Winner (; ; stylized as WINNER) is a South Korean boy band consisting of four members: Kim Jin-woo, Lee Seung-hoon, Mino, and Kang Seung-yoon.
The band was formed in 2013 by YG Entertainment and Mnet's WIN: Who Is Next. The group released its debut album, 2014 S/S, in 2014. The album topped the Gaon Album Chart, and one of its singles, "Empty," topped the Gaon Digital Chart.
Winner has received awards from the Melon Music Awards, the Style Icon Awards, and the MTV Asia Music Gala. "Really Really," from Fate Number For (2017), surpassed 100 million streams on the Gaon Music Chart.
Following the success of Big Bang and 2NE1 , YG Entertainment held global auditions to form a new boy band. The final lineup consisted of Kim Jin-woo, who joined in 2010; Nam Tae-hyun, who joined in 2011; and Kang Seung-yoon, Lee Seung-hoon, and Song Min-ho, all of whom joined in 2013.
The group's debut process was documented in Mnet's WIN: Who Is Next (2013), a reality competition show that pitted two teams of trainees against each other for the chance to debut under YG Entertainment and serve as the opening act for Big Bang's Japan Dome Tour. Over the course of 100 days, the teams competed in three rounds of performances and public voting. They were evaluated and mentored by YG Family artists, including Taeyang and G-Dragon. The finale was broadcast live from the SK Olympic Handball Gymnasium, hosted by Daesung and Yoo In-na, with approximately 3,000 attendees. It featured the teams' self-composed works, "Go Up" and "Climax", which entered the Gaon Digital Chart at numbers 8 and 12, respectively. On October 25, "Team A" (Kang Seung-yoon, Lee Seung-hoon, Kim Jin-woo, Nam Tae-hyun, and Song Min-ho) was announced as the winner.
At the end of 2013, the group opened for Big Bang on the Japan Dome Tour. They held their first official event, "Hello! Winner", greeting 300 fans within an audience of 8,000 in Osaka. Winner later appeared as guest performers for 2NE1's All or Nothing World Tour in Seoul on March 1âÂÂ2, 2014, while filming Winner TV (2013âÂÂ2014), which documented their debut preparation and lifestyle. They later joined additional 2NE1 tour stops in Asia and performed at the YG Family Power World Tour in Osaka on April 12, 2014.
Eight months after the conclusion of WIN: Who is Next, the quintet was reintroduced to the public between June and August 2014. The band held a launch showcase at the Conrad Seoul Hotel on August 6, 2014 to introduce the band's music and look. The showcase involved a fashion show with models from YG KPlus and the members walking down a catwalk. It won the Red Dot Design Awards.
On August 17, 2014, Winner officially debuted with the singles "Empty" and "Color Ring", and had their first television performance on the same day. Five days after their debut, the group won on the music show M Countdown. 2014 S/S debuted atop the Gaon Album Chart and many international music charts, including the Billboard World Albums Chart. They also debuted at number six on Billboard's Heatseekers Chart. On the Gaon Digital Chart, "Empty" and "Color Ring" charted at 1st and 3rd place, respectively. On September 10, 2014, the band released a Japanese version of the album, 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, 2014. They were selected as one of the ten best artists of the year at the 2014 Melon Music Awards, in addition to winning multiple Best New Artist awards at the 29th Golden Disc Awards and 4th Gaon Chart Music Awards, among 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 one of the thirteen top breakout artists of 2014 by Fuse.
On January 10, 2015, the ensemble commenced their first fan meeting tour titled "WWIC" (Worldwide Inner Circle Conference). After their stops in Beijing and Shanghai the following week, an increase in popularity of the band on Weibo led the group to add a stop in Shenzhen on January 24, 2015. Lee Seung-hoon, who was absent from the previous stops due to health reasons, was present at their fan meeting at the Olympic Gymnastics Arena in Seoul on January 31. The fan event was further expanded to regions including Osaka on February 20 and 21 and Tokyo the following day. In total, the tour attracted an audience of 31,500 people across the three countries. The band was later presented with a branding design prize for "WWIC 2015", from the IF Product Design Award 2016 in Germany. In September 2015, the group embarked on their second Japan fan meeting tour, where they greeted over 36,000 attendees across ten cities.
The group was scheduled to release five 'project releases' in 2016. The first, a duet featuring Mino and Nam titled "Pricked," was released on January 11, 2016. In the lead-up to the first installation of their project, entitled "Exit Movement", many musical covers of their lead singles, "Sentimental" and "Baby Baby", were released as promotional teasers by artists such as Dean, Zion.T, and G-Dragon. Released on February 1, 2016, Winner's EP, ', debuted atop the Gaon Album Chart and at number two on Billboards 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. Winner held their first-ever concert tour in Korea, starting on March 12 and 13, at Olympic Gymnastics Arena in Seoul. The group also held shows in Gwangju, Daegu, and Busan in April. In June 2016, the group brought their Exit Tour to Japan, attracting over 36,000 fans.
