2NE1 (2011 EP)

2NE1 2nd Mini Album
Digital cover artwork
EP by
ReleasedJuly 28, 2011 (2011-07-28)
Recorded2010–2011
StudioYG Studios (Seoul)
Genre
Length21:41
Language
  • Korean
  • Japanese
Label
Producer
2NE1 chronology
To Anyone
(2010)
2NE1 2nd Mini Album
(2011)
1st Live Concert (Nolza!)
(2011)
Singles from 2NE1
  1. "Don't Cry"
    Released: April 21, 2011
  2. "Lonely"
    Released: May 12, 2011
  3. "I Am the Best"
    Released: June 24, 2011
  4. "Hate You"
    Released: July 21, 2011
  5. "Ugly"
    Released: July 27, 2011

2NE1 (also known as 2NE1 2nd Mini Album) is the second eponymous extended play by South Korean girl group 2NE1. It was released on July 28, 2011, through YG Entertainment, in both physical and digital formats. It was distributed by KMP Holdings. 2NE1 2nd Mini Album, like its predecessors 2NE1 1st Mini Album (2009) and To Anyone (2010), was primarily written and produced by Teddy Park, with additional songwriting contributions from Kush and Lydia Paek. The EP was re-released as the group's debut Japanese record titled Nolza on September 21, 2011, under YGEX.

2NE1 was met with generally positive reviews from music critics, and was named amongst the best pop releases of the year by Spin. It saw commercial success upon release, reaching number one on both the South Korean Gaon Album Chart and the Japanese Oricon Albums Chart; 2NE1 became the first Korean group to reach number one with a debut album in Japan. It also appeared on the record charts in Taiwan and peaked at number four on the US World Albums chart. The group embarked on their first concert tour in support of the release, titled the Nolza Tour, travelling throughout South Korea and Japan. A live DVD of the tour was released in November.

Five singles were released to promote the record: Park Bom's solo "Don't Cry", "Lonely", "I Am the Best", "Hate You" and "Ugly". Each single saw success and reached number one on the Gaon Digital Chart (with the exception of "Hate You", which peaked at number three). Although the promotions for the first two singles were minimal, all five singles sold over 2,500,000 digital downloads in South Korea while "Don't Cry", "Lonely", and "I Am the Best" ranked in the top 10 on the year-end Gaon Digital Chart. The success of the EP led it to win Album of the Year at the 2011 Melon Music Awards.

  1. ^ "20 Best Pop Albums of 2011". Spin. Retrieved May 21, 2015.