New Force Group at the QQ Music Awards and the Most Popular Korean Group at the Youku Tudou Young Choice 2014. The band was also listed as the only Korean act alongside the likes of Sam Smith and Meghan Trainor, amidst the thirteen top breakout artists by Fuse that year.

Beginning on January 10, 2015, the ensemble commenced on their first fan meeting tour, titled "WWIC" (Worldwide Innercircle Conference), in Beijing, where the act visited 4,000 fans, and 6,500 fans in Shanghai the following week. Its success resulted in a surge of the band's profile on Weibo, a leading social media service in China, ensuing the group to hold a stop in Shenzhen on January 24, due to popular demand. Lee Seung-hoon, who was absent in the aforementioned stops due to cited health reasons, was present in their Seoul fan meeting, which garnered 10,000 fans at the Olympic Gymnastics Arena on January 31. The event was further extended to regions including Osaka on February 20 and 21, and Tokyo the following day, resulting in an audience of 31,500 people across the three countries. "WWIC 2015" was later presented with a branding design prize from the iF Product Design Award 2016 in Germany, one of the world's three largest design awards events. In September, they embarked on their second Japan tour, where they greeted over 36,000 attendees across ten cities.

The five-piece were scheduled to release five 'project releases' in 2016, where the first, a duet featuring Mino and Nam, titled "Pricked", was released on January 11. In the lead-up to the first installation of their project, entitled "Exit Movement", a number of musical covers of their lead singles, "Sentimental" and "Baby Baby", were released as promotional teasers by Dean, Zion.T, and G-Dragon, amidst others. Released on February 1, Winner's EP, '' Exit : E'', debuted atop the Gaon Album Chart, and at number two on the ''Billboard''s World Albums Chart. Its lead singles topped all eight music streaming platforms in South Korea and achieved a real-time "all-kill". In China, "Baby Baby" became the most streamed song within the first half of the year among Korean releases on QQ Music, the country's largest music platform. Winner held their first-ever concert tour nationwide starting on March 12 and 13 at Olympic Gymnasiums Arena in Seoul. The group also held additional stops in Gwangju, Daegu, and Busan, in April. In June, the group brought their Exit Tour to Japan, drawing over 36,000 fans in Japan alone.

Winner's variety show '' Half-Moon Friends'' (2016), which aired on JTBC, gained popularity both in Korea and abroad, garnering over 75 million views via Miaopai and surpassing 100 million views through other platforms in China alone. Their success in the country won them the Overseas Popularity Award at the MTV Asia Music Gala. Due to Nam taking a break for reasons relating to his mental health in October, the rest of the "Exit Movement" series was delayed indefinitely, until his eventual departure from the band on November 25, resulting in the project's cancellation.

2017–2019: Reformation, continued success, and first world tour

Following the band's reformation, after 14 months of hiatus, Winner returned to the industry as four on April 4, 2017, with the single album '' Fate Number For''. Notably, the music video for its titular single, "Really Really", was filmed by director Dave Meyers. It peaked atop the Gaon Digital Chart, and debuted at number three on the ''Billboard'' World Digital Song Sales, marking the group's best position to date. Furthermore, it went on to creating the record of surpassing 100 million streams, making Winner the first ever male idol group in history to achieve this while keeping their "Chart-In" status, and was chosen to be on the Apple Music's "Best of the Week" list. In commemoration of their release, Winner held a three-day "concept showroom" showcase, from April 2 to 4, located at Club NB in Seoul. On May 31, they released their debut Japanese single, containing Japanese renditions of "Really Really" and "Fool". On August 4, Winner released their second single album, '' Our Twenty For'', which included the lead singles, "Love Me Love Me" and "Island". The former was chosen by ''Dazed Digital'' as one of the 20 best K-Pop songs of 2017.

Through tvN's New Journey to the West 4, Mino's wish to appear on ''Youth Over Flowers'' with his fellow Winner members was granted as a special supplementary show. Filming for Winner's ''Youth Over Flowers'' took place in West Australia while airing began on November 7.

On February 7, 2018, Winner released their first Japanese studio album, ''Our Twenty For'', consisting new Japanese songs, "Raining" and "Have a Good Day", and embarked on their third Japan tour, "We'll Always Be Young". On April 4, Winner released their second studio album '' Everyday'' with lead single "Everyday" consisting of twelve songs including Korean versions of "Raining" and "Have a Good Day". The single became the group's first time experimenting with the genre, trap alongside reuniting with director Dave Meyers for the music video. On June 17, Winner successfully held their fan meeting, "WWIC 2018", 3 years since their last private stage in 2015. A total of 6,000 tickets were sold out. On July 4, Winner announced their first-ever world tour, ''Everywhere'', starting in Seoul on August 19, followed seven stops throughout Asia. The tour resumed in January 2019 with an encore tour in Seoul. The same month, Winner branched their ''Everywhere'' tour to North America beginning with Seattle, followed six other cities including Los Angeles, Dallas, and Toronto.

