Billboard agrees 2ne1 is taking Japan by storm!! omg

[blancapslove.livejournal.com]

  

Billboard has covered in depth how Korean pop princesses Girls' Generation and Kara, among others, have risen to the top of the Japanese market ( Dec 11, 2010, Korea's Hot Export;August 12, 2011, Japan Recovers); but there are new queens in town.

The hip-hop and R&B influenced quartet 2NE1 (pronounced "twenty-one") stormed Japan with a three-city, six-date tour in late September and early October that drew over 70,000 people according to 2NE1's Seoul-based management company YG Entertainment. The final show at Chiba's Makuhari Messe on the outskirts of Tokyo saw 12,000 fans, mainly Japanese girls aged 12-18, avidly pumping their bodies to the sound, which had a backbeat more akin to rap than J-pop, or K-pop.

In fact, we could term this band, and others like it such as Aziatix the start of a new genre, K-hop, the Korean take on a unique mixture of hip-hop and K-pop.

Hundreds of fans unable to enter the sold out venue milled around on the perimeter, staying for the entire show despite having no chance of seeing the performance. While most Japanese fans show a kinetic enthusiasm for their favorite pop bands the atmosphere at Makuhari Messe was closer to Beatlemania. Fans screamed in between songs and exploded with each new number.

2NE1 is made up of leader CL, as well as Minzy, Bom and Dara, four twenty-something Korean women who, apart from Minzy, have international backgrounds. The effort is produced by Teddy Park, who composes all of the tracks, in collaboration with the women. Reached by Skype (Park did not make the trip to Japan for the tour) he told Billboard "CL speaks four languages. She's from a multi-cultural background, she knows how to make it sound right for a global market."

2NE1 released its first mini-album, "Nolza" in Japan (Avex Group/YG Entertainment) on September 21 and according to Soundscan Japan it had moved 18,231 copies as of October 8.

At Makuhari the quartet opened with "Fire", the 2009 track whose video received over one million views on its first day according to the Korean publishing giant Joongang. The track, a signature tune of the band, immediately sent the audience into a frenzy. The energy didn't let up for 10 tracks, including covers of Drake's "Marvin's Room" and Nicky Minaj's "Did It on em". Ironically the powered waned when the band was joined onstage by G-Dragon and Top from the massively popular Korean boy band Big Bang.

In addition to taking his influence from both American R&B and rap as well as Korean pop and ballads, Park has teamed up with Will.i.am to produce some of the tracks. This international thinking has established 2NE1 as Korea's foremost hip hop- oriented band. In the summer of 2010 the group traveled to LA to record the Will.i.am tracks, among them their hit foot-stomper "I Am the Best." Says Park, "Will.i.am has produced 6 or 7 tracks (for us). He'll leave his track and leave it up to us but the standard has to be met in the middle. We have our own standards and so does he, and his standards are global."

On his recording with the Black Eyed Peas star in LA he notes, "It was fascinating when I stepped into his studio and we are using the exact same equipment, identical."

After the Big Bang duo returned the stage to 2NE1 the energy returned to the hall, and the band unleashed "I Am the Best" to a manic reaction. After 22 tracks the exhausted fans streamed out the band greeted a host of music industry executives and tastemakers at a backstage get together.

2NE1 is poised to take the Korean invasion on Japan to a new level.

Boom Boom Pow: In addition to working with The Black Eyed Peas' Will.i.am on several tracks, the group may also have been inspired by his group's sartorial splendor.

BEWARE IMO!

SOURCE

Comments

[xcherryblossomx.livejournal.com]

SOURCE OUTSIDE OF THE LJ CUT PLEASE,
THANKS

[benihime99.livejournal.com]

No need for you to "expect", the garbage is out already... *missing the elephunk and monkey business era*

[xcherryblossomx.livejournal.com]

Korean invasion to the next level? I love them an all But I still don't understand why they has a 70,000 people/sold out tickets concert yet they only sold like 26,000 copies of their album on their first week.

[xcherryblossomx.livejournal.com]

how they had^

[sandra-hall.livejournal.com]

apparently they were selling tickets at dumping prices

[benihime99.livejournal.com]

Rumor has those number were made up by YG...

[song-jihyuk.livejournal.com]

im not surprised if it's true tbh

[deeinanutshell.livejournal.com]

Then wouldn't make sense to inflate album sales by buying back as well? why do things halfway? lol >.>

[deeinanutshell.livejournal.com]

I think people who attended were already fans of 2NE1? Maybe they bought the Korean album and didn't bother with the Japanese one? I know that's what my cheap ass would do.

