Blackjacks, hold on to your hoop earrings and bandanas because 2NE1 is coming back!
To this day 2NE1 is still one of South Korea’s most successful girl groups of all time. At their peak, between 2009 and 2014, they made history, collecting awards, records, and a huge fanbase. Then, it all came crashing down.
In 2016, 2NE1’s label, YG Entertainment, unceremoniously announced the group’s disbandment, with the members, CL, Bom, Minzy, and Dara, finding out about it through the media. Different things factored into the decision, but the power of hindsight has ultimately laid the blame on YG CEO Yang Hyun-suk’s mishandling of Bom’s drug smuggling scandal in 2014.
All of that seems to be water under the bridge now as it was Hyng-suk himself who announced the group’s return to the label with a selection of special concerts in commemoration of their 15th anniversary. And it’s all happening this year, still!
When and where will the 2NE1 reunion concerts be taking place?
Per Yang Hyun-suk’s announcement, CL, Bom, Minzy, and Dara will be coming back to the stage in October in the South Korean capital of Seoul, followed by dates in Osaka and Tokyo at the end of November and December, respectively. The label executive promised “further performances” will be announced as they figure out scheduling conflicts. No ticket information is available at the time of writing.
While these will be 2NE1’s first solo concerts since 2014, the group reunited a few times over the years for special performances. Most recently, Bom, Minzy, and Dara joined CL on stage for her Coachella set in 2022 to perform what is arguably their biggest hit yet, “I Am The Best.”
Through the course of their seven years as a group, 2NE1 released two studio albums, To Anyone and Crush, the latter of which went on to become the first album by a Korean artist to break America’s Billboard 200 chart, debuting at 61. 2NE1 is largely credited for introducing and fostering K-Pop’s success in the West as well as pushing the boundaries of girl groups in South Korea with an edgier, hip-hop-leaning sound and image that would ultimately lead the way to groups like Blackpink.