[⋆~Omona exclusive~⋆] Gone But Not Forgotten: 2NE1
In this series I want to go through groups that are gone, but not forgotten. I will go from debut till disbandment or [indefinite] hiatus, remembering the time we had together and look back on their highs and lows.
2NE1
2NE1 was a South Korean girl group composed of Bom, CL, Dara, and Minzy, formed by YG Entertainment in 2009. Following a long-term hiatus, Minzy departed the group in April 2016, while the rest of the group disbanded later that November. Their final single "Good Bye" was released on January 21, 2017.
PRE-DEBUT
2NE1 was first mentioned by South Korean press in late 2004. Both Spica's Bohyung and Fiestar's Linzy were trainees alongside the 2NE1 members. However, they were eliminated before debut.
YG Entertainment formally announced in early 2009 that the group would consist of four members and debut sometime in May of that year. The company stated that the group had trained for four years, and that their debut album would contain songs produced by 1TYM's leader Teddy Park.
The group's name was initially announced as "21", however, due to the discovery of a singer with the same name, the group was quickly renamed "2NE1". The name, pronounced in Korean to approximate English as "To Anyone" or (US) "Twenty One", combines the phrases "21st century" and "New Evolution".
2009-2010: Debut and commercial success
2NE1's first extended play 2NE1 was preceded by two singles.
The first one, "Lollipop", was recorded with label mate Big Bang and released on March 27, 2009 to promote the LG Cyon phone. Though a music video was filmed, "Lollipop" was not promoted due to its product advertisement affiliation, which caused issues with the network chart eligibility.
The second single, "Fire", written and produced by 1TYM's Teddy Park, was released that May. Its music video had two versions - a "space" version and a "street" version.
Within the first 24 hours of release, the videos each received over one million views. Both the song "Fire" and the group became popular online search terms.
The single, "I Don't Care", was released simultaneously alongside their first eponymous EP in July. "I Don't Care" became the most downloaded song of that month, later winning Song of the Year at the Mnet Asian Music Awards.
Although group members recorded and released their own solo materials in August, they performed a reggae version of "I Don't Care" on Inkigayo in September. Due to the remix's popularity, it was released to digital outlets on September 3 as their next digital single.
Buoyed by the success of their singles, sales of 2NE1 totaled 100,000 copies by the end of the year. 2NE1 later performed at the 6th Asia Song Festival, representing Korea alongside three other groups and later winning the Asian Newcomer's award.
In 2010, 2NE1 unexpectedly released "Try to Follow Me" in February through various digital outlets without any prior announcement or promotion to support the Samsung's Corby Folder. The song peaked at number one on the Gaon Digital Chart.
That summer, 2NE1 traveled 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.
The first full-length album, To Anyone, was released on September 9, and debuted at number 7 on the Billboard World Album Chart. Prior to the release of the album, it had already received 120,000 preorders.
Containing a total of 12 tracks, four singles were released: the top five hits "Clap Your Hands", "Can't Nobody", "It Hurts (Slow)" and the chart-topping "Go Away".
A fifth song "Don't Stop the Music" 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.
2011-2012: Japanese debut and international expansion
On January 19, 2011, "Can't Nobody (English Version)" was released on the Japanese digital retailer Recochoku as a ringtone and ringback tone. The following month, an accompanying music video was made available for download through iTunes Japan.
Their Japanese debut single "Go Away" was released as a ringtone on March 9, and later used as the theme song for the Japanese television program Mezamashi TV.
On March 16, their first Korean EP 2NE1 was made available in Japan; promotional activities were canceled due to the Tōhoku Earthquake and tsunami.
The group returned to South Korea with their second EP 2NE1 (2011), scoring 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.
On March 28, 2012, 2NE1 released their first full-length Japanese album Collection along with their second Japanese single "Scream". The album peaked at #5 on the Oricon Daily Chart and went on to sell over 32,000 copies in Japan.
2NE1 also collaborated with Japanese hip-hop group M-Flo for the song "She's So (Outta Control)", which was featured on the artist's sixth studio album Square One.
Non-album single "I Love You" was also released in their home country, topping the chart and becoming their sixth number one single.
2013-2014: Collaborations, worldwide recognition, and world tour
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 early 2014, 2NE1 released their second studio album Crush (2014). 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. On June 26, they released the Japanese edition of Crush, which charted at #4 on the Oricon Daily Album Chart.
The group's also held their fourth concert tour AON: All or Nothing, which included stops in China, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Philippines, Japan, Malaysia and Indonesia. From March to October, they performed a total of twenty concerts across 16 cities, totaling 180,000 attendees.
2NE1's previous single, "I Am The Best", was released on December 11 in the U.S. under Capitol Records. On December 18, their song "Gotta Be You" was crowned "Song of the Year" by MTV Iggy.
