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South Korean boy band From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Winner (/wɪnə/; Korean: 위너; 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 for reasons associated to his mental health. Their immediate success was cited as "unprecedented" for a newly debuted artist, thereby birthing the moniker "Monster Rookies" within the industry. The band's musical impact in their native country further trademarked the act as a "Trust and Listen" group and as the "Kings of Summer".
Winner | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Origin | Seoul, South Korea |
Genres | |
Years active | 2013 | –present
Labels | YG |
Member of | YG Family |
Spinoffs | MOBB |
Members | |
Past members | Nam Tae-hyun |
Website | www |
Formed in 2013 by YG Entertainment and Mnet's WIN: Who Is Next, the band debuted the next year with the studio album, 2014 S/S. As of March 2019, Winner was recorded as the fastest Korean act to top the Billboard World Album Chart with the oeuvre, and the Gaon Music Chart with both their album and its titular single, "Empty". The band remains the fastest act to win on a televised music show, with a time of five days, and is the only artist to have all of their lead singles top the platform, Melon, for five consecutive years since their first work. Their success in Asia bestowed them with numerous accolades for music, fashion, and popularity, 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; ensuing as the history's first K-pop male act to achieve the record without it departing from the chart.
Cited as a "self-producing" artist with all four members actively adopting roles from producing and choreographing to designing and marketing, their leader and youngest member, Kang Seung-yoon, is often portrayed as the act's main producer. They are also proclaimed as a "blue chip" due to their demand in the advertising industry, resulting in the endorsements with brands such as Adidas, Oreo, and Kiehl's. Furthermore, Winner actively participates in charitable activities and animal campaigns.
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.[1] Following two to three years of training,[2] hints of its prospective line-up were revealed to the public including notable trainees such as Kang Seung-yoon and Lee Seung-hoon,[3][4] who rose to domestic stardom through the audition shows Superstar K2 (2010) and K-pop Star (2011–2012), respectively.[5][6] 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,[7] resulting in the opportunity to audition at the label.[8] Song Min-ho debuted under Y2Y Contents Company as a member of BoM (2011), which disbanded one year and eight months later,[9] 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".[10] 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".[11] In the span of 100 days, the show consisted of three rounds of performances and public voting.[12] Furthermore, artists of "YG Family" (i.e. Big Bang, 2NE1, Epik High), namely Taeyang and G-Dragon,[13] evaluated and mentored the trainees.[14] 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 SK Olympic Handball Gymnasium.[15] 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.[16] On October 25, Team A were announced as the winners and commenced with preparations for their debut.[17]
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.[18] Two months later, the quintet served as the opening acts for Big Bang's Japan Dome Tour,[19] an opportunity won as the winners of WIN: Who is Next.[20] In this time, the band's first official event entitled "Hello! Winner",[21] created a buzz in the country, where they greeted 300 fans amidst a crowd of 8,000 people in Osaka.[22] 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,[23] the band secured the chance to perform as guests for 2NE1's All or Nothing World Tour in Seoul on March 1–2, 2014,[24][25] alongside additional stops in Asia following an invitation by the quartet.[26] Winner joined the YG Family Power World Tour in Osaka on April 12,[27] which later expanded as an action to introduce their newest artist to fans located in Southeast Asia.[28]
Between June and August, 2014, the quintet were re-introduced to the public eight months following the conclusion of WIN: Who is Next to build anticipation for their debut.[29] Following a series of teasers and pictorials heralding their release,[30] the band held a launch party-esque showcase with an audience of 400 attendees on August 6. It depicted a fashion show with models from YG KPlus and the members of Winner, walking on the runway, and finishing with the act in "unique" suits. The showcase and its concept was cited as "uncommon" and "fresh" by media outlets,[31] alluding to the quintet's "classy" image ahead of the digital and physical release of their studio album 2014 S/S on August 12 and 14, respectively.[32] In result, the term "model-dols", a portmanteau of "model" and "idol", was created in the industry.
