Winner (
Korean: 위너;
romanized: wineo; stylized in
all caps) is a South Korean
boy band consisting of four members:
Jinu,
Hoony,
Mino, and
Seungyoon. The band was formed in 2013 by
YG Entertainment through
Mnet's survival program WIN: Who Is Next leading to their official debut on August 17, 2014, with studio album 2014 S/S. Originally a five-piece band,
Taehyun departed in November 2016 for his mental health and well-being. Upon their debut, The Korea Herald cited their immediate success as "unprecedented" for a new group, thus dubbed as "Monster rookies". Winner is often cited as a "self-producing" band with all members actively taking on roles from producing and choreographing to designing and marketing. The band also earned the titles "Trust and Listen" alongside "Kings of Summer" by media outlets and the general public through releases.
As of March 2019, Winner was recorded as the fastest Korean act to top the BillboardWorld Album Chart with their debut album 2014 S/S, and topped domestic charts on
Gaon for both their album and lead single "Empty". Winner is currently the fastest act to win on a televised music show, with a time of five days. As of October 2019, they are the only artists to have all lead singles consecutively top
Melon five years straight since debut.[1] Their success in Asia earned them numerous awards for music, fashion and popularity including the
Melon Music Awards, MTV Asia Music Gala and
Style Icon Awards. Following the band's reformation, Winner's lead single, "Really Really" from their first single album Fate Number For (2017), instantly went to number one in South Korea. It went on to sell over 2.5 million digital copies domestically and surpass 100 million streams on Gaon, making Winner the first-ever K-pop boy group in history to achieve this while keeping their "Chart-In" status.
Throughout their career, the band cumulatively held over 100 concerts. Their first world tour, Winner Everywhere Tour in 2018, was the band's largest tour to date. Winner is also known through endorsement deals with brands
Adidas,
Oreo,
Kiehl's and more. The band actively participates in various charitable activities and animal campaigns.
History
2010–2013: Formation and pre-debut activities
In 2010, the group's leader
Kang Seung-yoon (Seungyoon) was a contestant on Mnet's Superstar K2, finishing in fourth place.[2] The following year, he signed with
YGE and made his acting debut in the MBC sitcom High Kick: Revenge of the Short Legged.[3] In 2013, he debuted as a solo artist and released multiple songs, including hit single "It Rains".[4] In 2010, Kim Jin-woo (Jinu) was brought to the agency by
Big Bang's
Seungri through Joy Dance Plug In Music Academy.[5] Nam Tae-hyun (Taehyun) was recruited through audition in 2011.
Lee Seung-hoon (Hoony) competed in SBS's K-pop Star in 2012, finishing in fourth place.[6] Soon after, he signed under YGE the same year on May 22.[7] Song Min-ho (Mino) initially debuted under Y2Y Contents Company in the group BoM, which disbanded two years later. In 2013, he joined YGE through audition, after being noticed from his appearance in Channel A's The Strongest K-POP Survival.[8]
On August 23, 2013, the five competed as "Team A" on
Mnet survival program Win: Who Is Next against "Team B", consisting of trainees they also have trained with under the label. Throughout the span of 100 days, the show consisted of three rounds of performances and public voting.[9] During the finale, on October 25 Team A was announced as the winners thus claiming the title "Winner" and commencing with preparation for debut.[10][11] They performed as the opening act at labelmate senior
Big Bang's Japanese dome tour beginning on November 15.[12] From December 13, Winner broadcast their reality program, Winner TV, consisting of ten episodes on
Mnet showcasing their debut preparation and lifestyle.[13]
2014–2016: Debut with 2014 S/S, immediate success, international recognition and Taehyun's departure
On March 1–2, 2014, Winner performed as guests at label-mate senior
2NE1's
All or Nothing World Tour in Seoul.[14] The quintet continued their appearance as guest performers in other stops including Hong Kong on March 22, April 11 in China, April 26–27 in Taiwan, May 17 in Philippines, and May 24 in Malaysia.[15] Amidst touring with 2NE1, Winner joined the
YG Family Power World Tour from April 12. Between June and August, the group members were re-introduced to the public after eight months in anticipation for their debut, through series of teaser images and videos.[16][17] Ahead of their debut, on August 6 Winner held a showcase in the form of a launch party with an audience of 400 attendees. The event held a fashion show with models from