The group received worldwide recognition at the end of 2014. Crush was the only record by an Asian artist to make it to Fuse TV's "40 Best Albums of 2014" and ranked first in Billboard magazine's list of "Best Kpop Album of 2014" as well as eleventh for its year-end World Album chart.
2015-2017: Hiatus and 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. It was applauded and as a result, was listed as one of the best performances of 2015 by Fuse.
Despite not having made a comeback, 2NE1 nonetheless was the 16th most reblogged K-pop group on Tumblr for 2015. Additionally, both 2NE1 and CL were given a nod by Spotify in their "Year in Music" Twitter Campaign for each achieving over one million listeners, and being played a "staggering" 165 years worth when combined. They also won China's 2016 Korea First Brand Grand Prize award for "Top 10 Most Anticipated K-Stars of 2016".
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.
Solo Careers:
Park Bom:
2009 - 2014:
In August 2009, she released her first solo single "You and I", which took the number one spot on the Gaon Music Chart for the month of November. The single eventually won Best Digital Single at the 2010 Mnet Asian Music Awards. By the end of 2011, it was reported that "You and I" was downloaded 4,483,364 times, becoming one of the best-selling singles in Korean music history.
In late 2010, Park featured on GD & TOP's single "Oh Yeah", appearing on both the Korean and Japanese versions of the song as well as the Japanese music video.
On April 21, 2011, she released a second solo digital single, "Don't Cry". The single was a success and achieved a perfect all-kill on Instiz, placing number one on seven local music charts. The same year, Park featured on the song "Having an Affair", performed by G-Dragon and comedian Park Myeong-su in a duo project called GG for the Infinite Challenge Music Festival. The single was another hit and was the second most downloaded song of 2011.
In 2013, Park formed a sub-unit group with labelmate Lee Hi, known as Bom & Hi. The duo released a cover of Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You" on December 17.
The same year, she also featured on the Japanese version of G-Dragon's single "Black".
2014-2017: Career setback
In 2014, it was released to the public that Park had been under investigation for drug smuggling (80 amphetamine containing tablets) through international mail in the past. A package, sent by family members residing in the United States to her residing in South Korea, was stopped at Incheon International Airport customs. Park was put under investigation but was never charged. In a statement issued by YG Entertainment's Yang Hyun-suk, he spoke against the allegations of preferential treatment. He explained that the drug was illegal in South Korea but legal in the United States. She was unable to travel to the United States during that time due to her busy schedule. Park contacted her U.S. physician to refill her medication. Yang further explained that Park sought out medical care from South Korean physicians and had undergone therapy but proved to be not as effective as her treatment in the United States. In 2010, at the time of investigation, she had provided the prosecutor her medical records from her U.S. hospital confirming her diagnoses as well as ongoing treatment plan.
That same year, Park joined the cast of SBS's Roommate, a reality show which features eleven celebrities living together in a share house. She shortly withdrew from the program following the scandal and went into a hiatus from the entertainment industry.
Park's next appearance was on December 2, 2015, performing with 2NE1 at the 2015 Mnet Asian Music Awards.
On November 25, 2016, YG Entertainment announced the disbandment of the group. The company also revealed that former members CL and Dara signed a solo contract, hinting at Park's departure from the company.
Park, however, took part in 2NE1's final song "Goodbye", released on January 21, 2017.
On April 30, 2017, she announced through social media that she is now under YG Entertainment's subsidiary, The Black Label, and is preparing to release a solo album. On May 1, 2017, the company denied that statement and declared that Park had not signed any new contract with the company or any of their subsidiaries since they broke her contract back in November 2016. She followed up on social media replying to fans that she did sign a contract and she is coming back.
2018-present: Career resurgence
On July 20, 2018, Park reportedly signed an exclusive contract with the newly established entertainment company D-Nation Entertainment.
"Spring" was announced on February 15, 2019 as the lead single off her debut single album of the same name, which was released on March 13, 2019 alongside the premiere of its music video. Additionally, "Spring" features vocals from former groupmate Dara.
Spring was re-released as an extended play titled re:Blue Rose on May 2, 2019. The lead single titled "4:44" featured vocals from Wheein.
Park released "I Do, I Do" for Perfume as her first soundtrack appearance on July 1, 2019.
Park competed in Mnet's reality television competition Queendom, which initially aired on August 29, 2019. She sang "Scarecrow" together with Oh My Girl's Hyojung, an emotional song written by JYP. She released three singles throughout her run in the competition: covers of "Hann (Alone)" by fellow competitor (G)I-dle and "Eyes, Nose, Lips" by former labelmate Taeyang, and an original song titled "Wanna Go Back", wherein the former features vocals from Cheetah.
