W-inds

W-inds (ウィンズ, Uinzu, pronounced "winds" and stylized as w-inds.) is a Japanese pop boy band managed by Vision Factory and signed to the Pony Canyon label since 2000. The group consists of Ryohei Chiba and Keita Tachibana; Ryuichi Ogata left the group in 2020. Tachibana is the lead singer of the group, while Chiba and Ogata provide backing vocals and rap.

W-inds
OriginShibuya, Tokyo, Japan
GenresR&B, Hip hop, Dance, J-POP
Years active2001 (2001)–present
Labels
Associated acts
Websitewww.w-inds.tv
Members
Past members

W-inds released their debut single, "Forever Memories", in 2001. They were named "Best New Artists" at the Japan Cable Awards and Japan Record Awards for the release of "Paradox." In addition to selling 5 million copies of CDs in Japan, W-inds has earned numerous awards and accolades from China, Hong Kong, and South Korea.

History
Ryohei Chiba (left) and Ryuichi Ogata (right) at the MTV Video Music Awards Japan in 2014

Pre-debut

In 2000, Keita Tachibana from Fukuoka passed the Starlight Auditions hosted by Vision Factory and was signed onto their label. In the same year, Ryohei Chiba and Ryuichi Ogata, who attended the same dance school in Sapporo, passed dance auditions to join the group. The three moved to Tokyo to live together, and in November, began street performances in Yoyogi Park and Shibuya to promote their activities. Prior to their major label debut in 2001, approximately 8,000 people came to watch.

2001–2002: 1st Message and The System of Alive

On March 14, 2001, W-inds released their first single, "Forever Memories", selling 216,590 copies. On June 17, they held their debut showcase at Asahikawa Medical University Medic Festival in Hokkaido.[1] On July 4, 2001, their second single, titled "Feel the Fate", was released and their official website launched on the same day.[1] Filming for the promotional video took place on June 7[1] and the song was performed live at the international tournament in Yoyogi on August 2, where 7,000 people came to watch.[1] Later that year, W-inds made their first appearance in the movie Star Light,[2] which premiered on October 7 at the Ikebukuro Theater.[1] The movie also featured their third single, "Paradox", which was released on October 17, 2001. Filming for the promotional video took place on September 3.[1] For Paradox, w-inds. was awarded "Best New Artists" in the 43rd Japan Record Awards.

On December 19, 2001, W-inds's first album, 1st Message, was released and debuted at #1 on the Oricon Weekly Albums Charts. For the first time, Chiba and Ogata appeared on some of the song tracks. In 2005, Ogata recalled being unsure with the idea at the time, as both of them generally had little experience in rapping and singing.[1]

On February 6, 2002, W-inds released a behind-the-scenes DVD titled Private of W-inds, which charted at #3 on the Oricon Weekly DVD Chart. The DVD was the best-selling male idol DVD for nine years until 2011.[3] On February 20, 2002, W-inds released their fourth single, titled "Try Your Emotion", which peaked at #2 on the weekly charts. Their fifth single, "Another Days", was released on May 22, 2002, and was used as the song to a commercial from Family Mart. Shortly after, W-inds collaborated with Lead, Flame, and Folder 5 with the single "World Needs Love", released under the collective name Earth Harmony. During the summer, their sixth single, "Because of You" on August 21, 2002, and was the first single apart from their first album to have Ogata rapping. November 13, 2002 saw the release of their seventh single, "New Paradise".

In the same year, w-inds. had their first nationwide tour for their first album, 1st Message. They extended their fanbase by briefly performing in Shanghai, China, as part of their tour. In addition to their activities, w-inds. made a brief cameo in the movie Nurse no Oshigoto The Movie as three soccer players.[4]

At the end of 2002, w-inds. released their second album, The System of Alive on December 18, 2002. Similar to 2001, they promoted it at their Christmas fanclub event. Additionally, they gained the opportunity to perform at Kōhaku Uta Gassen for the first time, where they sang "New Paradise."