YG KPlus on the runway and ultimately finishing with the members themselves in unique suits. Media outlets quoted the event as "uncommon" and "fresh".[18] It gave an insight to the classy image the group presented with their debut and the digital release of the studio album 2014 S/S on August 12 and its physical release on August 14.[19]
After several delays, the group officially debuted on August 17 with lead singles "Empty" and "Color Ring", also marking their first music show appearance on SBS' Inkigayo.[20][21] The quintet became the fastest group to win on a music show through M! Countdown, doing so in five days.[22]2014 S/S charted at number one on the Gaon Album Chart as well as the Billboard World Albums Chart, while lead singles "Empty" and "Color Ring" claimed first and third respectively on the Gaon Digital Chart.[23]The Korea Herald cited the success of their lead single "Empty" as "unprecedented" for a newly debuted group, thus claiming the title "Monster rookies".[24][25] Their commercial success earned them the 'Top 10 Artist' award on Melon Music Awards, followed by multiple 'Best New Artist' awards on shows including Golden Disc Awards and
Gaon Chart Music Awards. Winner also found success in China, soon earning the Best New Force Group award at the
QQ Music Awards alongside the Most Popular Korean Group award on the
Youku Tudou Young Choice 2014.[26][27]
On September 10, Winner released the Japanese version of their album, 2014 S/S: Japan Collection which peaked at No. 2 on the Oricon Weekly Album Chart, selling 35,079 copies in four days.[28] They embarked on their first Japan tour the next day, later successfully concluding the tour in
Tokyo on October 11, drawing 50,000 people in total.[29] On December 9,
Fuse announced their 13 Top Breakout Artists of 2014, with Winner at number 11, being the only South Korean artists on the list.[30]Dazed Digital revealed their top 20 K-pop tracks of 2014 on December 17 with Winner's "Color Ring" placing tenth.[31]
Winner at their WINNER Japan Tour 2015 in Nagoya on October 9, 2015
Despite the group's successful debut, in 2015, Winner was put on hiatus while members of the group pursued solo endeavors while simultaneously embarking on their second Japan tour beginning in September, and finishing in October with over 36,000 attendees.[32][33] In December, they were revealed to be returning in 2016 with five 'project releases', where the first was a "warm-up" duet featuring Mino and Nam, titled "Pricked".[34][35]
In the lead-up to the group's official comeback, a number of musical covers of their lead singles were released as promotional teasers, featured artists include
Lee Hi,
Dean,
AKMU,
Zion.T,
Epik High,
Taeyang and
G-Dragon.[36] Winner returned with
EPExit : E on February 1, 18 months since 2014 S/S.[37]Exit : E debuted at Number 2 on Billboard's World Albums Chart and Number 1 on the Gaon Album chart.[38] Lead singles "Baby Baby" and "Sentimental" topped all eight music streaming platforms in South Korea and achieved a real-time "all-kill", further proving their title as "digital monsters".[39] Their lead single "Baby Baby" received profound attention in China, becoming the most streamed song within the first half of the year among Korean releases on
QQ Music, the largest music platform in China.[40] 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.[41][42]
From April 23, Winner's variety show Half-Moon Friends aired on
JTBC, which gained popularity both domestically and abroad, particularly garnering over 75 million views via
Miaopai and surpassing 100 million views through other platforms in China.[43] Their heightened success in China led them to winning the Overseas Popularity Award at the MTV Asia Music Gala.[44] In June, the group brought their Exit Tour to Japan, drawing over 36,000 fans in Japan alone.[45] On October 12, YGE announced Nam would be taking a break due to health problems, thus the rest of the Exit Movement series would be delayed indefinitely.[46] On November 25, Nam's departure from the group was announced, soon deciding to continue as four.[47][48]
2017–2019: Reformation, continued success and first world tour
After 14 months of hiatus, on April 4, 2017, Winner made their anticipated return as four with single album Fate Number For and lead singles "Really Really" and "Fool".[49] Notably, the music video for "Really Really" was filmed by director
