Archive for the ‘Interview’ Category

Interview: 2NE1’s 4 Thrills… From Billboard to First Appearance on TV

2NE1’S 4 THRILLS… FROM BILLBOARD TO FIRST APPEARANCE ON TV (DIRECT INTERVIEW)

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[스타뉴스 길혜성 기자] Girl group 2NE1 (CL, DARA, BOM, and MINZY) has finally disclosed the performance for their second full-length album “CRUSH” and kicked off performance for the new album in earnest. The four members expressed their feelings about four thrills that they have recently experienced in an interview with us.

2NE1 appeared on SBS channel’s live-broadcast music show “INKIGAYO” shot in the afternoon on the 9 at SBS Hall located in Deungchon-dong, Seoul. In the show, 2NE1 gave performance of two songs: “COME BACK HOME”, the title of their second full-length album, and “CRUSH”, which has the same title with the new album itself.

2NE1 disclosed all the songs in their new album on February 27 and released the offline album on the 7 this month, but their performance in “INKIGAYO” on the day was the first time to showcase the performance of their new songs in a TV music show. 2NE1 presented the stage of two new songs, with intense performances.

On the same day when 2NE1 kicked off their TV performance for their second full-length album, they met STARNEWS at the shooting of “INKIGAYO”, to talk about what they feel about the first TV appearance, as well as about four thrills they have been experiencing in relation with the new album, including their highest-ever record in Billboard Top 200 among Korean singers (or bands).

As 2NE1 has been super busy for preparations for their second world tour and first TV appearance ever since the release of the second album, they have hardly had an opportunity to talk about what they feel about the achievement of their new album. That is why we couldn’t wait to listen to what they say.

◆ Billboard Top 200… Highest-ever record among Korean singers=”Never imagined.”

2NE1’s second full-length album came in the 61st place in the latest Billboard 200 (Mar. 15) which is the main album chart of Billboard, America’s most-renowned album and music sales survey web-site. 2NE1 has not only put its name in the chart, but also recorded the highest-ever record on the chart among Korean singers. 2NE1 has also shown a big potential by taking the 2nd place in Billboard World Album Chart, which ranks albums released outside the country. So, what they feel about this feat?

“At first, the fact that our album ‘CRUSH’ came in the 61st place on Billboard 200 chart and that we set the highest-ever record for a Korean singer didn’t hit home. Frankly, we’ve never thought of Billboard. We had no such expectations. So, we were all the more surprised and happy. Haha. We worked so hard for the new album and our record on the Billboard chart felt like an unexpected reward for our hard-work. We will continue to live up to the expectations of not only Korean fans but also all the overseas fans, with better music and performances”.

◆ No.1 on music and album charts in and out of Korea=”Feels like our music created by all-nighter efforts are recognized.”

After disclosing all the music in their second full-length album at the end of February, 2NE1 has been sweeping the No.1 places on Korea’s top ten music charts and iTunes’ main album charts “Top Albums” in many countries with their double title “COME BACK HOME” and “GOTTA BE YOU”. 2NE1 themselves are more pleased by such a result than any other.

“We have now taken the No.1 ranks in music and album charts in and out of Korea, but we were so much worried before the release of the album. Of course we release some singles last year, but the evaluation standard for a full-length album is quite different. Plus, we felt a bigger burden because it’s been so long since we released our first full-length album. However, our fans in and out of the country loved our new songs and album so much, so we could take the No.1s on music and album charts. We are so happy about that. We felt rewarded for our all-nighter efforts to create good music. We thank you once again”.

◆ YG’s head Yang Hyun Suk created the point dance for “COME BACK HOME” himself=”A big reassurance.”

Yang Hyun Suk, the CEO of 2NE1’s label YG Entertainment and the member of “Seotaiji and Boys”, the legendary idol boy group in the 1990’s, showed his passion for 2NE1’s music and performance, by choreographing the point dance for the title of 2NE1’s second full-length album “COME BACK HOME” himself. Yang created the choreography of Seotaiji and Boys’ “COME BACK HOME” in 1995 and now, he has created the dance once again, for the song with the same title with his past hit, 19 years later. This has been drawing much attention from music fans. 2NE1 themselves are very much satisfied with Yang’s point dance for “COME BACK HOME” and thankful to him.

