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Crush (2NE1 album)

Crush
Studio album by
2NE1
ReleasedFebruary 27, 2014 (2014-02-27)
Recorded2012–2014
StudioYG Studios (Seoul)
Genre
Length35:06
LanguageKorean
Label
Producer
2NE1 chronology
Global Tour: New Evolution
(2012) 		Crush
(2014) 		World Tour Live CD (All or Nothing in Seoul)
(2014)
Singles from Crush
  1. "Come Back Home"
    Released: February 27, 2014
  2. "Gotta Be You"
    Released: February 27, 2014

Crush is the second and final studio album by South Korean girl group 2NE1. It was released on February 27, 2014, by YG Entertainment. The album marked the group's first Korean album release since 2NE1 2nd Mini Album (2011) and their first studio album in four years following To Anyone (2010). Crush was produced by Teddy, Choice 37, Dee.P, Masta Wu, Choi Pil-kang and Peejay, as well as group leader CL. Stylistically, the album incorporates a broad range of musical influences from R&B, hip hop, dance, electronic, and reggae.

Crush received positive reviews from music critics who praised its production and composition; the record's innovation was particularly appreciated with its integration of various stylistic elements. Rolling Stone and Fuse listed Crush as one of the best albums released during the year worldwide. The album sold over 5,000 copies within four days in the US and debuted at number 61 on the Billboard 200, making it the best-selling and the highest charting Korean album in the country at the time. The Japanese edition of Crush was made available on June 25, 2014, and peaked at number four on the Oricon Albums Chart.

The lead single from the album, "Come Back Home", peaked at number one on the Gaon Digital Chart for two consecutive weeks, becoming the group's ninth number-one single in South Korea. The second single, "Gotta Be You", was promoted on music program Inkigayo and peaked at number three on the Gaon Digital Chart. Shortly after the release of Crush, the group embarked on their final concert tour, the All or Nothing World Tour, which visited multiple countries in Asia.

Background and development

[edit]

Following the success of 2NE1's debut studio-album To Anyone (2010),[1] rumors began to circulate about the group's second full-length Korean-language album. Prior to the release of the group's 2012 single "I Love You", YG Entertainment CEO Yang Hyun-suk unveiled plans for 2NE1 to release a new single every three weeks, eventually leading up to a new album.[2] One year later in June 2013, however, Yang once again unveiled plans for the promotion of a series of songs leading up to a new album, supposedly to be released that October.[3] It was only until February 13, 2014, when YG officially confirmed via YG Life the release of 2NE1's second Korean-language studio album, titled Crush, for February 24.[4] The agency announced that the full-length album would instead consist of ten new tracks, with the exception of the Korean version of their Japanese single "Scream" (2012).[5]

"For this album, we pretty much locked ourselves up in the studio and gave it 100 percent. We've also grown a lot as women since our first album, and you'll be able to hear that on this record. Also, since I wrote a lot of the music, it's even more personal to us than our previous records."

–CL talking about Crush[6]

On February 19, 2014, it was announced that the release of the album would be postponed to two days later than originally intended, in order to coincide with the birthday of CL on the 26th.[7] At the same time, the tracklist for the album was unveiled, and it was announced that "Come Back Home" and "Gotta Be You" would serve as its two singles. The name of the former track sparked curiosity among fans due to Yang's former group Seo Taiji and Boys having a song of the same name (1995); in an interview with Vice, 2NE1 leader CL confirmed that the name of the song was in fact intended to pay homage to the former group, although the concept of the music video would remain different.[8][9] Crush and its two singles were released for digital consumption at midnight local time on February 27, while the album was released physically on March 7, 2014.[10]

Promotion and release

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The digital download of the album was originally scheduled for release on February 24, 2014, but was pushed back to February 27 to coincide with CL's birthday on February 26. Two music videos for its lead single "Come Back Home" were scheduled for release on February 28, although neither were released until March 2.[11] The music video for "Happy" was released on March 2.[11]