Park subsequently featured in "Chanel" by MC Mong, which was released on October 29, 2019.
She reunited with Dara for the single titled "First Snow", which was released on December 10, 2019.
Sandara Park
2009-2012: Debut with 2NE1 and solo activities
Dara was featured on the single "Hello" from Big Bang member G-Dragon's album Heartbreaker, and later released her first solo single, "Kiss", which featured fellow 2NE1 member CL as a rapper.
Park made an appearance as the female lead in Taeyang's "I Need A Girl" music video in 2010.
As a result of 2NE1's growing fame, Park's earlier Philippine movies Bcuz of U, Can This Be Love, and D' Lucky Ones were screened in South Korea in 2012.
2013-2014: Return to the Philippines and acting
In May 2014, ABS-CBN announced that Park would be a guest on Pinoy Big Brother, which set off a social media frenzy, dominating both the Philippines and worldwide Twitter trending topics.
Back in South Korea, Dara replaced close friend Yoo In-na as a DJ for her Let's Crank Up the Volume radio program from May to June due to scheduling clashes.
Later in the year, Dara made a surprise cameo appearance as a top actress in the last episode of the highly rated Korean drama My Love from the Star.
On November 12, BeFunny Studios made an unannounced release of a three-part mini web series starring The Walking Dead's Steven Yeun and Dara, titled What's eating Steven Yeun.
2015: Web drama success and Sugar Man
In 2015, seven years after her last acting role, Dara returned to the small screen through the web-drama Dr. Ian, starring alongside Kim Young-kwang. Dara became the first actress to win the "Best Actress" award at the K-web festival for her performance.
Dara then took on her second leading role in We Broke Up, a web-drama based upon a web-toon of the same name.
On September 15, Dara was cast opposite Goong star Kim Jeong-hoon in Missing Korea.
Dara later joined JTBC variety show Sugar Man from 2015 to 2016, alongside Yoo Jae-suk, You Hee-yeol, and Kim Eana as a co-host.
2016-present: Judging, 2NE1's disbandment, domestic film debut, and first solo concert
Dara started the year 2016 with a special appearance in the MBC drama One More Happy Ending, as a beloved but spoiled star of a popular girl group.
Dara was officially promoted from being YG Entertainment's public relations head to director.
Dara then joined the judging panel of ABS-CBN's reality singing competition show Pinoy Boyband Superstar.
As the show was still filming the day after 2NE1 announced their disbandment, Dara became the first member to respond after the event by way of handing a handwritten letter in English to fans on November 26, 2016, and allowing them to upload the contents on her behalf.
In 2017, Dara became the host of OnStyle's beauty program Get It Beauty.
Dara then starred alongside Han Jae-suk in her domestic debut film One Step.
She participated in another OnStyle project titled Relationship Appeal, where she reviewed trending topics and travel to popular tourist spots.
Dara closed the year by performing 2NE1's past hits in a solo headlining concert, one year after the band's disbandment.
In 2018, Dara scored her first mainstream big screen role in the film adaption of the popular webtoon Cheese in the Trap as the heroine's best friend, Jang Bo-ra. The year also continued Dara's increased regular appearances on television with Mimi Shop, Borrowing Trouble, and MBC's Real Man 300.
In January 2019, Park served as a special guest and support act for labelmate Seungri on his Hong Kong and Manila tour dates for The Great Seungri tour. During that month, Park became a permanent co-host for the all-female talk show Video Star.
Dara reunited with former 2NE1 bandmate Park Bom as a featured artist for her single, "Spring", which was released on March 13.
Dara also became a judge and advisor in Stage K, a K-pop challenge variety television show, which premiered in April 2019.
Minzy
2009-2016: 2NE1
Minzy officially left the group and the group's agency, YG Entertainment, on April 5, 2016. Because of this, she did not take part in 2NE1's last song "Goodbye", released on January 21, 2017.
She was preparing and recording a solo album, scheduled ahead of "I Am the Best," but that got pushed back and eventually scrapped due to an issue "with a different artist in the company."
2016-present: Solo career
On May 2016, Minzy signed with CJ E&M's subsidiary label Music Works.
On January 17, 2017, a representative from KBS revealed that Minzy has been confirmed as a cast member of the second season of Sister's Slam Dunk.
In March 2017, Minzy released her first solo single, "I Wanted To Love" as the soundtrack of the MBC drama The Rebel.
On April 17, 2017, Minzy released her solo debut EP, Minzy Work 01. "Uno", along with title track "Ninano".
On December 1, 2018, Minzy released her first English language solo single, "All of You Say".
On April 17, 2020, Minzy left Music Works.
CL
2009-2013: Debut with 2NE1 and solo career beginnings
Lee took on the stage name 'CL' and was placed as the leader and main rapper of 2NE1.
