It has been a hectic year for Winner, with the release of its “EVERYD4Y” album and performances across Asia.

Despite its busy schedule, the group is capping off the year with the new single “Millions.”

“We’ve just kept running forward to quench the thirst of fans who’ve been feeling wistful about Winner’s long hiatus. This year has been the busiest one since our debut,” said Seunghoon during an interview for the act’s new song in Seoul on Wednesday.

Mino, whose career as a solo artist has just began with “Fiance,” also said, “This year has been the busiest time of all, as well as the most diverse one for me. Promoting both as a solo artist and with Winner and communicating with fans have been fabulous. And it feels great being able to have filled this year with things I like.”




“Millions” -- which the bandmates said was written in summer -- takes a more laid-back and bright sonic approach than the band’s previous hits. Featuring a warm melody guided by guitar riffs and sounds of a whistle, the song stemmed from the idea that everyone deserves to be loved, explained Seungyoon.

“I am very satisfied with the fact that our music is getting younger, while we are actually aging. We wanted to deliver a hopeful message through the song,” he added.

Mino also said “Millions” could serve as a decent Christmas carol and wished fans a love-filled holiday.

The originally five-piece group debuted in 2014, but went through a lineup transition, as Nam Tae-hyun left the group in November 2016. After a hiatus of over a year, Winner gained momentum again as one of K-pop’s most promising acts, releasing chart-topping hits, such as “Really Really,” “Fool” and “Everyday,” and offering a softer style than labelmates like Big Bang and iKon.

Set to kick off its North American tour on Jan. 15 in Seattle, Winner will then visit San Francisco, Los Angeles, Dallas, Chicago, Toronto and New York throughout the second half of January.




Sharing that they’ve been learning English for the upcoming tour, the bandmates couldn’t hide their excitement at what’s to come next year.

Following the lead of Mino, Jinwoo, Seungyoon and Seunghoon hinted at upcoming solo projects, though there were no concrete plans yet.

But above all else, the bandmates said in unison that their next big goal was to release the group’s third full-length album and to grab more opportunities to showcase their individual selves.

“We are very ambitious, and have lots of things in mind. We hope next year will be more meaningful than this year,” Mino said.

Seungyoon also said, “I hope my bandmates will achieve each of their goals and expand their musicality through solo projects. As for Jinwoo, I hope he will land a role in acting.”

By Hong Dam-young (lotus@heraldcorp.com)