Winner (band)

Winner
Winner in 2020 (L-R: Mino, Jinu, Yoon, Hoony)
Background information
Origin	Seoul, South Korea
Genres	K-pop R&B hip hop
Years active	2013 (2013)–present
Labels	YG
Member of	YG Family
Spinoffs	MOBB
Members	Jinu Hoony Mino Yoon
Past members	Nam Tae-hyun
Website	www.yg-winner.com

Winner (/wɪnə/; Korean: 위너; stylized in all caps) is a South Korean boy band consisting of four members: Jinu, Hoony, Mino, and Yoon; originally a five-piece band, Nam Tae-hyun departed in November 2016 for 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 trademarked the ensemble as a "Trust and Listen" group; and was dubbed as the "Kings of Summer".

Formed in 2013 by YG Entertainment and Mnet's WIN: Who Is Next, the band debuted in 2014 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 work, and the Gaon Music Chart for 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 their lead singles top the platform, Melon, for five consecutive years upon their debut.^[1] Their success in Asia earned them numerous accolades for music, fashion, and popularity, presented by shows such as the Melon Music Awards, MTV Asia Music Gala, and Style Icon Awards. 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 South Korea and surpassed 100 million streams on the Gaon Music Chart, becoming the history's first K-pop male act to achieve the record without the single departing from the chart.

Cited as a "self-producing" act with all members actively taking on roles from producing and choreographing to designing and marketing, their leader, Yoon, is often portrayed as the band's main producer. Winner is also known as a "blue chip" in the advertising industry through their endorsement deals with brands: Adidas, Oreo, and Kiehl's amidst others. Furthermore, the band actively participates in various charitable activities and animal campaigns.