In August 2009, she collaborated with label-mates G-Dragon and Teddy Park of 1TYM for the single "The Leaders", featured on G-Dragon's first solo album, Heartbreaker. The same month, CL collaborated with fellow member Minzy for "Please Don't Go", which charted at number six on the Gaon Chart by the end of November.
Her first solo single, "The Baddest Female", was released on 28 May 2013.
For 2NE1's second album Crush, CL wrote the lyrics and co-composed the music for the tracks "Crush", "If I Were You", and "Baby I Miss You". She also wrote the lyrics for her solo track "MTBD", as well as the track "Scream".
2014-2019: Stand-alone singles and featured appearances
In October 2014, it was announced that CL was planning to debut as a solo artist the following year in the United States, teaming up with Scooter Braun as her manager.
In May 2015, she featured in Diplo's single "Doctor Pepper", alongside Riff Raff and OG Maco.
In November 2015, CL released her first single "Hello Bitches", as a teaser for her upcoming EP Lifted. The lead single, "Lifted" was released on August 19, 2016. The song appeared in the Top 30 of iTunes’ Hip-Hop/Rap chart within three hours of being released, peaking at 21. On October 29, 2016, CL kicked off her first North American tour, the Hello Bitches Tour, in New York City's Hammerstein Ballroom, and concluded in Toronto on November 14.
Alongside Shaiana, she featured on Lil Yachty's song "Surrender", an exclusive track off of the Target deluxe edition of his album Teenage Emotions, released on May 26, 2017.
CL also recorded an original single titled "No Better Feelin'" for the My Little Pony: The Movie soundtrack, released on September 22, 2017.
On January 4, 2018, she was reported to make her Hollywood debut as an actress in Peter Berg's film Mile 22 that stars Mark Wahlberg.
On February 25, 2018, CL performed at the 2018 Winter Olympics closing ceremony at Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium, performing parts from "The Baddest Female" and the 2NE1 global hit "I Am the Best".
2019-present: Departure from YG Entertainment and In the Name of Love
On November 8, 2019, YG Entertainment announced that CL did not renew her contract with the company.
On December 4, right after leaving YG Entertainment, she began releasing previously unreleased tracks as her solo EP project In the Name of Love for three consecutive weeks.
Miscellaneous:
* 2NE1 was known for their interesting hairstyles.
* Despite being a successful as a group, 2NE1 didn't have it easy.
YG publicly called the members really ugly.
* Being put down like this paired with the pressure from the industry, debuting young (Minzy), insecurities about their future promotions, mistreatment towards the members from within the company and loneliness caused a lot of mental issues and this ultimately let to a lot of fans believing caused Park Bom's plastic surgery addiction, CL struggling with her weight, Minzy getting a nose job and Dara thinking she wasn't necessary in the group.
* Always being treated unfairly, Minzy opened up in 2018 about her depression and why she left 2NE1. Before leaving the agency, she begged for a solo career, but was denied.
* Minzy graduated from Baekseok University with impressive grades.
* A former YG staff member exposed the unfair treatment and their supposed songs were given to BLACKPINK, a group that YG himself called a group like 2NE1 but then pretty.
* YG completely blamed Park Bom for 2NE1's disbandment.
* Park Bom opened up about her controversy and insomnia in a Billboard interview.
* Park Bom was known for her love for corn, something she wasn't allowed to eat when dieting in her 2NE1 days. During Queendom however, (G)-Idle visited her agency and gifted her a basket filled with corn, which she happily tucked into.
* With Lifted not being that successful, CL struggled a lot trying to make it in the USA. With her releases constantly pushed back or cancelled, CL got frustrated and publicly called YG out on it. On top of that, her talk-show also got cancelled.
* Sandara is the icon of "baby-face", earning herself the nickname "vampire" for her youthful skin and look. In 2012, she was announced to be one of the most beautiful women of her time (1980s).
Sources:
Wikipedia: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
CL Official Channel, JUSTJKB, Mnet K-POP, SBS KPOP, 2NE1 ♪, YG ENTERTAINMENT
Previous: Nine Muses, 4Minute, Girl's Day, Sistar, Secret, Orange Caramel, Rainbow.
Next: hint
I did a lot of research for this week and I put a LOT of time and effort into making this post, but I also had to edit a large portion because there was a lot of information to go through (and the post is already very long). So if you are missing something from the post: that's probably why. Despite that, I really hope I did them justice.
I hope you also read the miscellaneous section, it gives more information on their YG struggles and extra background information, a lot of it is really interesting to read in my opinion and worth taking a look at.
Anyway, Happy 11th Anniversary, 2NE1 ❤️. I specifically waited to make this post until now despite multiple requests so we could celebrate this week!
