2NE1 (also known as 2NE1 1st Mini Album) is the self-titled debut extended play (EP) by South Korean girl group 2NE1. The album was released by YG Entertainment on July 8, 2009, and contains seven songs composed and produced by South Korean producers Teddy Park and Kush. Three singles were released in support of the record, including the LG Cyon promotional single "Lollipop", "Fire", and "I Don't Care". All three singles were met with success on the charts in South Korea, with the latter single winning Song of the Year at the 2009 Mnet Asian Music Awards.

2NE1
EP by
ReleasedJuly 8, 2009 (2009-07-08)
Recorded2009
Genre
Length25:31
LanguageKorean
LabelYG
Producer
2NE1 chronology
2NE1
(2009)
To Anyone
(2010)
Alternative cover
Artwork for most of Asian releases
Singles from 2NE1
  1. "Lollipop"
    Released: March 27, 2009
  2. "Fire"
    Released: May 6, 2009
  3. "I Don't Care"
    Released: July 1, 2009

2NE1 1st Mini Album experienced commercial success upon its release, becoming the best-selling album by a female artist and the third best-selling album overall in 2009. It was released in several other territories in Asia, including Thailand, the Philippines and Japan; the Japanese edition of the EP was made available by Avex's Rhythm Zone on March 16, 2011. In 2014, Star News named 2NE1 amongst the most successful digital albums in South Korean history. The record sold over 225,000 physical copies in the country by September 2016.

Background

edit

2NE1's first song was "Lollipop", digitally released on March 27, 2009. The song was created for LG Cyon to promote their Lollipop phone, and it was a joint release with Big Bang; the commercial/music video debuted on March 28, 2009.[1] Although it was not a promoted single (as it was an advertisement song, there were problems with network chart eligibility),[2] "Lollipop" proved to be a strong chart hit, going to number one on various online charts[2] and topping music television network Mnet's online chart for four weeks in a row.[3] It was also profiled in Perez Hilton's blog.[4] However, questions were raised about the group's future, as the song's success was attributed to the popularity of BigBang.[5]

On April 30, Yang Hyun-suk revealed that 2NE1's debut song would be a hip hop/reggae song, and that it would be digitally released on May 6, 2009.[6] Titled "Fire", the song was fully written and produced by 1TYM's Teddy Park.[7] Teasers of the song were released on their official website at the beginning of May, with a 20-second clip released on May 1.[8]

Singles

edit

"Lollipop", written and produced by Teddy Park, was digitally released on March 27, 2009. Despite not being promoted traditionally by both groups, the song nonetheless was a major success in South Korea; giving the girls a number one song before their debut.

"Fire" became a hit on various on- and offline charts. It was released as planned on May 6, with two versions of the music video—a "space" version and a "street" version—released the same day.[9] The videos received over one million views in a day;[10] the view count then increased to two million.[11]

"I Don't Care" was the third single from 2NE1, co-produced by Teddy and YG's newly signed rising producer Kush. Soon after its release, the music video was also profiled in Perez Hilton's blog who declared them his "favorite" Korean girl-group.[12] The single went on to win Song of the Year at the 2009 Mnet Asian Music Awards, making them the first group to win the accolade in the same year of debut, and the second rookie to win after Big Bang for "Lies" (2007).

Commercial performance

edit

The extended play was a commercial success in South Korea. It recorded over 50,000 pre-orders within a week—a high amount for a rookie group at the time,[13] and sold over 80,000 copies within two weeks after its release.[14] On August 10, it was reported that the EP surpassed sales of 100,000 copies.[15] On the South Korean Hanteo record chart, 2NE1 1st Mini Album was the best-selling album by a female artist and the third best-selling album overall during 2009, behind Super Junior's Sorry, Sorry and G-Dragon's Heartbreaker.[16]

All three singles from 2NE1 1st Mini Album ranked within the top 10 on the year-end Melon chart for 2009, while five of its tracks ranked within the top 100—the most by any act during the year. In January 2014, Star News named the record the second-most successful digital album released in South Korea since 2004, tied with SG Wannabe's Saldaga (2005) and Big Bang's Stand Up (2008).[17] It continued to show strong sales by charting on the Gaon Album Chart year-end issue for 2010, selling an additional 40,949 copies. It has since sold over 225,000 copies as of September 2016.

Promotion

edit

The group's first performance of the song was on May 17, 2009, on SBS's Inkigayo.[11] beginning the group's activities. Their first performance was also included in Perez Hilton's blog once again, showing his interest towards the group.[18]

Both the song and the group have been very popular online, with the song topping M.Net's online chart and the group's name becoming a top search term.[19] The group was also rewarded with three Cyworld Digital Music Awards, with both "Lollipop" and "Fire" winning "Song of the Month" awards and the group winning "Rookie of the Month" for May 2009.[20] They received their first Mutizen award during their fourth stage performance in SBS Inkigayo (Popular Song) on June 14, 2009. They received their second Mutizen award on SBS Inkigayo (Popular Song) on June 21, 2009. For closed the promotion of the first mini album was released the song "In The Club" as first promotional single of the album.

