Why 2NE1 Is Still Relevant Today
Queens of the second generation of K-Pop, 2NE1 still reign supreme.
To anyone whose interest in K-Pop began with groups like Loona, Blackpink, Exo, BTS, Red Velvet, NCT or Seventeen, you may not have heard of this (in)famous group, but, let me assure you, 2NE1 are legendary. From 2009 until 2014, the group had numerous hits, were nominated for dozens of awards and won several, including the Best New Female Artist and Artist of the year from the 2009 and 2010 MAMAs respectively, and released album after album, which cemented them as one of the best girl groups in the genre. To date, they have sold over 68 million records.
2NE1 is made up of leader, rapper and vocalist CL, rapper, dancer and vocalist Minzy, and vocalists Bom and Dara. The women are all as different from each other as their group is from the rest of K-Pop. Minzy was only 15 at the time they debuted, and Bom and Dara were well into their 20s. While they started off as fresh, young and trendy faces, their aura has only grown more sophisticated over time until they established themselves as music and fashion icons.
Their debut was phenomenal. Although the first song they featured in was Big Bang's promotional "Lollipop", 2NE1 exploded onto the scene with "Fire". Their sound and their looks, both in the space version and the street version of the MVs, were unique among girl groups at the time and helped their popularity to soar at this foetal stage of their career. Their fashion, as explained by their fashion coordinator in 2NE1TV, was electric, made up of Lego jewellery, hats cut up and stitched together, layered pieces, and hip-hop inspired threads. Their music and aesthetics continued to grow over the next few years of their career, better exemplified in their "Can't Nobody" MV where CL raps a verse about their fashion inspirations and the brands they wear. CL herself is good friends with Alexander Wang, and the group was often decked in Jeremy Scott for their MVs.
Fashion aside, 2NE1 continued to shine as a vocal powerhouse. Bom is still considered one of the best vocalists in the genre, and Dara is exceedingly popular due to her charisma, looks, and ability to make friends, but both Minzy and CL are often overlooked as the musical geniuses they are. One only has to listen to their ballads, such as the unplugged version of "Come Back Home" or "Lonely" to understand the depth of their musical talent. Since she left the group in 2016, Minzy has gone onto have a career of her own, independent of 2NE1, releasing an EP in 2017 and two singles in 2018. Freed from the restrictions of YG, she's been able to spread her musical wings and write her own songs, collaborate with people she wants to, produce the kind of music she wasn't able to before, and cultivate an aesthetic that she finds more comfortable.
After the group disbanded, Bom left the company and is now preparing for her solo comeback, her first since "You & I" in 2009. As evidence by the fancams of her at her sister's recital last July, she's still extremely popular with fans, and her comeback is no doubt going to be amazing. She's even recruited Dara to feature in one of the songs, showing that their bond is as strong as ever. She's been busy preparing her album and new release with her new agency, D-Nation, starting a Tik Tok channel and establishing herself and her agency on Instagram and other Korean social media sites.
Dara herself has kept busy, often appearing at fashion events (most recently Paris Fashion Week), and performing with Seungri and her own solo concert to support the troops in the military. Despite still being a wallflower, Dara is as popular as ever and has cemented herself as a personality by appearing on various reality tv shows and hosting Two Yoo Project Sugar Man.
CL has had less luck. Since renewing her contract with YG after 2NE1 disbanded, she has only released two songs, both of which she featured in. It's long been known that YG's tyrannical reign over her career has stifled her and made her unable to release the solo album she was promised back in 2014. However, she was able to write some of the best songs of 2NE1's career (my favourites being "Crush" and "If I Were You") including their last single, "Goodbye", which was a fitting and heartbreaking farewell to their amazing 8-year career. Despite not being able to release the hundreds of songs she's written as a solo artist, she and the rest of 2NE1 remain unfathomably popular, in both Korea and abroad.
Together and individually, they are still some of the best selling and performing artists of their generation. They are missed and love, but their upcoming projects are exciting enough to keep us on the edge of our seats. And when that reunion finally does happen, I have one thing to say: Nolza!