Let me know what you think of this week? Did you bring your lightstick? You guys were already going wild last week when I hinted at this week, so please leave your essays down below ;-)
Also, I made the hint for next week a little more difficult again!
2NE1
2NE1 was a South Korean girl group composed of Bom, CL, Dara, and Minzy, formed by YG Entertainment in 2009. Following a long-term hiatus, Minzy departed the group in April 2016, while the rest of the group disbanded later that November. Their final single "Good Bye" was released on January 21, 2017.
PRE-DEBUT
2NE1 was first mentioned by South Korean press in late 2004. Both Spica's Bohyung and Fiestar's Linzy were trainees alongside the 2NE1 members. However, they were eliminated before debut.
YG Entertainment formally announced in early 2009 that the group would consist of four members and debut sometime in May of that year. The company stated that the group had trained for four years, and that their debut album would contain songs produced by 1TYM's leader Teddy Park.
The group's name was initially announced as "21", however, due to the discovery of a singer with the same name, the group was quickly renamed "2NE1". The name, pronounced in Korean to approximate English as "To Anyone" or (US) "Twenty One", combines the phrases "21st century" and "New Evolution".
2009-2010: Debut and commercial success
2NE1's first extended play 2NE1 was preceded by two singles.
The first one, "Lollipop", was recorded with label mate Big Bang and released on March 27, 2009 to promote the LG Cyon phone. Though a music video was filmed, "Lollipop" was not promoted due to its product advertisement affiliation, which caused issues with the network chart eligibility.
Click to viewThe second single, "Fire", written and produced by 1TYM's Teddy Park, was released that May. Its music video had two versions - a "space" version and a "street" version.
Within the first 24 hours of release, the videos each received over one million views. Both the song "Fire" and the group became popular online search terms.
The single, "I Don't Care", was released simultaneously alongside their first eponymous EP in July. "I Don't Care" became the most downloaded song of that month, later winning Song of the Year at the Mnet Asian Music Awards.
Although group members recorded and released their own solo materials in August, they performed a reggae version of "I Don't Care" on Inkigayo in September. Due to the remix's popularity, it was released to digital outlets on September 3 as their next digital single.
Buoyed by the success of their singles, sales of 2NE1 totaled 100,000 copies by the end of the year. 2NE1 later performed at the 6th Asia Song Festival, representing Korea alongside three other groups and later winning the Asian Newcomer's award.
In 2010, 2NE1 unexpectedly released "Try to Follow Me" in February through various digital outlets without any prior announcement or promotion to support the Samsung's Corby Folder. The song peaked at number one on the Gaon Digital Chart.
That summer, 2NE1 traveled 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.
The first full-length album, To Anyone, was released on September 9, and debuted at number 7 on the Billboard World Album Chart. Prior to the release of the album, it had already received 120,000 preorders.
Containing a total of 12 tracks, four singles were released: the top five hits "Clap Your Hands", "Can't Nobody", "It Hurts (Slow)" and the chart-topping "Go Away".
A fifth song "Don't Stop the Music" 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.
2011-2012: Japanese debut and international expansion
On January 19, 2011, "Can't Nobody (English Version)" was released on the Japanese digital retailer Recochoku as a ringtone and ringback tone. The following month, an accompanying music video was made available for download through iTunes Japan.
Their Japanese debut single "Go Away" was released as a ringtone on March 9, and later used as the theme song for the Japanese television program Mezamashi TV.
On March 16, their first Korean EP 2NE1 was made available in Japan; promotional activities were canceled due to the Tōhoku Earthquake and tsunami.
The group returned to South Korea with their second EP 2NE1 (2011), scoring 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.
On March 28, 2012, 2NE1 released their first full-length Japanese album Collection along with their second Japanese single "Scream". The album peaked at #5 on the Oricon Daily Chart and went on to sell over 32,000 copies in Japan.
2NE1 also collaborated with Japanese hip-hop group M-Flo for the song "She's So (Outta Control)", which was featured on the artist's sixth studio album Square One.
Non-album single "I Love You" was also released in their home country, topping the chart and becoming their sixth number one single.
2013-2014: Collaborations, worldwide recognition, and world tour
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 early 2014, 2NE1 released their second studio album Crush (2014). 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. On June 26, they released the Japanese edition of Crush, which charted at #4 on the Oricon Daily Album Chart.
The group's also held their fourth concert tour AON: All or Nothing, which included stops in China, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Philippines, Japan, Malaysia and Indonesia. From March to October, they performed a total of twenty concerts across 16 cities, totaling 180,000 attendees.
2NE1's previous single, "I Am The Best", was released on December 11 in the U.S. under Capitol Records. On December 18, their song "Gotta Be You" was crowned "Song of the Year" by MTV Iggy.