Prior to the release of the album, 2NE1 held a private listening party for a group of 21 people selected from fans and music experts.[12] It was revealed the new songs would be showcased for the first time at the opening dates of the group's All or Nothing World Tour in Seoul, South Korea on March 1 and 2, 2014.[11] On May 20, 2014, 2NE1 uploaded the music video for "Gotta Be You" on their YouTube channel in commemoration of their fifth anniversary of debut.[13][14]

Japanese edition

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The Japanese edition of Crush was released on June 25, 2014. The Limited Edition (Type A) contains the both Japanese and Korean versions of the album on 2 CD's, as well as a bonus DVD with music video clips and "making of Crush". The Special Edition (Type B) contains the DVD and Japanese version of the album while the Standard Edition (Type C) contains only the Japanese version of the album, without the DVD. The Fan Club Special Edition (Type D) has DVD footage of a fan club event from 2013. The Music Cards also contain information from the group's 2014 All or Nothing World Tour.[n 1] All editions have alternate covers.

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Idology(positive)[15]
IZM[16]
Los Angeles Times[17]
Pitchfork7.3/10[18]
Weiv7/10[19]
Yahoo! Voices[20]

Crush received positive reviews from music critics. Rolling Stone named it the sixth best pop album of 2014—the only appearance from an Asian artist on the list, with Charles Aaron writing "Almost two years after K-pop first giddily barged into America's imagination, the genre hasn't sustained a post-"Gangnam Style" wave, but the Seoul machine [2NE1] keeps humming." He further highlighted the diversity of all its tracks, and identified "MTBD" as the album's centerpiece.[21] Fuse noted the group's "knack for genre-melding" and wrote that "After fans waited nearly four years for their second full-length album, the K-pop phenoms did not disappoint with a slew of forward-thinking, wholly-accessible tracks". They selected "Come Back Home", "Baby I Miss You" and "Gotta Be You" as the album standouts.[22][23] The publication further included Crush in their year-end ranking of best 40 worldwide albums of 2014.[24]

Billboard ranked it the number one best K-pop album of the year, where they felt that it "proved more than worth the nearly-four-year wait" and highlighted the record's venture into new sonic territory with the fusion of different genres.[25] August Brown of Los Angeles Times stated that "'Crush' has one foot in each country's pop music: K-pop's neon melodies, with sounds from America's trap and bass-music scenes. It's the most coherent LP to come out of this generation of K-pop."[17] Writing for Pitchfork, Corban Goble commented that "The brash all-female Korean pop supergroup 2NE1's new album, Crush, bottles up contemporary trends as well as their usual EDM/reggae/hip-hop/R&B stylemash. But it represents a sleeker, more refined vision for the group."[18] Conversely, Jeon Min-seok of webzine IZM had a more critical stance, feeling that the songs from the record were not as great as those found in the group's earlier albums.[16]

Crush was chosen as the Favorite Girl Group Album on the "Girl Group Week Readers' Poll" hosted by Billboard in May 2014, beating albums by Girls Aloud, Little Mix, Destiny's Child and the Spice Girls.[26] Billboard named it the 18th greatest K-pop album of the 2010s decade while Paste named it the 20th greatest K-pop album of all time, with the latter calling it a worthwhile last album "to one of K-pop's most important girl groups."[27]

Commercial performance

[edit]

Following its release, Crush sold over 5,000 copies within four days in the United States and debuted at number 61 on the Billboard 200. In doing so, the album broke two records: the best selling K-pop album in the country (the record has since been beaten by Exo's Exodus which sold 6,000 copies) and the highest-charting album by a Korean artist on the Billboard 200, which would hold the record for two and a half years. In the group's native country South Korea, the album debuted and peaked at number two on the Gaon Album Chart in the chart issue dated March 2–8, 2014.[28] According to Gaon's mid-year charts, the tracks from Crush have been downloaded over 5.2 million times;[29] however, it underperformed it terms of physical sales compared to the group's previous records. Due to its successful digital performance, it landed their fourth nomination for Album of the Year at the 2014 Melon Music Awards.[30]

