Surprise might, in a way, be what defines the K-pop girl group 2NE1. Says Sandara Park, the vocalist of the quartet: “2NE1 has always been somewhat unpredictable.”
Let’s set the stage a little with a jaunt down memory lane 15 years ago. It was around the middle of the second generation of Korean pop idols. The defining sound of the moment was saccharine bubble gum pop, tinged with a kind of coy innocence and naivete. In May 2009, 2NE1 made its debut with ‘Fire’, a boldfaced single with hip-hop and reggae sonic influences. The song opens with these lines: “It’s been a long time coming, but we’re here now/ And we’re about to set the roof on fire, baby/ You better get yours ’cause I’m gettin’ mine.”
Call it prophetic perhaps because, in the seven years that followed 2NE1’s activities, the girl group scaled incredible heights and became one of Korean pop music’s bestselling acts. The quartet—made up of vocalists Sandara and Park Bom, and rappers CL and Minzy—carved out a special place of its own. The sound and look of 2NE1 has a distinct identity, apart from the mainstream of the industry even as it topped charts. From club bangers such as the electropop hit ‘I Am The Best’, the group’s signature song with a powerful, unwavering sense of confidence and self-empowerment, to wistful ballads like ‘Lonely’ which put the group’s vocals front and centre accompanied by spare string instrumentation. For a time, it seemed as if 2NE1 was the living legend of K-pop—every release turned into a hit, with nary a flop in the catalogue.
That all came to a halt in 2016 when the group was unceremoniously and suddenly disbanded. Members of the group have gone on the record to say they learnt of the news after the fact, from reports in the media. The momentum of seven years, two studio albums, two EPs, 18 singles, halted and brought to an abrupt end. Until this year, the group has been inactive for eight years—longer than it had existed.
The group released a farewell single titled ‘Goodbye’ in 2017—with a music video in greyscale, almost a eulogy—and for eight years the quartet went their separate ways. The only intermission, rather like nectar for the group’s fans, dubbed Blackjacks, came in 2022 when all four members reunited for a surprise oneoff performance at leader CL’s Coachella performance.
So imagine now the excitement and anticipation unleashed when in July this year it was announced that 2NE1 would be reuniting on its 15th anniversary for a new tour aptly titled Welcome Back. “Nothing was planned ahead,” Sandara tells Vogue Singapore. “Including the sudden break-up, the surprise Coachella performance and the 15th anniversary concert.”
“That’s life,” Sandara goes on to concede. “But one thing is for sure: all four members love being on stage together and that’s what we’ve always wanted.” Did she, like her fans, harbour hope for reunification? “I thought we would definitely come back someday,” she answers, “and now is the time.”
Demand and love for the group has, gladly, proven unshakeably strong. Locations for the tour include Seoul, Manila, Jakarta, Kobe, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Pak Kret in Thailand, Kuala Lumpur, Taoyuan, Ho Chi Minh City, Macau and Singapore—the latter with two dates in December. Demand has been overwhelming and the tour has been set for two to three nights of already soldout shows in nearly every city.
“I always say that Singapore has a considerable fandom of 2NE1. We visited many times as a group back in the day for concerts, events and commercial shoots. Until now, whenever I go to Singapore, I reminisce about those days and memories with Blackjacks,” she comments.
Sandara concluded the Philippine leg of the tour on 16 and 17 November. Support in the city of Manila is rapturous, particularly for Sandara who grew up in and had her start in show business in the Philippines as an actress and singer. She’s dubbed Pambansang Krung Krung, a nickname that roughly means a unique, wild personality embraced and beloved by the nation.
The setlist for Welcome Back is a compilation of the group’s greatest hits. One thing that’s certain and unsurprising is that nostalgia is on the menu for both audience and performers. There is an excitement and joy from the group’s fans at seeing a reunited 2NE1 play its iconic songs. “The last concert was 10 years ago, but it wasn’t that difficult to prepare again,” shares Sandara of getting back in the groove as a member of a girl group. Though she admits she forgot the choreography at the start, it took all of one to two weeks for her to get back up to speed. “It seemed ingrained in us and we still had great chemistry as expected.”
Nostalgia, reuniting with fans and perhaps vindication for 2NE1 after more time away than they were active seems set to be an emotional thread of this tour. When it premiered in Seoul, reviews noted that Sandara was visibly moved when she thanked the audience for waiting for the group.