The group received worldwide recognition at the end of 2014. Crush was the only record by an Asian artist to make it to Fuse TV's "40 Best Albums of 2014" and ranked first in Billboard magazine's list of "Best Kpop Album of 2014" as well as eleventh for its year-end World Album chart.
2015-2017: Hiatus and 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. It was applauded and as a result, was listed as one of the best performances of 2015 by Fuse.
Despite not having made a comeback, 2NE1 nonetheless was the 16th most reblogged K-pop group on Tumblr for 2015. Additionally, both 2NE1 and CL were given a nod by Spotify in their "Year in Music" Twitter Campaign for each achieving over one million listeners, and being played a "staggering" 165 years worth when combined. They also won China's 2016 Korea First Brand Grand Prize award for "Top 10 Most Anticipated K-Stars of 2016".
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.
Solo Careers:
Park Bom:
2009 - 2014:
In August 2009, she released her first solo single "You and I", which took the number one spot on the Gaon Music Chart for the month of November. The single eventually won Best Digital Single at the 2010 Mnet Asian Music Awards. By the end of 2011, it was reported that "You and I" was downloaded 4,483,364 times, becoming one of the best-selling singles in Korean music history.
In late 2010, Park featured on GD & TOP's single "Oh Yeah", appearing on both the Korean and Japanese versions of the song as well as the Japanese music video.
On April 21, 2011, she released a second solo digital single, "Don't Cry". The single was a success and achieved a perfect all-kill on Instiz, placing number one on seven local music charts. The same year, Park featured on the song "Having an Affair", performed by G-Dragon and comedian Park Myeong-su in a duo project called GG for the Infinite Challenge Music Festival. The single was another hit and was the second most downloaded song of 2011.
In 2013, Park formed a sub-unit group with labelmate Lee Hi, known as Bom & Hi. The duo released a cover of Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You" on December 17.
The same year, she also featured on the Japanese version of G-Dragon's single "Black".
2014-2017: Career setback
In 2014, it was released to the public that Park had been under investigation for drug smuggling (80 amphetamine containing tablets) through international mail in the past. A package, sent by family members residing in the United States to her residing in South Korea, was stopped at Incheon International Airport customs. Park was put under investigation but was never charged. In a statement issued by YG Entertainment's Yang Hyun-suk, he spoke against the allegations of preferential treatment. He explained that the drug was illegal in South Korea but legal in the United States. She was unable to travel to the United States during that time due to her busy schedule. Park contacted her U.S. physician to refill her medication. Yang further explained that Park sought out medical care from South Korean physicians and had undergone therapy but proved to be not as effective as her treatment in the United States. In 2010, at the time of investigation, she had provided the prosecutor her medical records from her U.S. hospital confirming her diagnoses as well as ongoing treatment plan.
That same year, Park joined the cast of SBS's Roommate, a reality show which features eleven celebrities living together in a share house. She shortly withdrew from the program following the scandal and went into a hiatus from the entertainment industry.
Park's next appearance was on December 2, 2015, performing with 2NE1 at the 2015 Mnet Asian Music Awards.
On November 25, 2016, YG Entertainment announced the disbandment of the group. The company also revealed that former members CL and Dara signed a solo contract, hinting at Park's departure from the company.
Park, however, took part in 2NE1's final song "Goodbye", released on January 21, 2017.
On April 30, 2017, she announced through social media that she is now under YG Entertainment's subsidiary, The Black Label, and is preparing to release a solo album. On May 1, 2017, the company denied that statement and declared that Park had not signed any new contract with the company or any of their subsidiaries since they broke her contract back in November 2016. She followed up on social media replying to fans that she did sign a contract and she is coming back.
2018-present: Career resurgence
On July 20, 2018, Park reportedly signed an exclusive contract with the newly established entertainment company D-Nation Entertainment.
"Spring" was announced on February 15, 2019 as the lead single off her debut single album of the same name, which was released on March 13, 2019 alongside the premiere of its music video. Additionally, "Spring" features vocals from former groupmate Dara.
Spring was re-released as an extended play titled re:Blue Rose on May 2, 2019. The lead single titled "4:44" featured vocals from Wheein.
Park released "I Do, I Do" for Perfume as her first soundtrack appearance on July 1, 2019.
Park competed in Mnet's reality television competition Queendom, which initially aired on August 29, 2019. She sang "Scarecrow" together with Oh My Girl's Hyojung, an emotional song written by JYP. She released three singles throughout her run in the competition: covers of "Hann (Alone)" by fellow competitor (G)I-dle and "Eyes, Nose, Lips" by former labelmate Taeyang, and an original song titled "Wanna Go Back", wherein the former features vocals from Cheetah.
Park subsequently featured in "Chanel" by MC Mong, which was released on October 29, 2019.
She reunited with Dara for the single titled "First Snow", which was released on December 10, 2019.