Half-Moon Friends (2016), a variety show featuring the South Korean group Winner that aired on JTBC, attracted viewership both in Korea and internationally. In China, clips from the program reportedly accumulated more than 75 million views on the video platform Miaopai and exceeded 100 million views across other online platforms. Their success in the country earned them the Overseas Popularity Award at the MTV Asia Music Gala. In October 2016, Nam took a break from the group due to mental health concerns, and the remaining installments of the "Exit Movement" series were delayed indefinitely. On November 25, he officially departed from the band, leading to the project's cancellation.
After a 14-month hiatus, the group returned as a quartet on April 4, 2017, with Fate Number For. The music video for the title track, "Really Really", was filmed by director Dave Meyers. The single debuted atop the Gaon Digital Chart and hit number three on the Billboard World Digital Song Sales, marking the group's highest position to date. According to Gaon Chart, it surpassed 100 million streams while remaining on the chart. It was also chosen to be on Apple Music's "Best of the Week" list. To commemorate the album's release, Winner held a three-day "concept showroom" showcase at Club NB in Seoul from April 2 to 4. On May 31st, they released their debut Japanese single album, which contained 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.
As part of tvN's New Journey to the West 4, Mino's request to appear on Youth Over Flowers with his fellow Winner members was fulfilled through a special supplementary show. Filming for Winner's Youth Over Flowers took place in Western Australia, and the show premiered on November 7.
On February 7, 2018, Winner released their first Japanese studio album, Our Twenty For, which included 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 a lead single of the same name. The album includes Korean versions of "Raining" and "Have a Good Day". The lead single "Everyday" marked the group's first time exploration of the trap genre. The accompanying music video was directed by Dave Meyers, with whom the group had previously collaborated. On June 17, Winner held a fan meeting, "WWIC 2018," 3 years after their last event in 2015. A total of 6,000 tickets were sold. On July 4, Winner announced their first world tour, Everywhere, which started in Seoul on August 19 and included seven additional stops across Asia. The tour resumed in January 2019 with an encore performance in Seoul. The same month, Winner expanded their Everywhere tour to North America, beginning in Seattle and stopping in six other cities, including Los Angeles, Dallas, and Toronto.
On December 19, Winner returned with the single album Millions; its title track reached number two on Gaon.
On May 15, Winner released their second extended play (EP), We, along with the lead single "Ah Yeah." The single received generally positive reviews. During this comeback, the group achieved a triple crown on Gaon Chart: "Ah Yeah" peaked at number one on the Gaon Download Chart and number two on the Digital Chart, while the EP reached number one on the Album Chart, selling over 129,000 physical copies. On June 29, the group held a private stage event, WWIC 2019, which took place twice in one day at Jangchung Arena in Seoul. On July 3, 2019, Winner began their concert tour in Japan, starting with a concert at Nakano Sun Plaza in Tokyo and concluding on September 16 at Marine Messe in Fukuoka. The tour attracted a total audience of approximately 50,000 across eight cities.
Winner released their third EP Cross with the lead single "Soso" on October 23. Their Asian tour, the "Cross Tour," began in Seoul on October 26 and visited nine Asian cities through February 2020. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the group's scheduled stop in Singapore was cancelled, followed by the cancellation of their Seoul encore concert. In response to that, Winner held a free online concert, "Winner Cross Special Live" on Naver V Live on February 14, 2020. They performed for about two hours, garnering 1 million viewers. The tour featured two distinct set lists, 'x' and '+,' performed on alternating days.
For Winner's third full-length album, Remember, a pre-release digital single entitled "Hold" (ë¸) was released on March 26, 2020. It charted number one on several music streaming platforms, including Naver, Bugs, and Soribada. Its accompanying music video stars Lee Su-hyun of AKMU playing the band's little sister. To promote the single, the four-piece created the "Ddeum Challenge" on TikTok, which trended and attracted 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 a lead single of the same name, the pre-release single "Hold" (ë¸), and four re-recorded singles from their debut album, 2014 S/S. The album earned the group their highest first-week sales since their debut.
In August 2021, following the end of Winner's seven-year contract with YG Entertainment, the members renewed their contracts for five more years. 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 on online streaming. Winner returned on July 5, 2022, with their fourth EP Holiday and its lead single "I Love U". On December 11, 2022, YG Entertainment announced that Winner would hold an online concert "Winner Live Stage [White Holiday]" on December 29, 2022.