“President Yang (Yang Hyun Suk) does a lot of things for the company. Now, he doesn’t even have a time to choreograph YG singer’s music as he did in the past. However, we asked for his advice for the point dance of ‘COME BACK HOME’ and he readily gave his idea. You know, he really cares about us. Haha. We were so happy that his idea satisfied not only us but also all our staff very much. Since we are armed with his point dance for ‘COME BACK HOME’, we feel so much reassured every time we stand on the stage. It was the same for our first TV performance. Thank you Mr.Yang. Haha”.

◆ First TV performance long awaited by fans and 2NE1 alike=”Exciting and fun.”

Before “INKIGAYO”, 2NE1 has shown their performance for the songs in the second full-length album only at the second world tour held on March 1 and 2 at Olympic Park’s SK Handball Hall in Seoul. That is why not only 2NE1 fans but also the members themselves looked forward to the first TV performance in “INKIGAYO” so much. 2NE1 has successfully finished their first TV performance with excitement and fun.

“It was so much exciting and fun to finally show the performance of the songs in our new album in four years to fans. We’ve been working hard on the performance for the new songs for a long time, and it was really happy and exciting to demonstrate the performance for the first time on TV. We were a little bit nervous because it was the first, but it was also very much fun. Starting from ‘INKIGAYO’, we’re going to show performances of more songs on the stage to fans. Since we have been working on the album for a long time, we put a lot of efforts not only in the songs themselves but also in the performances for them. Since we’ve been working hard, we’re confident about the performances to show you from now on”.

Meanwhile, about the coincidental overlapping of the release of their album with that of another globally-popular girl group Girls’ Generation, 2NE1 smiles and says, “We like it because we can support each other’s woman power and show it together”.

Source: YG-Life

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Interview, News

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Article: Kpopstarz – “Girls’ Generation SHared Their Thoughts on Promoting Alongside 2NE1”

Girls’ Generation Shared Their Thoughts On Promoting Alongside 2NE1

girls-generation-and-2ne1K-Pop girl group Girls’ Generation shared how happy they were to promote alongside with their rival group 2NE1. During the group’s recent backstage interview on “Music Bank” on March 7, Girls’ Generation shared “Our promotions are overlapping for the first time in a while so it’s fun and pleasant.”

Tiffany and Seohyun said, “During Girls’ Generation and 2NE1’s early years, girl groups were not that common… Now that we get to promote together, we feel proud and good to show girl power in the K-Pop scene.”
Seohyun gave her opinion saying, “2NE1’s color is totally different from ours… It is fun to watch 2NE1’s stage. We also plan to definitely watch 2NE1’s stage… Rather than competing with other girl groups, we will naturally show our sunbae image… Although there is a sense of responsibility and pressure, I think that we can grow because of that.”

Seohyun get to talked about how they felt relieved as their group finally make a comeback with “Mr.Mr”. “It feels like our thirst has finally been quenched.” Tiffany also shared how their group’s MV data loss is a blessing in disguise saying, “As our comeback schedule got delayed, we thought it was an opportunity to show a perfect stage… Although we always do best to prepare for our comebacks, this time we also listened to our song over 50 times a day and practiced hard. I think there is a time for everything including our comeback… Each stage will be worth looking forward to.”

The battle between two biggest girl group will be seen on music shows this weekend!

Credits:

Source: Kpopstarz

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Interview: SNSD’s Taeyeon Says Competition with 2NE1 is Enjoyable

SNSD’s Taeyeon Says Competition with 2NE1 is Enjoyable

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One of the hottest issues in K-Pop these days is the comeback of Girls’ Generation (SNSD) and 2NE1.

Despite the fierce and tense competition expected between the two girl groups, SNSD’s Taeyeon revealed that the competition is ‘enjoyable.’

Having made its comeback through Mnet’s M Countdown on March 6, SNSD received much of the spotlight after performing Mr.Mr. and Wait a Minute.

Meeting with enews before the performance took place, Taeyeon talked about her thoughts on finally making a comeback and upcoming competition with 2NE1.

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When asked about the upcoming competition with 2NE1, Taeyeon said, “Many people have been showing their interest in the competition. Personally, I think it’s really fun and enjoyable. Not only 2NE1 but many others, such as CN Blue, have made their comeback. I hope everyone can enjoy their performances.”

Taeyeon also said, “We don’t really stress about it (competition with 2NE1), since we both have very different colors. I’m just really happy to be promoting along with many other singers. I also hope that our fans will continue to support us.”

Putting priority on keeping SNSD together and showing it to the fans over competition with others, Taeyeon concluded, “Our basic goal is to keep the top place. But more important is to keep SNSD together, and showing our activities as a whole to fans.”

