YG Entertainment's rookie boy group WINNER shared their thoughts on their fellow YG artist and yet-to-debut group, iKON, in their recent pictorial for The Star magazine.
WINNER had their official debut last August with their album "201 S/S." The group has since received a huge amount of support from K-pop fans in and out of Korea. However, with the formation of the record label's newest group, iKON, whose members won from the competition show MIX & MATCH, it seems there is a brewing competition between the two groups, KpopStars reports.
In their interview with The Star, the WINNER members were asked if they are worried about the upcoming debut of the seven-member iKON. The members said it makes them work harder.
As to how they see their fellow YG artists, the idol group has this to say, "To us, they are like a mirror. Whenever we see them, they help us to look back or reflect upon ourselves."
WINNER is also a product of a survival show by YG, WIN: Who Is Next. In the show, the record label narrowed down their trainees down to five members.
During the interview, WINNER also expressed their excitement on their future projects. "Our first album had a lot of sentimental songs, but now we are working on more bright and fast-paced songs," the members shared. "We've only finished one album so far - there's so much more to be done on the stage for us."
In a report last month, YG producer Yang Hyun Suk insisted that the two groups will not be competing against each other. In an interview with TV Report on October 12, he said that WINNER and iKON are totally different goal with distinct goals.
"WINNER and iKON are totally different groups. WINNER is not limited to one genre while iKON will be heavily focusing on hip-hop. Because of this, it may feel like iKON's color is clearer and stronger than WINNER's," said Yang Hyun Suk.
"WINNER and iKon have different personalities so I'm not worried. First off, the two groups will be pursuing different goals so much so that even if they promote at the same time, their characters will not overlap one another. WINNER will be performing in different genres and iKON will be painting vibrant pictures within the basis of hip-hop," he added.
Meanwhile, iKON is slated to debut on January next year, according to a report by Kpop Herald. YG Entertainment seems confident about their newest group as it already has a large fanbase in Asia even before the members were revealed through MIX & MATCH.
Join the Conversation