2NE1 become the first Korean artists to be on the cover of ‘WWD Japan’

The ladies of 2NE1 have become the first Korean artists to grace the cover of popular Japanese fashion magazine, ‘WWD Japan‘!

2NE1 were chosen as cover models for the magazine’s winter issue, which allowed them to  join the ranks of many other famous women in Japan who previously graced the cover such as professional skater Asada Mao and actress Miyazawa Rie.

For their pictorial, 2NE1 wore French brand Balmain, which gave them an elegant gloss to their fierce charisma. Reportedly, the members’ outfits had cost around 25 million yen (approximately 322,872 USD).

In related news, 2NE1 will join fellow YG Entertainment artists and perform at the ‘YG Family Concert in Japan‘ on January 7th and 8th at the Kyocera Dome, and on January 21st and 22nd at the Saitama Super Arena

The staggering cost of 2NE1′s “Lonely” MV outfits revealed!

The expensive outfits for 2NE1‘s “Lonely” music video has generated a ton of conversation recently and for good reason!

The clothes worn in their latest music video are pieces from the French brand “Balmain“, which was launched in 1945 by French designer Pierre Balmain. In 2006, Christophe Decarnin became the director, and for the past few years, Balmain has become a hot trend in the fashion world.

Musicians such as Kanye West, Madonna, Beyonce, and Rihanna have worn items from their line. Currently, Balmain is one of the most expensive high-end brands.

They have also been chosen as Big Bang and 2NE1′s favorite brands for their one-of-a-kind art-like designs and their exceptional details.

A representative said:

“Not only is it expensive, but it is a designer label that rarely provides wardrobe to celebrities. Occasionally, fashionable actors receive sponsored pieces for special award ceremony-like events, but favorably, 2NE1 has been the only singers to receive sponsored pieces for the past few years.“

The total cost of 2NE1′s wardrobe for their “Lonely” music video comes out to about 200 million won (~$183,800 USD), but the production costs of the music came in lower at 150 million won (~$137,800 USD). Therefore, the wardrobe for the music video actually exceeded the production costs for the music!

This type of dedication to their outfits is nothing new though, as Park Bom previously received much attention for the $20,000 Alexander McQueen dress in her “Don’t Cry” music video.

2NE1 & Gummy show their support for Yang Hyun Suk on ‘K-Pop Star’

Rather than cheering for the Top 3 finalists, several YG artists came out to show their support for CEOYang Hyun Suk on the April 22nd live broadcast of ‘K-Pop Star‘

While each held a hand-made placard, 2NE1 and Gummy were interviewed by MC Boom during the second half of the performance. CL cheerfully remarked, “We actually came out to support CEO Yang Hyun Suk. We even personally made these placards. Can you see this placard that says ‘milky white-skinned Yang Hyun Suk’?”

Boom later questioned Sandara Park which finalist she wanted to see join YG Entertainment. While holding holding a placard that read ‘we love you Yang Hyun Suk’, she replied, “I welcome everybody because they are all equally good.”

When asked which finalist she was rooting for, Park Bom answered, “I’m actually cheering for all three finalists, but I’d like to ask Park Ji Min if she has been taking the bamboo salt health medicine I gave her,” expressing her special affection towards the finalist.

Power vocalist Gummy also expressed her desire in working with Lee Ha Yi if given the opportunity. 

2ne1 at Se7en Japanesse Showcase

Singer Se7en successfully held a showcase for about 5,000 enthusiastic fans in Japan.

On May 3rd, Se7en held his 7th single showcase in Tokyo, titled ‘LOVE AGAIN‘. During the showcase, Se7en performed a total of 10 songs, including ‘Love Again‘, as well as ‘Somebody Else‘, ‘Light‘, and ‘Angel‘. Se7en also sang a Japanese-version of his recent hit song ‘Even If I Can’t Sing‘, displaying a different charm from his ‘Love Again’ concept.

As a nice surprise, girl group 2NE1 made an unannounced appearance during the showcase to congratulate Se7en. It was reported that 2NE1, who are also promoting in Japan, heard of Se7en’s showcase and decided to make a brief visit to show their support.

Meanwhile, Se7en will be visiting cities throughout Japan including Fukuoka on May 5th, Nagoya on the 6th, and Osaka on the 12th.

2ne1 Intels "Ultrabook Song"

2NE1 and Teddy Park will be partnering with Intel Korea for Intel‘s “Make Thumb Noise” project!

The “Make Thumb Noise” project is an event sponsored through Intel Korea’s Facebook page in which 2NE1 and Teddy Park will collaborate with Intel to create an “Ultrabook Song“. Teddy Park will be producing the song while the girls of 2NE1 will be lending their vocals for it.

The “Make Thumb Noise” project is receiving much attention for fans will be able to participate in the production of the “Ultrabook Song” through Intel Korea’s Facebook page. Through the Facebook page, two to three short music clips will be posted every week, where fans will then be able to vote for the clip they liked the most. Teddy will then make the next music track based on the favored clip.

