K-Pop’s Most Iconic Girl Group 2NE1 Has Officially Disbanded

One of K-pop’s most successful girl groups in recent years has officially disbanded with some of its members pursuing solo careers.

YG Entertainment, the production firm behind the iconic group, announced the disbandment of the group on Friday, November 25 on its website. YG revealed that former members CL & Sandara signed a solo contract, while Park Bom will no longer be managed by the company, Billboard reported. Earlier this year, YG Entertainment confirmed that Minzy has left the group after being the only member who did not re-sign the group’s contract which expired on May 5.

2NE1, which gained instant stardom following their 2009 breakout debut single “Fire,” has ended a storied seven-year career as a group. The group’s strong debut was highlighted by their edgy style and unconventional live performances.

Over the years, 2NE1 has won many awards earning the members accelerated success and recognition. After capturing the Song of the Year award for their single “Fire” at the 2009 Mnet Asian Music Awards, the group was also named the Top Selling Artist, Best Rookie Group, Bonsang Award, and Best Song for “I Don’t Care”, at the Cyworld Digital Music Awards among many others in the same year.

2NE1 would then win their first Artist of the Year and Album of the Year award for “To Anyone” at the 2010 Mnet Asian Music Awards, and the Best Female Group and Best music video for “Can’t Nobody”, earning them the record for being the first artists to have won all 3 grand awards at the event. They would then replicate their achievements the following year, winning Best Vocal Performance by a Group for their song “Lonely” and their 2nd Song of the Year for “I Am the Best” at the 2011 Mnet Asian Music Awards.

The group continued to achieve success both home and abroad, performing with other international artists and completing several successful concert tours up the the end of 2014.

Despite 2NE1’s achievements, signs of the group’s disbandment began to take form as early as last year, with some members exploring ventures outside of the group.

In 2015, Dara began re-establishing her acting career through several productions including the web-series “Dr. Ian”, “We Broke Up”, and the highly successful romantic-comedy “Missing You”.

Minzy, the group’s younger member, opened a dance school called “Millennium Dance Academy” while CL explored a solo career in the United States with the North American release of her single “HELLO BI+CHES”.

The group’s only performance together in 2015 was a surprise number at the 2015 Mnet Asian Music Awards in Hong Kong. All 2NE1 members performed their hit songs “Fire” and “I Am the Best” following CL’s solo performance of her hit singles.

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