The James Logan Courier

By Christine Cortes, Courier Staff Writer

2NE1's new Japanese album Collection does not fail to impress. 2NE1 is a South Korean girl group that is at the top of the Korean music industry. Making an unforgettable debut in May of 2009 with their first single "Fire", they rose the standards of idol groups. Straying from the usual cute and innocent image, they prove that women can be and are strong in most of their music and performances. They grabbed the attention of Black Eyed Peas' Will.i.am, who is currently helping in the production of 2NE1's American debut album.

Starting in 2009, Koreans began to try and break their way into the Japanese music industry, many of their idol groups released singles in Japan. 2NE1 joined in the trend in 2011, attempting to make their debut in spring. The first attempt was canceled due to the earthquake that hit, they left almost immediately after they arrived, as they were in Japan at that time. In September 2011, they returned to Japan.
While their past songs in Japanese seemed very mediocre and actually quite awkward to listen to, this album has translated quite well into Japanese. "I Don't Care" and "It Hurts" bring out the emotion that their original Korean counterparts did. "Fire" did not lose any of it's fierce fighting spirit.

The highlight of the album would be their first ever original Japanese song, "Scream", which is true to their color and is an amazing dance song. It is able to show their unique style, the verses consisting of raps and a melodic bridge. The album also includes a cover of Madonna's 1984 hit, "Like a Virgin". Their English is impressive, and the song itself is quite addicting.

Personally, my favorite song off the album is their cover of "Like a Virgin", I wasn't expecting it to be of such high quality. Overall, the album is something you've heard before if you listen to 2NE1 religiously like me, but it is worth listening to because it proves why they are a world talent.