The voting will begin on May 10th and will run on for four weeks.  The finalized product is expected to be released through Intel Korea’s Facebook page on June 5th.

In addition, the “Ultrabook Song” photos and making-of video will be released in English, Japanese, and Korean.

Intel Korea’s president Lee Hee Sung said, “2NE1 can exemplify the Ultrabook’s stylish and unique image very well and Teddy is Korea’s top producer, therefore I am positive they will be able to make the “Make Thumb Noise” project a success. This project will be one in which everyone who is interested in IT and culture will be able to participate and communicate with each other.”

Teddy and 2NE1′s CL said, “We became interested in working on the “Make Thumb Noise” project with Intel Korea because they are allowing fans to participate in the process of producing the music, which we thought was creative. We will try our best to make great music through the process and the finalized product. It will be an exciting project.”

2ne1 Selected as French Favourite Idol Group

Big Bang and 2NE1 were voted as the favorite K-pop male and female bands in France.

Korea National Tourism Organization, with branches in France, conducted a poll through the tourist site to evaluate the preferences and behavior of oversea Hallyu fans. Of the 3,775 French fans who responded, 49.9% voted for Big Bang as the favorite boy group, while 2NE1 won 64.8% of the votes as the favorite girl group.

A high proportion of French male Hallyu fans preferred Big Bang, in addition to those in their early twenties. 2NE1 was favored similarly by both male and female fans, who were between the age of ten to twenty.

Other groups who ranked in the top were Super Junior (45%), SHINee (35.5%), B2ST (33.8%), 2PM (24.2%) for male groups, and Girls’ Generation (45.4%), miss A (31.5%), f(x) (29.4%), and T-ara (25.9%) out of the female groups. (It is assumed that fans were able to choose more than one group as the percentage values total up to more than 100)




Of the solo male singers, Rain earned 33.2% of the votes, while IU earned 54.2% of the votes as the favorite solo female singer.

2NE1 ranked as the #2 artists to watch on Ireland’s ‘Juice’ program

2NE1 has been amassing a laundry list of mentions from entertainment programs all over the world over.  The latest comes from Irish broadcaster RTÉ‘s new celebrity gossip program, ‘Juice‘.

In a recent segment ‘One to Watch‘, 2NE1 ranked #2. Specifically, they noted that “I am the Best” had been played in nightclubs all across Ireland.  Host Katie gleefully adds, “Bamratatata, I love that song…”  Foster the People ranked at #1 with GROUPLOVE, Lana Del Rey, and This Club rounding out the Top 5 respectively.

It’s this kind of word of mouth promotion that has helped 2NE1 and kpop as a whole, generate the immense buzz it has right now.  Hopefully, sometime soon 2NE1 will drop their long-awaited English album.

2ne1 On American Radio Station

We’ve been receiving a lot of tips from readers in the greater Chicago area that they heard 2NE1‘s English version of “Can’t Nobody” on Chicago’s popular radio station 103.5 KISS FM.

If the tips are true, it’s a pretty big accomplishment. However, this would’t be the first time that K-pop was played on American Radio, as TVXQ‘s “Break Out” was played on New York’s Hit Music Station, Z100 back on February 2010.

With 2NE1′s future American album with will.i.am still pending, it shouldn’t be too long before hearing 2NE1′s music playing on American radio stations is no longer a novelty.

2ne1 feat Will.I.Am "Take The World On"

Earlier in the month, some footage arose of 2NE1 and will.i.am‘s alleged US track at Club Answer in Seoul. However, it seems that this isn’t related to their American debut at all and rather is a track which will be used as a promotional single for Intel’s Ultrabook Project. Produced by will.i.am and DJ Poet, the track is electro-dance and titled “Take the World On“.

Recently, a promotional video was released featuring clearer audio for “Take the World On”. In addition to the track, will.i.am describes each of the girls and DJ Poet also shares his thoughts on the group.

2ne1 as Public Speakers in France

Girl group 2NE1 will be representing their fellow K-pop idol stars, standing before the advertising professionals of the world as public speakers.

2NE1 along with the nation’s top advertising agency Cheil Worldwide will be attending the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival in Cannes, France this June. This year, the festival has a ‘Korean Wave Through the Digital Wave’ theme, and the girls will be serving as joint public speakers at one of the seminars to further spread K-Pop awareness.

The Korea National Tourism Organization recently conducted a poll, asking French Hallyu fans which K-pop group was their favorite, and 2NE1 who is receiving major interest overseas for their one-of-a-kind fashion style and unique music came in at #1, seizing 64.8% of the votes. The girls have been selected as seminar speakers for this advertising festival, as they have effectively marketed K-pop through digital marketing with their agency, YG Entertainment.

Though the girls have mainly focused on promotions within Korea, international fans have voted them as Mtv Iggy‘s ‘BEST NEW BAND‘, and their official YouTube channel has received a total number of 280,000,000 views. Through their effective digital marketing, 2NE1 is receiving an explosive amount of love and support from their fans overseas.