Winner officially debuted on August 17 with the titular singles "Empty" and "Color Ring", which also marked the day of their first performance on a music program, namely Inkigayo.[33][34] They became the fastest act to win on a televised music show through M Countdown, doing so in five days.[35] 2014 S/S debuted at number one on the Gaon Album Chart and Billboard World Albums Chart, while "Empty" and "Color Ring" charted first and third on the Gaon Digital Chart, respectively.[36] The latter was also listed in the top twenty K-pop tracks of 2014 by Dazed Digital.[37]The Korea Herald cited the success of their lead single "Empty" as "unprecedented" for a newly debuted group, thus claiming the title "Monster rookies".[38][39] On September 10, the ensemble released their album's Japanese equivalent, which peaked at number two on the Oricon Albums Chart after selling 35,079 copies in four days,[40] and embarked on their first Japan tour the following day. It concluded in Tokyo on October 11 with a total of 50,000 attendees.[41] In Korea, their commercial success earned them the Top 10 Artist award at the Melon Music Awards, followed by multiple Best New Artist awards from shows including the Golden Disc Awards and Gaon Chart Music Awards. In China, their achievements earned them the Best New Force Group award at the QQ Music Awards and the Most Popular Korean Group award at the Youku Tudou Young Choice 2014.[42][43] The band was also listed as the only Korean act amidst the thirteen top breakout artists of 2014 by Fuse.[44]
In 2015, Winner embarked on their second Japan tour beginning in September, and finished in October with over 36,000 attendees.[45][46] 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".[47][48] 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.[49] Winner returned with EP Exit : E on February 1, 18 months since 2014 S/S.[50] Exit : E debuted at Number 2 on Billboard's World Albums Chart and Number 1 on the Gaon Album chart.[51] 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".[52] 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.[53] 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.[54][55]
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.[56] Their heightened success in China led them to winning the Overseas Popularity Award at the MTV Asia Music Gala.[57] In June, the group brought their Exit Tour to Japan, drawing over 36,000 fans in Japan alone.[58] 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.[59] On November 25, Nam's departure from the group was announced, soon deciding to continue as four.[60][61]
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".[62] Notably, the music video for "Really Really" was filmed by director Dave Meyers.[63] 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.[64] "Really Really" was also chosen to be on the Apple Music's "Best of the Week" list.[65] "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.[66] As part of their promotions, Winner held a three-day "concept showroom" showcase, from April 2 to 4, located at Club NB in Seoul.[67] On May 31, they released their debut Japanese single, containing Japanese renditions of "Really Really" and "Fool".[68] On August 4, Winner made a comeback with the single album Our Twenty For including lead singles, "Love Me Love Me" and "Island".[69] "Love Me Love Me" was chosen by Dazed Digital as one of the 20 best K-Pop songs of 2017.[70] 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.[71]
On February 7, 2018, Winner released their first Japanese studio album, Our Twenty For, consisting new Japanese songs, "Raining" and "Have a Good Day".[72] Soon after, the group embarked on their third Japan tour, "We'll Always Be Young".[73] 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".[74] The single became the group's first time experimenting with the genre, trap alongside reuniting with director Dave Meyers for the music video.[75] On June 17, Winner successfully held their fan meeting, "WWIC 2018", 3 years since their last private stage in 2015.[76] A total of 6,000 tickets were sold out.[77] On July 4, Winner announced their first-ever world tour, Everywhere, starting in Seoul on August 19, followed seven stops throughout Asia.[78] The tour resumed in January 2019 with an encore tour in Seoul.[79] The same month, Winner branched their Everywhere tour to North America beginning with Seattle, followed six other cities including Los Angeles, Dallas, and Toronto.[80] On December 19, Winner returned with single album Millions with lead single of the same name.[81] Millions soon claimed the number two spot on Gaon, and received six music show wins.[82]
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.[83] 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.[83] Winner performed their first broadcast stage for "Ah Yeah" on May 18 at MBC's Show! Music Core.[84] 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.[85]
Winner released their third EP Cross with the lead single "Soso" on October 23.[86] 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.[87] Their Asian tour, the "Cross Tour", began in Seoul on October 26, and visited nine cities throughout the continent, continuing onto February 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, their stop in Singapore was cancelled, followed by the cancellation of their Seoul encore concert.[88][89] 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.[90]
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,[91] 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.[91] 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.[92] 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.[93]
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.[94] Following Kim, Lee Seung-hoon became their second member to enlist on April 16.[95] Kim and Lee were discharged from their duties on December 31, 2021, and January 15, 2022, respectively.[96] 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.[97] On May 24, 2023, YG Entertainment announced that Seungyoon will enlist on June 20 as an active duty soldier.[98]
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.[99] 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.[100] Winner returned to music with their fourth EP Holiday and its lead single "I Love U" on July 5.[101] 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.[102]
"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[103]
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.[106][107][108] 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.[103] 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.[104] Apple Music cited them as "Versatile K-Pop chameleons" among the music scenes.[109] Among releases, all members participate in production, composition and songwriting for all songs amidst album production from start to finish since debut.[110] 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.[111]
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.[112][113] Winner went on to gain recognition for their lyrically displayed choreography to portray the messages of their songs.[112] 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.[114][115]
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".[116]
In their career, artists that have cited Winner as a role model or influence include: Tag and Hong Joo-chan of Golden Child,[117] A.C.E member Dong-hun,[118] Former JBJ member Jin Longguo,[119] Signal,[120] and Yongha of WEi.[121]
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.[122] 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.[123]
In the advertising industry, Winner has represented for brands: NII,[124] Coca-Cola brand Fanta, Pizza Etang, Elite Uniform, Adidas,[125] Ellesse, Café Droptop,[126] Oreo, and De Medicotem (DMT).[127] They have also endorsed for promotional campaigns of 8Seconds,[128] the Korean Culture and Information Service (KOCIS),[129] and Kiehl's.[130]
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.[131] With Winner as the face of the brand, a boost in customers from a younger generation significantly increased.[132] 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".[133] The contest, 'Talk Talk Korea 2018' gathered the most participants ever since its launch in 2014.[134] 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."[135] 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.[136] DMT went on to find success as sales for the "Seven Hydro Zenith Mask" pack rose with Winner as the brand's image.[137]
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.[138] 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, to youth protection facilities, single mothers, and the elderly.[138] The band have also donated profits attained through merchandise sales from "Millions" (2018) to KARA.[139]
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,[140] "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,[141] the "SAC Pet Festival" bazaar,[142] 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.[143]
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);[144] 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;[145]
Headlining tours
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Concerts
Joint tours
Opening act/guest performer
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