As momentous as the occasion is, it is perhaps the small moments that Sandara remembers best. When I ask if there were any standout memories in the process of getting ready for the tour, she muses that there was nothing so special. Living in the moment, rather, gave the experience its overall glow of gratification. “The moments we spent together became more precious and enjoyable. As time passes, we’ve learnt to give ourselves some headspace and know how to enjoy things,” she says.
“Nothing was planned ahead. Including the sudden break-up, the surprise Coachella performance and the 15th anniversary concert .”
Much has, after all, changed since Sandara’s final outing as a member of 2NE1. With the group dissolved, she took on acting projects for film and television, reality and variety television, and even returned to music as a featured artist in her former bandmate Bom’s debut single album. In 2021, she parted ways with YG Entertainment, which manages and holds the trademark to 2NE1, and signed with Abyss Company as a solo artist. Then, in 2023, she released a self-titled EP with the lead single ‘Festival’.
“Solo artist Dara has a very different style from 2NE1 Dara’s,” Sandara explains of the natural shift in style. Even casual observers of her style as a member of 2NE1 would know that the artist can manage some unconventional looks. Her signature hairstyle is far from blown-out or prettily coiffed. Instead, it’s something dubbed the palm tree hairstyle, with her hair tightly and vertically bound, and the ends let loose at the top.
The opportunity of going solo also allowed Sandara the chance to explore different territory in her music. While 2NE1’s music is powerful, driven by hiphop and eclectic international influences, and given to breaking the mould, Sandara’s music as a soloist is, according to her, much softer and brighter. ‘Festival’, her 2023 single, is cheerfully candy-coloured, both visually in art direction and sonically to the ear.
“I have a lot more stories to deliver,” she says of where she hopes to take her music in the near future. “Of course, I want to release new music, especially in various genres I have yet to try. I have a tight schedule with the tour for a few more months and I want to focus on it as I’ve been waiting for this moment—the moment we meet our fans as a team. After the tour, I want to show new music as a solo artist Sandara Park again.”
It’s clear, then, that Sandara’s mind is locked in at the moment on Welcome Back. When I ask if there’s a song in particular that she enjoys or looks forward to performing the most, she demurs. “It’s always hard to answer this question because all the songs are hits,” she says. What might be highfalutin bragging in another case, but merely fact in this instance. “Interestingly, though,” she offers an insight, “many people are particularly moved by the ballad songs on this tour.”
What is on the minds of most Blackjacks and fans, however, is the question of new music from 2NE1. As it stands, the 2NE1 name and trademark is held by YG Entertainment. There’s a sense that the success of the tour will influence this tantalising possibility. At the Manila show, there was a delightful moment when the audience chanted “album, album, album”—by which they mean a new studio album from the group. Sandara playfully held her hands to her ears to listen, acknowledging the message, before replying: “So everyone, please write a letter to YG.”
Whether fans will be treated to new music remains up in the air. But for the time being Sandara is optimistic about the time she will be spending reunited with her bandmates. Her schedule until the first half of 2025, she says, is full of 2NE1. “I sometimes feel mopey thinking how I would miss this moment after the tour is over,” she admits. “However, everything that has a beginning has an end and every ending is a new beginning.”
Unpredictable as Sandara says the group is, one thing is at least clear. This comeback tour, with its sold-out shows, displays a fervour for 2NE1 that has not dulled, or in fact even strengthened with its absence. And this time, when it concludes, Sandara seems ready to see where else a conclusion may take her. “I’m looking forward,” she says, “to the new beginning to come after this.”
Photography Pak Bae
Styling Choi Younghoe
Producer David Bay
Hair Kim Taehyun
Make-up Shin Seongeun
Photographer’s assistants Oh Soojung, Kang Minseok, Na Yoonjoo
Stylist’s assistant Lee Jiyu
Hairstylist’s assistant Jo Eojin
On-set producer Sooh Hwang and Mi Kim/Nuhana
Production assistant Jung Heehyun
Cover image Buccellati Macri bracelets and rings in white and yellow gold with diamonds; Eenk dress; Gucci hat
The December ‘Gratification’ issue of Vogue Singapore is now available online or on newsstands.