Controversy

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CL performing edited version of "MTBD" on the tour in Jakarta

Listeners accused the sixth track, "MTBD", of having an audio sample of a young boy reciting Quran verses. This struck social media by storm amongst 2NE1's Muslim listeners, with even death threats being posted on both the group's and CL's social media pages. Because of this controversy, YG Entertainment released an alternate version of "MTBD" which omits the sample.[31]

Accolades

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Awards and nominations for Crush
Organization Year Category Result Ref.
Bugs Music Awards 2014 Top 10 Albums Won [32]
Melon Music Awards 2014 Album of the Year Nominated [30]
Best R&B / Soul Song (for "If I Were You") Nominated
Philippine K-pop Awards 2014 Album of the Year Won [33]
Golden Disc Awards 2015 Album Bonsang Nominated
Red Dot Design Awards 2015 Best Communication Design Won [34]
Crush on critic rankings
Publication List Rank Ref.
Billboard The 10 Best K-pop Albums of 2014 1 [25]
The 40 Best K-pop Deep Cuts of the Decade ("MTBD") 2 [35]
The 25 Greatest K-pop Albums of the 2010s 18 [36]
Fuse Best 40 Albums of 2014 — [24]
Paste The 30 Greatest K-pop Albums of All Time 20 [27]
Rolling Stone 20 Best Pop Albums of 2014 6 [21]
Vice The 20 Best K-pop Songs of 2014 ("If I Were You") 7 [37]

Track listing

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Korean edition

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Crush track list
No.TitleLyricsMusicArrangementLength
1."Crush"CLCL, Choice 37Choice 373:14
2."Come Back Home"TeddyTeddy, P.K, Dee.PTeddy, P.K, Dee.P3:50
3."Gotta Be You" (너 아님 안돼; Neo Anim Andwae)Teddy, Masta WuTeddy, P.KP.K3:52
4."If I Were You" (살아 봤으면 해; Sara Bwasseumyeon Hae; lit. I Wish I Could Live (That Way)CLCL, Dee.PDee.P3:30
5."Good to You" (착한 여자; Chakhan Yeoja; lit. Kind Woman)Teddy, G-DragonTeddy, Choice 37Choice 373:41
6."MTBD" (CL solo; 멘붕; Menbung; lit. Mental Breakdown)Teddy, CLTeddyTeddy3:16
7."Happy"TeddyTeddyTeddy3:37
8."Scream" (Korean version)CLTeddy, Dee.PDee.P3:40
9."Baby I Miss You"CLCL, Choice 37, PeejayChoice 37, Peejay3:12
10."Come Back Home" (Unplugged version)TeddyTeddy, P.K, Dee.PTeddy, P.K, Dee.P3:14
Total length:35:06