Photo credit: enews/Kim Byung Kwan

Credits:

Source: Mwave

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Interview

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Interview: 2NE1, “TV Comeback Exciting and Fun… Confidence in Yang’s Choreography”

2NE1, “TV COMEBACK EXCITING & FUN… CONFIDENCE IN YANG’S CHOREOGRAPHY” (INTERVIEW)

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[스타뉴스 길혜성 기자] 2NE1, through an interview, explained how they felt after delivering the first comeback performance of their 2nd full album “CRUSH.”

In the evening of March 9, 2NE1 was in Seoul Deungchondong to make a comeback on SBS’s Inkigayo with their 2nd full album. They showcased their title song “COME BACK HOME” and “CRUSH,” a song that gets its name from the album title. Their performance was indeed dynamic and powerful.

It was a special day for the quartet and the fans as this was the first music program on which they were showcasing the songs from the latest album.

Although their full sound tracks of “CRUSH” came out on Feb 27 and the offline version on March 7, their 2nd World Tour performances in Seoul Olympic Park’s SK Handball Arena on March 1 and 2 were all fans could see. This is the reason fans were anticipating much for the Inkigayo comeback for a long time.

On the day of Inkigayo, 2NE1 met with the interviewer of Star News at the site to talk about how they felt about the comeback.

CL, the leader, commented, “It was both exciting and fun to unveil to the fans our album that came out for the first time in 4 years.”

“We took muck time preparing the new songs and the performances, and it was a delight to reveal it. The choreography of “COME BACK HOME” was designed by our boss YANG, and its quality makes us very confident.”

DARA said, “We were nervous but we also had fun. Starting from today, we will be able to show our fans many more performances on TV from now on.”

BOM added, “We had fun today and we still have a lot to show you. Because we invested so much time in this album and the performances, we are feeling confident about the other performances to come in the future.”

MINZY continued, “I am glad it ended well, and since I just turned 20 I will be able to show the fans more mature performances of a wider range.”

2NE1 once again proved their global stardom by topping various music charts home and abroad immediately after their new album release. The album “CRUSH” ranked #61 in America’s top music site Billboard 200 of the recent weekly chart, breaking the record for K-Pop group.

Credits:

Source: YG Life

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Interview, YG-Life

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Video: 2NE1 Reveal their “Crush” to Associated Press ~ “It’s a Big Turning Point for Us, as 2NE1”

Nice interview! ^^ Leadah CL-roo steps up during English interviews, and I like how she speaks for 2NE1 as a group. “We prepared for a very long time, so it’s definitely a big turning point for us, as 2NE1, and we have all kinds of song in there: we sing, rap, goes from hip-hop to electro to RnB to everything. If you just check it out, if you just hear it, listen to it, you’ll know it.” And yes CL, we really do love the album, even at first listen! ^_^ “I think it’s been two years since our last tour. We didn’t have our album out, but we still went on tour. And we’re all about having fun, and when we’re on tour we love to meet our fans from all around the world, because we stay in Korea most of the time, so that’s what we want to do.” Hooray for more countries to meet new fans! More countries please, YG! ❤ And how cute is Dara’s soft and sweet “I love you” in the end? ❤

2NE1 Reveal Their ‘Crush’

Credits: AssociatedPress

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Interview, Videos

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Interview: Yang Hyun Suk Explains Why Virtual World Gets Destroyed in 2NE1’s “Come Back Home” MV

YANG HYUN SUK EXPLAINS WHY VIRTUAL WORLD GETS DESTROYED IN 2NE1’S “COME BACK HOME” MV (INTERVIEW)

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[스타뉴스 길혜성 기자] With the release of 2NE1’s 2nd full album’s music videos, the founder of YG Entertainment YANG HYUN SUK, who is also the editor of the videos, personally explained the concepts of the clips.

Through YG’s official blog YG LIFE, 2NE1’s music videos of the title song “COME BACK HOME” and another track “HAPPY” were unveiled at 2:01 pm on March 3.

Out of the two, “COME BACK HOME” that was produced on a 500 million won budget stands out by emitting a sci-fi-like ambiance. Members of 2NE1 crosses from reality to the virtual world in a future city produced from computer graphic work. The MV is slightly dark, and in the latter part the divas transform into powerful warriors. A notable scene is by DARA, who weeps in pain of love.

Immediately after the release, YANG told Star News, “The content could be a little difficult to understand, but keeping in mind that happiness in the real world is the most important will help the viewers understand the intentions of the MV better.”

