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 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 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. On July 4, 2001, their second single, titled "Feel the Fate", was released and their official website launched on the same day. Filming for the promotional video took place on June 7 and the song was performed live at the international tournament in Yoyogi on August 2, where 7,000 people came to watch. Later that year, W-inds made their first appearance in the movie Star Light, which premiered on October 7 at the Ikebukuro Theater. 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. 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.