2NE1 Next To Blow Up?

I hesitated to write this simply because it's never been done before. An all girls Korean  pop group crossing over? Could it be? I've known about k-pop (Korean popular music) since about 2008 but was never into it. Nothing ever caught my ear, or made me think,"Damn, I can bump that in the car!" I was shown different artists through the years by people who were die hard fans here in the US but I still could care less.

That is until about July of this year. I was actually watching a hair tutorial. I went to their related video and this chick (who normally does tutorials) started talking K-Pop. I thought, here we go again. But she was so enthusiastic, and I was so bored on a Saturday night that I decided to look up the first group she talked about which was Big Bang.

Long story short, Big Bang lead me to a whole list of artists on YouTube that had released hot tracks during 2011-2012. One that stuck out in my mind and stayed with me for a minute was 2NE1 (also pronounced 21). Now I have a rule. If you are stuck in my head for more than a week you normally end up blowing up. Well, they stayed in my head for about a month.

There is defiantly something about them that cannot be explained. It's that it factor. There are a lot of singers and dancers in this world but they don't have that special thing.

Now understand, I'm not a die hard K-Pop fan. I don't know everything there is to know about the genre. I'm also picky as hell about music. If I don't think you have what it takes there ain't no changing my mind. But let me be clear, 2NE1 has what it takes to be successful in the West.

The climate is right for them too. The west, particularly the US, has thirst for groups. Hell we have resorted to importing them from Europe now. Both The Wanted and X Factor UK made group One Direction were nominated for US MTV awards, and one group won twice. Any producer in America who doesn't see the writing on the wall should be fired.  Boy bands and girl groups ARE NOT a thing of the past.

So what made me choose 2NE1 out of all the girl groups pumped out yearly by Korea? 

• Most of them speak English (though I suspect ALL of them understand it).

• Talent
• Their style. Not feeling groups that dress exactly alike unless your name is Wonder Girls. It helps that Jeromy Scott loves to dress them. People adore his stuff here. But basically their look is forever changing. We love artists who can fully reinvent themselves at will here.
• Their chemistry together. It helps to not have a group ready to kill each other.
• Their stage presence. This is a BIGGIE! Being an Asian group is much like being a black, girls group in the 60s. You're an outsider, so you have to be 10x better than anyone else to make it in the US.They've got that in spades!
• Musically they are extremely versatile from rock, to R&B, to pop. This helps gain lots of collabs.
• As quiet as it is kept, a good portion of American music producers adore them (and Big Bang). All 300 million Americans don't know them, but in the industry they are known as well as Katy Perry. But most importantly they are LOVED by industry pros. 
• They have merchandising written all over them. When I look at them I see dolls, lunch boxes, bed sheets, games, t-shirts, clothing lines, key chains, you name it.

None of the things I listed mean they will make it easily. It's hard enough for Americans (North and South) and Europeans to make it. In Hollywood we say, "Nobody knows anything." But my gut tells me they are the ones to break through that glass ceiling that Wonder Girls already left a spider crack in. But the bigger question is who else will come through the whole behind them? Well, lets see, if they play their cards right:

• Miss A
• 4 Minute
• Brown Eyed Girls

What?

No Wonder Girls?

They've already done it, don't need to dwell on them.

What about Girls Generation?

A wild card that is going to depend on their agency to make a sacrifice. You can't make it in the US by doing 2 appearances.

Let me repeat that.

You... can't... make it... in America... by doing 2 appearances. We have 300 million people. You have to make a choice. Stay in Korea and tour Japan, or come to the west and put in work! They have a freak'n 9 member group, they can't pull a PSY. Gee was a bit of a viral video here in the US but did you see it on Billboard? Hell to the no!

The truth... my senses tell me GG can be like the Pussycat Dolls on acid. People will be fascinated by the sheer number of them able to sing and dance perfectly organized. Honestly they should have crossed over years ago. Or at least made sure more than two of them learned English, damn.

My honest opinion is if they don't do it by 2014 then hang it up. Stay in Korea and keep it moving. My sixth sense says that is their final window of opportunity.