He added, “The MV of “COME BACK HOME” is set in a near-future city, and the concept is that people in this era prefer the virtual world over the real one, just like the movie ‘Matrix’.”

“These days when people meet they look into the screens of their phones instead of having a conversation, which shows an addiction to cell phones and games. I think this behavior demonstrates that people like the virtual world. Even at playgrounds kids play with cell phones, and this will worsen in the future and people will be more enthusiastic about the virtual world than the real one.”

He continued, “In the MV of ‘COME BACK HOME,’ DARA is heartbroken by a man she is in love with, as he prefers the virtual world. For these reasons, the four members of 2NE1, DARA, CL, BOM and MINZY enter the virtual world themselves and turn into warriors to destroy that world. Through this, we tried to convey the message of how important the real world is, and about the human touch.”

He also explained why he leaned toward a music drama rather than a MV filled with choreographic scenes.

He said, “2NE1’s MVs were mainly choreographic ones until now, so we wanted to try something new. We wanted to invest our time and money in the computer graphic work, which ended up in a 500 million won budget.”

“I hope the viewers see the latest MV as a new challenge taken on by 2NE1.”

On the other hand, the MV of “HAPPY” filmed in Los Angeles is completely different from that of “COME BACK HOME,” every scene filled with lovely and cute four members dressed in fancy outfits.

As soon as the 2nd full album was released on Feb 27, the double title songs “COME BACK HOME” and “GOTTA BE YOU” swept across major South Korean music charts while climbing up the ranks in many iTunes across the globe. On March 7 their offline version of the album will be released, while their first comeback performance will be aired on SBS’s Inkigayo on March 9.

Source: YG-Life

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Interview

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Video: 1theK’s Fun and Cute Interview with 2NE1 ~ Favorite Songs, Costume Concepts, Superpowers, and… Chicken-Inspired Hair?!

Super duper cute! I kinda love how they did this interview, it’s very unique and the girls seemed relaxed and were having fun answering the questions and teasing each other! ❤ Find out what their favorite song in the album is, what their favorite food in YG cafeteria is, what superpower they want, etc. etc!

ASK IN A BOX: 2NE1

Credits: 1theK (former LOEN MUSIC)

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Interview, Videos

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Interview: Noisey – An Interview with K-Pop Favorites, 2NE1, and their New Videos for “Happy” and “Come Back Home”

AN INTERVIEW WITH K-POP FAVORITES 2NE1 AND THEIR NEW VIDEOS FOR “HAPPY” AND “COME BACK HOME”

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There’s no doubt that Korean pop phenoms 2NE1 are entering the most fascinating phase of their career. Rapper CL, dancer Minzy, and vocalists Bom and Dara first stormed the scene in 2009 with the barnburner “Fire,” then cemented their international renown with instant classics like “I Am the Best” and “Lonely.” They earned the respect of everyone from Diplo to Jeremy Scott, enjoyed accolades like MTV’s “Best New Band in the World” award in 2011, and built a fanbase empire with foreign legions as far-flung as France and Brazil.

But in the olympiad since their debut album To Anyone, 2NE1 have seemed reticent to release a proper follow-up against mounting pressures worldwide. That’s all changing this week, however, with their new Crush album finally out now, and the premiere of their their $470,000, CGI-ballistic double video for the genre-bending “Come Back Home” (and its acoustic cousin) as well as the video for “Happy.” They’re also kicking off their “All Or Nothing” world tour in Seoul in a matter of hours on March 1st, their first proper shows in well over a year. We caught up with Asia’s fiercest four to mark the occasion, discuss the new album, and find out more about why this is the most pivotal moment 2NE1 will ever face.

Noisey: Let’s talk first about your lead single and video, “Come Back Home.”
CL: “Come Back Home” is the name of one of the biggest Korean songs from the ‘90s, by Seo Taiji & Boys, which YG [Yang Hyun-suk, YG Entertainment’s CEO] was a member of. We thought it would be cool to shout out [the original] “Come Back Home” in dedication to YG.
For the video, the entire process was very different. We shot two versions at the same time and it’s more like a movie than anything else you have seen from us.

Crush is your first full-length record in four years. How have you grown musically during the time inbetween, and why did you wait this long to put out another album?
After our last mini-album [2011’s 2NE1 EP] we went on our first world tour, which kept us away from recording. For this album, we pretty much locked ourselves up in the studio and gave it 100%. We’ve also grown a lot as women since our first album, and you’ll be able to hear that on this record.
Also, since I wrote a lot of the music, it’s even more personal to us than our previous records.