2003–2007: Expansion across Asia

w-inds. released their eighth single, "Super Lover (I Need You Tonight), on May 21, 2003. On August 21, 2003, they released "Love Is Message", with a musical style that was a departure from the former's dance beat nature. On October 29, 2003, they released "Long Road".

In 2004, Vision Factory included Taiwan as one of their locations for the Prime of Life tour. Following that, w-inds. made their debut in Taiwan, and the tickets for their concert there sold out within 23 minutes, which set a record in Taiwan for "the artist with the fastest selling tickets." They became the only Japanese group invited to perform on the MTV Mandarin Awards in September 2006.

In 2006, w-inds. made an appearance on Mnet KM Music Festival, a music awards show in South Korea they were the first Japanese artists to ever appear on the show.

w-inds. also took part in a China-Japan music festival in 2006. In March 2007, the group flew to Beijing to participate in another China-Japan music festival along with two other Japanese artists. On July 2, 2007 w-inds. joined the Pop Rock Gala in celebrating the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. On this visit they picked up ten awards, accumulated from the years since their debut.

During the end of their Thanks tour, held from the summer of 2007 to the end of the year, w-inds. revealed their upcoming single, "Boogie Woogie 66", and filmed their promotional video at the concerts.

w-inds.' 22nd single, "Love Is the Greatest Thing", was released on July 4, 2007, as the theme song for the Japanese release of Shrek the Third. The song was sampled from De Souza's "Guilty", and peaked at #4, selling 34,416 copies.

2008–2011: Seventh Ave., Another World, 10th anniversary

In addition to their first double A side, "Everyday/Can't Get Back", in 2008, on May 13, 2009, w-inds. released another double A side, titled "Rain Is Fallin'/Hybrid Dream". "Rain Is Fallin'" was a collaboration and featured rap verses from G-Dragon from Big Bang, while "Hybrid Dream" was used as the theme song for the program Countdown Document Byo-Yomi! for the month of May.[5] The single peaked at #2 and sold 48,577 copies.

From the summer of 2009 to the end of the year, w-inds. toured venues in Japan with the Sweet Fantasy Tour; in November, the tour extended to Taiwan and Hong Kong. The Hong Kong show pulled in a crowd of 8,000 people. Halfway throughout the tour, the concert held at Kanagawa, Omiya had to be truncated due to Tachibana falling ill.[6]

W-inds released another double A-side single "New World/Truth (Saigo no Shinjitsu)" on December 9, 2009. The single debuted at #2 on the Oricon Weekly Charts.[7] "Truth (Saigo no Shinjitsu)" was composed by the American singer and songwriters Ne-Yo and B. Howard, who acknowledged their talent after coming across their act.[7][8] The promotional video for "Truth (Saigo no Shinjitsu)" was filmed during W-inds' stay in Hong Kong for the Sweet Fantasy Tour. The b-side to the single was titled "Tribute" and was a tribute to Michael Jackson.[7]

2012–present: Blue Blood, Timeless, and 100

In 2012, W-inds took a brief hiatus to focus on their own individual projects. During this time, Tachibana relaunched his solo career, Chiba performed in dance showcases with Kenzo from Da Pump, and Ogata formed the rock band All City Steppers. On October 31, 2013, W-inds returned with the single "A Little Bit."

On June 1, 2020, Ogata withdrew from the group due to psychosomatic disorder.[9]

Musical style

From their debut, w-inds.' musical style was mainly bubblegum pop, as it was the trend at the time. Tachibana, whose parents are both DJs, listened to American music growing up.[1] Their sixth single, Because of you, was even mentioned to have an "American style" to it. From 2003 onward, w-inds. moved on from lighthearted pop beats into more mellow ballads with mature lyrics in accordance to their growing image. At the end of 2008, w-inds. transitioned into dance beats.