Each of the members are also actively communicating with their fans via their respective Facebook, me2day, and Twitter pages, and information regarding their stage ensembles and accessories are shared with their fans via SNS in real time.

2NE1′s agency YG Entertainment is leading the way with the digital marketing trend, establishing joint promotions with Korean portal site Naver for Big Bang‘s recent comeback, as well as launching a global cover dance contest through YouTube.

The 2NE1 members who will be attending this seminar remarked, “This is the first time we are standing on stage in front of a large group of people, not as artists but as public speakers. As we are attending this event on behalf of all the other K-pop artists, we will make sure to clearly inform them of the appeals of K-pop and why K-pop is so relevant. Next time, we would like to perform as artists in Cannes.”

The Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival is notorious for it’s rigid screening process when it comes to selecting it’s seminar speakers, but the organizing committee has warmly welcomed K-Pop artists and are looking forward to the girls’ attendance. Other seminar speakers scheduled to attend the event include Chairman of the London Olympics organizing committee Sebastian Coe, WPP Chairman Martin Sorrell, Nike Vice-Chairman Trevor Edwards, Sex and the City producer Michael Patrick King, and more.



The Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival will be holding it’s 59th event festival this year and was established in 1953. Not only do they award excellent advertisement, they also share the marketing know-hows of global corporations. The seminars are held every year, and this year, 50 seminars will be held over the course of 7 days.

2ne1 and Big Bang Super Succes in Youtube

These days, Hallyu idols are receiving an explosive response from overseas fans as they make breakthroughs to new territories, and it’s the YG Entertainment artists that are dominating the international online video market.

In the case of Big Bang, their MVs for “Blue“, “Fantastic Baby“, “Bad Boy“, and more recorded over 50,000,000 views. As of April 25th, “Blue” recorded 19,280,000 views, “Fantastic Baby” with 17,800,000 views, and “Bad Boy” with 11,850,000 views on YouTube. This feat is all the more surprising, as it has only been 2 months since Big Bang released the three music videos on YouTube. Furthermore, the “Blue” MV which was revealed to the world before the others recorded an impressive 10,000,000 views within just 10 days of being released.

In addition to Big Bang, their label mates 2NE1 recorded 40,350,000 views with their “I Am The Best” MV alone. The video received 1,600,000 views in just 2 days after it’s release and consistently recorded 1,000,000 views per day. The video also seized the #2 spot for both YouTube’s ‘Most Watched’ list, as well as the ‘Most Searched Video’ list. The MV ranked within the top 10 in France, Hong Kong, Sweden, Taiwan, Mexico, and more for Most Watched Videos on YouTube.

Altogether, the Big Bang and 2NE1 music videos recorded over 430,000,000 total views and with the numbers for the ‘ALIVE’ tracks and 2NE1′s “Lonely” along with “I Am The Best”, the total figure well exceeds 500 million.

As proven by the statistics on YouTube, Big Bang and 2NE1′s fame is international, their influence global. This was only possible because Big Bang and 2NE1 who are now considered more than just idol stars possess exceptional musical talent. Their abilities as well as the high-quality production of their MVs are acknowledged by fans around the world. Their success is also credited to the fact that YG lays hip hop as a foundation to their music, a genre that comes closest to the trends of the American market.

2NE1′s “Scream” to be used as a CM song for ‘HIS Taiwan Campaign’

2NE1‘s latest Japanese track, “Scream“, has been selected to be used as the campaign CM song for ‘HIS Taiwan Campaign‘.

On March 14th, the Oricon Style reported that “Scream” would be used for the campaign featuring a famous Taiwanese actress, and also being sponsored by a popular travel company in Japan. As it is 2NE1′s first original Japanese song to be released in the country, the achievement is all that more meaningful to the girls.

“Love is Ouch” (JPN Ver.), another track off of the Collection album, was also selected as the CM song for Japanese fashion magazine ‘CANCAM‘, demonstrating the girls’ rise to popularity in the country.

As previously reported, 2NE1 will be releasing their first Japanese album ‘Collection’ on March 28th, and making an appearance at the R&B, hip hop festival, ‘Spring Groove 2012′, in Japan in April.

2ne1 at Nikon photoshoot 2012

I'm Sure that everybody have known 2ne1 before, and  I want to make some review about them..2NE1 recently completed a photo shoot for a camera advertisement, and a few photos of the girls on set have been shared online.

The photos above surfaced on an online community site with the title, ‘2NE1 looks cute during filming break‘.

It appears the photo shoot was for Nikon, a brand the girls have been endorsing since last year. The members were snapped during a break, and each member drew attention for the way they displayed their individual and stylish appeals.

Netizens who came across the photos remarked, “They’re all so cute“, “Dara is taking a selca, daebak“, “Bom looks like a doll“, and more.

In related news, 2NE1 along with their label mates Big Bang were selected as the French fans’ favorite K-Pop idol star.