Dave Meyers.[50] Domestically, "Really Really" achieved placing number one on Gaon, while also debuting at No. 3 on Billboard World Digital Song Sales, marking the group's best position to date.[51] "Really Really" was also chosen to be on the Apple Music's "Best of the Week" list.[52] "Really Really" 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.[53] As part of their promotions, Winner held a three-day "concept showroom" showcase, from April 2 to 4, located at Club NB in Seoul.[54] On May 31, they released their debut Japanese single, containing Japanese renditions of "Really Really" and "Fool".[55] On August 4, Winner made a comeback with the single album Our Twenty For including lead singles, "Love Me Love Me" and "Island".[56] "Love Me Love Me" was chosen by Dazed Digital as one of the 20 best K-Pop songs of 2017.[57] 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.[58] On November 30, Kang and Mino released the soundtrack, "The Door" for tvN's Prison Playbook, where Kang starred in.[59]
Winner attending a fansign event at Lotte Department Store in Jamsil on December 29, 2018
On February 7, 2018, Winner released their first Japanese studio album, Our Twenty For, consisting new Japanese songs, "Raining" and "Have a Good Day".[60] Soon after, the group embarked on their third Japan tour, "We'll Always Be Young".[61] 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".[62] The single became the group's first time experimenting with the genre, trap alongside reuniting with director Dave Meyers for the music video.[63] On June 17, Winner successfully held their fan meeting, "WWIC 2018", 3 years since their last private stage in 2015.[64] A total of 6,000 tickets were sold out.[65] On July 4, Winner announced their first-ever world tour, Everywhere, starting in Seoul on August 19, followed seven stops throughout Asia.[66] The tour resumed in January 2019 with an encore tour in Seoul.[67] The same month, Winner branched their Everywhere tour to North America beginning with Seattle, followed six other cities including Los Angeles, Dallas, and Toronto.[68] On November 26, Mino made his solo debut with studio album XX and lead single "Fiancé".[69] The lead single topped
Gaon's Digital and Streaming charts for the month of December.[70][71] On December 19, Winner returned with single album Millions with lead single of the same name.[72]Millions soon claimed the number two spot on Gaon, and received six music show wins.[73]
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.[74] 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.[74] Winner performed their first broadcast stage for "Ah Yeah" on May 18 at MBC's Show! Music Core.[75] 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.[76] On August 14, Kim Jin-woo became the third member of Winner to release solo material after Kang Seung-yoon and Mino. Kim made his solo debut with single album Jinu's Heyday and lead single "Call Anytime" (또또또) featuring bandmate Mino.[77] The single album charted number two on Gaon Chart selling over 50,000 physical copies within the first week.[78] Kim performed his first stage on August 17, also marking Winner's debut anniversary on MBC's Show! Music Core alongside bandmate Mino.[79]
Winner at a fan signing event in Yeongdeungpo on November 2, 2019
Winner released their third EP Cross with lead single "Soso" on October 23 ahead of Cross Tour.[80] 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.[81] With their Asian tour beginning in Seoul on October 26, the tour visited nine cities throughout Asia continuing onto February 2020. Later, it was revealed their stop in Singapore was cancelled due to the
COVID-19 pandemic, soon also followed by the cancellation of their Seoul encore concert.[82][83] 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 singing and dancing for 2 hours, garnering almost 1 million attendees.[84]
2020–present: Military enlistment and releases
On March 26, 2020, Winner's pre-release single titled "Hold" (뜸) charted number one on multiple South Korean music platforms including Naver, Bugs and Soribada.[85] The music video gained various attention for its amusing and witty plot where label-mate
Lee Su-hyun of
AKMU played the group's little sister.[85] Winner initiated a "Ddeum Challenge" on
TikTok which garnered the attention of many while becoming a trending challenge within South Korea. Celebrities who partook included 2NE1's Sandara Park, model
Hyoni Kang,
CIX's Seunghun and Hyunsuk and many more.[86]
Ahead of Winner's third studio album release on April 9, Jinu became the first member to enlist and serve his
mandatory military service on April 2, thus temporarily halting all full-group activities until all four members return after completing their mandatory enlistment.[87] The studio album, entitled Remember, contains eight new songs, including its lead single of the same name and pre-release single, alongside four re-recorded songs from their debut album, 2014 S/S. Notably, the album recorded their highest first week sales since debut.[88] Following Jinu, Hoony became the second member to enlist on April 16.[89]