Other activities and endorsements

w-inds. hosted a long-running radio show titled w-inds.' Windy Street (ウィンズのWindy Street, Uinzu no Windy Street), which lasted from 2001 to 2008. From 2003 to 2007, they appeared in commercials for Bourbon Gum, with each new single playing in every new commercial.[10]

In 2002, manga artist Natsume Hirose wrote and illustrated a manga titled Tokyo Style Bomb (東京スタイル爆弾, Tōkyō Sutairu Bakudan), which starred w-inds. as side characters. The manga lasted for three volumes and was serialized in Bessatsu Margaret.[11]

Discography
Main article: W-inds discography

Filmography

Films
Year Title Notes
2001 Star Light Cameo
2002 Nurse no Oshigoto: The Movie Cameo
2005 W-inds.tv Documentary film; 37,614 copies sold

Radio
Year Title Notes
2000-2008 w-inds.'s Windy Street

Publications
  1. W-inds: First Pictorial (30 September 2001)
  2. W-inds "Move!" (18 January 2002)
  3. W-inds The Stage! (20 September 2002)
  4. W-inds Keita – 1st personal photobook (1 November 2002)
  5. W-inds Ryohei – 1st personal photobook (22 November 2002)
  6. W-inds Ryuichi – 1st personal photobook (6 December 2002)
  7. W-inds Meets Junon (13 September 2003)
  8. W-inds Tour (8 October 2004)
  9. W-inds Live Tour "Ageha" The Document (28 October 2005)
  10. W-inds Vacanza (4 August 2006)
  11. Triangle: W-inds Meets Junon 2 (26 October 2007)

Tours
  • W-inds 1st Live Tour: 1st Message
  • W-inds: The System of Alive Tour 2003
  • W-inds: Prime of Life Tour 2004
  • W-inds Live Tour 2005: Ageha
  • W-inds Live Tour 2006: Thanks
  • W-inds Live Tour 2007: Journey
  • W-inds Live Tour 2008: Seventh Ave.
  • W-inds Live Tour 2009: Sweet Fantasy
  • W-inds Live Tour 2010: Another World
  • W-inds 10th Anniversary: Three Fourteen
  • W-inds Best Live Tour 2011 Final at Nippon Budokan
  • W-inds Live Tour: Awake at Nippon Budokan
  • W-inds Live Tour 2014: Timeless
  • W-inds Live Tour 2015: Blue Blood
  • W-inds 15th Anniversary Live Tour 2016: Forever Memories