Sandara Park
2009-2012: Debut with 2NE1 and solo activities
Dara was featured on the single "Hello" from Big Bang member G-Dragon's album Heartbreaker, and later released her first solo single, "Kiss", which featured fellow 2NE1 member CL as a rapper.
Park made an appearance as the female lead in Taeyang's "I Need A Girl" music video in 2010.
As a result of 2NE1's growing fame, Park's earlier Philippine movies Bcuz of U, Can This Be Love, and D' Lucky Ones were screened in South Korea in 2012.
2013-2014: Return to the Philippines and acting
In May 2014, ABS-CBN announced that Park would be a guest on Pinoy Big Brother, which set off a social media frenzy, dominating both the Philippines and worldwide Twitter trending topics.
Back in South Korea, Dara replaced close friend Yoo In-na as a DJ for her Let's Crank Up the Volume radio program from May to June due to scheduling clashes.
Later in the year, Dara made a surprise cameo appearance as a top actress in the last episode of the highly rated Korean drama My Love from the Star.
On November 12, BeFunny Studios made an unannounced release of a three-part mini web series starring The Walking Dead's Steven Yeun and Dara, titled What's eating Steven Yeun.
2015: Web drama success and Sugar Man
In 2015, seven years after her last acting role, Dara returned to the small screen through the web-drama Dr. Ian, starring alongside Kim Young-kwang. Dara became the first actress to win the "Best Actress" award at the K-web festival for her performance.
Dara then took on her second leading role in We Broke Up, a web-drama based upon a web-toon of the same name.
On September 15, Dara was cast opposite Goong star Kim Jeong-hoon in Missing Korea.
Dara later joined JTBC variety show Sugar Man from 2015 to 2016, alongside Yoo Jae-suk, You Hee-yeol, and Kim Eana as a co-host.
2016-present: Judging, 2NE1's disbandment, domestic film debut, and first solo concert
Dara started the year 2016 with a special appearance in the MBC drama One More Happy Ending, as a beloved but spoiled star of a popular girl group.
Dara was officially promoted from being YG Entertainment's public relations head to director.
Dara then joined the judging panel of ABS-CBN's reality singing competition show Pinoy Boyband Superstar.
As the show was still filming the day after 2NE1 announced their disbandment, Dara became the first member to respond after the event by way of handing a handwritten letter in English to fans on November 26, 2016, and allowing them to upload the contents on her behalf.
In 2017, Dara became the host of OnStyle's beauty program Get It Beauty.
Dara then starred alongside Han Jae-suk in her domestic debut film One Step.
She participated in another OnStyle project titled Relationship Appeal, where she reviewed trending topics and travel to popular tourist spots.
Dara closed the year by performing 2NE1's past hits in a solo headlining concert, one year after the band's disbandment.
In 2018, Dara scored her first mainstream big screen role in the film adaption of the popular webtoon Cheese in the Trap as the heroine's best friend, Jang Bo-ra. The year also continued Dara's increased regular appearances on television with Mimi Shop, Borrowing Trouble, and MBC's Real Man 300.
In January 2019, Park served as a special guest and support act for labelmate Seungri on his Hong Kong and Manila tour dates for The Great Seungri tour. During that month, Park became a permanent co-host for the all-female talk show Video Star.
Dara reunited with former 2NE1 bandmate Park Bom as a featured artist for her single, "Spring", which was released on March 13.
Dara also became a judge and advisor in Stage K, a K-pop challenge variety television show, which premiered in April 2019.
Minzy
2009-2016: 2NE1
Minzy officially left the group and the group's agency, YG Entertainment, on April 5, 2016. Because of this, she did not take part in 2NE1's last song "Goodbye", released on January 21, 2017.
She was preparing and recording a solo album, scheduled ahead of "I Am the Best," but that got pushed back and eventually scrapped due to an issue "with a different artist in the company."
2016-present: Solo career
On May 2016, Minzy signed with CJ E&M's subsidiary label Music Works.
On January 17, 2017, a representative from KBS revealed that Minzy has been confirmed as a cast member of the second season of Sister's Slam Dunk.
In March 2017, Minzy released her first solo single, "I Wanted To Love" as the soundtrack of the MBC drama The Rebel.
On April 17, 2017, Minzy released her solo debut EP, Minzy Work 01. "Uno", along with title track "Ninano".
On December 1, 2018, Minzy released her first English language solo single, "All of You Say".
On April 17, 2020, Minzy left Music Works.
CL
2009-2013: Debut with 2NE1 and solo career beginnings
Lee took on the stage name 'CL' and was placed as the leader and main rapper of 2NE1.
