2NE1 to Hold a Solo Concert This Year?

Just a few months ago, rookie group 2NE1 expressed interest in upping the ante and holding an independent concert within the same year of their debut. While such high aspirations seemed unlikely and even far-fetched to many Blackjacks & non-fans alike, it looks like YG Entertainment is still toying with the idea of a large scale concert by the end of this year!

Despite the saturated kpop scene and so-called fountain of girl groups this year, girl groups rarely hold concerts because it's difficult for concert management companies to invest in them. In contrast with male groups, girl groups don't have as much enthusiastic participation from fans. In fact, the kpop scene has only seen three girl groups hold their own concerts in the past: Fin.K.L. (1999), S.E.S (2000) and the Wonder Girls (2009). Adding a fourth name to the list is a big deal, let alone a group that debuted only a few months ago.

However, 2NE1 proved to be a group to watch out for right off the bat: their pre-debut CYON CF endorsement with "Lollipop" caught much attention, and debut song "Fire" catapulted 2NE1 to the top of various music charts within just one month. The girls kept the ball rolling with their mini-album with hits like "I Don't Care" and "Pretty Boy" which has further increased the fanbase and maintained the girls' popularity. And if that isn't all, 2NE1's got plans for yet another album in November as well. With all the momentum generated by 2NE1's successes, it looks like this fearsome foursome just might be the group to defy the norm.

"2NE1 has shown interest for a concert since their debut," an official at YG Entertainment reportedly stated, "and with the success of their first mini-album, the idea of a concert is reasonable." And with the talk of a November album, 2NE1 will then have accumulated enough songs to fill a two-hour performance.

With only a few months left in 2009, 2NE1's got a lot on its plate with an upcoming album and this potential concert, not to mention their first variety show appearance and various other smaller activities.

It looks like the jury is split on this one - while many are buzzing over the prospect of a 2009 concert, others criticize YG Entertainment for jumping the gun in order to hand 2NE1 bragging rights as the first rookie group to hold a concert so soon. Either way, nothing has been set in stone, so stay tuned to allkpop for further developments!

Source: dongA