Japanese edition

[edit]
Crush – Standard version
No.TitleLyricsMusicArrangementLength
1."Crush"Sunny BoyCL, Choice 37Choice 373:14
2."Come Back Home"Teddy, Sunny BoyTeddy, P.K, Dee.PTeddy, P.K, Dee.P3:49
3."Gotta Be You"Teddy, Masta Wu, Sunny BoyTeddy, Masta WuChoi Pil Kang3:51
4."Do You Love Me"Teddy, Sunny BoyTeddy 3:35
5."Happy"Teddy, Sunny BoyTeddy 3:37
6."Falling in Love"Teddy, Choice37, Sunny BoyTeddy 3:46
7."I Love You"Teddy, Sunny Boy, Tatsuji Ueda, Izumi Soratani, KeisukeTeddy, Lydia Paek 3:57
8."If I Were You"Ritsuko TanifujiCL, Dee.PDee.P3:30
9."Missing You"Teddy, Tatsuji UedaTeddy 3:39
10."Come Back Home" (Unplugged version)Teddy, Sunny BoyTeddy, P.K, Dee.PTeddy, P.K, Dee.P3:14
Total length:36:12
Crush Type A – CD (Disc 2: Korean edition)
No.TitleLyricsMusicArrangementLength
1."Crush"CLCL, Choice 37Choice 373:14
2."Come Back Home"TeddyTeddy, P.K, Dee.PTeddy, P.K, Dee.P3:50
3."Gotta Be You" (너 아님 안돼; Neo Anim Andwae)Teddy, Choi Pil KangTeddy, Masta WuChoi P.K3:52
4."If I Were You" (살아 봤으면 해; Sara Bwasseumyeon Hae)CLCL, Dee.PDee.P3:30
5."Good to You" (착한 여자; Chakhan Yeoja)Teddy, G-DragonTeddy, Choice 37Choice 373:41
6."MTBD (CL solo)" (멘붕; Menbung)Teddy, CLTeddyTeddy3:16
7."Happy"TeddyTeddyTeddy3:37
8."Scream" (Korean version)CLTeddy, Dee.PDee.P3:40
9."Baby I Miss You"CLCL, Choice 37, PeejayChoice 37, Peejay3:12
10."Come Back Home" (Unplugged version)TeddyTeddy, P.K, Dee.PTeddy, P.K, Dee.P3:14
Crush Type A and Type B – DVD (Japanese music videos)
No.TitleLength
1."Crush" (music videos) 
2."Come Back Home" (music videos) 
3."Gotta Be You" (music videos) 
4."Happy" (music videos) 
5."Missing You" (music videos) 
6."Do You Love Me" (music videos) 
7."Falling in Love" (music videos) 
8."I Love You" (music videos) 
9."Making of Crush" 
Crush Type D – DVD (Fan Club Limited Edition)
No.TitleLength
1."2NE1 1st FANCLUB EVENT 2013 ～DO YOU LOVE ME～" (only sale for Blackjack Nolza Shop) 

Credits and personnel

[edit]

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Crush.[38]

Recording

Charts

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Sales

[edit]
Sales for Crush
Region Sales amount
Japan 36,000[52]
South Korea 71,236[53]
United States 10,000[54]

Release history

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Release dates and formats for Crush
Region Date Version Format(s) Label(s)
Various February 27, 2014 Korean
South Korea
March 7, 2014 CD
Japan March 19, 2014 YGEX
Philippines March 29, 2014 Warner Music Philippines
Taiwan April 3, 2014
  • CD+Pendant (Black edition)
  • CD+DVD (Pink edition)
 Warner Music Taiwan
Various June 25, 2014 Japanese
  • Digital download
  • streaming
Japan
  • CD
  • CD+DVD
  • 2CD+DVD
 YGEX

References

[edit]

Discography

  1. ^ "2NE1 Japanese Discography" (in Japanese). 2NE1 Japan Official Website. Retrieved June 4, 2014.