In August 2009, she collaborated with label-mates G-Dragon and Teddy Park of 1TYM for the single "The Leaders", featured on G-Dragon's first solo album, Heartbreaker. The same month, CL collaborated with fellow member Minzy for "Please Don't Go", which charted at number six on the Gaon Chart by the end of November.
Her first solo single, "The Baddest Female", was released on 28 May 2013.
For 2NE1's second album Crush, CL wrote the lyrics and co-composed the music for the tracks "Crush", "If I Were You", and "Baby I Miss You". She also wrote the lyrics for her solo track "MTBD", as well as the track "Scream".
2014-2019: Stand-alone singles and featured appearances
In October 2014, it was announced that CL was planning to debut as a solo artist the following year in the United States, teaming up with Scooter Braun as her manager.
In May 2015, she featured in Diplo's single "Doctor Pepper", alongside Riff Raff and OG Maco.
In November 2015, CL released her first single "Hello Bitches", as a teaser for her upcoming EP Lifted. The lead single, "Lifted" was released on August 19, 2016. The song appeared in the Top 30 of iTunes’ Hip-Hop/Rap chart within three hours of being released, peaking at 21. On October 29, 2016, CL kicked off her first North American tour, the Hello Bitches Tour, in New York City's Hammerstein Ballroom, and concluded in Toronto on November 14.
Alongside Shaiana, she featured on Lil Yachty's song "Surrender", an exclusive track off of the Target deluxe edition of his album Teenage Emotions, released on May 26, 2017.
CL also recorded an original single titled "No Better Feelin'" for the My Little Pony: The Movie soundtrack, released on September 22, 2017.
On January 4, 2018, she was reported to make her Hollywood debut as an actress in Peter Berg's film Mile 22 that stars Mark Wahlberg.
On February 25, 2018, CL performed at the 2018 Winter Olympics closing ceremony at Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium, performing parts from "The Baddest Female" and the 2NE1 global hit "I Am the Best".
2019-present: Departure from YG Entertainment and In the Name of Love
On November 8, 2019, YG Entertainment announced that CL did not renew her contract with the company.
On December 4, right after leaving YG Entertainment, she began releasing previously unreleased tracks as her solo EP project In the Name of Love for three consecutive weeks.
Miscellaneous:
* 2NE1 was known for their interesting hairstyles.
* Despite being a successful as a group, 2NE1 didn't have it easy.
YG publicly called the members really ugly.
* Being put down like this paired with the pressure from the industry, debuting young (Minzy), insecurities about their future promotions, mistreatment towards the members from within the company and loneliness caused a lot of mental issues and this ultimately let to a lot of fans believing caused Park Bom's plastic surgery addiction, CL struggling with her weight, Minzy getting a nose job and Dara thinking she wasn't necessary in the group.
* Always being treated unfairly, Minzy opened up in 2018 about her depression and why she left 2NE1. Before leaving the agency, she begged for a solo career, but was denied.
* Minzy graduated from Baekseok University with impressive grades.
* A former YG staff member exposed the unfair treatment and their supposed songs were given to BLACKPINK, a group that YG himself called a group like 2NE1 but then pretty.
* YG completely blamed Park Bom for 2NE1's disbandment.
* Park Bom opened up about her controversy and insomnia in a Billboard interview.
* Park Bom was known for her love for corn, something she wasn't allowed to eat when dieting in her 2NE1 days. During Queendom however, (G)-Idle visited her agency and gifted her a basket filled with corn, which she happily tucked into.
* With Lifted not being that successful, CL struggled a lot trying to make it in the USA. With her releases constantly pushed back or cancelled, CL got frustrated and publicly called YG out on it. On top of that, her talk-show also got cancelled.
* Sandara is the icon of "baby-face", earning herself the nickname "vampire" for her youthful skin and look. In 2012, she was announced to be one of the most beautiful women of her time (1980s).
Sources:
Wikipedia: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
CL Official Channel, JUSTJKB, Mnet K-POP, SBS KPOP, 2NE1 ♪, YG ENTERTAINMENT
Previous: Nine Muses, 4Minute, Girl's Day, Sistar, Secret, Orange Caramel, Rainbow.
Next: hint
I did a lot of research for this week and I put a LOT of time and effort into making this post, but I also had to edit a large portion because there was a lot of information to go through (and the post is already very long). So if you are missing something from the post: that's probably why. Despite that, I really hope I did them justice.
I hope you also read the miscellaneous section, it gives more information on their YG struggles and extra background information, a lot of it is really interesting to read in my opinion and worth taking a look at.
Anyway, Happy 11th Anniversary, 2NE1 ❤️. I specifically waited to make this post until now despite multiple requests so we could celebrate this week!
Let me know what you think of this week? Did you bring your lightstick? You guys were already going wild last week when I hinted at this week, so please leave your essays down below ;-)
Also, I made the hint for next week a little more difficult again!