Accolades

edit
Awards and nominations for 2NE1 1st Mini Album
Year Award-giving body Category Result Ref.
2009 GQ Korea Awards This Year's Album (Album of the Year) Won [21]
Melon Music Awards Album of the Year Nominated [22]
Rhythmer Awards R&B Album of the Year Nominated [23]

Track listing

edit
2NE1 1st Mini Album – Standard edition[24]
No.TitleLyricsMusicArrangementLength
1."Fire"TeddyTeddyTeddy3:42
2."I Don't Care"Teddy, KushTeddy, KushTeddy, Kush3:58
3."In the Club"Teddy, KushTeddy, KushTeddy, Kush3:44
4."Let's Go Party"Masta WuTeddyTeddy3:48
5."Pretty Boy"TeddyTeddyTeddy3:25
6."Stay Together"Kush, Byung-Hoon KimKush, KimKush, Kim3:44
7."Lollipop" (Bonus track) (with Big Bang)TeddyTeddyTeddy3:08
Total length:25:31
2NE1 – Japanese edition (bonus tracks)[25]
No.TitleProducer(s)Length
8."I'm Busy"PK, Big Tone3:38
9."Please Don't Go" (CL and Minzy)Teddy Park3:19
10."Kiss" (Dara solo) (featuring CL)Teddy Park3:32
Total length:36:17
2NE1 – Japanese DVD
No.TitleLength
1."Fire" (Space Version)3:43
2."I Don't Care"3:59
2NE1 – Thailand & Taiwan CD and Philippines Vinyl LP
No.TitleLength
7."Kiss" (Dara solo) (featuring CL)3:31
8."You and I" (Bom solo)3:53
9."Please Don't Go" (CL and Minzy)3:31
10."Try to Follow Me"3:25
11."Lollipop" (Bonus track) (with Big Bang)3:05
2NE1 – Philippines and Taiwan edition DVD
No.TitleProducer(s)Length
1."Fire" (Space Version)Teddy Park3:43
2."Fire" (Street Version)Teddy Park, Kush3:43
3."I Don't Care"Teddy Park, Kush3:59
4."You and I"Teddy Park, Kush, Masta Wu3:53
5."Try to Follow Me" (날 따라해봐요)Teddy Park, Kush3:25
6."Lollipop" (with Big Bang) (Taiwan only)Teddy Park3:05

Production

edit
  • Mastering: Tom Coyne (Sterling Sound)

Charts

edit

Sales

edit
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Japan 7,200[31]
South Korea 225,301[32]

Release history

edit
Release dates and formats for 2NE1 1st Mini Album
Region Date Version(s) Format(s) Label(s)
Various July 8, 2009 Korean YG Entertainment
South Korea
  • CD
  • digital download
  • streaming
Thailand July 6, 2010 CD GMM Grammy
Philippines January 15, 2011 CD+DVD Universal Records
Japan March 16, 2011 Japanese
(compilation album)
  • CD
  • CD+DVD
  • digital download
Rhythm Zone

