%202NE1%20-%20Fire,%20Live%20Performance%20%231.gif "Flashback Friday: 2NE1 - Fire | Random J Pop")
May 6th, 2023. The 14th anniversary of 2NE1’s “Fire”. Can you believe?
I was going to just post the music video for “Fire” in the midst of me just banging on about 2NE1 and their debut song. But I actually decided to go with a post of one of their live performances of the song instead - because it was the live performances of “Fire” which made me warm to 2NE1 (pun fully intended) and actually like the song.
I regularly think about the impact that 2NE1 made. Not just commercially in the relatively short time they were active as a group. But how they came onto the scene. They just seemed to have their shit together in a way you don’t generally see with girl groups off the bat. And this is what really took me aback. But what really stuck with me, was CL and Minzy.
In a market where women generally do not have the stage presence that men are seen to have (something I feel is deliberate), seeing CL and Minzy take up so much space and not give a fuck about trying to be ‘uwu’ was refreshing. 2NE1 was marketed as a sister group to Big Bang, and you really felt it through CL and Minzy; who were kinda like the G-Dragon and T.O.P of 2NE1. This was a complete contrast to Girls’ Generation, who were a sister group to Super Junior, yet were marketed in a completely different way, which was very ‘What are little boys made of? Snips & snails & puppy dogs tails. What are little girls made of? Sugar & spice & all things nice.’
2NE1 bucked a trend at a time where everybody was trying to create their own iteration of Girls’ Generation. And the success of 2NE1 birthed a new trend of everybody trying to create their own iteration of 2NE1 - as we still see this with K-pop groups to this day. Even SM Entertainment tried their hand at this way back when with Girls’ Generation themselves and the song “I Got a Boy”, which was completely off brand for the group. And now we’re seeing YG truly cash in on the house they built with 2NE1 via Blackpink; who is a copy of 2NE1, but without a CL or a Minzy. Lisa and Jennie could be considered their equivalents, but they’re very one note and they just don’t captivate me the way CL and Minzy did.
I remember 2NE1 performing “Fire” CONSTANTLY. They ran this bitch into the ground. But I don’t recall ever getting tired of them performing it, because there’d be small changes made with each performance. And every performance just got better and better. And just when we thought ‘Okay, these performances are getting a little played out’, they’d hang up the Jeremy Scott and Flava Flav cosplays and switch up their looks to be in line with the Space version (the superior version) of the music video. Or Minzy would start dropping into a split. Bom would say ‘Fuck leggings’ and step out in the shortest of skirts and not miss a beat. Dara’s hair would get higher. CL would get more playful.
I’mma sound old, but K-pop doesn’t make groups like this any more. Even with Blackpink effectively being 2NE1 replacements, they just don’t bring it when it comes to live performances and stage presence the way 2NE1 did. I actually think that Blackpink’s growth lies in them moving out from just being 2NE1 replacements. There’s a lot the group could do and offer which feels more special and tailored to them, if YG allowed them to do it. But what they’re doing is working commercially. And there is a sizeable chunk of Blackpink fans who migrated over from being 2NE1 fans. So what do I know?
HENNYWAY.
This is about celebrating 2NE1.
Debuting strong is so crucial, because it really can set the tone for all which follows. Even if shit gets shaky down the road, nobody can ever say that you didn’t come out swinging. And 2NE1 are proof of this. YG fucked up their later releases. The music got a little directionless. Everybody was running out of ideas. And the way things ended with the group was abrupt and disrespectful to fans and the legacy 2NE1 were able to build in such a short time. But even with all this, the thing I remember most is how they debuted so strong. 2NE1 completely fucked things up for other girl groups who came after, because 2NE1 had set such a high standard and an expectation for rookie groups. But that’s not 2NE1’s problem. Everybody else just gotta step it up. *Sips yuja-cha*
But I’m really glad to see that the members are all still on good terms, supporting one another and still able to deliver when performing together. And CL’s stage presence is still as ridiculous as it ever was.
2NE1 bucked a trend at a time where everybody was trying to create their own iteration of Girls’ Generation. And the success of 2NE1 birthed a new trend of everybody trying to create their own iteration of 2NE1 - as we still see this with K-pop groups to this day. Even SM Entertainment tried their hand at this way back when with Girls’ Generation themselves and the song “I Got a Boy”, which was completely off brand for the group. And now we’re seeing YG truly cash in on the house they built with 2NE1 via Blackpink; who is a copy of 2NE1, but without a CL or a Minzy. Lisa and Jennie could be considered their equivalents, but they’re very one note and they just don’t captivate me the way CL and Minzy did.
I remember 2NE1 performing “Fire” CONSTANTLY. They ran this bitch into the ground. But I don’t recall ever getting tired of them performing it, because there’d be small changes made with each performance. And every performance just got better and better. And just when we thought ‘Okay, these performances are getting a little played out’, they’d hang up the Jeremy Scott and Flava Flav cosplays and switch up their looks to be in line with the Space version (the superior version) of the music video. Or Minzy would start dropping into a split. Bom would say ‘Fuck leggings’ and step out in the shortest of skirts and not miss a beat. Dara’s hair would get higher. CL would get more playful.
I’mma sound old, but K-pop doesn’t make groups like this any more. Even with Blackpink effectively being 2NE1 replacements, they just don’t bring it when it comes to live performances and stage presence the way 2NE1 did. I actually think that Blackpink’s growth lies in them moving out from just being 2NE1 replacements. There’s a lot the group could do and offer which feels more special and tailored to them, if YG allowed them to do it. But what they’re doing is working commercially. And there is a sizeable chunk of Blackpink fans who migrated over from being 2NE1 fans. So what do I know?
HENNYWAY.
This is about celebrating 2NE1.
Debuting strong is so crucial, because it really can set the tone for all which follows. Even if shit gets shaky down the road, nobody can ever say that you didn’t come out swinging. And 2NE1 are proof of this. YG fucked up their later releases. The music got a little directionless. Everybody was running out of ideas. And the way things ended with the group was abrupt and disrespectful to fans and the legacy 2NE1 were able to build in such a short time. But even with all this, the thing I remember most is how they debuted so strong. 2NE1 completely fucked things up for other girl groups who came after, because 2NE1 had set such a high standard and an expectation for rookie groups. But that’s not 2NE1’s problem. Everybody else just gotta step it up. *Sips yuja-cha*
But I’m really glad to see that the members are all still on good terms, supporting one another and still able to deliver when performing together. And CL’s stage presence is still as ridiculous as it ever was.
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