[News] 2NE1 mentioned on pop culture and entertainment news website ‘411 Mania’ (February 10, 2012)

Time for another weekly edition of Ask 411 Music. This week in Ask 411 Music, 411Mania discusses the 80’s and K-POP, mainly 2NE1 and Girls Generation. Here’s what the writer had to say about 2NE1.

THE QUESTIONS

Our old friend VINCE stops by the email box…

I have several Korean kids here in Malaysia. They’re really into two bands called Girls Generation (songs are “Gee” and “Boys”) and 2ne1 (songs are “I am the Best” and “Hate You”). Care to give any information on them? It’s pop music girl group, but for some reason I’m liking it a lot more than American pop. The animated video for “Hate You” is pretty wild.

Vince, who was a column regular, is now teaching in Malaysia — for those of you who may believe he went over to Malaysia to reproduce and have Korean children.

Let’s start with GIRLS GENERATION. The band was formed in 2007 and has nine members, ranging from the ages of 20-22 (meaning they were 16-18 when they started). The band has three Korean albums with their most recent, The Boys, being released in English. GIRLS GENERATION made their American debut on The Late Show with David Letterman on January 31, 2012. I can see why they are popular in Malaysia, or anywhere else for that matter. Nine hot Asian teens (mostly) singing and writhing around? What’s not to love? There’s no lack of marketing for the girls as they have appeared all over Korean TV starring in several reality programs. They are the top Korean girl band, and having just hit in the United States, it will be interesting to see how well the English speaking world takes to them.

For my money, I think I prefer 2NE1. First off, the name of the band can be pronounced as “21” or “To Anyone,” which is a plus in my book. Secondly, there are four girls ranging from 18-27 in age. Thirdly, I just like their sound better. After getting this email, I spent most of an afternoon watching 2ne1 videos. Each one is entertaining and while “Hate You” is really good, I think I might prefer “I am the Best” and “I Don’t Care.” You can’t go wrong with any of these as well as “Ugly,” “It Hurts” and “Fire.”

The band has gained worldwide recognition since debuting in 2009. Specifically a few months ago in November of 2011, the band was named “Best New Band” in a competition held by MTV IGGY. To this date the band has released one full length album and two “mini-albums.”

2ne1 has been described as pop/dance/hip hop with elements of rap, r&b and reggae. The group has a unique and attention grabbing sense of fashion and style. What I like best is that it seems as if each of the four has their own role with their own style. Their look is incredibly marketable. While Girls Generation may have made it to the USA first, 2ne1 has caught the eye of several people in the musicindustry including The Black Eyed Peas’ Will.I.AM, with whom they are supposed to debut an English album in America in 2012.

I would think 2ne1 would be huge over here. We’ve had girl pop bands from England, Canada, Brazil and Japan hit big over here, I don’t see why four hot Korean girls with a good sound and a better look couldn’t. They gyrate enough to titillate, but are costumed enough to still remain PG. A brilliant strategy. With their different styles, it would be easy for boys and girls alike to pick a favorite and watch for them in their music videos. Hell, I did this over the course of the six or seven videos I watched. For the record, my favorite was MINZY, the short haired girl. Because of this, I found out what the word “Makne” meant. It means the young one. She’s the 18 year old which would make any impending relationship between her and I awfully awkward.

Running the band by a few of my friends (including teenagers — their target audience), they received high scores. You’ll be hearing a lot from both Girls Generation and 2ne1 in the near future. Thanks for the heads up, Vince.

A/N: 411mania is a pop culture and entertainment news website founded and run by Ashish Pabari. The website is dedicated to news, gossip and columns relating to film, music, professional wrestling, mixed martial arts, video games and politics and combines news stories, columns and reviews for its content  411mania.com serves 15-20 million impressions per month, has been mentioned on/in mainstream media outlets such as CNN, TNT, TBS, USA Network, SpikeTV, FOX News, MSNBC, ESPN, ESPN The Magazine, MTV, and VH1, and is one of the largest independently owned media sites remaining on the internet.

Source: http://www.411mania.com // http://en.wikipedia.org