Who Is Next?

YG Entertainment is one of the top 3 biggest Korean Pop Music Agency and they are home to the many phenomenal kpop acts in the world (Big Bang, 2ne1 and Psy). After 8 years since Big Bang debuted, president Yang Hyun-suk finally decided to release another boy band. WIN or Who Is Next? Was a reality survival program wherein the 12 trainees of YG had to duke it out in order to secure their debut in the industry.

Team A and their adversaries Team B were both formed.The teams competed against each other in order to debut as the first YG boy group in eight years, after Big Bang. At the conclusion of the program the title of "WINNER" was given to Team A after they won all three rounds of public voting

Splendid light, public’s enthusiasm, there are many boys who dream of becoming an artist. Within a tough competition they became stronger. When five of them became one as A (Team A). They finally turned into an artist. With the many ups and downs that they’ve gone through in WIN, five boys who became true artists, we call them WINNER.Consists of Kang Seungyoon, Song Minho, Lee Seunghoon,  Kim Jinwoo and Nam Taehyun.

WINNER offical Facebook Page

Kang Seungyoon is the leader and main vocal of the group. Prior to the group's debut, the Kang Seung-yoon was a former Superstar K2 contestant who reached the final four. He decided to sign with YG Entertainment in 2011. Even if he could’ve made it on his own, he decided to become a trainee and undergo yet again another torturous survival contest.

WINNER offical Facebook Page

 Lee Seunghoon, the group's main dancer, was also a former reality-show singing contestant. He was a contestant in K-Pop Star Season 1 where he came in fourth place.Yang Hyun-suk recruited Seunghoon. On May 16, YG Entertainment announced they had signed an exclusive contract with Seunghoon. Like Seung-yoon, Seunghoon returned to trainee status under the company.

WINNER offical Facebook Page

Song Minho started out as an underground rapper under the stage name "Mino" or "Hugeboy Mino" with other underground rappers-turned-idols, namely Block B’s Zico, Kyung, P.O and SPEED's Taewoon. Minho was initially a trainee intended for the male group Block B, but left the group before debut for personal reasons. In 2011, he made his debut as a rapper with the ballad group BoM under Y2Y Contents Company, however the group was disbanded two years later. In 2013, he was recruited into YG Entertainment through private auditions after being recognized from his acting debut in the March 2012 cable drama The Strongest K-POP Survival in Channel A. 

WINNER offical Facebook Page

Kim Jinwoo was the longest YG trainee ever. He trained for 7 years. He was first discovered when he attended "Joy Dance Plug-In Music Academy". Seungri (Big Bang) brought Jinwoo to YG Entertainment after seeing his potential and he was eventually accepted as a trainee.

Nam Taehyun. The group’s maknae had no prior activities but he diligently auditioned on his own in 2011. Alongside Jinwoo they both performed as backup dancers at the 2011 YG Family Concert.

WINNER offical Facebook Page

On the day of Winner's debut the stock price of YG Entertainment rose by 6.57%, a sign of investor belief in the debut's strength. Winner official debuted in a showcase on August 6. Their debut album, 2014 S/S, was released digitally on August 12 and physically on August 14. Winner's official debut stage was on Inkigayo on August 17, and the group's official fan club was named "Inner Circle" which meant that their fans are the ‘heart’ of the group which makes them alive and living. Following their album release, two music videos were uploaded on their official YouTube account for their alternative rock title track, "Color Ring," and the mid-tempo hiphop track "Empty," with the latter surpassing one million views in less than 24 hours. Further solidifying their "monster rookie" status, the album achieved an all-kill on major music charts immediately after release. It became a certified perfect "all-kill" on Melon. The group also peaked at number one on iTunes in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and Taiwan and entered the Billboard World Albums Chart ranking at first place. On December 9, 2014 Fuse announced their 13 Top Breakout Artists of 2014 with Winner being the only South Korean act to be on the list coming in at #11 joining the likes of other breakout stars Sam Smith, Jhene Aiko and Charli XCX.

They definitely have lived up to the expectations of many. As an inner circle myself I believe that in their comeback this year they will continue to be one of the best ‘performers’ in the industry.