References

edit
  1. ^ (in Korean) Lee, Duna. '여자빅뱅' CF통해 모습 공개한다 ("Female Big Bang" First Shown Through Commercial). uKopia. March 26, 2009. Retrieved May 6, 2009.
  2. ^ a b (in Korean) Im, I-rang. 빅뱅-2NE1 '롤리팝', CM송 최초 가요프로 1위 될까? (Big Bang-2NE1 "Lollipop", First Commercial Song to Hit #1 on Network Music Shows?). MyDaily. April 17, 2009. Retrieved May 7, 2009.
  3. ^ (in Korean) Kim, Hyeong-woo. 빅뱅-2NE1 '롤리팝' 엠넷차트 4주연속 1위 기염 (Big Bang-2NE1 "Lollipop" M-Net 4-Week #1). Joins.com/Newsen. April 28, 2009. Retrieved May 6, 2009.
  4. ^ [1] Archived December 22, 2015, at the Wayback Machine Perez Hilton: Some Yummy K-Pop Deliciousness (With Subtitles)!
  5. ^ (in Korean) 빅뱅에 숟가락 얹은 '2NE1' 성공할 수 있을까? (Big Bang's Helping Hand for 2NE1; Can They Succeed?) Archived July 13, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. Kukinews. April 14, 2009. Retrieved April 22, 2009.
  6. ^ (in Korean) 양현석 "2NE1 데뷔곡은 레게풍 힙합곡" (Yang Hyeon-seok "2NE1's Debut Song is Reggae/Hip-Hop Song"). SBS News. April 30, 2009. Retrieved May 6, 2009.
  7. ^ (in Korean) 신예 여성그룹 2NE1, 첫 타이틀곡 '파이어' 발표 (New Female Group 2NE1, First Single "Fire" Released) Archived July 18, 2009, at the Wayback Machine. Korea Economic Daily. May 7, 2009. Retrieved May 7, 2009.
  8. ^ (in Korean) Yoon, Hyeon-jin. 2NE1, 음원공개 하루만에 20만접속 '폭주' (2NE1, 200,000 Viewer "Explosion" Day After Teaser Release). Joins.com. May 2, 2009. Retrieved May 6, 2009.
  9. ^ (in Korean) 2NE1, 두 가지 버전의 '파이어' 뮤비 공개 (2NE1, 2 Version of "Fire" Video Released) Archived July 18, 2009, at the Wayback Machine. Hankyung. May 7, 2009. Retrieved May 6, 2009.
  10. ^ (in Korean) Park, Sae-yeon. 2NE1, 2009 최고신인 되나? '파이어' M/V 1백만 클릭 '대박' (2NE1, 2009 Best New Group? "Fire" Music Video Receives 1 Million Clicks, "Huge Success"). JoongAng Ilbo/Newsen. May 7, 2009. Retrieved May 6, 2009.
  11. ^ a b (in Korean) Park, Yeong-woong. 2NE1, 뮤비 공개 하루만에 2백만 조회…17일 첫 무대 (2NE1, Music Video Debut Has 2 Million Views...17th is First Performance). MyDaily. May 7, 2009. Retrieved May 6, 2009.
  12. ^ [2] Archived August 19, 2009, at the Wayback Machine Perez Hilton: New 2NE1!
  13. ^ "2NE1, 오늘 첫 미니앨범 발표…선주문만 5만장 '대박 예고'" [2NE1 released their first mini album today ... recorded 50,000 pre-orders 'great notice']. My Daily (in Korean). Naver. July 8, 2009. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
  14. ^ "2NE1, 2주 만에 음반 8만장 제작 '기염'" [2NE1 Sells 80,000 Albums in 2 Weeks]. Star News (in Korean). Naver. July 23, 2009. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
  15. ^ "2NE1 데뷔 앨범 10만장 판매-음원 100만 돌파 눈앞" [2NE1 debut album sells 100,000 copies - soon to surpass 1 million digital copies]. Newsen. August 10, 2009. Archived from the original on February 27, 2024. Retrieved February 27, 2024.
  16. ^ "지드래곤·슈주, 올 단일음반 '10만장 가수' 등극". Star News (in Korean). Naver. December 2, 2009. Retrieved December 4, 2022.
  17. ^ Kim, Kwan-myung (January 15, 2014). "[디지털음원 10년, 톱 976곡]④최고히트 앨범은?" [[10 years of digital music, Top 976 songs] ④ What is the best album?]. Star News (in Korean). Archived from the original on August 6, 2017. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  18. ^ "2NE1 – Fire (Live!) on Perez TV". Archived from the original on February 29, 2012. Retrieved August 10, 2009. Perez Hilton: 2NE1 – Fire (Live!)
  19. ^ (in Korean) Kim, Hui-jeong. 2NE1, 가요계에 돌풍 일으키나? (2NE1, a K-Pop Blast?) Archived August 5, 2009, at the Wayback Machine. Korea Economic Daily. June 1, 2009. Retrieved June 3, 2009.
  20. ^ (in Korean) Lee, Hyae-rin. 2NE1, 디지털 뮤직어워드 3관왕 기염① (2NE1, 3-Time Digital Music Award Winners). Asia Economy. June 10, 2009. Retrieved June 10, 2009.
  21. ^ "2009 GQ Awards". GQ Korea (in Korean). November 2009.
  22. ^ Kim, Hyun-woo (December 16, 2009). 빅뱅 지드래곤 불참불구 MMA 대상 올해의 앨범상 수상 기염 [Big Bang's G-Dragon wins the MMA Award for Album of the Year despite his absence]. Newsen (in Korean). Archived from the original on February 1, 2022. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  23. ^ "2009 Rhythmer Award Winners". Rhythmer (in Korean). March 12, 2010. Archived from the original on June 12, 2010. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
  24. ^ "2NE1 1st Mini Album – 2NE1". July 8, 2009. Retrieved February 3, 2024 – via iTunes Store.
  25. ^ 2NE1 <初回限定仕様>. Tower Records. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
  26. ^ "Circle Album Chart – Week 12 of 2010". Circle Chart (in Korean). March 14–20, 2010. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  27. ^ 2NE1のアルバム売り上げランキング (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved March 22, 2011.
  28. ^ "Japan Top Albums Sales – March 23, 2011". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). March 28, 2011. Retrieved April 19, 2023.
  29. ^ "Circle Album Chart – March 2010" (in Korean). January 2010. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  30. ^ a b "Circle Album Chart – 2010". Circle Chart (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 19, 2022. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  31. ^ "オリコンランキング情報サービス「you大樹」" [Oricon Ranking Information Service 'You Big Tree'] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved May 21, 2014.
  32. ^ 165,000 (2009) + 40,949 (2010) + 9,868 (2011) + 4,835 (2012) + 1,983 (2013) + 1,475 (2014) + 704 (2015) + 487 (Sept. 2016)
edit