Why did girl group 2NE1 disband at their peak? Blackpink said to be one reason
2NE1 was probably the biggest K-pop girl group in the early 2010s. The members were one of the major forces responsible for the Hallyu Wave and bringing K-pop to the West with CL becoming the first K-pop female solo singer to chart on Billboard and Dara grabbing the Philipines market with her acting career. Despite being called the 'ugly group' by their own CEO, they overcame all odds, constantly topped all major Korean music charts and even swept award shows with several Daesangs (grand prizes). However, they disbanded at their peak.
2NE1 were trendsetters with their aggressive hip hop music that defined the genre of that time. People still swoon over their fashion statement, especially their iconic hairstyles. Labelmates to BIGBANG and Blackpink, 2NE1 were one of the groups responsible for popularizing their label YG. They were responsible for bringing luxury brands like Givenchy and Balmain to South Korea and were labeled as the ‘Queens of K-pop’. Many reputable music critics claim that girl groups like Blackpink would not have had the global fame they have now had it not been for 2NE1. This is why fans were disheartened when the second-gen group suddenly disbanded.
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In their last year as a group in 2015, they released iconic solos, gave us the most legendary MAMA stage that was compared to the likes of Beyonce and Madonna and was the most talked-about girl group on social media. However, the group was put on a hiatus with Minzy finally leaving the group in 2016. 2NE1 was supposed to continue as a three-member group with CL, Dara and Park Bom. They had even finished working on their album and were supposed to release it when the news broke that they had disbanded. YG then pushed the debut of what would be their next biggest group — Blackpink.
2NE1’s disbandment is the most infamous one yet. While agencies discuss with their artists and inform them that they are being let go before announcing the news to the public, it was the other way round for the girl group. Apparently, YG simply put out the news that 2NE1 would disband without informing the members. CL found out while she was home during Thanksgiving while Minzy found out from the news. Dara was in the Philippines while Bom was in the practice room when they were all alerted. Fans everywhere were shocked that the members were not informed.
One unruly member
We found out about CL’s heartbreaking moment last week in an interview while promoting her first solo studio album ‘Alpha’. With the clip making the rounds on Twitter, a reporter who had insider info has decided to explain the decision behind 2NE1’s sudden disbandment and why it might have something to do with the CEO’s ego and Blackpink. Reporter Lee Jin-ho claimed that he had intel that YG had problems trying to control one of the remaining members. She had apparently written a letter to CEO Yang Hyun-suk promising to focus on group promotions. And even though the title track was ready to record, she was severely indecisive and failed to keep her promise.
Jin-ho claims that YG wanted to go through with the three-member comeback of 2NE1 despite all odds because it was a matter of the CEO’s pride. He wanted to prove that 2NE1 would still be relevant even without Minzy. But after that one member’s tantrums and Minzy’s departure hitting him, he decided to instead focus on Blackpink. Following the “harsh reality check”, YG gave up on 2NE1 and pushed for Blackpink’s debut much earlier than planned. Fans suggest that the disbandment process which left 2NE1 in the dark might have been a power play to control that one unruly member for the last time.
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