Falling in Love with 2NE1 all over again

The zesty South Korean quartet epitomised girl power at their concert last night

In Dec 2012, 2NE1 blew us away with their New Evolution concert. Two years on, the South Korean quartet returned to our shores with their second world tour All or Nothing (AON) held at Singapore Indoor Stadium on Saturday night, flaunting a stronger and better side that proved why they are truly the best.

Despite 2NE1’s regular visits to Singapore, local Blackjacks (2NE1 fans) have never failed to give the ladies a warm welcome, according to Dara. Shortly after landing at the airport on Friday, the enthusiastic singer tweeted: “Wazzup Singapore?!? We’re here!!! Our Singapore Blackjacks are always very passionate!!!”  

And what’s even more amusing was how the hashtag #2NE1comeliao (so Singaporean!) – we believe it’s a wordplay on the group’s latest hit track “Come Back Home” – started trending after they arrived in Singapore.

On Saturday, 2NE1’s eventful schedule included a press conference at Square 2, as well as an exclusive Sound Check and Meet & Greet session with some lucky fans in the afternoon, before they finally took the stage at 7.15pm. The two-hour show opened with their new song “Crush” and debut single “Fire”, setting the house on party mode within minutes.

As we learned from a video that was shown during the concert, AON is conceptualised into four main themes – Pink, White, Red and Black. Although pink is considered a feminine colour, toy guns were used as props in this segment to show that women can be as strong as men. During the White section that is meant to portray the “pure and serene vibes of women”, slow-tempo tracks such as “Missing You”, “If I Were You” and “Come Back Home” (acoustic version) were performed. As for the Red and Black segments, they symbolise “love and sexiness” and “rebellion” respectively.

If we were to sum up the concert in two words, it has to be: girl power.

While 2NE1 is extremely popular among female fans, four lucky chaps, who were pre-selected to go on stage, went home with the biggest reward last night – each of them received a short but ultra-sultry lap dance from a member.

Onstage theatrics aside, 2NE1 pumped anticipation levels to the roof when the ladies hinted that they will return to Singapore with their “family” soon. YG Family concert on our little red dot? Yes, please.

Dara: The Kiiroitori fan who loves Singapore the most

Dara likes Kiiroitori, a Japanese cartoon character which means “yellow chick”, so much that she once used it as her profile picture on Twitter. Since then, she has received tons of Kiiroitori-related toys from her beloved Blackjacks.

Her love for the character was on full display when she performed with a Kiiroitori headgear thrown on stage by a fan during the encore segment, without caring if it matched with her black streetwear outfit. The 29-year-old even posted a photo of herself wearing it after the concert.

Arguably the most excited member on stage, Dara repeatedly declared her love for Singapore. “I’m so happy to be part of 2NE1. Thank you for making me feel this way!” she exclaimed.

Judging from her numerous social media posts to express her gratitude and affection for local fans (and chilli crab), we aren’t questioning Dara’s sincerity at all.

Credits: Xin MSN