The members of Winner renewed their contracts with YG Entertainment for five more years in August 2021.[90]
Jinu was discharged on December 31, 2021, followed by Hoony on January 15, 2022.[91] On February 18, 2022, YG Entertainment announced Winner will hold their first full-group concert in two years on April 30 and May 1. While the April 30 event will only run in person at the Olympic Park Olympic Hall in Seoul, the concert on May 1 will also be available for online streaming.[92] On June 20, 2022, YG Entertainment announced that Winner will make their comeback with their fourth EP Holiday and its lead single "I Love U" on July 5.[93] On December 11, 2022, YG Entertainment It has been announced that Winner will hold an online concert "Winner Live Stage [White Holiday]" at 9:00 pm on December 29.[94]
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.[95] On May 24, 2023, YG Entertainment announced that Seungyoon will enlist on June 20 as an active duty soldier.[96]
Artistry
Musicality and songwriting
"At some point, people seemed to have started thinking of ‘summer’ when they hear 'Winner'. [...] Of course, it’s true we’ve somehow ended up making a number of summery songs, but I didn't think [people associated us with summer] to this extent. Many people responded to Winner’s songs by saying, 'Summer’s here', or by calling us 'Kings of Summer'." — Mino[97]
"Smile Again" is a
dance song with unique synth sounds and rhythmic wrapping. It is a crossover that combines elements of
EDM following the themes of "hope".[98]
"Empty" from
2014 S/S is a mid-tempo fusion of
Hip hop and
R&B with lyrical acoustic guitar rifts embodying the emptiness and void after parting with a loved one.[98]
"Really Really", from single album Fate Number For is an upbeat
tropical house song with an exciting and cheerful rhythm, instantly capturing listeners through the hook "Neol Joahae".[99]
Through multiple releases, Winner acquired the term 'Trust and Listen' among the general public of South Korea. The term originated as the public recognized the group's potential in creating quality music accordingly for the mass audience, and so just by the mention of the group's name, they will willingly listen without complaint.[100][101][102] The term 'Kings of Summer' was also acquired through their positively received releases with upbeat tunes of various genres in correlation to the summer heat.[97] Winner is also often known for their musical versatility. Ranging from
ballad,
blues,
alternative rock,
hip hop,
disco and more, no restriction in genre is found.[98]Apple Music cited them as "Versatile K-Pop chameleons" among the music scenes.[103] Among releases, all members participate in production, composition and songwriting for all songs amidst album production from start to finish since debut.[104] Overall, Kang Seung-yoon overlooks all production and is often cited as the main producer of the group. Their self-produced songs mainly encapsulate the themes of love, hope, consolation, and relatable everyday life stories.[105]
Choreography
Winner has contributed to choreographing the majority of their songs, particularly member Lee Seung-hoon. For Winner, he has choreographed their debut lead singles "Empty" and "Color Ring" from 2014 S/S and "Fool" from Fate Number For, which he created and finalized within 5 hours.[106][107] Winner went on to gain recognition for their lyrically displayed choreography to portray the messages of their songs.[106] The group also broadened their scope by working with choreographers of different ethnic backgrounds, including
African-American choreographer Oththan Burnside for the lead single "Really Really" from Fate Number For as well as the lead single "Everyday" alongside world renowned dance crew Kinjaz from the studio
album of the same name.[108][109]
Concept and stage
Since debut, Winner has heavily been invested towards creating concepts and providing ideas towards each and every upcoming release. Particularly through the quartet's Cross Tour (2019–2020), as a group they came up with the concept focusing on a 'spy agent' theme while also arranging two very different set lists, where the performances for both were held on different days throughout the tour. The set lists were differentiated through the symbols, x and +, where they also allude to the term "cross".[110]
During festival season among universities in South Korea, Mersenne, a company that works on casting for these events disclosed labelmate
PSY as the overall most requested artist for the 2018 spring festival season, and Winner as the only male idol group beside labelmate