[asnindie.livejournal.com]

Japan is different to Korea, concerts aren't only filled with fangirls and fanboys. There's a culture of live music and people to go listen to new music if a friend recommends.

[lysblack.livejournal.com]

lol yeah right, i don't buy/believe it.

[kiminikaeru.livejournal.com]

mte

[hpn88.livejournal.com]

I think they're just wasting time in Japan tbh. Their market and appeal is much more global.
if they want the money, just release Japan editions with 1 Japanese remake cause that's what they're doing anyway.

[toygrass.livejournal.com]

I think they're just wasting time in Japan tbh. Their market and appeal is much more global.

TOTALLY AGREE.
I want their US/English Debut now !!

[deeinanutshell.livejournal.com]

Right? Japan is not for them. And if YG waits too long to debut them in the U.S. they won't have as nice an impact.

[soundczech.livejournal.com]

i disagree, i think they can do pretty well in japan in the long term, it's just a different demographic to the one that SNSD and KARA have tapped into and might take them longer to establish themselves. but once they do they're less likely to burn out quickly. they're more similar to big bang in terms of their potential - most people i speak to here don't really put big bang in the same category as the other kpop bands that are popular here. people who aren't into hallyu really like their music.

[oonalala.livejournal.com]

This. I see it as a slow build to a more stable fan base. It's totally a different strategy and not necessarily a bad one.

I still think they need to release the English album sooner rather than later. I think they could build quite a cult following in the US and Europe, but they need to strike while the fire is hot.

[cordyceps.livejournal.com]

smh @ this writer throwing shade at GD&TOP.

[naturalhonee.livejournal.com]

i find it hard to believe tbh.

[cordyceps.livejournal.com]

I know, right. Big Bang have a bigger fanbase in Japan. I don't see why people wouldn't be excited to see GD&TOP jerk it out, when they have more talent in their left ear than all of 2NE1 does (and I'm a Blackjack saying that).

[naturalhonee.livejournal.com]

haha as a fan of both i dunno if i wanna go there

it's just... ppl who enjoy 2ne1 would naturally enjoy GD&TOP as well - and not just cos they're YG stans. also, GD&TOP perform infectious high-energy songs like High High....there is no way that that song brings the mood down. just no way.

[the-erotomanic.livejournal.com]

Ironically the powered waned when the band was joined onstage by G-Dragon and Top from the massively popular Korean boy band Big Bang.

so 2ne1 is more popular than g-dragon and top in japan? :o\

[cordyceps.livejournal.com]

It probably was more of a case of 'we went to see a 2NE1 concert, who are these douchebags on my stage'.

Doesn't really make sense cuz Big Bang are more established in Japan.

[the-erotomanic.livejournal.com]

those are hardcore blackjacks. they don't give their attention to anyone other than 2ne1.

[cordyceps.livejournal.com]

jfc I really do not understand that train of thought.

[walkingparadoxx.livejournal.com]

So proud of my bbs also that first gif OP omg i LUV it.

[vvvanilla.livejournal.com]

maybe it's just me but these 2NE1 in Japan articles sound like BS

[kissuholic.livejournal.com]

nah~ i think 2NE1 aren't really suited for Japan, but for global... damn, these girls can rock the world!!

[lovejae23.livejournal.com]

they'll never be as popular as soka in japan sry2say.

[asnindie.livejournal.com]

Delusional, someone call the psych ward.

[bepo-chan.livejournal.com]

lol no

[eishastan.livejournal.com]

LoL this articles , but sorry sales tell a totally different story

[nyappnyappcafe.livejournal.com]

I love 2NE1 but fo real....gtfo of Japan and come to the States.
With the right promotion, I think they could actually do pretty good here...and probably other places as well.

[hugtimes.livejournal.com]

who prounces 2NE1 as 'twenty one'? i always say 'two-n-ee-one'

[prlsb4swiine.livejournal.com]

i say twenty one, but my accent softens 't's that are in the middle of a word, so it sounds like two-n-ee-one anyways.

[naturalhonee.livejournal.com]

my friend in korea tells me that her co-workers were like "huh? who?" when she called the group "twenty one". and when she explained, they said "why couldnt you just say tu-eh-ni-won?"

[hugtimes.livejournal.com]

huh, thank you ^^

[kotetsu.livejournal.com]

A majority of the 2NE1 in Japan articles have been overly exaggerated. Even as a Blackjack I can see this lol

[es2pido.livejournal.com]

I... umm... I'm still positive for my bbs.