[130703] 2NE1 first to kick off the start line of making a comeback… followed by scores of YG artists

[OSEN=Lee Hye-Rin, reporter]

For the first half of the year, YG has held back on making its artists come back with new songs in Korea, with the exception of PSY and LEE HI. The entertainment agency, however, will kick off a comeback boom starting from 2NE1 on July 8.

YG confirmed that 2NE1’s official comeback date is July 8. On the big day, the girl group will be unveiling their reggae song, ‘FALLING IN LOVE.’

In the first half of this year, girl groups like GIRLS’ GENERATION, SISTAR, and 4 MINUTE dominated the music market. Now all eyes are on 2NE1 to see whether the group will wrap up this female group boom on a powerful note as the last joiner.

But the new song is not the end. 2NE1’s plan is to release one song a month until October. Since it is their first comeback in a long time, they are keen to show what they’ve got to the fans for an expanded period.

And before the 2NE1 boom fades away, KANG SEUNG YOON will be making a debut on July15. He will be unveiling his solo song ‘WILND AND YONG.’ It is said that the song is a fruit reaped by YG’s main producer TEDDY, which embraces KANG SEUNG YOON’s husky but powerful voice along rock. The newly debuting artist is not scheduled to perform on TV, but many are curious to see whether he can produce another big hit in 3 years following his ‘INSTINCTIVELY’.

KANG SEUNG YOON may also have a career as a boy group member, only if he wins the Survival Program. The program, called WIN, which will be aired for the first time this month, is a battle between groups A and B. The winning team will be named WINNER, and the group will be able to make a debut in the second half of this year. The average age of group A is 20 with 5 members, including the ex-contestants of Superstar K and K-Pop Star, KANG SEUNG YOON and LEE SEUNG HOON respectively. On the other hand, group B is consisted of 6 members with an average age of 17. The leader of this group is B.I., a rapper who featured in MC MONG’s ‘INDIAN BOY’ in 2009.

In August, G-DRAGON is expected to sweep across music charts with his new song. The song from his 2^nd regular album, which will be released on his 25^th birthday, August 18, features the world-renowned rapper MISSY ELLIOT.
Just like G-DRAGON’s other album, he will be fully in charge with writing and composing all the songs, including album production. The tinge of a voice sample from a Korean traditional folk song “Nilliliya” makes it a one-of-a-kind, classy hip-hop track featuring the American hip-hop legend. He started filming the music video and began jacket shooting at the beginning of the month.

And following G-DRAGON is TAEYANG. In September, he is making a comeback with his 2^nd solo regular album. This is the first time in 3 years since his solo song ‘I NEED A GIRL’ in 2010. TAEYANG is known for creating big hits with his songs like ‘LOOK AT ME,’ ‘WHERE U AT’, ‘WEDDING DRESS’ and ‘I NEED A GIRL.’ So it is no surprise that the music fans have high expectations for him.

And in October, the much-anticipated new girl group of YG will be unveiled. Each member of the group will be debuting as a solo. Consisting of 6 members whose average age is 17, the group will be debuting as a solo, and then will come together to form a group.

The founder of YG Entertainment, YANG HYUN-SUK, said, “The project initially started off with a plan of 10 or more members in the group, but throughout the years there has been a fierce competition among tens of tryout singers and now remain 6 members. Unfortunately Yuna Kim, who was discovered on Superstar K, had to be excluded from the team for personal reasons. However, Eunbi Kim, a contestant from the same program, remains as one of the 6 members.”

KIM JISOO and JENNIE KIM are few of the revealed members of the group. Last year YG revealed photographs of the two – KIM JISOO, who has a mysterious aura with a beautiful look, and JENNIE KIM, who looked like a pretty doll with stunning rapping skills. The fans are already looking forward to seeing the new group. Music lovers are especially excited to see JENNIE KIM, as she appeared as the main character in G-DRAGON’s music video. Another member, who is half Korean, is said to be an amazing dancer.

AKDONG MUSICIAN, who recently joined YG, will be releasing their first album before the year ends. On the other hand, the latest newcomer, BANG YEDAM, will be taking more time in training before making a debut.

Starting from 2NE1, YG artists will be seen more frequently on TV from now on. YG is steering away from its policy that only allows their artists to appear on TV once a week. The policy was first implemented to look after the artists’ health.

YANG further explained, “The policy helped our artists carry out activities both home and abroad, which led to the increase in the number of international fans and the scale of our overseas market. On the other hand, we feel regretful that our Korean fans have a lot less opportunity to see the artists now. We are sorry that our Korean fans did not have many chances to see BIGBANG and 2NE1 who were on a World Tour for a long time.”

2013. 7. 1.

Source: YG-Life