2NE1

2NE1 was the first girl group to rose to international fame under YG. They debuted with four members, CL, Dara, Bom and Minzy, in 2009, with 'Fire'. The song was badass and hip-hop infulenced, which was different from korean girl groups in the 2000s. They were annouced by YG as the 'female version of Big Bang'. (See; YGverse)

## 2009-2010 Rookie years

Ever since the release of their first mini album, 2NE1 had a warm welcome by critics and the public. Their strong image made them stand out. In the first year of their carrier they released hits such as Fire and I Don't Care. 2NE1 totaled 100,000 copies by the end of the year.

The following year, 2NE1 released 'Try to Follow Me' without any prior announcement. The song peaked at no. 1. without being promoted. During the summer of 2010, the girls travelled to Los Angeles and London to record English songs for an American debut album with The Black Eyed Peas's member and music producer will.i.am. The group recorded a total of 10 songs in their initial sessions.

Their first studio album was released in the same year's September. The album, named 'To Anyone' debuted at number 7 on the Billboard World Album Chart. The album had a track list of 12 songs, 5 of which were released as singles ("Clap Your Hands", "Can't Nobody", "It Hurts (Slow)" and the chart-topping "Go Away".) The fifth song was "Don't Stop the Music",that was recorded as a "special gift for Thai fans" and was also used in conjunction with the group's Yamaha Fiore endorsement.

At the 2010 Mnet Asian Music Awards, 2NE1 took home the most accolades: "Artist of the Year", "Best Music Video" for "Can't Nobody", "Best Female Group", and "Album of the Year" award.

## 2011 International fame

The girls participated in the Naver "Pray for Japan" campaign alongside many other Korean celebrities to raise funds for earthquake victims.

The group returned to South Korea with their second EP *2NE1* (2011), scoring three number one hits: "Lonely", "I Am the Best", which also won the "Song of the Year" award at the Mnet Asian Music Awards,and "Ugly" as well as the top three hit "Hate You". The album itself was a major success, topping the Gaon Chart and selling over 108,000 copies. Following the end of promotions in August, 2NE1 held their first sold-out solo concert at the Olympic Hall in the Chamsil Olympic Park on August 26, 27 and 28 in Seoul, South Korea before flying back to Japan.

Choosing to re-record their second EP *2NE1* (2011) in Japanese, the album was re-issued as *Nolza* and released that same year, peaking at number one on the Oricon charts and selling over 48,000 copies.

That October, MTV Iggy held a global competition, in which 10 bands from all around the world competed in a voting competition for the title of "Best New Band". With their song "I Am the Best", 2NE1 was crowned winners of the title on November 10, 2011, making this their first US award. 2NE1 performed at Times Square in December to accept the honor. At the end of 2011, 2NE1 was also nominated for the Japan Record Award for "Best New Artist".

## 2012 Firts world tour, I Love You

On March 28, 2012, 2NE1 released their first full-length Japanese album *Collection* along with their second Japanese single "Scream". The album includes Japanese remakes of their Korean songs such as "Love Is Ouch", "Fire", and "I Don't Care", and a cover of Madonna's 1984 hit song "Like A Virgin". The album peaked at #5 on the Oricon Daily Chart and went on to sell over 32,000 copies in Japan. Later that year, 2NE1 and label mate Big Bang were invited to perform for the first time at 2012's Springroove festival in Japan alongside some of the top American and Japanese hip hop artists. The previous year, 2NE1 and the subgroup GD & TOP were invited, but due to the Japan tsunami and earthquake tragedy, the festival was cancelled.

A non-album single "I Love You" was also released in their home country, topping the chart and becoming their sixth number one single.

That December, 2NE1 and Big Bang made MTV Style's list of "Best Band Style of 2012". The two YG Entertainment groups are the only Asian artists to make the list of 10, which includes One Direction, The Wanted, Backstreet Boys, Spice Girls, Destiny's Child, Fun and No Doubt.

### New Evolution Global Tour (2012)

The tour began on July 28, in Seoul. It ended on December 1, in Singapore. The tour had the total attendance of 169,680. 2NE1 visited five countries, nine cities during the tour, instead of the planned seven countries and eleven cities. (The concerts in Indonesia and Malaysia were cancelled.)

They preformed a tracklist of 26 songs.

## 2013 - 2014

On March 14, 2013, 2NE1 released the English-language single "Take the World On", which was a collaboration with American singer will.i.am. A second collaboration with will.i.am brought forth "Gettin' Dumb"; this time including his bandmate apl.de.ap. The song was featured on will.i.am's second album *#willpower*, which was released on April 23.

2NE1's next singles were not tied to any album, with the chart-topping "Falling in Love" and "Missing You", becoming their seventh and eighth number one singles. A third, "Do You Love Me", was a top three hit.

In February of 2014, 2NE1 released their second studio album Crush. Two singles were released simultaneously: "Come Back Home" and "Happy". "Come Back Home" peaked at number one on the Gaon Singles Chart, becoming their ninth number one hit. Their third single from the album, "Gotta Be You" was subsequently released on May 20 along with a music video. *Crush* sold 5,000 copies in 4 days in America, peaking at #61 on *Billboard* 200 and setting a new U.S record for "Highest Charting and Best Selling Kpop Album", beating other groups such as Girls' Generation and Big Bang.

All or Nothing World Tour (2014)

The second world tour of the group began on March 1, 2014 and ended on October 17, 2014. During the tour the girls visited a total of 10 countires, 16 cities, totaling 180,000 attendees.

2015-2017 Hiatus & Disbandment

Following the suspension of Bom's contract due to her 2014 drug scandal, other members began exploring independent ventures, sending the group effectively into hiatus. Dara re-established her acting career by starring in web dramas such as *Dr.Ian* and *We Broke Up*, as well as KBS's *Missing You*. Minzy opened the Millennium Dance Academy. CL embarked a solo career in the United States with the release of "Hello Bitches" from her upcoming EP *Lifted*. The group's only activity in 2015 was a surprise performance at the 2015 Mnet Asian Music Awards in Hong Kong. After CL's performance of her solo singles "The Baddest Female" and "Hello Bitches", all members reunited to perform "Fire" and "I Am the Best". The performance is now the most-viewed MAMA performance by a girl-group.

After a year of hiatus, YG Entertainment confirmed the departure of Minzy in April 2016, stating that the group will continue as a trio. Later that November, however, YG Entertainment announced the disbandment of the group. CL and Dara remained signed as solo artists, while Bom was released from her contract. A last single, "Goodbye", was released in January 2017 as a farewell to their fans, inspired by a letter CL initially wrote to Minzy. The song topped the *Billboard* World Digital Songs chart.

## 2NE1TV (2009-2011)

A TV show about the everyday lives of the 2NE1 members. The show had three seasons, even though a fourth season was rumored to have been shot during 2012.

Memorable quotes from the show:

> "That's alright because I'm pretty on the general scale." - CL, 2NE1TV season 2.
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> "He's an alien, which planet is he from?" - Bom, talking about TOP. 2NE1TV season 2.
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> "Cats are my friends." CL, 2NE1TV season 3.
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> "She accepted my tangerine." CL after she "mocked" Dara's dress, and Dara playfully got mad. 2NE1TV season 2.
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> "The thing I hate the most is electricity, because once when I was little, I walked in the dark bathroom, and when I turned on the lights, I got shocked." - Bom. 2NE1TV season 3
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In 2013 Dara and Bom did a miniseries called "Double Park TV" (named after both of them having the family name Park), but it wasn't an official TV show. They just did it for the fans and uploaded it on YouTube.