Winner | |
|---|---|
&sq=&lang=&file=File:DE_MEDICOTEM_X_WINNER_%EB%A7%88%EC%8A%A4%ED%81%AC%ED%8C%A9_%EB%B8%94%EB%9E%99_CF.png) Winner in 2020 (L-R: Mino, Kim Jin-woo, Kang Seung-yoon, Lee Seung-hoon) | |
| 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 |
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".
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.