What happened to 2NE1, and what’s in store for their future?

Bom, CL, Dara, and Minzy, or 2NE1 as they’re best known, were once South Korea’s most prominent music stars. With their first major comeback as a foursome in nearly a decade occurring in late 2024, attention has once again been drawn to their unexpected break-up in 2016.

2NE1’s rise to fame happened in the early days of K-Pop as we know it today, becoming YG Entertainment’s flagship girl group and helping establish the label as one of the main players in the industry. For years, resources and efforts were all channeled towards boosting 2NE1’s presence both domestically and internationally, and the results were nearly immediate.

In 2009, the girls became the first-ever idol group to win a Daesang (K-Pop lingo for the biggest awards given out at events like the MNET Asian Music Awards and the Melon Music Awards) in the year of their debut for Song of the Year with “I Don’t Care.” In the years following, they became the first girl group to hold an international concert tour, and the first Korean artist (group, solo, male or female) to chart on the Billboard 200 when their 2014 album Crush debuted at number 61.

2NE1’s impact in making K-Pop what it is today is undeniable, so why did YG decide to basically ghost them in the latter years of their run?

Why did 2NE1 disband?

The beginning of the end for 2NE1 happened in 2014 when it was made public back in 2010 that member Park Bom had tried to “smuggle” Adderall into South Korea. The singer has since explained that the medication was prescribed to her when she was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder as a teen living in the United States, where amphetamine-based drugs are legal.

Although an investigation briefly carried out in 2010 never led to any charges after Bom provided evidence of her diagnoses and treatment plan, the public was so outraged by the discovery that the singer’s reputation never quite recovered. Bom entered a five-year hiatus from public life that naturally impacted 2NE1 and halted the band’s upward trajectory.

CL, Dara, and Minzy chose to use that period to venture into solo projects, but with their YG contracts’ expiration date fast approaching, 2NE1’s fate rested on each of the members’ individual decisions to renew. Minzy chose not to and in 2016, 2NE1 officially became a three-member group, with Bom still on hiatus. YG simply chose to disband 2NE1, announcing the news on November 25, 2016, to everyone including the remaining three members, who have since confirmed they only learned about it through the media.

Fans have long accused YG of dismissing 2NE1 after their brand became plagued by Bom’s controversy. The label reportedly did the bare minimum to defend and support their artist at the time, and many have speculated that the 2nd Generation girl group was relegated to the sidelines in favor of a new group coming up in the YG ranks — Blackpink.

The remaining members’ relationship with YG soured in the following years after they dropped Bom, but chose to renew Dara and CL’s contracts. However, the latter, whose solo career had had a promising start in 2015 and 2016, went on to accuse the label of pushing back the release of her debut album and label founder Yang Hyun Suk of not replying to her text messages in very public Instagram comment exchanges.

Park Bom eventually signed with D-Nation Entertainment and had a career revival with her 2019 single “Spring.” That same year, CL finally left YG after her contract expired and was, at last, able to release solo music. Dara stayed with YG all the way until 2021 but focused mostly on her acting career. She eventually signed with Abyss Company and put out her first South Korean EP titled Sandara Park. Minzy put out her debut EP in 2017 but also encountered problems with her new label Music Works, even attempting to get out of her contract. She continued to release sporadic singles and participate in different variety shows.

What is 2NE1 planning to do next?

Whatever bad blood the members of 2NE1 had with YG, it seems to have subsided because it was Yang Hyun Suk himself who announced the band would be coming back to the label just in time to celebrate their 15th anniversary with an international reunion tour. South Korean and Japan dates have already been confirmed with promises of more to come. The tour, which is set to begin in October and extend into 2025, will mark 2NE1’s first concert since 2014 and first overall performance since their one-off reunion during CL’s Coachella set in 2022.

2NE1 fans, known as Blackjacks, have long been waiting for this moment after an unceremonious ending that left many, including the members, feeling cheated and dissatisfied. Hopefully, the upcoming tour will move forward without any more upsets and Blackjacks will get to heal their broken 2NE1 hearts.