iKon.[116] In April 2019, five companies that worked on casting for these events, Mersenne, Innobay, 2M, Waikiki, and Top Plan, revealed Winner as the only male idol group that was sought out for the 2019 spring festival season.[117]
Winner's effect on the advertising industry was demonstrated through the brands they represented, including Ellesse, who sold 14 billion won in 2017 alongside the year end sales increasing by 160% in comparison to the previous years.[125] With Winner as the face of the brand, a boost in customers from a younger generation significantly increased.[126] Following quartet's first pictorial with 8Seconds, their padded coats increased in sales by selling over 6,000 within two weeks. Due to popularity, the padded coats were often referred to as "Winner Padding".[127] The contest, 'Talk Talk Korea 2018' gathered the most participants ever since its launch in 2014.[128] A Café Droptop official said: "Every time a product collaboration with Winner is released, it gains tremendous popularity where fans even wait in line at the stores."[129] Alongside filming a 30-second CF for Oreo, Winner also recorded a Korean version of the CF's song. In February 2019, due to high popularity and demand, the advertisement with Winner aired in eight more countries, including Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam and Taiwan.[130] DMT went on to find success as sales for the "Seven Hydro Zenith Mask" pack rose with Winner as the brand's image.[131]
Philanthropy
Winner actively donates to
charitable organizations which include:
Mapo District Office,
Korea Animal Rights Advocates (KARA), Cheolsan Social Welfare Center, Seoul Food Bank, and Coal Bank.[132] 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, Inner Circle, across youth protection facilities, single mothers, and the elderly;[132] and donated profits attained through merchandise sales from "Millions" (2018) to KARA.[133] The band also donated goods for charity events including the "Creating a Better World With Stars", where its proceeds were donated to Good Neighbors, a humanitarian organization that helps single mothers and welfare of children,[134] the "SAC Pet Festival" bazaar,[135] and "Flower Response (花答)", 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.[136]
The band have further collaborated with 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);[137] 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;[138]
Ambassadorship
Korea Brand & Entertainment EXPO by KOTRA (2016 / 2019)[139][140]
Korean Culture and Information Service (KOCIS) (2018)[123]
^이지영 기자 (October 25, 2013).
'WIN' 강승윤 속한 A팀, 최종 우승...'WINNER'로 데뷔 ['WIN' Member Kang Seung yoon's A team won the final ... Debut as 'WINNER']. Nate News (in Korean). My Daily.
Archived from the original on December 11, 2014. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
^Gong Min-na (December 31, 2021).
"위너 김진우, 오늘(31일) 조용히 소집해제" [Winner Kim Jinwoo, quietly canceled today (31st)] (in Korean). Star News. Retrieved December 31, 2021 – via Naver.
^Choi Na-young (June 20, 2022).
"위너, 7월 5일 컴백 확정! 완전체 신보 2년 3개월만 [공식]" [Winner confirmed their comeback on July 5th! The complete new album only in 2 years and 3 months [Official]] (in Korean). Osen. Retrieved June 20, 2022 – via Naver.
^Baek Ji-eun (December 11, 2022).
"[공식] 위너, 12월 29일 완전체 공연 '화이트 홀리데이' 개최" [[Official] WINNER to hold full performance 'White Holiday' on December 29th] (in Korean).
Sports Chosun. Retrieved December 12, 2022 – via Naver.
^Kim, Chae-yeon (March 17, 2023).
"제이홉·송민호 가고, 태민·영케이 오고..계속되는 연예계 군복무 바통터치 [Oh!쎈 이슈]" [J-Hope and Song Min-ho go, Taemin and Young-K come.. Continued military service in the entertainment world [Oh!]] (in Korean). OSEN. Retrieved March 18, 2023 – via Naver.
^Myung, Hee-sook (May 24, 2023).
"강승윤, 6월 입대…위너 군백기 마지막 주자 '잠시만 안녕' [종합]" [Kang Seung-yoon enlists in June... WINNER's military white flag last runner 'goodbye for a while' [comprehensive]] (in Korean). X-ports News. Retrieved May 24, 2023 – via Naver.
^
abJi, Seung-hoon (June 19, 2018).
위너, 팬미팅서 쌀 5.9톤 기부…실력도 기부도 '위너' [Winner Donates 5.9 Tons of Rice at Fanmeeting, 'Winner' in Both Skills and Donations] (in Korean).
YTN.
Archived from the original on July 26, 2020. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
^Kim, Han-jun (October 6, 2022).
"2022 하노이 한류박람회' 김세정-위너, 한류 홍보대사 위촉식 현장 [엑's 영상]" [2022 Hanoi Hallyu Expo' Kim Sejeong-Winner, Hallyu Ambassador Appointment Ceremony [X's Video]] (in Korean). X-ports News. Retrieved October 6, 2022 – via Naver.
^Lee Min-ji (March 24, 2022).
"아이돌 여행리얼리티 '리얼 나우' 첫 주인공은 위너 "4월14일 첫공개" [The first protagonist of idol travel reality 'Real Now' is WINNER “First release on April 14th] (in Korean). Newsen. Retrieved March 24, 2022 – via Naver.