Other references

  1. ^ Park, Jong-gyu (September 20, 2010). "'파죽지세' 2NE1, 국내 넘어 세계시장까지 장악한다!" [2NE1 with strong momentum dominates the global market beyond the domestic market]. Asia Economy (in Korean). Archived from the original on July 21, 2015. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
  2. ^ Kang, Seung-hoon (June 29, 2012). "2NE1, 1년만에 싱글 'I Love You' 컴백" [2NE1, single 'I Love You' comeback after 1 year] (in Korean). TVReport. Archived from the original on January 2, 2021. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
  3. ^ "2NE1, 레게도 합니다…'Falling in Love'" [2NE1, a new reggae song...'Falling in Love'] (in Korean). Newsis. June 18, 2013. Archived from the original on April 26, 2021. Retrieved April 5, 2021 – via Nate.
  4. ^ Ju-young, Yeom (February 13, 2014). "2NE1, 24일 전격 컴백 예고 '4년 만의 정규 앨범'" [2NE1, a surprise comeback notice on the 24th 'Full album in 4 years'] (in Korean). Naver. Archived from the original on April 26, 2021. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  5. ^ Lee, Seung-rok (February 13, 2014). "YG 2NE1, 2월 24일 'CRUSH'로 컴백 공식발표" [YG 2NE1 officially announces comeback with 'Crush' on February 24th]. My Daily. Archived from the original on July 2, 2019. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
  6. ^ "An Interview with K-Pop Favorites 2NE1 and Their New Videos for "Happy" and "Come Back Home"". www.vice.com. March 3, 2014.
  7. ^ "2NE1, 새앨범 음원공개 연기, 이유가 황당 "씨엘~"" [2NE1's new album postponed for 'CL']. The Herald Economy (in Korean). February 19, 2014. Archived from the original on April 26, 2021. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
  8. ^ Dorof, Jacob (March 2, 2014). "An Interview with K-Pop Favorites 2NE1 and Their New Videos for 'Happy' and 'Come Back Home'". Vice. Archived from the original on April 21, 2021. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
  9. ^ "투애니원, 정규 2집 발매 26일로 연기…더블 타이틀곡으로 활동" [2NE1, postponed their 2nd regular album release to the 26th... Double title tracks expected]. Asia Today (in Korean). February 19, 2014. Archived from the original on April 26, 2021. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
  10. ^ "Come Back Home" (in Korean). Melon. Archived from the original on April 26, 2021. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
  11. ^ a b c Hong Gil-dong (March 3, 2014). "2NE1 releases videos for 'Come Back Home,' 'Happy'". The Korea Herald. Retrieved June 20, 2014.
  12. ^ "2NE1 Invites 21 Fans to Their Private Music-Listening Event before Comeback". YG Life. February 18, 2014.
  13. ^ Choi Hyun-Jung (May 24, 2014). "Billboard MV of 2NE1's 'Gotta Be You'". Yahoo Entertainment. Singapore. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved June 28, 2014.
  14. ^ Benjamin, Jeff (March 15, 2014). "2NE1 Embraces Pop Art in 'Gotta Be You' Video: Watch". Billboard. Retrieved June 28, 2014.
  15. ^ Kim, Young-dae; Mimyo (February 26, 2014). "2NE1 – Crush (2014)". Idology (in Korean). Retrieved April 12, 2022.
  16. ^ a b Jeon, Min-seok (March 2014). "2NE1 Crush – Review". IZM (in Korean). Retrieved April 12, 2022.
  17. ^ a b Brown, August (April 1, 2014). "Review: 2NE1 showcases K-pop's bright future in America with 'Crush'". Los Angeles Times.
  18. ^ a b Goble, Corban (March 28, 2014). "2NE1: Crush Album Review". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on March 28, 2014. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  19. ^ "[Weekly weiv] 02.14 ~ 02.28" (in Korean). Weiv. March 5, 2014. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
  20. ^ Frahm, Jonathan (March 4, 2014). "Album Review: 'Crush' by 2NE1". Yahoo! Voices. Archived from the original on July 29, 2014. Retrieved April 12, 2022.
  21. ^ a b Aaron, Charles; Ganz, Caryn; Johnston, Maura; Spanos, Brittany; Walters, Barry (December 19, 2014). "20 Best Pop Albums of 2014". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 16, 2018.
  22. ^ "2NE1's album 'Crush' named among Fuse TV's top 25 albums of 2014". The Korea Herald. June 18, 2014. Retrieved May 30, 2021.
