2NE1 is a South Korean girl group who hit the music scene with their debut single "Fire."

2NE1, pronounced “to anyone” or “twenty-one”, is a combination of the number 21 which means 21st century and NE which means “new evolution.” The group is created by YG Entertainment in Korea and first appeared in a Cyon commercial campaign with the Korean boy band “Big Bang” for LG Telecom.

2NE1‘s first song was “Lollipop”, digitally released on March 27, 2009. The song was created for LG to promote their Cyon phone, and it was a joint release with Big Bang; the commercial/music video debuted on March 28, 2009. Although it was not a promoted single (as it was an advertisement song, there were problems with network chart eligibility), “Lollipop” proved to be a strong chart hit, going to #1 on various online charts and topping music television network M.Net’s online chart for four weeks in a row.

On May 6, the group’s first official single “Fire” was launched and it was a huge success. It topped major music charts in Korea and it was even featured on Perez Hilton’s blog.

The group’s first performance of the song was on May 17, 2009, on SBS’s Inki Gayo. beginning the group’s activities. Their first performance was also included in Perez Hilton’s blog once again, showing his interest towards the group.

Both the song and the group have been very popular online, with the song topping M.Net’s online chart and the group’s name becoming a top search term. The group was also rewarded with three Cyworld Digital Music Awards, with both “Lollipop” and “Fire” winning “Song of the Month” awards and the group winning “Rookie of the Month” for May 2009. They received their first Mutizen award during their fourth stage performance in SBS Inkigayo (Popular Song) on June 14, 2009. They received their second Mutizen award on SBS Inkiagyo (Popular Song) on June 21, 2009.

Along with their awards successes, 2NE1 signed a deal with Fila to become the new models for their commercial campaign 2 days after 2NE1’s Mutizen win.

It was announced that 2NE1 would be heading over to the United States to work on their album, as Interscope Records chairman Jimmy Iovine showed interest in the group; however, they have no plans to debut in North America.

2NE1 is composed of 4 Korean girls:

CL

* Real Name: Lee Chae Rin (이채린)[24]
* Position: Leader, Rapper, Vocal
* Date of Birth: February 26, 1991 (1991-02-26) (age 18)
* Height: 162cm
* Specialties: French, English, Japanese

Bom

* Real Name: Park Bom Lee (박봄이)[24]
* Position: Main Vocal
* Birth date: March 24, 1984 (1984-03-24) (age 25)
* Height: 165cm
* Specialties: English, Japanese, Piano, Flute

Dara

* Real Name: Sandara Park (산다라박)[24]
* Position: Vocal
* Date of Birth: November 12, 1984 (1984-11-12) (age 24)
* Height: 162cm
* Specialties: English, Chinese, Tagalog, Acting

Minzy

* Real Name: Gong Min-ji (공민지)[24]
* Position: Rapper, Vocal
* Date of Birth: January 18, 1994 (1994-01-18) (age 15)
* Height: 161cm
* Specialties: Japanese, Chinese

VIDEO LINKS:

2NE1 – Fire (English Version)

2NE1 and Big Bang – Lollipop

2NE1 – Fire (Live Version)

2NE1 – Fire (Space Version)