On April 2, 2020, Kim Jin-woo enlisted for Korean mandatory military service. As a result, the group's activities were paused indefinitely. Two weeks later, Lee Seung-hoon became the second member to enlist on April 16, 2020. 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 enlist on March 24, 2023, and serve as a social worker. On May 24, 2023, YG Entertainment further announced that Kang Seung-yoon would enlist on June 20, 2023, as an active duty soldier. Both Mino and Seung-yoon were discharged in December 2024.
Allegations surfaced claiming Mino frequently left his post without notice and took excessive sick leave. The MMA subsequently requested a police investigation into the claims. Mino admitted to several of the allegations, and it was announced in April 2025 that he may have to re-enlist. On December 31, 2025, it was announced that Mino had been indicted on charges of violating Korea's Military Service Act.
Winner's discography spans multiple genres. Beginning their career with mid-tempo melancholic music such as "Empty" and "Color Ring" (2014) and blues-inspired "Baby Baby" (2016) before expanding their repertoire to include alternative rock ("Sentimental"), tropical house ("Really Really"), and disco ("Love Me Love Me"). Their debut album 2014 S/S, highlighted several genres, including hip hop, ballad, reggae, dance, and R&B.
Their self-written material focuses on themes of love, hope, everyday life stories, and consolation. Kang Seung-yoon, who oversees the group's overall production, is often cited as their producer. In an interview with Vice, Kang said, "We incorporate our honest feelings and thoughtsâÂÂthe depth of it [is different] if someone else makes your song for you, versus being involved yourself as a writer [...] we've been putting ourselves into it." Songs like "Air" (2018), "Millions" (2018), and "I Love U" (2022) were inspired by experiences with fans. Songs like "Sentimental" and "Baby Baby" (2016) were influenced by the "analog emotions" from artists like The Rolling Stones, Kim Hyun-sik, and Yoo Jae-ha, while "Ah Yeah" (2019) was inspired by the film Very Ordinary Couple (2013).
Winner has described their artistic style as more emotional and muted as compared to the extravagant aesthetics of other idol groups, although their music has since transitioned to a hybrid of trap and pop-esque beats commonly used in K-pop. Members of Winner occasionally contribute to the choreography in some of their songs, especially member Lee Seung-hoon. Lee choreographed their debut lead singles, "Empty" and "Color Ring" (2014), and "Fool" (2017). The group has collaborated with choreographer Oth'than Burnside for the lead singles "Really Really" (2017) and "Everyday" (2018). The dance crew Kinjaz was also a collaborator on "Everyday" (2018).
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, five companies that worked on university festival casting, Mersenne, Innobay, 2M, Waikiki, and Top Plan, stated Winner was the only male idol group sought out that year. Other artists have cited Winner as a role model or influence, including Tag and Hong Joo-chan of Golden Child, A.C.E's Dong-hun, JBJ's Jin Longguo, Signal, Yongha of WEi, and MustB.
In 2016, Winner was cited as the most memorable school uniform commercial endorser of the year for their work with Elite. In 2017, Ellesse generated â©14 billion for their year-end sales. According to Newsis, the co-branded 8Seconds x Winner 'Good Luck Padding' jacket sold over 6,000 units within two weeks of its release. In 2018, Talk Talk Korea garnered its most participants in its history since its launch in 2014.
The charitable organizations that Winner actively donates to include: Mapo District Office, Korea Animal Rights Advocates (KARA), Cheolsan Social Welfare Center, Seoul Food Bank, and Coal Bank. At their fan meeting "WWIC 2018", they supplied 5.95 tons of rice and 100 kilograms of animal feed, along with 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 has also donated profits attained through merchandise sales to KARA. Winner has donated goods to several charity events, including the "Creating a Better World With Stars" in 2014, where proceeds were donated to Good Neighbors, a humanitarian organization that helps single mothers and child welfare, "Made In Heaven" in 2019, organized by Sean of Jinusean and his wife, Jung Hye-young, where profits were used to cover the care expenses of 100 children, the "SAC Pet Festival" bazaar, and "Flower Response (è±çÂÂ)" in 2020, held by Big Bang's Taeyang, where proceeds were donated to Love Snail Charity, a social welfare organization dedicated to help provide cochlear implants and hearing aids to those in need.
The band collaborated with photographer Choi Se-hon on the 2014 project "The Letter from Angels", alongside Kangnam, Lee Kwang-soo, Yoo Yeon-seok, and Lee Seo-jin, to promote local adoption. They also partnered with a clothing brand NII and photo studio "Thank You Studio" for the animal campaign "Happiness," which donated all proceeds to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), and the charity event YG X UNICEF Walking Festival in 2017, which garnered 5,000 participants, where all profits were donated to the Korean Committee of UNICEF to treat children and adolescents with malnutrition.
Headlining tours
Concerts
Joint tours
Opening act / guest performer