Biography
South Korean quartet 2NE1 specialized in electronic dance-pop that carried pronounced R&B and hip-hop flavors. YG Entertainment assembled the lineup in 2009, uniting vocalists CL (Lee Chae-rin), Minzy (Gong Minji), Dara (Sandara Park), and Bom (Park Bom). Their first single, the Teddy Park-produced “Lollipop,” arrived in March 2009 as part of an LG phone campaign; the track performed strongly and was followed later that year by a self-titled EP containing “Fire” and “I Don’t Care.”
The group’s debut full-length album, To Anyone, also produced by Park, appeared in 2010, topped the South Korean album charts, and reached number seven on the Billboard World Albums chart. At the Mnet Asian Music Awards that year, 2NE1 received both Artist of the Year and Album of the Year honors. Their second self-titled EP, issued in 2011, featured “Don’t Cry” and the blockbuster “I Am the Best,” which immediately led the Korean charts and later reached number one on the Billboard World Digital Songs ranking in 2014.
The Tohoku earthquake and tsunami forced a postponement of the band’s Japanese debut and promotional activities until September 2011, when they released the EP Nolza. A full-length Japanese studio album, Collection, followed in 2012. That same year the group mounted a world tour that included shows in Los Angeles and Newark, New Jersey, making them the first K-pop girl group to headline solo concerts in the United States.
Three further singles appeared in 2013: “Take the World On,” a collaboration with rapper will.i.am, along with “Falling in Love” and “Do You Love Me.” In 2014, 2NE1 issued Crush, their second Korean-language full-length and third overall studio album; once again produced by Teddy Park, the set contained “Come Back Home” and “Happy” and proved to be their final release. On November 25, 2016, YG Entertainment announced that the group had officially disbanded, with CL and Dara subsequently launching solo careers.
The group’s debut full-length album, To Anyone, also produced by Park, appeared in 2010, topped the South Korean album charts, and reached number seven on the Billboard World Albums chart. At the Mnet Asian Music Awards that year, 2NE1 received both Artist of the Year and Album of the Year honors. Their second self-titled EP, issued in 2011, featured “Don’t Cry” and the blockbuster “I Am the Best,” which immediately led the Korean charts and later reached number one on the Billboard World Digital Songs ranking in 2014.
The Tohoku earthquake and tsunami forced a postponement of the band’s Japanese debut and promotional activities until September 2011, when they released the EP Nolza. A full-length Japanese studio album, Collection, followed in 2012. That same year the group mounted a world tour that included shows in Los Angeles and Newark, New Jersey, making them the first K-pop girl group to headline solo concerts in the United States.
Three further singles appeared in 2013: “Take the World On,” a collaboration with rapper will.i.am, along with “Falling in Love” and “Do You Love Me.” In 2014, 2NE1 issued Crush, their second Korean-language full-length and third overall studio album; once again produced by Teddy Park, the set contained “Come Back Home” and “Happy” and proved to be their final release. On November 25, 2016, YG Entertainment announced that the group had officially disbanded, with CL and Dara subsequently launching solo careers.
Singles
