2NE1 is a four woman South Korean band, whose members are CL, Bom, Dara and Minzy, created by YG Entertainment. Before their debut, they were known as the female version of their fellow YG band, Big Bang. Their first appearance was on LG’s cell phone commercial in March, 2009. Their first single, Fire, was released in May.
line up
* Vocals: Bom
* Rap, Vocals: CL
* Vocals: Dara
* Rap, Vocals: Minzy
biography
When the band was first announced, 2NE1 was meant to have only three members (Bom, CL and Minzy), but in January, 2009, YG’s president, Yang Hyun Suk, announced that Sandara Park (Dara) would also be part of the group. At this point the public speculated that the band would have yet another member, to fit into the idea of being a “Female Big Bang," but YG announced that the group would remain a quartet.
The group name was initially meant to be 21, but they discovered that there was already a singer with the same name, so the band quickly changed its name to 2NE1. The “NE” means “New Evolution” and “21” means “21st century."
In March, 2009, 2NE1 got together with Big Bang to release the digital single Lollipop, a song created for LG cell phone’s new line Cyon. Even though it was not promoted as a single (after all, it was an advertising song, there were problems with the ranking’s elections), Lollipop turned out to be a strong hit, placing first on various online rankings. During this time, there were doubts as to how the band would fare without Big Bang’s popularity.
At the end of April, Yang Hyun Suk revealed that 2NE1 was going to debut with a single called Fire, that would be digitally released in May. The song was gradually being released, starting on the 1st of May until it was completed on the 6th. They also released two videos along with the song, a “Space Version” and a “Street Version," and both were watched over a million times on the first day.
The song’s first performance was on the 17th of May on the SBS Inkigayo program. Unlike bands from other agencies like SM Entertainment and JYP Entertainment, who typically perform their songs several times a week on various programs, 2NE1 only did that once; They performed on Inkigayo during three weeks to promote Fire and later appeared on Music Bank and M!Countdown, two very popular Korean programs.
At the end of June, Fire’s promotions ended and the band’s first mini-album was announced, also named 2NE1, scheduled for release on July 8th, 2009. Along with Fire, the mini-album also featured Lollipop and five more tracks.
The mini-album’s first single was I Don’t Care, a ballad that mixes reggae and R&B, co-produced by Teddy and Kush from YG. The song was successful on various programs, proving that even after changing their music style from the hits Fire and Lollipop, the band’s fans were loyal in their support to the girls.
Currently, 2NE1 participates in a program on the music channel Mnet called 2NE1TV, which shows them working on the mini-album, promoting their songs and rehearsing the choreography and singing. It also includes some backstage moments, such as footage in the dormitory where they are currently living together.
album
09.09.2010 To Anyone
2NE1 CD
album
mini-album
10.07.2009 2NE1
2NE1 CD
mini-album
single
09.02.2010 Nal Ddara Haebwayo
날 따라 해봐요 2NE1 digital release
single
03.09.2009 I Don't Care (Reggae Mix Ver.)
2NE1 digital release
single
06.05.2009 Fire
2NE1 digital release
single
27.03.2009 Lollipop (feat. Big Bang)
2NE1 digital release
single
Thanks to: KOME