What are some of your favorites?
Bom: “Gotta Be You,” because I really like the hook and the sad lyrics. [And yet] it makes you want to rock out.
Minzy: “Come Back Home” is my favorite to listen to.
Dara: “Chakhan Yeoja (Good To You).” I love the lyrics and I feel this song represents me well. I also love CL’s rap at the end.

CL, you wrote the music for three songs and lyrics for five. YG has said he was so surprised to hear you write for the first time that you’ll be following Crush with a solo album, right?
I woke up one day and suddenly felt like I had so much to say…I ended up making ten songs in about two weeks. In 2NE1, you mostly see just one side of CL. I have other sides of myself that I can show to the world, and this solo album will show that…it will be a lot more personal.

“All Or Nothing” is your second world tour of this scale. What can your fans expect this time out? How will it be different from previous 2NE1 concerts?
Our last tour seemed more catered to the image we felt that the public had of 2NE1 – it was fun and high-energy. For this tour, we wanted to bring about other elements that are more pure to what 2NE1 is…it’s more graceful. We really wanted to challenge ourselves and show the other sides of a woman.

In the video announcement of your album and world tour, you seem at a crossroads — a bit self-doubting even, talking about a “do or die attitude.” What feels especially immense about this moment in your career?
“All or Nothing” refers to our world tour and [the fact that] it’s been four years since our last album…four years is an especially long time in Korea. So each one of us personally has that “do or die” attitude. We are giving everything we have into this album and tour…We have never released an album full of all new and previously unheard material.

Credits: Noisey

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Interview

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Video: Thunder Mentions YG and Dara – “This might be a pitiful request but please take care of my sister.”

Translation:

Thunder was given a challenge of making a sentence out of the korean word of “Archery” (Yang-Goong) before he starts.

This was his answer:

Yang – “Yang Sajangnim!”

Goong – “goong-sang-maj-eun” which means pitiful… ”

In Full: “Yang Sajangnim! This might be a pitiful request but please take care of my sister.”

And, oh look at the crowd’s reaction! Everyone cheered because of Thunder’s affections towards his Dara noona.

Park Siblings are L-O-V-E!!!

Credits: thunder mblaq

Translated by: @KwonAui88

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Interview, Videos

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Video/Interview: FUSE LOVES SEOUL: From K-Pop to Hip Hop Week ~ “2NE1 Address Lengthy Album Delay: ‘We Focus on Each and Every Song'”

2NE1 Address Lengthy Album Delay: “We Focus on Each & Every Song”

2NE1FuseTVInterview

Korean girl group 2NE1 is one of the driving forces in K-pop’s international expansion: The quartet was the first Korean female group to stage a world tour; will.i.am snagged them for his #willpower LP, which also boasted guest spots from Britney Spears, Justin Bieber and Miley Cyrus; plus, the girls have 5.8 million Facebook ‘likes’ and 1.9 million YouTube subscribers.

With such accolades, it’s a wonder why the phenom has only dropped one full-length album in the five years since their 2009 debut single. Fuse News was in South Korea as part of our ongoing FUSE LOVES SEOUL: From K-Pop to Hip Hop week, where the girls told us they opt for quality over quantity.

“One of the reasons is we want to focus on each and every song,” explains the group’s leader CL, who dropped a blazing, hip-hop solo single in May. “We want every song to have a video, have a concept and have a message and have the right performance style.”

The girls dropped three singles last year—”Falling in Love,” “Do You Love Me?” and “Missing You,” earning a combined 35 million YouTube views—further upping the hype for the record. “To me, an album is like a footprint,” CL adds. “It’s legacy.”

BONUS WEB-EXCLUSIVE CLIP:

2NE1FuseTVWebExclusive

 

CLICK ON THE PHOTOS TO WATCH THE VIDEO ON FUSE TV!

In the bonus clip, CL talks about how different the girls are, that they didn’t even expect to be in one group! She said that their difference even extends to their food choices. XD CL revealed that Bom is the type to stick to one food until she gets sick of it, Minzy is the one who eats healthy even though she doesn’t particularly find it delicious, she’d still eat it, Dara is the type to order 10,000 food but just eat bits of it so people around her are the ones who get fat, and CL says she eats normally, she likes organic food but would eat McDonald’s sometimes too. ^____^ So nice to know about little things like these! ❤

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Source: Fuse TV

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