Awards and accolades
Year Award Category Nominated Work Result
2001 34th Japan Cable Awards Best New Artist Award "Paradox" Won
43rd Japan Record Awards Won[12]
2002 44th Japan Record Awards Gold Award "Because of You" Won[13]
39th Golden Arrow Award Music Newcomer Award W-inds Won
16th Japan Gold Disc Award New Artist of the Year W-inds Won
2003 45th Japan Record Awards Gold Award "Long Road" Won[14]
2004 Yahoo! Hong Kong Buzz Music Awards Best International Group W-inds Won
IFPI Hong Kong Top Sales Music Awards Best Sales Release
(Japan and Korea)		 Prime of Life Won[15]
Best Sales Release
(Japan and Korea)		 W-inds. BesTracks Won[15]
2005 47th Japan Record Awards Gold Award "Izayoi no Tsuki" Won[16]
Yahoo! Hong Kong Buzz Music Awards Best International Group W-inds Won
IFPI Hong Kong Top Sales Music Awards Best Sales Release
(Japan and Korea)		 Ageha Won[17]
2006 39th Japan Cable Awards Music Award W-inds Won
47th Japan Record Awards Gold Award "Boogie Woogie 66" Won[18]
MTV Student Voice Awards 2006 Best Dance Artist Award W-inds Won
2006 China and Taiwan Hito Popularity Music Award Best Pop Song "Kirei Da" Won
MTV Channel Mandarin Awards Most Popular Group
(Japan)		 W-inds Won
Special Award
(12 million CDs sold)		 W-inds Won
Mnet KM Music Festival 2006 Best Asia Pop Artist W-inds Won
Yahoo! Hong Kong Buzz Music Awards Best International Group W-inds Won
IFPI Hong Kong Top Sales Music Awards Best Sales Release
(Japan and Korea)		 Thanks Won[19]
2007 49th Japan Record Awards Gold Award "Love is the Greatest Thing" Won[20]
MTV Student Voice Awards 2007 Best Celebrity Student Voice Group Award W-inds Won
18th RTHK International Pop Poll Awards Top Japanese Artist/Group W-inds Won
Yahoo! Hong Kong Buzz Music Awards Best International Group W-inds Won
2008 IFPI Hong Kong Top Sales Music Awards Best Sales Release
(Japan and Korea)		 Journey Won[21]
5th Asia Song Festival Best Asian Artist Award
(Japan)		 W-inds Won
50th Japan Record Awards Gold Award "Ame Ato" Won[22]
2009 IFPI Hong Kong Top Sales Music Awards Best Sales Release
(Japan and Korea)		 Single Collection: Best Eleven Won[23]
IFPI Hong Kong Top Sales Music Awards Best Sales Release
(Japan and Korea)		 Seventh Ave. Won[23]
51st Japan Record Awards Excellence Work Award "Rain is Fallin'"
(with G-Dragon)		 Won
2010 MTV World Stage VMAJ 2010 Best Collaboration Video Award "Rain is Fallin'" Won
51st Japan Record Awards Excellence Work Award "New World" Won[24]
2011 IFPI Hong Kong Top Sales Music Awards Best Sales Release
(Japan and Korea)		 Another World Won[25]
22nd RTHK International Pop Poll Award Top Japanese Gold Song "Addicted to Love" Won
2012 IFPI Hong Kong Top Sales Music Awards Best Sales Release
(Japan and Korea)		 W-inds 10th Anniversary Best Album Won[26]
2013 IFPI Hong Kong Top Sales Music Awards Best Sales Release
(Japan and Korea)		 Move Like This Won[27]
2015 IFPI Hong Kong Top Sales Music Awards Best Sales Release
(Japan and Korea)		 Timeless Won[28]
19th China Music Awards Asian Most Influential Japanese Singer W-inds Won
2016 IFPI Hong Kong Top Sales Music Awards Best Sales Release
(Japan and Korea)		 Blue Blood Won[29]
27th RTHK International Pop Poll Award Top Artist/Group
(Japan)		 W-inds Won[30][31]
Top Japanese Gold Song "In Love with the Music" Won[30][31]
2017 28th RTHK International Pop Poll Award Top Artist/Group
(Japan)		 W-inds Won[32]
Top Japanese Gold Song "Boom Word Up" Won[32]
2018 29th RTHK International Pop Poll Award Top Japanese Gold Song "Time Has Gone" Won[33]