On December 19, Winner returned with single album '' Millions'' with lead single of the same name. ''Millions'' soon claimed the number two spot on Gaon, and received six music show wins.

On May 15, Winner released their second EP '' We'', alongside lead single, "Ah Yeah". The single received positive reviews among the public for its cool lyrics that sublimates the realistic emotions of a cold-hearted breakup thus ultimately creating a cheerful breakup song. Through their comeback, the group entered the Gaon Chart with a triple crown, where "Ah Yeah" peaked at number one and two respectively on the Gaon Download and Digital Chart while EP ''We'' claimed number one on the Album Chart, selling over 129,000 physical copies. On June 29, the group successfully held their private stage, WWIC 2019. The show was held twice within the same day at Jang Chung Gymnasium, Seoul. On July 3, Winner commenced on their 2019 concert tour in Japan starting with their concert at Nakano Sun Plaza in Tokyo while ending on September 16 at Marine Messe in Fukuoka. The tour garnered a total audience of 50,000 attendees in eight cities.

Winner released their third EP ''Cross'' with the lead single "Soso" on October 23. The music video for the lead single was well acclaimed and praised for its artistry and symbolism. ''Billboard'' stated: "The rawness of human emotion is relayed through intense scenes acted out by the group's members. Feelings of being stomped on and tied up by emotions and those around you are acted out, as is the idea of baring it all, a rarity in the K-pop world, while emotions such as lethargy, anger and melancholy are expressed through a variety of moments splintered across the screen". Through this comeback, Winner pushed out of the boundaries of "K-pop" and did what was considered an "anomaly" within the industry. Their Asian tour, the "Cross Tour", began in Seoul on October 26, and visited nine cities throughout the continent, continuing onto February 2020; however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, their stop in Singapore was cancelled, followed by the cancellation of their Seoul encore concert. The series of events led to the group holding a free online live concert entitled "Winner Cross Special Live" through Naver V Live on February 14, 2020, where they performed live performances for two hours, garnering 1 million attendees. Originally, the "Cross Tour" focused on the concept of 'spy agents' with two different set lists arranged for two different days. The set lists were differentiated through the symbols, ''x'' and ''+'', where they also allude to the term "cross".

2020–present: Military enlistment and releases

For Winner's third full-length album ''Remember'', a pre-release digital single titled "Hold" (뜸) was on March 26, 2020. It charted number one music streaming platforms including Naver, Bugs, and Soribada, while its accompanied music video, which starred Lee Su-hyun of AKMU, playing the band's little sister, garnered attention for its amusing and witty plot. The four-piece initiated the "Ddeum Challenge" on TikTok, creating a trend nation-wide and attracting the attention of celebrities such as 2NE1's Sandara Park, model Hyoni Kang, and CIX's Seunghun and Hyunsuk. Released on April 9, ''Remember'' contained eight tracks, including its lead single of the same name and pre-release single, alongside four re-recorded singles from their debut album, ''2014 S/S''. Notably, the album recorded their highest first week sales since their debut.

Kim Jin-woo became the band's first member to enlist, serving his mandatory military service on April 2. In result, the quartet's activities as a group were temporarily halted until further notice. Following Kim, Lee Seung-hoon became their second member to enlist on April 16. Kim and Lee were discharged from their duties on December 31, 2021, and January 15, 2022, respectively. On March 2, 2023, YG Entertainment announced that Mino would serve as a social worker in the military, who is scheduled to enlist on March 24. On May 24, 2023, YG Entertainment announced that Kang Seung-yoon will enlist on June 20 as an active duty soldier.

Following the end of Winner's seven-year contract with YG Entertainment, the members renewed their contracts with label for five more years in August 2021. On February 18, 2022, YG Entertainment announced the band's first concert in two years, which was held at the KSPO Dome in Seoul, on April 30 and May 1. The latter date was also available for online streaming. Winner returned to music with their fourth EP ''Holiday'' and its lead single "I Love U" on July 5. On December 11, 2022, YG Entertainment It has been announced that Winner will hold an online concert "Winner Live Stage hite Holiday at 9:00 pm on December 29.

Artistry

Musicality and songwriting

Winner is known for their wide musical spectrum, having been cited as "versatile K-pop chameleons" among the music scenes by Apple Music. Beginning their career with mid-tempo melancholies such as "Empty" and "Color Ring" (2014) and blues with "Baby Baby" (2016), their range quickly broadened with alternative rock ("Sentimental"), tropical house ("Really Really") and disco ("Love me Love Me"). Their debut album ''2014 S/S'', spanned genres from hip hop, ballad, reggae, dance, and R&B across its track list.