  23. ^ Benjamin, Jeff; Xu, Tina (February 27, 2014). "9 Reasons to Love 2NE1's 'Crush' Album". Fuse TV. Archived from the original on February 24, 2015.
  24. ^ a b "40 Best Albums of 2014". Fuse. December 15, 2014. Archived from the original on May 13, 2019. Retrieved September 24, 2021.
  25. ^ a b "The 10 Best K-Pop Albums of 2014". Billboard. December 11, 2014.
  26. ^ "2NE1, Spice Girls and Fifth Harmony Dominates Girl Group Week". Billboard. May 3, 2014. Archived from the original on May 8, 2014. Retrieved May 8, 2014.
  27. ^ a b Perez, Cielo (September 11, 2023). "The 30 Greatest K-Pop Albums of All Time". Paste Magazine. Retrieved September 11, 2023.
  28. ^ "2014년 12주차 Album Chart". Gaon Chart. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
  29. ^ "2NE1 Charts 6 Songs on Gaon 2014 Mid-Year Charts + Reaches 5.2 Million Downloads". YG Ladies. July 18, 2014. Archived from the original on July 25, 2014.
  30. ^ a b Jeon, Yoon-hee (November 13, 2014). '2014 멜론뮤직어워드' 올해의 앨범상 god "큰상 오랜만" '울컥' [G.o.d wins '2014 Melon Music Awards' Album of the Year: "Big award after a long time," 'crying']. Korea Economic TV (in Korean). Retrieved November 28, 2021 – via Naver.
  31. ^ "CL Receiving Death Threats From Alleged Muslims For Possible 'MTBD' Quran Verse On 2NE1 'Crush' Album". KPopStarz. March 10, 2014.
  32. ^ "음악포털 벅스, '2014 벅스 어워드' 발표" [Music portal Bugs announces '2014 Bugs Awards']. Herald Economy (in Korean). December 31, 2014 – via Naver.
  33. ^ Hicap, Johnathan (January 5, 2015). "Sistar looks forward to an amazing 2015". Manila Bulletin. Archived from the original on January 7, 2015. Retrieved April 11, 2022.
  34. ^ "YG '레드닷 디자인 어워드' 첫 출품 5관왕 '쾌거'" [YG wins at the world's top 3 design awards '5 splendid achievements']. News1 (in Korean). August 10, 2015. Retrieved November 23, 2021 – via Naver.
  35. ^ Benjamin, Jeff (December 1, 2017). "The 40 Best K-Pop Deep Cuts of the Decade So Far: Critics' Picks". Billboard. Retrieved October 3, 2022.
  36. ^ "The 25 Greatest K-Pop Albums of the 2010s: Staff List". Billboard. December 17, 2019.
  37. ^ Dorof, Jakob (December 29, 2014). "The 20 Best K-Pop Songs of 2014". Vice. Archived from the original on April 23, 2022. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
  38. ^ Crush (booklet) (in Korean). 2NE1. YG Entertainment. 2014.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  39. ^ "Meilleures ventes d'Albums téléchargés en France le 28 février 2014 (Top Albums)" (in French). Chartsinfrance. March 6, 2014. Retrieved October 30, 2022.
  40. ^ "2014年06月23日～2014年06月29日のCDアルバム週間ランキング". Oricon Style (in Japanese). July 7, 2014.
  41. ^ "Top Albums Sales – 2014/07/02". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). July 2, 2014. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
  42. ^ "Gaon Album Chart". Gaon Chart. March 3, 2014. Archived from the original on March 14, 2014. Retrieved March 14, 2014.
  43. ^ "G-Music Combo Chart – 2014 Week 15" (in Chinese (Taiwan)). G-Music. April 17, 2014. Archived from the original on April 18, 2014.
  44. ^ "G-Music J-pop Chart – 2014 Week 15" (in Chinese (Taiwan)). G-Music. April 17, 2014. Archived from the original on April 18, 2014.
  45. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. March 2–8, 2014.
  46. ^ "2ne1 Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
  47. ^ "2ne1 Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
  48. ^ "2ne1 Chart History (World Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
  49. ^ "Circle Album Chart – March 2014". Circle Chart (in Korean). Retrieved April 4, 2023.
  50. ^ "Circle Album Chart – 2014". Circle Chart (in Korean). Retrieved April 4, 2023.
  51. ^ "2014 Year-End Charts – Billboard World Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved December 10, 2014.
  52. ^ "オリコンランキング情報サービス「you大樹」" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved February 4, 2018.
  53. ^ Gaon Album Chart: 66,004 (2014) + 2,947 (2015) + 2,285 (2016)
  54. ^ Benjamin, Jeff (March 6, 2015). "Will a K-Pop Girl Group Take Over the U.S. Soon (Or Ever)?". Billboard. Retrieved March 10, 2015.
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