See also

References
  1. W-inds.tv. Japan: Pony Canyon. 2005-02-16.
  2. Star Light. Japan: Pony Canyon. 2002-05-15.
  3. "【オリコン】三浦春馬&佐藤健、DVDで男性アイドル最高位獲得". Oricon (in Japanese). 2011-11-16. Archived from the original on July 20, 2020. Retrieved 2020-07-19.
  4. Nurse no Oshigoto The Movie. Japan: Pony Canyon. 2002-05-11.
  5. "カウントダウン・ドキュメント 秒ヨミ!の番組ページ - TVトピック検索". NTT Resonant Inc. Retrieved 2009-12-25.
  6. お詫び. Ameblo (in Japanese). 2009-08-08. Archived from the original on 2013-02-18. Retrieved 2009-12-25.
  7. "W-inds/New World/Truth〜最後の真実〜". Pony Canyon, Inc. (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2010-01-03. Retrieved 2009-12-25.
  8. "あのNe-Yoが楽曲を提供〜Windsの新曲は洋楽ファンも虜に!?". IRI Commerce and Technology, Inc. (in Japanese). 2009-12-07. Retrieved 2009-12-25.
  9. "ｗ－ｉｎｄｓ．緒方龍一脱退 ストレスから心身症に". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). 2020-05-31. Retrieved 2020-05-31.
  10. "ブルボンガム w-inds. キャンペーン". Bourbon Gum. Retrieved 2009-12-25.
  11. "集英社s-manga.net 東京スタイル爆弾試し読み". s-manga.net. Archived from the original on 2008-09-23. Retrieved 2009-12-25.
  12. "活動〜日本レコード大賞〜【公益社団法人 日本作曲家協会】". Japan Composer's Association (in Japanese). Retrieved 2018-09-19.
  13. "活動〜日本レコード大賞〜【公益社団法人 日本作曲家協会】". Japan Composer's Association (in Japanese). Retrieved 2018-09-19.
  14. "活動〜日本レコード大賞〜【公益社団法人 日本作曲家協会】". Japan Composer's Association (in Japanese). Retrieved 2018-09-19.
  15. "Hong Kong Top Sales Music Award presented 2004". IFPI. Retrieved 2018-09-17.
  16. "活動〜日本レコード大賞〜【公益社団法人 日本作曲家協会】". Japan Composer's Association (in Japanese). Retrieved 2018-09-19.
  17. "Hong Kong Top Sales Music Award presented 2005". IFPI. Retrieved 2018-09-17.
  18. "活動〜日本レコード大賞〜【公益社団法人 日本作曲家協会】". Japan Composer's Association (in Japanese). Retrieved 2018-09-19.
  19. "Hong Kong Top Sales Music Award presented 2006". IFPI. Retrieved 2018-09-17.
  20. "活動〜日本レコード大賞〜【公益社団法人 日本作曲家協会】". Japan Composer's Association (in Japanese). Retrieved 2018-09-19.
  21. "Hong Kong Top Sales Music Award presented 2007". IFPI. Retrieved 2018-09-17.
  22. "活動〜日本レコード大賞〜【公益社団法人 日本作曲家協会】". Japan Composer's Association (in Japanese). Retrieved 2018-09-19.
  23. "Hong Kong Top Sales Music Award presented 2008". IFPI. Retrieved 2018-09-17.
  24. "活動〜日本レコード大賞〜【公益社団法人 日本作曲家協会】". Japan Composer's Association (in Japanese). Retrieved 2018-09-19.
  25. "Hong Kong Top Sales Music Award presented 2010". IFPI. Retrieved 2018-09-17.
  26. "Hong Kong Top Sales Music Award presented 2011". IFPI. Retrieved 2018-09-17.
  27. "Hong Kong Top Sales Music Award presented 2012". IFPI. Retrieved 2018-09-17.
  28. "Hong Kong Top Sales Music Award presented 2014". IFPI. Retrieved 2018-09-17.
  29. "Hong Kong Top Sales Music Award presented 2015". IFPI. Retrieved 2018-09-17.
  30. "第二十七屆國際流行音樂大獎 The 27th International Pop Poll". RTHK. Retrieved 2018-09-17.
  31. "w-inds.が香港音楽アワード2冠「心から感謝」". Oricon (in Japanese). 2016-04-28. Retrieved 2018-09-17.
  32. "第二十八屆國際流行音樂大獎 The 28th International Pop Poll". RTHK. Retrieved 2018-09-17.
  33. "第二十九屆國際流行音樂大獎 The 29th International Pop Poll". RTHK. Retrieved 2018-09-17.
Preceded by
Kiyoshi Hikawa		 Japan Record Award for Best New Artist
2001		 Succeeded by
Mika Nakashima
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