For their music, all members have been credited for their participation in production, composition, and songwriting, for their work since their trainee days, which was considered "rare" for newcomers. Their self-written material mainly encapsulates the themes of love, hope, everyday life stories, and consolation. Kang Seung-yoon, who oversees its overall productions, is often cited as their main producer. In an interview with Vice, Kang shared what he believed differentiated them from other groups: "We incorporate our honest feelings and thoughts—the depth of it s differentif someone else makes your song for you, versus being involved yourself as a writer ..we've been putting ourselves into it." For Winner, songs like "Air" (2018), "Millions" (2018), and "I Love U" (2022), were created out of inspiration from fans, such as the diffuser they had gifted, to the compliments they had showered them with. Songs like "Sentimental" and "Baby Baby" (2016) were influenced by the "analog emotions" from artists like The Rolling Stones or Korean artists such as Kim Hyun-sik and Yoo Jae-ha, while "Ah Yeah" (2019) was inspired by the film '' Very Ordinary Couple'' (2013).

Image and choreography

Due to the members' approach in music, the group leaned towards a more heavier, emotional, and muted style, compared to the flashy dance tracks of most idol groups. The band built a repertoire for differentiating themselves from conventional idols, wherein their focus relies on creating music that focuses more on being sincere, by moving the hearts or providing comfort to their listeners.

Juxtaposed to a flashy or "precise" performance like most idols, Winner aimed to convey the emotions of their songs onstage, by performing in a manner that allows them to be "drunk" on the emotions of the music. For this, the band went on to gain recognition for their lyrically displayed choreography which portrayed the messages of their songs. Winner has contributed to choreographing most of their songs, particularly Lee Seung-hoon. For Winner, he has choreographed their debut lead singles "Empty" and "Color Ring" (2014), and "Fool" (2017), which he created and finalized within 5 hours. For its process, Lee noted that they don’t write the songs with a stage performance in mind. The group further broadened their scope by working with choreographers of different ethnic backgrounds, including choreographer Oththan Burnside for the lead singles "Really Really" (2017) and "Everyday" (2018) alongside world renowned dance crew, Kinjaz, for the latter.

Impact and influence

Winner became a trademark in the industry, wherein people from abroad attempted to replicate and impersonate them. Their commercial success had them cited as the "undisputed top new artist of the year", where they were also credited to popularize limited edition items in the entertainment industry through their album versions. For university festival season in Korea, Mersenne, a company that casts artists, disclosed Winner were the only requested male idol group alongside iKon in 2018. In April 2019, the five companies that worked on its casting, Mersenne, Innobay, 2M, Waikiki, and Top Plan, stated Winner were the only male idol group that was sought out that year. In their career, artists that have cited Winner as a role model or influence include: Tag and Hong Joo-chan of Golden Child, A.C.E's Dong-hun, JBJ's Jin Longguo, Signal, Yongha of WEi, and MustB.

Public image

Through multiple releases, Winner acquired the term "Trust and Listen", which refers to an artist you can trust and listen to, among the people of South Korea and music listeners abroad. Its origin began when the band's potential in creating quality music accordingly for the mass audience was recognized, resulting in the population to willingly listen to their music upon the mention of their name. The title "Kings of Summer" was also acquired through their commercially acclaimed releases in line to its upbeat tunes regardless of genre, reminiscent to summer.

Other ventures

Endorsements

In the advertising industry, Winner has been proclaimed as a " blue chip" long before their official debut as a result of their popularity and reliability to accumulate profit for a brand. They have been lauded for their influence over various generations across their country and abroad, prompting brands of varied genus such as: NII, Fanta, Adidas, Elite, Pizza Etang, Ellesse, Café Droptop, Oreo, and De Medicotem, to recruit the ensemble as its representatives. They have also endorsed for promotional campaigns of 8Seconds, Calvin Klein, the Korean Culture and Information Service (KOCIS), and Kiehl's, and collaborated with the mobile gaming platform, Dancevil.

The act are notable for their involvement in their endorsements from designing products for the brand to creating and recording for commercial jingles. In 2018 and 2019, the members of Winner designed Kiehl's product labels for its "Nature and the City" environmental campaign, Café Droptop's exclusive products and merchandise, and Adidas' t-shirts for its "Seoul Pack" project. In 2019, Winner sang the Korean rendition of Oreo's "We are Oreo People" for its commercial.

Winner's effect on the advertising industry was demonstrated through the success they brought for the brands they represented. In 2016, for Elite, they were selected as an "icon of all time" for the most memorable school uniform commercial. In 2017, Ellesse generated ₩14 billion for their year-end sales, increasing its revenue by 160% in comparison to its prior year. Furthermore, a boost in younger customers was also observed, alongside inquires from Asia, resulting in discussions to export their Korean products to its headquarters across the continent. That same year, 8Seconds's padded coats experienced an influx of sales, selling over 6,000 pieces in two weeks. In 2018, Talk Talk Korea garnered its most participants in its history since its launch in 2014. That same year, Café Droptop cited the popularity their product collaborations with Winner received and the long lines the café experienced. In 2019, the band was credited for the expansion of Oreo's commercial, which aired in eight additional countries, an "unusual" achievement for domestic commercials which rarely advance abroad. In 2020, De Medicotem's sales for its "Seven Hydro Zenith Mask" rose.

Philanthropy

The charitable organizations which Winner actively donates to include: Mapo District Office, Korea Animal Rights Advocates (KARA), Cheolsan Social Welfare Center, Seoul Food Bank, and Coal Bank. For their fan meeting "WWIC 2018", they supplied 5.95 tons of rice and 100 kilograms of animal feed; and 35.865 tons of rice, 2,840 packets of ramen, 48 cans of powdered milk, 1.604 tons of animal feed, 20 kilograms of cat food, 1,290 eggs, and 180 briquettes with the band's fan club, to youth protection facilities, single mothers, and the elderly. The band have also donated profits attained through sales of merchandise to KARA. Winner has donated goods to charity events including the "Creating a Better World With Stars" in 2014, where its proceeds were donated to Good Neighbors, a humanitarian organization that helps single mothers and welfare of children, "Made In Heaven" in 2019, organized by Sean of Jinusean and his wife Jung Hye-young, where profits from the sale were used to cover the care expenses of 100 children, the "SAC Pet Festival" bazaar, and "Flower Response (花答)" in 2020, held by Big Bang's Taeyang, with proceeds donated to Love Snail Charity, a social welfare organization dedicated to help provide cochlear implants and hearing aids to those in need.

The band have further collaborated with photographer Choi Se-hon and his project "The Letter from Angels" (2014) alongside Kangnam, Lee Kwang-soo, Yoo Yeon-seok, and Lee Seo-jin to promote local adoption; clothing brand NII and photo studio "Thank You Studio" for the animal campaign "Happiness", donating its entire proceeds to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA); and the charity event entitled YG X UNICEF Walking Festival in 2017 which garnered 5,000 participants, where all profits were donated to the Korean Committee of Unicef treat children and adolescents of malnutrition.

Ambassadorship

* Korea Brand & Entertainment EXPO by KOTRA (2016 / 2019)
* Korean Culture and Information Service (KOCIS) (2018)
* Paradise City Brand / PR Ambassador (2018)
* Crocs Brand Ambassador (2022)
* Hanoi Ambassador Hallyu Expo (2022)

Discography

* ''2014 S/S'' (2014)
* '' Everyday'' (2018)
* ''Remember'' (2020)

Filmography

* ''WIN: Who Is Next'' (2013, Mnet)
* ''Winner TV '' (2013–14, Mnet)
* '' Half-Moon Friends'' (2016, JTBC)
* ''Youth Over Flowers'' (2017, tvN)
* ''YG Future Strategy Office'' (2018, Netflix)
* ''Winner Vacation - Hoony Tour'' (2019, Olleh TV)
* ''W-Log'' (2019, YouTube/Vlive)
* ''Bingo Trip'' (2019, Dingo Music)
* ''Winner Vacation - Bell Boys'' (2021, Seezn)
* ''Real Now-Winner Edition'' (2022, Naver Now)
* Artist Way (2022, JTBC)

Concerts and tours

Headlining tours
* Zepp Tour in Japan (2014)
* Japan Tour (2015)
* Exit Tour (2016)
* Japan Tour 2018 ~We'll always be young~ (2018)
* Everywhere World Tour (2018–19)
* Winner Japan Tour (2019)
* Cross Tour (2019–20)

Concerts
* Winner 2022 Concert (2022)

Joint tours
* YG Family – Power World Tour (2014)

Opening act / guest performer
* Big Bang – Japan Dome Tour (2013–14)
*2NE1 – All Or Nothing World Tour (2014)

Notes

References

External links

*

{{Authority control

K-pop music groups
Musical groups established in 2013
South Korean boy bands
South Korean dance music groups
South Korean pop music groups
YG Entertainment artists
Musical groups from Seoul
2013 establishments in South Korea
MAMA Award winners
Melon Music Award winners